00.2 Introduction

Introduction

Before approaching the main subject of this book, reader and author need to become sufficiently acquainted that the reader may clearly understand the author’s object and know the subject of this book with its intended limitations. By "double cure" is meant the remedy for man’s acquired sins and for his native depravity. It is not the purpose of this book to present an exhaustive discussion of the plan of redemption in all the phases of that subject. Such is the sphere of theological works, not of a condensed treatise. Yet it is believed that this book will be found a thorough, defensive Biblical presentation of the primary doctrine of redemption in the applied sense of the word " redemption. "

Before we enter upon the discussion of our subject, two things are particularly necessary: (1) That we agree upon some standard of judgment that will constitute a common ground as a starting point for our reasoning; (2) That we carefully define [9] the principal terms that we intend to employ.

STANDARD OF JUDGMENT

It is useless to reason unless we can find some common standard by which to test the ideas that we present as proof of our premises. For example: if you should insist upon the Koran the book of Mohammed, as a standard, and I should contend that the Book of Mormon is the only true standard, then a lifetime of reasoning would not bring us to a conclusion satisfactory to us both; but if we can agree that the Bible, the book of Christianity, is the only perfect standard of judgment in religion, we shall have room to hope that we may see alike and "flow together." The Bible is taken as the standard of judgment in the prosecution of this work, and the reader who can agree to that standard will find himself at a common starting point with the author. From this common starting point we may reasonably hope to reach a common end satisfactory and profitable to both.

Having agreed upon a standard of judgment, we have yet to define the main terms that we shall employ in this study.

TERMINOLOGY

Endless dissensions have been caused by the ambiguity of terms. Friends have contended with each other and parted as bitter enemies, when, had they stopped to define their terms, they might have ended their contention in perfect agreement. Every living language, like a living organism, is constantly throwing off waste matter-obsolete words-and taking in reconstructive materials in the form of new words. Words also are constantly either acquiring new meanings or losing old meanings. These constant changes in our language make it especially necessary that we exercise great care in the study and interpretation of our older books. The Authorized Version of the Bible, for instance, was written in 1611 A. D., and its language is the English of the early seventeenth century. Since that time many and important changes have taken place in our language. It will be necessary, therefore, in the employment of Bible English not only to exercise care with respect to the ambiguity of terms, but also carefully to define words that are obsolete, or no longer in current use. " Prevent, " found in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, is an example of a word which, though still in use, has an entirely different meaning from that attached to it at the time the Authorized Version of the English Bible was translated. At that time "prevent" meant to precede, or go before; now it means to intercept, to hinder. Another example of a word that has entirely changed its meaning is "conversation" (see 1 Peter 3:11; Php 1:27). At the time the Authorized Version of the Bible was translated "conversation" meant "the general course of conduct or habits," but by a process of contraction in its meaning, it has narrowed to mean colloquial discourse. A valuable table of words obsolete or ambiguous will be found in "Helps to the Study of the Bible," Oxford University Press.

Though the terms employed in the present work are, for the most part, taken verbatim from the Bible, a few theological terms will be found that do not occur in the Bible itself These theological terms, however, very generally employed by Christian writers, are deductions from the tenor of the Scriptures. It will be necessary to define the meanings of a few of the important words employed in our discussion and to agree upon these definitions, so that reader and author will attach a common meaning to the terms employed and the reader be thus enabled to understand the author. For the sake of clearness and brevity, I will use almost invariably one leading term for each phase of the double cure-justification and sanctification-and one term for each negative condition of the heart- sin and native depravity. Occasionally I will use terms synonymous with these leading terms. An example of these synonyms is the word "regeneration," used as a synonym of "justification." These words both apply to the first Christian experience, or the first work of divine grace in the heart. Yet the process, of justification and that of regeneration are vastly different. "Justification" will be taken as the leading term to represent the first work of divine grace, and "conversion," "the new birth," and similar terms will be used as synonyms.

Each work of divine grace in the heart has a negative. condition that necessitates that particular work of grace... These negative conditions like the work of grace that remove them, must have their specific terms. The following scheme will make clear to the reader our classification of terms, as applied both to the negative conditions of the heart and to the positive works of divine grace.

I. Terms applied to the first work of grace and to the negative condition that necessitates that work.

1. First work of grace a) Leading term (1) Justification b) Approximate synonyms (1) Regeneration

(2) Conversion

(3) Forgiveness

(4) Remission 2. Negative condition a) Leading term

(1) Sin b) Approximate synonyms (1) Transgression (2) Unrighteousness

(3) Iniquity (4) Disobedience II. Terms applied to the second work of grace and to the negative condition that necessitates that work.

1. Second work of grace a) Leading term (1) Sanctification b) Approximate synonyms (1) Purification of the heart (2) Reception of t h e Holy Spirit

(3) Perfection 2. Negative condition a) Leading term (1) Native depravity b) Approximate synonyms

(1) Adamic sin (2) The flesh (figuratively)

(3) Carnality DEFINITION OF TERMS Justification, Greek dikaiosis " a making right or just; in the New Testament, acquittal, acceptance."-Green. The Greek verb "to justify" means "to render or regard as just or innocent; justification, as used in the New Testament, acquittal for Christ’s sake."-Strong. To justify in the evangelical sense means "to absolve or declare as innocent, to acquit a sinner from the guilt and punishment of sin."-Cruden.

Regeneration is a change and renovation of the soul by the Spirit and grace of God; the entering into a new spiritual life by means of a spiritual birth.

Conversion means a spiritual and moral change of the heart, a change from the service of the world to the service of God.

Though all these terms, justification, regeneration, and conversion, are practically synonymous, there is a slight technical difference between the ideas they present. Regeneration renovates the heart from the moral corruption produced by the transgression of God’s law. Conversion is the change produced by such a regeneration. Justification is the removal of penal guilt. Yet all these are experienced at the time the soul is born again and the sins are forgiven, or remitted, in the first work of divine grace.

Sin in, its broadest sense is any violation of divine law, (1 John 3:4),. Imputed sin, or a transgression of divine law that brings guilt to the soul, is, a conscious transgression ,of a known divine law by a, free moral agent. (John 9:41; John 9:41; James 4:17.) Synonyms of the term are " transgression, " " unrighteousness, " " iniquity, " and " disobedience." The word "sin" is sometimes used in reference to the sinful or depraved nature of the heart. Such use of the word, however, unless qualified by some such adjective as "Adamic" or "original" is ambiguous and confusing. Even when the word is so qualified, the meaning is not always clear, for the phrase may refer either to Adam’s first sin or to the effect of that sin upon his posterity. In this work, therefore, the word " sin " is used with reference to transgression only.

It is believed that the terms relative to the first work of grace and to man’s moral condition which necessitates that work are, in general, better understood than the terms applied to the second work of grace and to the moral condition of man which necessitates such a second work. These latter terms, therefore, require especial attention.

Sanctification is derived from " sanctify. " From the Hebrew qadesh " sanctify" means to make, pronounce, or observe as clean either ceremonially or morally. From the Greek hagios it means to consecrate; to make holy or purify; to venerate mentally, or ascribe holiness to. It comes from the Latin sanctus, holy, plus ficare , to make. The primary meaning of the word, then, is to make holy; its secondary meaning is to set apart to a holy or sacred use. The word "sanctification" has a general use and, in the New Testament, a specific use. In general it means the act or process of making holy or pure in any particular, but in its specific use it is applied to the purification from native depravity of the heart of the Christian believer. (Compare John 17:17; Acts 2:24; Acts 15:8-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.) "Sanctify you wholly" (1 Thessalonians 5:23), or entirely represents sanctification in its superlative degree, or specific sense. The word wherever used in this work refers to this "wholly" sanctified experience.

Approximately synonymous with the word "sanctification" are such expressions as "purification of the heart" and "reception of the Holy Spirit. "

Native depravity means that moral nature in the human heart that manifests itself in a bent or tendency to sin. There are many theories concerning the nature and extent of native depravity and concerning the mode in which we are made partakers in the fall of the race. Native depravity is variously styled "Adamic sin," " original sin," "the flesh, " " carnality. " Throughout this treatise the term "native depravity" is employed. To summarize our principal terms, we have justification, sin, sanctification, native depravity, with their several synonyms.

TENOR OF SCRIPTURE VS. A SINGLE TEXT In the development of Bible doctrines we can not demand that any doctrine be fully established by the use of only a single text. We have, rather, to appeal to the entire Bible, to the tenor of the Scriptures as a whole. In fact, it is unsafe to base a conclusion upon a single isolated text, for other texts often modify and limit the intended meaning of a given text.

Some critics of the doctrine of remaining native depravity in the believer have been imperative in their demand that the existence of such depravity in the regenerated believer be definitely proved by some particular text of Scripture, yet they demand of themselves no such proof for many things which they most surely believe and zealously teach. For example: it is most difficult to establish beyond the possibility of doubt, by a single text, the doctrine of a divine Trinity. That the Trinity is established by the analogy of faith, or tenor of Scripture as a whole, is unquestioned; but no consistent thinker would affirm that the doctrine is clearly established by any one passage of Scripture. It is true that we are told to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; but the text that tells us this affirms nothing for the unity of the three. Other texts may be found that teach some particular phase of the doctrine of the Trinity, but it takes all the texts relative to the subject, rightly divided and correctly interpreted, to establish the Biblical doctrine of a divine Trinity. The same is true of many other doctrines. Let us, therefore, not demand that any doctrine which we shall have occasion to develop be clearly and fully set forth in any one text of Scripture. THE BIBLE VS. SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE The manifestations of salvation are not all uniform in all persons. Therefore subjective [20] experience, or the so called "Inner Word," can not be used as a standard of judgment in the study of Bible doctrine. Though salvation is fundamentally the same in all, the ebb and flow of religious feeling is more or less affected by individual temperaments. Hence if we are to have a uniform standard by which to fix Bible doctrines, we must go to the revealed and written Word. Traditions, prejudices, environment, and a thousand other things act upon and vary the emotions. Preaching repentance, justification, and sanctification, in whole or in part, from subjective, or inner, experience has often led to confusion in the teaching of these doctrines. Our motto should be, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).