Regenerate Sinners Saved - Faith or No Faith
Zion's Advocate, August 1898, Vol. 37, No. 8
"REGENERATE SINNERS SAVED, FAITH OR NO FAITH"This heading is given in quotation marks to an article in "The Old Paths" from the pen of E. H. Burnam, intended as a criticism of statements made by Dr. (Elder) Waters in Zion's Advocate for June, 1890 and June 1891. It seems that a former effort had been made thro' the same paper to overthrow the position taken by Dr. Waters, but we presume E. H. B. was not satisfied with that and so attempted it again. Very well, Elder, you can make another trial if you wish, for unless the former attempt was much more successful than yours above referred to, the Doctor's position is not in the least injured by the assault.
First, Eld. Burnam says, "It was left to the last quarter of the 19th century to give birth among the Old Order of Baptists to the notion of regeneration without faith, or that it is not necessary that one should exercise repentance, faith, or any spiritual gift, in order to be saved, a heresy than which none more pernicious was ever put forth by any professing to be followers of Christ." From this statement it is logically inferred that Eld. B. believes that one must "exercise repentance, faith, and other spiritual gifts," in order to his own regeneration. If he believes this he believes regeneration to be conditional on the part of the regenerated; that the unregenerated sinner must, while in a state of unregeneracy, exercise repentance, faith, and other spiritual gifts, as a result of which God will regenerate him. Observe that he calls "repentance" and "faith" spiritual gifts. If they are spiritual gifts the Spirit gives them.
The position of the Elder seems to be that the Spirit gives these graces to the unregenerate sinner, and then leaves him to exercise these gifts as a condition of his regeneration. Right here we beg leave to join issue with Elder B. This is the great dividing line between us and the Arminian World and ever has been, and we enter a denial that "it was left to the last quarter of the 19th century to give birth to the notion of regeneration without faith," or rather before faith. Birth was given to that notion by divine inspiration. Jesus says, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things" (Matt. 12:35). "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). In regeneration the heart is changed and thus caused to possess a good treasure. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them" (Ezk. 36:26-27). The following propositions are deducible from these positive declarations, and we are glad to believe that Eld. B is sufficiently acquainted with the principles of logic to understand them:
1. Faith is a good thing.
2. Only such as have a good treasure of heart can bring forth faith.
3. A good treasure of heart is given in regeneration. Therefore regeneration precedes faith
Again, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." To be born of God means regeneration. Belief, or faith, is, then, an evidence of regeneration, and not a condition in order to regeneration. A condition goes before, an evidence follows after. If we say, Whosoever breathes is alive, all understand us to mean that breathing is an evidence of life, and that life, therefore, precedes breathing. But when the Bible says, "Whosoever believeth is born of God," Eld. Burnam and other Arminians still insist that Faith is not an evidence but a condition of regeneration. In Heb. 11:1, it is said that "faith is the evidence of things not seen." The Spirit's work in regeneration is a work not seen, and faith is the evidence of that work. We now present the following propositions and conclusion:
1. Faith is an evidence of regeneration.
2. That of which a thing is an evidence must precede it.
3. Therefore regeneration precedes faith.
What Dr. Waters said in the articles referred to we are glad to say we most heartily endorse. Here is the first quotation given by Elder B. from Dr. Waters:
"Every regenerate child of Adam is saved eternally, faith or no faith. Infants and idiots must be so saved; for they cannot believe, though they must be regenerated. Faith, therefore, is not necessary to eternal salvation."---Dr. Waters, in Zion's Advocate for June, 1890.
We wonder if Eld. B. believes that infants and idiots are saved. If he believes they are saved does he believe they are regenerated? We now give the second extract.
"Spiritual and eternal life may exist, then, apart from a belief in Jesus, repentance toward God, or knowledge of spiritual things, all of which are consequent upon and follow after regeneration; and it may please the Lord to remove the subject of His grace from this time state ere he has developed this spiritual growth, and rear him up beyond the river."---Dr. Waters, in Zion's Advocate and Herald of Truth for June, 1891.
We wish it understood that what Elder Waters stated in those articles is still the doctrine of Zion's Advocate and we pledge ourselves ready to stand by it.
After asserting that the notion of regeneration preceding faith received its birth among the Old Order of Baptists in the last quarter of the 19th century, Eld. B. discovers "one eminent man," A. Fuller, who believed and advocated that notion, who he declares to be the "antipodes" of ours "on some accounts." He should have said antipode using the word in the singular form. True enough, in his Arminian views he was the antipode of us, just as Burnam and all other Arminians are, but we are glad to learn he was right on this one point, and not surprised to find Eld. B. taking exceptions to his position on that point.
In coupling us with Fuller he says, "A noble pair of brothers, truly! One knows not whether most to wonder at the daring impiety of these utterances, or the contempt which they imply for the common sense and judgment of men." Eld. B. must have felt relieved after letting off that extraordinary load. But really such a statement comes with a very ill grace from a leading man among the faction which, like that led off by Fuller, left the Old Order of Baptists. The most contemptible thing connected with this recent separation from us is that those who have gone out from us because they were not of us, persist in claiming to be the Old Order of Baptists at the same time advocating the Arminian doctrine. "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
Eld. B. then says, "In the first place, the Holy Scriptures in the clearest manner show that faith in God is essential to spiritual or eternal life," and refers to a number of passages as negative and affirmative proof, not a single one of which says or implies that "faith is essential to eternal life." Eld. B. does not show, nor can he show, that any one passage in the Bible teaches that one must believe in order to receive eternal life. It is not enough to say they are associated in regeneration, for if belief is to be exercised in order to the work of regeneration, as the Eld. asserts in the beginning of his article, and faith and eternal life are given at the same time, then it follows that one has eternal life before he is regenerated.
Again, the Elder says, "One is not born in order to be possessed of sensation of which faith is the spiritual organ." Worse and worse! Then we suppose one possesses "sensation of which faith is the spiritual organ" before he is born. But this is not all. He says, "Both illumination and faith are equally the product of the Spirit of God, and being equally essential to life, they must be imparted at the same time and become inseparable." He here makes a distinction between illumination and life. Illumination is the impartation of light. John says, "In him was life and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). According to this the illumination is the life, but Eld. B. makes a distinction and argues that the sinner is illuminated before he has the life, for he says this illumination and faith are given at the same time, and that both precede the work of regeneration. In the same connection he asserts that both illumination and faith are given at the instant life is given. These contradictory positions the Eld. will never be able to reconcile. Now, as he proposes to continue the subject we have a few questions to propound which we desire him to answer.
1. Will any have faith who never hear the gospel?
2. Will any of the Heathen who die without having heard of Jesus be finally saved?
3. Will infants who die in infancy be saved without being regenerated?
4. Will insane persons and idiots dying in that state, not having minds susceptible of believing on Jesus Christ, be saved without regeneration?
5. Is the illumination mentioned in your last article enlightenment imparted through the preaching of the gospel?
6. Give a passage that says or implies that the unbelieving sinner is affected by the preached word while in a state of unbelief, and tell how such sinner is affected. Be frank and plain in your answer to these interrogatories.
- Elder John R. Daily
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