BELIEVING WITH THE HEART

There is no learning of Christ apart from Divine Truth (Matt. 11:28-30; John 17:3; II Cor. 4:6; I John 5:20), yet one may be able to summarize and recite all of the revealed facts concerning Christ and His accomplished redemption and still be unreconciled to God and under His curse. What I am saying is this; it isn’t the mere knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus that saves the soul, but a love of Christ in that truth (II Pet. 2:19-22; II Thess. 2:9-12). It isn’t a mere intellectual belief and ritualistic confession through which guilty sinners enter into a saving interest in Christ, but a “believing with the heart” (Rom. 10:10), a meeting, a welcoming, a loving, and an embracing of Christ in the truth, as the truth, as the Gospel, as the “Good News” (Romans 10:8-17).

Pastor Maurice Montgomery

Do not be Distracted by Matters of Dispute

I was greatly impressed, while reading Mr. Spurgeon this week, by a statement he made regarding those who spend most of their life trying to resolve the deep and mysterious theological questions. He said, “There is the puzzling problem concerning the origin of evil. I am not so much concerned about how evil came into the world as about helping to get it out! Common sense seems to say ‘If there is a thief in the house, let us catch him, deal with him, and get him out; after that we will try to find out how he got in!’ Our Lord did not come into the world to tell us where sin came from, but by the sacrifice of Himself to put it away.”

It has for centuries been a great temptation to many talented men to spend their time studying, arguing, and quarreling over sovereignty and responsibility, Sabbath days and church government, prophetical speculation and future events, when they would have been better employed and more greatly used of God in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It certainly does not harm us to sharpen our minds; to consider the mysteries of God, to inquire into that which is written, revealed and unrevealed; but, our powers are limited, our gifts are limited, and our time is limited. Let us sound a clear, positive note concerning that which God has made known without doubt; “He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

A man can be saved and not know whether he is a pre, post, or a-millenialist, but a man cannot be saved who does not know Christ. A man can be saved without a love for T.U.L.I.P, but he cannot be saved without a love for Christ. A man can be saved who refuses the lordship of elders, but a man cannot be saved who refuses the lordship of Christ. A man can be saved who does not enter into the rest of your Sabbath, but a man cannot be saved who has not ceased from his labors and entered into the rest of Christ.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1983)

Regeneration - New Birth, New Nature

The new birth is an imperative necessity because the natural man is altogether devoid of spiritual life. It is not that he is ignorant and needs instruction: it is not that he is feeble and needs invigorating: it is not that he is sickly and needs doctoring. His case is far, far worse. He is dead in trespasses and sins. This is no poetical figure of speech: it is a solemn reality, little as it is perceived by the majority of people. The sinner is lifeless and needs quickening. He is a spiritual corpse, and needs bringing from death unto life…

What, then, is the new birth? We answer, it is not the removal of anything from the sinner, nor the changing of anything in the sinner. The new birth is the impartation of the new nature. When I was born the first time I received from my parents their nature; so, when I was born again, I received from God His nature. The Spirit of God begets within us a spiritual nature: as we read in II Peter 1:4. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.”

That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The child always partakes of the nature of his parents. That which is born of man is human; that which is born of God is divine. That which is born of man is sinful, and that which is born of God is spiritual. Here, then, is the character or nature of the new birth. It is not the reformation of the outward man, it is not the education of the natural man, it is not the purification of the old man, but it is the creation of a new man. It is a Divine begetting (James 1:18). It is a birth of the Spirit (John 3:6). It is being made a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). It is becoming a partaker of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4). It is being born into God’s family. Every born again person has, therefore, two natures within him: one which is carnal, the other which is spiritual. These two natures are contrary the one to the other (Galatians 5:17), and in consequence, there is an unceasing warfare going on within the Christian. It is only the grace of God which can subdue the old nature; and it is only the Word of God which can feed the new nature.