Christian Experience.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 43, No. 9, September 1904.
The word Experience is from the latin experientia, meaning a proof or trial. In its broader sense it signifies a practical knowledge of a thing or acquaintance with it by personal trial or observation. When applied to the feelings or emotions it has reference to what we feel and realize for ourselves. A knowledge of pain can be had only by experiencing pain. The same is true of sorrow, joy, hatred, and love. Trouble, peace, weariness, and rest cannot be known in any other way. By Christian Experience we mean what the Christian feels, the exercise of soul through which he passes. This experience can never be learned by reading about it or hearing it preached or talked about. One cannot impart it to another, for each must learn it for himself.It is the tendency of much of the modern teaching to ignore and even deny the reality of a Christian experience. This is easily accounted for. Many public teachers have no experience themselves and as they claim to be Christians, they, naturally, deny its reality. Many say that all the experience there is, is a feeling of joy resulting from the performance of duty. The religion of such is only Pharisaical, and their joy is only of a false nature resulting from a false conception of the nature and design of obedience.
Prior to the first spiritual emotion is the impartation of spiritual life by the Spirit of God. From this life springs every exercise that is of a spiritual character. All that the Christian feels is not spiritual, however, as he possesses a carnal as well as a spiritual nature. This produces a warfare, the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, so that he cannot do the things that he would. It is his duty to strive against the works of the flesh, and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit, yet he will never be free from the former while he is here in the flesh.
Perhaps the first emotion that the Spirit produces in the soul is penitence for sin. This is a repentance that Christ was exalted to give. It is not performed like an act of voluntary duty, hence it is folly to exhort any one to exercise it. An aspiring writer recently remarked in a letter that repentance was not sorrow at all. We could but judge that he had not studied his dictionary carefully. It implies such a sorrow that produces a turning away from sin in the affections.
This repentance is the sinner's act, but there is a great difference between it and voluntary acts, such as joining the church, submitting to baptism, &c. In fact, sorrow itself is a state rather than an act. The same may be said of faith and love. Repentance cannot be induced by offering rewards or threatening with punishment. Hence the folly of exhorting impenitent sinners to be sorry and mourn over their sins. It is true that there are exhortations to repentance given in the Bible, but in every case of that kind it is a voluntary turning away from a wrong course that is meant and not sorrow for sin. This is a gift produced by the Spirit in the heart, and the penitent tears, the sighs and groans, are external evidences of it.
In this state the child of God cannot see how justice can be dealt out and salvation granted at the same time. The intensity of this sorrow is not the same in all cases, neither is the manner of its coming. Whether it comes suddenly or gradually, whether its intensity is great or small, the cause and result is the same. Arminians seem very uneasy about the mourner. Their uneasiness arises from a misapprehension of the real state of the mourner and of the plan of his salvation. Believing him to be in danger of being lost and believing his salvation to depend upon their efforts united with his, they ask him to submit to their prayers and exert his own efforts to "get through," exhorting him to "exercise faith in Christ." The absurdity of this course is apparent to all who know by experience that salvation is by grace. It is right to pray for mourners when they request it, or if one feels like doing so, but to ask them to let you pray for them with the notion that your prayers are really needed to bring them relief, is too much of a trust in the help of man to harmonize with the doctrine of grace.
No uneasiness need be entertained about the penitent sinner. Jesus said such are already blessed and that they shall be comforted, and his word is sufficient. In the Lord's own time the mourner will be brought to Christ as his own Saviour, and then will come a time of rejoicing. The garment of praise will then take the place of the spirit of heaviness and the oil of joy will be given for mourning. The subjects of these divine operations are trees of righteousness and the planting of the Lord alone, by whom he is glorified. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Faith which brings joy is a belief in Christ as our personal Saviour, and this is the only kind that will ever do any poor sinner the least good. Great pretensions are now being made in regard to it being the duty of all men to believe in Christ, but when pressed with questions such advocates will say they do not mean a faith in Christ as a personal Saviour, but only a belief that he exists and that the Bible is true. Why make so much noise about a faith of that kind when likely all in your audience have it? It appears to be only for effect.
The Arminian says that belief is a condition of salvation. He may say he does not mean regeneration but salvation, making a distinction between the two. Even then he disagrees with Paul, who plainly taught that salvation is unconditional. But belief cannot be a condition of anything in any sense. One who does not believe a statement cannot believe as a condition of receiving a certain benefit by believing. Any one who will think seriously can see the reasonableness of this proposition. It can be applied to all forms of belief and to any fact in existence. The unbeliever cannot be induced to believe what he does not believe, by exhortation, rewards, threatenings, or persuasions. Belief, therefore, is never a condition performed - never.
The faith in Christ that brings joy always works by love and is inseparably connected with it. This love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. It is one sure proof of being born again. The unchanged heart is enmity against God. Those who have not been born again can no more love God than can the leopard clear himself of his spots or the Ethiopian can change the color of his skin. When the love of God is shed abroad in the heart hope springs up, and the soul is made to rejoice with unspeakable joy.
J. R. D.
Copyright c. 2005. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
