Читать книгу The Gospel Day; Or, the Light of Christianity - Charles Ebert Orr - Страница 32

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The authors of the dictionaries define the word redemption as “the act of deliverance, release, repurchase,” [pg 096] etc. The redemption through Christ is the deliverance or repurchase of man. Man in his original, primeval state enjoyed unity and an affinity with God. Because of transgression on the part of man this natural agreement between God and man was destroyed. All creation—herb, and tree, beast and fowl, and man—was pronounced very good by the Creator as he beheld it in review after creation. Gen. 1:29–31.

But because of Eden's sin the very nature of all things became changed. The ground became cursed, and thorns and thistles sprang up. Gen. 3:17, 18. The nature of the beast creation, no doubt, became affected by man's transgression. Gen. 6:7, 11–13. The transgression in Eden was the entrance of sin into this world. Rom. 5:12. Previous to this, all in the world was sinless harmony, and the earth itself uncursed by thorns and thistles. By the entrance of sin man's nature became changed, and since the nature of man became depraved there has not been a single individual born of the flesh but has possessed a depraved nature, except the child conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist says: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psa. 51:5.

This same is true of every child. The nature of the child in its formation in the womb is depraved. The moral condition of the parents may modify to an extent, but never wholly change that nature. The [pg 097] child does not inherit a depraved nature from its parents. It is not because the parents are depraved that the child is conceived in sin, but because nature is depraved. It required a supernatural conception to beget a pure child, everything in nature being depraved. The child does not inherit either physical or moral image directly from its parents. It is true, the child generally bears a marked resemblance to the parent, both physically and morally, but on the whole it is born in the image of Adam, morally and physically. It is generally the case that if a parent have three arms, or possess but one, his offspring will have two, receiving its physical image from the first created man. Should the parents be holy, the child will possess a carnal nature, because it is the nature of all the race.

How holy parents beget children depraved in nature is a puzzling problem to some minds, especially to those who are busying themselves about the intricate matters of God. This need be no more puzzling than a deformed parent begetting perfectly formed children. Nature, in embryo, begins its work of forming both the physical and moral image of the child, which is after the similitude of the original parents and not the immediate ones. While justification, which is the forgiveness of actual transgression, the inevitable result of a depraved nature, is a wonderful and glorious achievement of grace, it is but a very small part of the redemption of Christ. The [pg 098] supernatural overthrow of the depraved nature by the power of the Holy Spirit is the principal and real redemptive work. The pardon of committed sins is the clearing away of the rubbish, or preparation work, for the Third Person in the Holy Trinity to effect a revolution in the nature of man. Halleluiah to God! This change in nature is more wonderful than the revolting of nature at the command of Joshua. Man now, instead of being depraved in nature, is restored to his original holy nature.

This destruction of the carnal nature and the restoration of the original nature is accomplished by the Holy Spirit at the moment of his reception as an indwelling Comforter. Peter teaches this truth when he says: “God, which knoweth the hearts [or nature], bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us [at Pentecost]; and put no difference between us and them [Gentiles], purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:8, 9. Purifying the heart is the purification of man's affections, or nature. This is accomplished at the time of the giving of the Holy Ghost as declared in the last text; and this purifying of the hearts of the Gentiles at the giving of the Holy Ghost, is just what was done for the apostles at Pentecost. This is a plain, undeniable fact taught in this text. To turn to philosophizing upon how we can be conceived with a carnal nature, or how we can be converted and yet be depraved in nature is to soon become spoiled through [pg 099] vain deceit after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. Col. 2:8. In the very nature of things, and according to the Word of God, pardon of sins necessarily precedes the destruction of the carnal, depraved nature by the Holy Spirit. In the fall of man there was the act of transgression and also a change in man's moral image. In his restoration there must be a pardon of transgression and subsequently a change in nature.

It is a law of God that the redemption of man be accomplished through faith, by his grace. Our faith can not reach beyond our knowledge. By knowledge we mean a real soul-consciousness or conviction and not an intellectual knowledge. At this point many a dear soul has erred from the truth. They have endeavored to bring their faith up to their intellectual knowledge, which ends in presumption. True Bible faith is grounded in the soul. It results from a soul-knowledge, or conviction. To accept pardon of sins or healing of the body with only an intellectual knowledge of these blessings and not a real heart-conviction is mere presumption, and ends in failure and disgrace. To follow the comprehensions of the intellect, and not the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit upon the soul, concerning the mysteries of God's salvation is to be led into error, because the intellect can not fathom the things of God. We do now emphatically say, according to God's established law, that no unregenerated heart can have [pg 100] a comprehension or conviction of a corrupt moral nature and its purification. Why? Because transgression stands between it and purity. The awakened guilty soul knows nothing but its guilt, and for forgiveness only does it plead. After being pardoned, the soul gains a knowledge of carnality, and it is then convicted for the second cleansing.

Those who believe that purity of heart is attained in pardon take as a basis of such belief the language of Paul in 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:1–7; and similar texts. Now the apostle often speaks of full salvation, or complete redemption of the soul, in a general way. He says that “salvation is by the grace of God through faith.” By this he does not mean justification only, but sanctification as well. He has not specified the two works, but has spoken of full salvation in a general way of being by grace through faith. Thus Eph. 2:8–10 includes full salvation. In 2 Cor. 5:17 he again speaks of full salvation in a general way. It is true we are in Christ when converted, but we are none the less in him when sanctified. To say that Paul is referring to the justified only in this text is an error. By the two preceding verses we have reason to believe he is referring to those who are wholly sanctified. This then is no proof text that carnality is destroyed in justification, because you can not prove that he is referring to those who are only justified. In conclusion we would say that Christ came to redeem [pg 101] man only. Beast and bird have no part in the redemption. They shall perish. The earth is not redeemable, but being under the curse—spotted by sin—it shall be destroyed.