Credits The article below, and the next few articles on Fundamental Faith, will be from a book which was published in 1971 by Elder Wiley W. Sammons, in his book titled: “IDENTITY OF THE TRUE BAPTIST CHURCH, Doctrine Precept & Practice, From 1701 – 1971, In West Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama. The five Primitive Baptist Elders who contributed to this effort were: Wiley W. Sammons of Tennessee, C.M. Mills of North Carolina, Guy Hunt of Alabama, T.L. Webb Jr. of Arkansas, and E.B. Watts of Alabama.

While we will only publish a few of the well-crafted articles from this book, we want to take all care in giving credit to these men who labored to produce such a work. Fundamental of Faith is so very important for the child of God to be well-grounded in the “rudiments of truth,” and we commend these good brethren for their efforts to furnish the generations of the Lord's people with sound fundamental teachings.

This book would be a great addition to the library of every “Old School Primitive Baptist,” with a desire to seek after the truth.

Elder John P. Young – Editor

Redemption

By Elders Wiley W. Sammons (dec.)

The word Redeem or Redemption means to buy back that which once belonged to you. It carries the meaning of former ownership. To believe in redemption, as it is set forth in the Bible, we must believe in election and the atonement, because the atonement brought redemption. The atonement by Christ Jesus was for all that God elected and gave to his Son in the covenant between God and the Lord before the foundation of the world, so they belonged to Christ before by election and covenant. In the exact time God sent his Son to make the atonement and redeem (or buy back) those that God gave to him in the covenant. The grace was treasured in Christ. Remember that the trinity or Godhead is inseparable: God, the Father, the Word, or Son, and the Holy Spirit, "These three are one." God had the only thing that could redeem and that was his Son, the Lord Jesus, and we have already established that Christ was the former owner and had the right to redeem. So God prepared his Son a body that would die and shed his blood, and would redeem his people out from under the law of sin and death. Christ was verily God manifested in the flesh and he was the Son of God and the Son of Man.

When Christ died on the cross, he redeemed his people fully and completely including all the requirements necessary that these bodies will someday be raised and made immortal, and fashioned like unto his glorious body and carried to live with him in heaven and immortal glory. Though God accepted the work of redemption at one time, and that was when his Son, Jesus, died and shed his blood on the cross; those he died for receives the benefit of redemption when the spirit of God applies the benefit of redemption to the individual, and they are quickened into divine life (or given eternal life). This is the beginning, or the first knowledge, that the individual has of what God has done for them in an experimental way, but God accepted the work of redemption and everything necessary to satisfy the broken law and divine justice at one time. The exact time that God said he would send his Son, Jesus Christ, into the sin-cursed earth to make the atonement by the shedding of his precious blood that redeemed his people fully and completely.

His people enjoy the timely phase of redemption while they live here in this earth, but they will enjoy the final benefit of redemption when they are raised out of the graves the resurrection day. Paul used the expression "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23. He had reference to waiting for that which we receive because of adoption and because of redemption.

The Apostle was not waiting to receive adoption or redemption, because this was already done, but he was waiting to receive the benefits and blessings of it in fullness. This will be as we have already stated at the resurrection day. Paul had received the new birth when he was quickened and given spiritual life, but this is only a part of the benefits of what God did in Christ when he redeemed his people to God in the work of redemption.

We received adoption when Christ died on the cross. Adoption is the' carrying out of that which was necessary in the legal phase to satisfy the law which had to be satisfied to be legal. There wasn't any other way that the law could be legally satisfied other than for Christ to die and make full satisfaction, and Christ did that. God's people are redeemed, and it is impossible for any other claim to be laid against them in this sense because full satisfaction was made by one that was God manifest in the body of Christ who was perfect in every sense. That which was performed by Christ satisfied the law in full and complete in its legal phase and it is called adoption. The Lord's people in the legal phase arc children of God through the work of Christ who made them legally entitled to all that was accomplished in Christ. But to actually come into possession of the benefits of redemption it takes the new birth by none other than the Holy Spirit which is the third person in the Godhead. This work is done sovereignly by God through Christ and the Spirit. This is only the beginning of the benefits of it: “I am persuaded that he that has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

When Christ died he redeemed and adopted his people. Galatians 4:4-7. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that was under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." We have assurance of this because God received the work of Christ as a complete work and this was proved when Christ was raised from the tomb, not only was he raised from the tomb but he is seated on the right hand of God making intercession for those whom he died.

To them that look for him shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation. How does he look and see them without sin? God looks through his Son Jesus Christ who satisfied for their sins and they stand righteous in Christ. When they are born of the spirit, they receive the benefits of redemption as they are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works as he hath before ordained that they should walk in them.

His children can wait patiently, being satisfied that there isn't any doubt as far as the teaching of the Bible is concerned. There isn't room for doubt because it has already been established that Christ has already made complete satisfaction and paid the redemptive price and legally satisfied the law in every phase of it, and for that reason we can wait until we come into the full possession of all the benefits of what Christ accomplished in redemption. This waiting is while the individual lives in the earth. So many people try to allow themselves to believe things that the scriptures will not allow. Some think that man has something to do with his own redemption and that it isn't by Christ alone. The second idea is that man does not receive any benefits of redemption while he lives here on the earth because it all comes at the resurrection day. Both of these ideas are wrong. The truth of it is that Christ alone redeemed his people and man had nothing to do with it as we have already set forth in the preceding writing.

Man enjoys part of the benefits accomplished in the atonement (through his death and shed blood) that redeemed man while living on the earth but this is in part as the Bible states we see in part and know in part, but when that one which is perfect come then shall I know as also I am known. This makes us to know that it will be in fullness on the resurrection day and not until then.

The first knowledge that we have of Christ and the benefits of his redemption is given us in the new birth and of course this is in an experimental way. Our experience in the new birth and God revealing himself to us by his spirit is in harmony with what is taught in the Bible, which is called the doctrine of grace. When a person is given divine life, (which is eternal life) by the quickening power of the spirit, love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit and then they have a heart of feeling; they are given faith and hope through the work of grace so they are made a new creature in Christ Jesus. Now they have a desire to pray. When they hear the true gospel preached, it is in harmony with their experience and their hope and when they read the Bible, it testifies to the same because of the witness within themselves; the witness within is the spirit of God. The scripture commands that every person that has a desire to worship God in his kingdom here on earth should render a reasonable service unto God in his church kingdom of which Christ is the head as well as their redeemer. There are great benefits that the person that has been given divine life can enjoy in their life span here on earth if they are obedient to the commandment given to them in the New Testament Church. The more obedient we are to all his commandments the greater joy and peace and blessing. These are unsearchable and beyond description of man.

Redemption made all these benefits possible in the timely phase of it, but was not all that was accomplished in it because the redemption price was paid for our bodies also and his children will receive the final benefit of redemption when Christ will descend and call from these bodies at the resurrection day and fashion them in his own image and make them an immortal body and carry them to heaven to live with him forever and ever. This will be the complete and final result of the work of the Lord Jesus in redemption.