Elder
O. B. Mink
Retired
Sovereign Grace Baptist Pastor
Elder
O. B. Mink
Retired
Sovereign Grace Baptist Pastor
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: {4} In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (II Corinthians 4:3-4)In the chapter (II Corinthians 4) from which our text is taken, Paul, speaking of the Law of Moses, said: it "was made glorious," but went on to say: "For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious" (Vss. 10 & 11). The law of Moses was first the law of God, and therefore glorious, but there is no parallel between the law and the gospel and there can be no comparison made of them, except to highlight the infinite distinction between them. The law was a ministration of condemnation and death; the gospel of Christ is a ministration of righteousness and life (II Corinthians 4:7-9).
"... For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." (I
Corinthians 4:15) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."
(I Peter 1:23)
There is no intrinsic power in the letter of the gospel. The gospel has
no inherent sovereignty in it, it is by itself ineffectual in revealing
the Lordship and Saviourhood of Jesus Christ. It is as the sword yet in
its sheath, powerless, but when unsheathed by the skillful hand of the
Master swordsman it is means of subduing some, and putting others to flight.
So it is with the gospel sword, when empowered and directed by the Holy
Spirit, the enmity in the hearts of God's elect is slain thereby, and they
are given a peace that passes all understanding. The Holy Spirit is the
regenerative agent, or the life giving power. Therefore, it is no demeaning
of the Spirit, to attribute to Him the use of the gospel in His quickening
ministry. It is through the means of gospel preaching, the elect see Christ
lifted upon the pole of calvary to bear the soul damning judgment due them,
and hence He becomes the object of their world defeating faith. (I John
5:4-5).
Regeneration belongs wholly to the sphere of Divine activity, it is a product
of sovereign grace, and there can never be regeneration that is according
to the will of the flesh. It is"... Not of the will of man, but of God"
(John 1:13). Man has no volition, option, or action in regeneration,
there is no contribution given or made on his part, and none is needed,
for man is the clay and God is the potter (Romans 9:21-23). While
man is utterly passive in the regenerative experience, he is not irresponsible,
for God "... Commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30),
As with repentance, so it is with faith, for "Without faith it is impossible
to please God ..." (Hebrews 11:6). "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God ..."
(Ephesians 2:8). Paul says: "... For all men have not faith,"
and in the same breath, he says: they who have not faith are "unreasonable
and wicked men" (II Thessalonians 3:2). Men who are destitute
of God given faith, are utterly depraved, and are in their entity an abomination
to God.
However, there is hope, for Jesus shall "save His people from their
sins," and He has in infinite mercy revealed in His unimpeachable word,
how He saves all the Father gave Him In the covenant of redemption, and
that is by the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God. Our Lord preached
the doctrine of regeneration to Nicodemus, saying unto him: "Ye must
be born again" (John 3:7), and then He connected this absolute
requisite with the gospel, saying: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth In Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John
3:14-15). It is this very gospel that permeates the New Testament,
and is the instrument God invariably uses in the regeneration of His people.
"For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed
... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel
of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans
10:11-17). Paul irrefutably declares that a hearing of the gospel of
Christ is essential to regeneration, for he asks: "How shall they believe
in Him of Whom they have not heard?"
The concept or idea of regeneration belongs exclusively to the province
of omniscience, and its revelation and effectuation is strictly the work
of the omnipotent and omnipresent Spirit. Man had nothing to do with his
first birth, and he is utterly passive in his second birth, for "The
flesh profiteth nothing" (John 6:63). It is no contradiction
of the truth stated in the foregoing part of this paragraph to say: No
man comes to God without faith and repentance, for these gifts are not
of the flesh, but of God, and are expressive of the predestinating love
of God for His people. Furthermore, no man ever comes to Christ unwillingly.
Some who believe in the sovereignty of God may think, or say, "That smacks
of Arminianism." But it is not so, for it is in perfect harmony with the
word of God. We are not saying that man in his natural state has a choice
or freewill, whereby he determines his own destiny. The natural will of
man is not cooperative in the work of regeneration, but is enmity against
it (Romans 8: 7-8). In regeneration, man is given a new nature (II
Corinthians 5:17), and therewith a new will whereby he can please God
and he comes willingly and joyfully unto God (Psalms 110:3).
While regeneration "Is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that sheweth mercy" (Romans 9:16), the first evidence
or fruit of regeneration is a new heart and will. Simply put, regeneration
must be its own witness, as with Saul of Tarsus, his first word at the
time of his quickening was: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"
(Acts 9:6). In regeneration a new nature is given the subject, and
with the new nature comes new and holy desires, and a willingness to please
God. God's
will
is sovereign and cannot be resisted (Romans 9:19), but the will
of the new nature of man is invariably resisted by the powers of darkness
(Ephesians 6:12). Paul said: "... When I would do good, evil
is present with me" (Romans 7:21). This is the sad lament of
every regenerated person, for they know that as yet they have not put off
the old man with his depraved and implacable will, but while their trials
are exceeding bitter, they persevere; "Because greater is He that is
in you (them), than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4).
The gospel says: "Repent or perish" (Luke 13:3). There is
great urgency in these awesome words, for they do not allow for deliberation
or procrastination. This word "repent" is emphatic, for it
points directly to fallen man's utterly corrupt nature, and calls for an
amendment of life that consists in an about-face, wherein the gospel of
the substitutionary work of Christ has brought infinite contrition and
endless gratitude to his heart. In regeneration the Holy Spirit grants
"Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Acts 20:21). Repentance brings with it a genuine regret
for having lived a life of rebellion against God's holy, just, and good
law (Romans 7:12). But with repentance comes faith, and by this
faith in the Christ of the gospel the sinner is made righteous and stands
in the presence of God justified, for God has taken the perfect obedience
of His Son and placed it to the helpless sinner's account. For God "Is
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).
Speaking of the instrumentality of the gospel in regeneration, Robert Haldane
in his classic EXPOSITION of ROMANS, says:
"The gospel is the great and admirable mystery, which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God, into which the angels desire to look, whereby His manifold wisdom is made known unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places. It is the efficacious means by which God saves men from sin and misery, and bestows on them eternal life, the instrument by which He triumphs in their hearts, and destroys in them the dominion of Satan. The gospel, which is the word of God, is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword. By it, as the word of truth, men are begotten by the will of God" (Pages 46 & 47)Sovereign Grace Baptists, contemporary and ancient, have never taught that the gospel, per se, saves anyone from their sins. What they have consistently taught is: No person is ever saved without hearing and believing the gospel. Baptists are ever aware of the primacy God has given His word. His word is the antithesis of error, and its light cannot coexist with darkness. Baptists know that God has magnified His word above that of His own name, and that His word shall not return unto Him void, but shall accomplish that which He pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto He sends it (Psalms 138:2; Isaiah 55:11). Baptists know that the gospel is the (instrumental) power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), but they have never attributed to the letter of the gospel redemptive efficacy, for they KNOW it is the PERSON of Christ that saves the sinner from his merited damnation, but they equally know that it is through the gospel that Christ "Hath brought life and immortality to light" (II Timothy 1:10).
"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48).Only an artificial analysis can separate the gospel from the regeneration of these Gentiles, for the immediate context connects "the word of God," or gospel light with the regeneration of these Gentiles, whereby their election was manifested.
