_If any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature._
THE doctrine of our regeneration, or new birth in CHRIST JESUS, though
one of the most fundamental doctrines of our holy religion; though so
plainly and often pressed on us in sacred writ, “that he who runs may
read;” nay though it is the very hinge on which the salvation of each
of us turns, and a point too in which all sincere christians, of every
denomination, agree; yet it is so seldom considered, and so little
experimentally understood by the generality of professors, that were
we to judge of the truth of it, by the experience of most who call
themselves christians, we should be apt to imagine they had “not so
much as heard” whether there be any such thing as regeneration or not.
It is true, men for the most part are orthodox in the common articles
of their creed; they believe “there is but one GOD, and one Mediator
between GOD and men, even the man CHRIST JESUS;” and that there is no
other name given under heaven, whereby they can be saved, besides his:
But then tell them, they must be regenerated, they must be born again,
they must be renewed in the very spirit, in the inmost faculties of
their minds, ere they can truly call CHRIST, “Lord, Lord,” or have an
evidence that they have any share in the merits of his precious blood;
and they are ready to cry out with _Nicodemus_, “How can these things
be?” Or with the _Athenians_, on another occasion, “What will this
babler say? he seemeth to be a setter-forth of strange doctrines;”
because we preach unto them CHRIST, and the new-birth.
That I may therefore contribute my mite towards curing the fatal
mistake of such persons, who would thus put asunder what GOD has
inseparably joined together, and vainly think they are justified by
CHRIST, or have their sins forgiven, and his perfect obedience imputed
to them, when they are not sanctified, have not their natures changed,
and made holy, I shall beg leave to enlarge on the words of the text in
the following manner:
_First_, I shall endeavour to explain what is meant by being in
CHRIST: “If any man be in CHRIST.”
_Secondly_, What we are to understand by being a new creature:
“If any man be in CHRIST he is a new creature.”
_Thirdly_, I shall produce some arguments to make good the
apostle’s assertion. And
_Fourthly_, I shall draw some inferences from what may be
delivered, and then conclude with a word or two of exhortation.
_First_, I am to endeavour to explain what is meant by this expression
in the text, “If any man be in CHRIST.”
Now a person may be said to be in CHRIST two ways.
_First_, Only by an outward profession. And in this sense, every one
that is called a christian, or baptized into CHRIST’s church, may be
said to be in CHRIST. But that this is not the sole meaning of the
apostle’s phrase before us, is evident, because then, every one that
names the name of CHRIST, or is baptized into his visible church, would
be a new creature. Which is notoriously false, it being too plain,
beyond all contradiction, that comparatively but few of those that
are “born of water,” are “born of the Spirit” likewise; to use another
spiritual way of speaking, many are baptized with water, which were
never baptized with the Holy Ghost.
To be in CHRIST therefore, in the full import of the word, must
certainly mean something more than a bare outward profession, or being
called after his name. For, as this same apostle tells us, “All are not
_Israelites_ that are of _Israel_,” so when applied to christianity,
all are not real christians that are nominally such. Nay, this is so
far from being the case, that our blessed LORD himself informs us, that
many who have prophesied or preached in his name, and in his name cast
out devils, and done many wonderful works, shall notwithstanding be
dismissed at the last day, with “depart from me, I know you not, ye
workers of iniquity.”
It remains therefore, that this expression, “if any man be in CHRIST,”
must be understood in a
_Second_ and closer signification, to be _in him_ so as to partake
of the benefits of his sufferings. To be in him not only by an
outward profession, but by an inward change and purity of heart, and
cohabitation of his holy spirit. To be in him, so as to be mystically
united to him by a true and lively faith, and thereby to receive
spiritual virtue from him, as the members of the natural body do from
the head, or the branches from the vine. To be in him in such a manner
as the apostle, speaking of himself, acquaints us he knew a person was,
“I knew ♦a man in CHRIST,” a true christian; or, as he himself desires
to be in CHRIST, when he wishes, in his epistle to the _Philippians_,
that he might be found in him.
♦ missing article “a” inserted
This is undoubtedly the proper meaning of the apostle’s expression
in the words of the text; so that what he says in his epistle to the
_Romans_ about circumcision, may very well be applied to the present
subject; that he is not a real christian who is only one outwardly; nor
is that true baptism, which is only outward in the flesh. But he is a
true christian, who is one inwardly, whose baptism is that of the heart,
in the spirit, and not merely in the water, whose praise is not of man
but of GOD. Or, as he speaketh in another place, “Neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision availeth any thing (of itself) but a new creature.”
Which amounts to what he here declares in the verse now under
consideration, that if any man be truly and properly in CHRIST, he is
a new creature. Which brings me to shew,
_Secondly_, What we are to understand by being a _new creature_.
And here it is evident at the first view, that this expression is not
to be so explained as though there was a physical change required to
be made in us; or as though we were to be reduced to our primitive
nothings, and then created and formed again. For, supposing we were,
as _Nicodemus_ ignorantly imagined, to enter a “second time into our
mother’s womb, and be born,” alas! what would it contribute towards
rendering us spiritually new creatures? Since “that which was born of
the flesh would be flesh still;” we should be the same carnal persons
as ever, being derived from carnal parents, and consequently receiving
the seeds of all manner of sin and corruption from them. No, it only
means, that we must be so altered as to the qualities and tempers
of our minds, that we must entirely forget what manner of persons we
once were. As it may be said of a piece of gold, that was once in the
ore, after it has been cleansed, purified and polished, that it is a
new piece of gold; as it may be said of a bright glass that has been
covered over with filth, when it is wiped, and so become transparent
and clear, that it is a new glass: Or, as it might be said of _Naaman_,
when he recovered of his leprosy, and his flesh returned unto him like
the flesh of a young child, that he was a new man; so our souls, though
still the same as to essence, yet are so purged, purified and cleansed
from their natural dross, filth and leprosy, by the blessed influences
of the Holy Spirit, that they may be properly said to be made anew.
How this glorious change is wrought in the soul, cannot easily be
explained: For no one knows the ways of the Spirit, save the Spirit
of GOD himself. Not that this ought to be any argument against this
doctrine; for, as our blessed LORD observed to _Nicodemus_, when he was
discoursing on this very subject, “The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth;” and if we are told of natural things, and we
understand them not, how much less ought we to wonder, if we cannot
immediately account for the invisible workings of the Holy Spirit?
The truth of the matter is this: the doctrine of our regeneration,
or new birth in CHRIST JESUS, is hard to be understood by the natural
man. But that there is really such a thing, and that each of us must
be spiritually born again, I shall endeavour to shew under my
_Third_ general head, in which I was to produce some arguments to make
good the apostle’s assertion.
And here one would think it sufficient to affirm,
_First_, That GOD himself, in his holy word, hath told us so. Many
texts might be produced out of the Old Testament to prove this point,
and indeed, one would wonder how _Nicodemus_, who was a teacher in
_Israel_, and who was therefore to instruct the people in the spiritual
meaning of the law, should be so ignorant of this grand article, as
we find he really was, by his asking our blessed LORD, when he was
pressing on him this topic, How can these things be? Surely, he could
not forget how often the Psalmist had begged of GOD, to make him “a
new heart,” and “to renew a right spirit within him;” as likewise,
how frequently the prophets had warned the people to make them “new
hearts,” and new minds, and so turn unto the LORD their GOD. But
not to mention these and such like texts out of the Old Testament,
this doctrine is so often and plainly repeated in the New, that, as I
observed before, he who runs may read. For what says the great Prophet
and Instructor of the world himself: “Except a man (every one that
is naturally the offspring of _Adam_) be born again of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of GOD.” And lest we should be
apt to slight this assertion, and _Nicodemus_-like, reject the doctrine,
because we cannot immediately explain “How this thing can be;” our
blessed Master therefore affirms it, as it were, by an oath, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you,” or, as it may be read, I the Amen; I, who am
truth itself, say unto you, that it is the unalterable appointment of
my heavenly Father, that “unless a man be born again, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of GOD.”
Agreeable to this, are those many passages we meet with in the epistles,
where we are commanded to be “renewed in the Spirit,” or, which was
before explained, in the inmost faculties of our minds; to “put off the
Old Man, which is corrupt; and to put on the New Man, which is created
after GOD, in righteousness and true holiness;” that “old things must
pass away, and that all things must become new;” that we are to be
“saved by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost.” Or, methinks, was there no other passage to be produced besides
the words of the text, it would be full enough, since the apostle
therein positively affirms, that “If any man be in CHRIST, he is a
_new creature_.”
Now, what can be understood by all these different terms of being
_born again_, of _putting off the Old Man_, and _putting on the New_,
of being _renewed in the spirit of our minds_, and becoming _new
creatures_; but that christianity requires a thorough, real inward
change of heart? Do we think these, and such-like forms of speaking,
are mere metaphors, words of a bare sound, without any real solid
signification? Indeed, it is to be feared, some men would have them
interpreted so; but alas! unhappy men! they are not to be envied in
their metaphorical interpretation: it will be well, if they do not
interpret themselves out of their salvation.
Multitudes of other texts might be produced to confirm this same truth;
but those already quoted are so plain and convincing, that one would
imagine no one should deny it; were we not told, there are some, “who
having eyes, see not, and ears, hear not, and that will not understand
with their hearts, or hear with their ears, lest they should be
converted, and CHRIST should heal them.”