Some may ask, "Was any one ever saved by two works
of grace?" In this chapter we shall give some clear
examples of those who have been thus saved.
The Disciples
Some hold and teach that they were
not converted until Pentecost; and there are still others
who teach that they were both justified and sanctified
before that time. These are some of the positions men are
driven to when they oppose two works of grace. Now,
"to the law and to the testimony." Were the
disciples regenerated or fully converted before Pentecost
? The Word clearly in the affirmative.
1st. Christ, in his personal
ministry, possessed justifying power and forgave sins In
Luke 7:37-50 we have an account of a woman who "was a
sinner." She came to Jesus weeping; "and he said
unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." "Thy faith
hath sayed thee: go in peace." He told the Pharisee
at whose house he was dining, "her sins which are
many, are forgiven." "And they that sat at meat
with him, began to say within themselves, Who is this that
forgiveth sins also ?"
Again, Matt. 9 :2-6. "Jesus,
seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son,
be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Jesus
spake these words, that they might "know that the Son
of man hath power on earth to forgive sins."
Now, if Christ pardoned others, it
follows conclusively that his disciples who forsook all
and followed him, were pardoned. His invitation was to
"all ye that labor and are heavy laden;" with
the promise, "I will give you rest." The
disciples had received this rest. When Jesus asked them
whether they also would forsake him, "Simon Peter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the
words of eternal life."
2nd. They "believed on
him." "And his disciples believed on
him."—John 2:11. "And we believe and are sure
that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God." —John 6:69.
(1). What are the promises to men
if they believe? "He that believeth . . . shall be
saved."—Mark 16:16. "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved."—Acts 16:31.
"Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission
of sins."—Acts 10:43. "For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting
life."—John 3 :16.
(2) What effect is produced when
men believe? "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ, is born of God." —1 John 5:1. "He that
believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in
himself.—1 John 5:10. "All that believe are
justified."—Acts 13:39. "He that believeth on
the Son, hath everlasting life."—John 3:36.
"As many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.—John 1:12,
13.
"In the mouth of two or three
witnesses shall every word be established." The
disciples were "born of God," had their
"sins remitted," were "justified," had
the "witness" of the Spirit, were the "sons
of God"— all before Pentecost. So says the Word.
"Let God be true, and every man a liar."
3rd. They were regenerated.
"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
that ye which have followed me in the regeneration,"
etc.—Matt. 19:28.
Regeneration.—New birth by the
grace of God; that change by which the will and natural
enmity of man to God and his law are subdued, and a
principle of supreme love to God and his law, or holy
affections, is implanted in the heart.—Webster.
4th. Their names were in heaven.
"Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice because your names are written in
heaven."—Luke 10 :20. The fact that their names
were written in the "book of life" in heaven, is
positive proof that their sins were forgiven and that they
were living without sin; for God hath said,
"Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot
out of my book."—Ex. 32:33.
5th. They had the Spirit of God.
"When they deliver you up, take no thought how or
what ye shall speak: . . . for it is not ye that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father, which speaketh in
you."—Matt. 10:20. Possessing the divine Spirit,
and God being their Father, positive evidence that they
were born of God.
6th. Christ ordained them, and
sent them forth to preach the Gospel. He gave them the
following commission and authority: "Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils."
Strange that these were sinners! but nay. They were
"sheep in the midst of wolves." Matt. 10 :1-6.
7th. They received his word.
"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou
gavest me out of the world: shine they were, and thou
gavest them me: and they have kept thy word."—John
17:6. "For I have given unto them the words which
thou gavest me; and they have received them."—Ver.
8. "Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which
is able to save your souls."—James 1 :21.
8th. They were not of the world.
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world."—John 17:14. "While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest
me I have kept, and none of them is lost."—Ver. 12.
9th. They were in Christ.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches."—John 15:4, 5.
1. How do men get in
Christ?
(1) They are
created in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:8-10. 2) They are
reconciled in Christ. Eph. 2:14-16.
(3) They are
baptized by the Spirit into Christ. 1 Cor. 12:12, 13.
(4) They are
grafted into Christ. Rom. 11:24.
2. What is their experience?
(1) They are new
creatures. 2 Cor. 5:17.
(2) They have no
condemnation. Rom. 8:1.
(3) They live
without committing sin. 1 John 3:6.
We have given sufficient proof to
convince any reasonable mind that the disciples were fully
converted before Pentecost. But what do false teachers
bring forth against this extensive line of truth?
10th. An objection considered.
Christ's remark to Peter—"When thou art
converted" (Luke 22:32)—is set up as proof that the
conversion of the disciples was yet future. Let us briefly
consider this text and its connection. "And the Lord
said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him,
Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to
death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not
crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that
thou knowest me."
We have the following facts set
forth:
( 1 ) That Peter did not
belong to Satan, from the fact that Satan desired to have
him, that he might sift him as wheat. Satan would not
desire to sift his own.
(2) Peter had faith; for
Jesus prayed that his faith might not fail when assaulted
by the enemy. (In fact, Peter's faith did not fail, but
his courage.)
(3) Peter understood that
Jesus meant that at some future time Satan would overcome
him and turn him away from Christ: and because of his
close attachment to Jesus, and trusting in his own
strength, he was surprised, and said, "I am ready to
go with thee both unto prison, and to death."
(4) Jesus told him that he
would fall by denying him; but said, "When thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren." "When once
thou hast turned again, stablish thy
brethren."—Revised Version. "When thou hast
recovered thyself, confirm thy brethren."—Campbell.
"When you recover yourself, confirm your
brothers."—Sawyer.
(This clearly proves that Peter's
conversion here referred to, was his restoration after he
fell.) We read that after he denied Christ he remembered
these words and "went out and wept bitterly."
After his resurrection, Jesus put Peter to a test as
follows: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs."
This was repeated thrice. It proves that Peter was
restored to the favor of God. It is therefore an
indisputable fact that the disciples were fully justified
before Pentecost, and even before the crucifixion. It is
also a fact that Christ directed their minds forward to
another great moral change, even sanctification, as
follows.
11th. Entire sanctification to
be experienced in the future. Carnality was manifest
in their lives by ambition. (Mark 9:33, 34), by resentment
(Luke 9:51-56), and by fear (Luke 8:23-25; Matt. 26:56; 1
John 4:18.) Jesus prayed thus for them: "Sanctify
them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "And
for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth." —John 17:17, 19.
Here we see that their sanctification was yet future.
Some may ask, "In what sense
did Christ sanctify himself?" By his suffering,
shedding of blood, and death, a legal sanctification, he
became invested with power and authority to fully save
mankind. He was made perfect as our Savior. Read Heb.
2:10; Heb. 5:8, 9.
Christ promised his disciples
"another Comforter"— the personal indwelling
of the Holy Spirit—"whom the world cannot receive
;" who was to "teach them all things," and
"guide them into all truth." John 14 :15-17, 26;
15 :26; 16 :13, 14. He also promised a "fullness of
joy," to be received and experienced in the future.
John 15:11; 16:24; 17:13. This all related to their entire
sanctification. Before his ascension, he told them to
return to Jerusalem and there "tarry" until they
should receive the "baptism of the Holy Ghost,"
and "be endued with power from on high." Read
Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4, 5, 8. It having been prayed for,
promised, and commanded by the Lord, we shall now prove
that
12th. The disciples received a
second experience of saving grace. In obedience to the
command of Jesus, "they worshipped him, and returned
to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the
temple, praising and blessing God."—Luke 24 :52,
53. Surely this was not a meeting of the unconverted.
"And when the day of Pentecost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. . . . And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance."—Acts 2 :1-4.
"Being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."—Rom.
15:16. "He hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified; whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to
us."—Heb. 10 :14, 15. Here we see that the
disciples were sanctified and made perfect subsequent to
their regeneration. This experience was not received by a
gradual growth, but "suddenly."
By closely comparing their lives
after Pentecost, with that recorded before, it will be
apparent to all that a great moral change was wrought in
them at that time. Instead of envying one another, and
desiring to be greatest, as before, they now submitted to
each other and were of ''one heart and of one soul."
Instead of the man fearing spirit which so often troubled
them, they now "spake the word of God with
boldness," fearing not the face of man.
Some teach that this experience was
for the disciples alone; but we read that God hath
"put no difference between us and them."—Acts
15:9. And again, "The promise [of the Holy Ghost] is
unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call."—Acts 2 :38, 39.
