Sis. Sarah said:
Who is a Primitive Baptists on the Board? Can anyone tell me the verses in the Bible where it is interpreted that we are either born, naturally speaking, chosen, saved or not? I find this very interesting and I think I observed this preached at the Primitive Baptist church I visited but I want to ask the Elder about it when I see him again. Anyway, can anyone give a crash course on this doctrine as it is practiced today? I don't want to argue with anyone, I just want to learn. :wavey:
Hello, Sister Sarah.
I am Primivite Baptist.
The elect were born redeemed already, saved, in the eternal sense.
This is because if you study the Bible very carefully you will note that the Lord God has a Book, and it is called the Book of Life.
In that Book, God wrote down the names of His people, and the writing down of these names occurred in eternity past, before the foundation of the world.
Interspersed among the Scriptures are references to His people whom He called out by name in eternity past. Note that the Triune God, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, when speaking of those whom the Father gave Him, and whom He says the Father will draw to Him, never referred to these as goats, but always as My Sheep.
As the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, His blood already covered these people, ensuring their entry into eternity (pre-cross) in His kingdom. This blood, spilt in eternity past, before the foundation of the world, ensured the entry of Enoch, Elijah, Moses and all old testament saints everywhere in the world at any given age, into heaven.
At the cross, the act of redemption for all His people, all meaning Jews and Gentiles, whose names are in the Book of Life, and who are scattered in all points of the compass (not only in Israel and the recorded Bible lands), was completed, here in time. Nothing else is to be added, nor subtracted, nor multiplied, or divided.
He has finished redeeming all that are His, just as the damnation of those that are not His, are complete and final.
Proof of this is that at the Great White Throne judgment, the Book of Life is opened, and as a final act of proving that the damned are not His and never were His, the names are read, and whosoever's name was not found written in that Book (written from before the foundation of the wordl) was cast into the lake of fire.
However, while all that are His are redeemed, not all the redeemed have been regenerated.
We need to understand that salvation, and regeneration, are two different actions altogether.
Regeneration is through the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit alone, who employs NO MEANS. He does not use the gospel to regenerate, He does not use preaching to regenerate, He does not use human voice to regenerate, He does not use tracts to regenerate, He does not use testimonies to regenerate.
He employs absolutely no means at all, save His own power, and He chooses the when, where, and how.
He was doing His work of regeneration in old times, in Jesus' times, in the apostles' times, and still does His work of regeneration in our times.
The preaching of the gospel was given to those who have been called into the ministry for the growth, encouragement, instruction, comfort, hope, discipline, correction, and such, of those who are His, who name His Name, and call upon Him.
The preaching of the gospel is intended for the
timely salvation, not the eternal salvation, of His people.
I hope this helps.
