Lessons on Portions of the Word.
Zion's Advocate, September 1899, Vol. 38, No. 9.
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." - I. Peter i. 22.
Many suppose this to teach that through our obedience we purify our own souls, and it is argued that our purification from the pollution of guilt is, therefore, conditional. Such a construction of Peter's language would make him contradict Paul where he says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us," and, in fact, many other passages. No conditionalist can reconcile these two statements and construe Peter's language as they do. They argue, therefore, that possibly we do not construe Paul's language correctly.In regard to this statement of Paul as quoted above, he plainly denies that the salvation of a sinner from pollution of guilt is conditional on his part. His language will admit of no other interpretation or construction. It is claimed that Paul had reference to the ceremonial law when he spoke of "works of righteousness," and that he taught that we are not saved by observing the Mosaic ritual, but by the "washing of regeneration" which is baptism in water. But this is assuming a thing to be proved. Paul does not even intimate such a thing. It cannot be denied that in his letter to Timothy he taught the same thing as in the text we are now considering, when he said, "Who hath saved us, and called us, with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began." Here it is declared that our salvation and claling is not according to our works, not according to one of all of them, but according to God's eternal purpose and efficacious grace which was given in Christ long before we existed. Stronger language could not be used to deny that our salvation is conditional, and it is in perfect harmony with the text we are now considering.
Baptism, or any other act of obedience rendered by us, is a work of righteousness, and Paul makes no exception in this passage, but includes all acts of obedience. He would have contradicted himself in this sentence if he had meant baptism in speaking of the "washing of regeneration," for then the passage might be read, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by a work of righteousness which we have done!" Campbell and all his followers, who seem to love water so well, get into too deep water for them when they undertake to explain away this plain passage. We have seen many of them drown in the attempt, and in his "Christian System," he himself, in trying to dispose of this passage and get it out of his way, became overwhelmed in a flood of difficulties. Baptism is a righteous work, for Jesus said to John the Baptist, "Suffer it to be so now, John, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Then the "washing of regeneration" cannot be water baptism. It cannot be any act of ours, fo rit is spoken of as being the work done for us by which we are saved, and not a work done by us by which we save ourselves. Arminians, who construe Peter's language to favor their theory, cannot evade the contradition they thus made in their teaching of these two inspired writers.
There are two purifications taught in the word of God; one a literal, and the other a ceremonial purification. The literal purification is performed by the blood of Christ "which cleanseth us from all sin." Paul says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." The Spirit performs the work of literal purification in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then the sinner purified does not perform the work, and Peter could not have referred to literal cleansing when he wrote that the saints had "purified their souls in obeying the truth." The cleansing accomplished by us in obeying the truth is only ceremonial cleansing, and being performed after the literal cleansing, it is merely an evidence of it. Thus Jesus told the leper whom he had cleansed literally to go and shew himself to the Priest and offer for his cleansing according to the law of Moses. Luke v. 14. He was first cleansed literally, and was then required to do something to cleanse himself ceremonially. The ceremonial had nothing to do with the literal, but followed as an act of obedience. So God's people whom Peter here addresses had been cleansed by the Spirit, and had then purified their souls (or lives as it might be translated) in obeying the truth. By living in obedience we live pure lives. In this way we avoid the stain of impurity which would be stamped upon our lives by acts of disobedience.
It was "through the Spirit" that they had obeyed the truth. Then they did not get the Spirit for obeying. They must have already had it or they could not have obeyed through it. This is shown plainly by the statement immediately following: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed," &c. That is, being born again they had purified their souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit which is with all who are born again.
The exhortation is then given to "love one another with a pure heart fervently." Love for one another is an essential of acceptable obedience, and we should love, not in word only, but in deed and in truth. In all our dealings and intercourse with one another love should be the predominating principle. The crowning adornment of the christian life is love.
J. R. D.
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