Absoluters & Kuyper's Model

The following are some statements I have found in my research notes on the subject of the "three stage model of the new birth," and it is written by modern Hardshells, of some with the sect known as "Absoluters."

I will be adding some of this kind of material and of some recent writings, to my Hardshell book. I will do this after the chapters have all been completed. But, for now I will just put it in a writing by itself for the time being.

"Being Born, and Being Born Again"

"There is first, conception, then development, travail, and birth; in that order, and life exists within all these essential stages that bring a new creature into the sinful world of the dying.

This first birth, we are sure, is a mirror image of the spiritual birth."

("The Remnant" - September –– October 1992

(http://www.geocities.com/docsofgrace/)

"BEING BORN AGAIN"

"For a spiritual birth to take place there must be a spiritual begetting. Thus the one who begets and the begotten are of one substance.

We would observe that in nature there is a travail before the birth, and usually much agony in bringing forth. There is usually great travail in spiritual birth.

Could anyone question that there is life before birth? The birth then did not give that which was conceived life! No! the birth only made manifest the life that existed previous to its wondrous introduction into the world."

James F. Poole

(http://www.geocities.com/docsofgrace/)

"BEING BORN AGAIN" (#2)

"We must recognize, too, that life does not begin at birth, but rather, life begins with conception. In natural life there is conception, then a period of growth for approximately nine months, then a travail, and then a birth, or a bringing forth of a life that already existed. In grace, so it is. We are conceived by the Holy Ghost. Oftentimes, God's children wander in ignorance and darkness for a long period of time before they are brought to a knowledge of the truth, before they are given light and made to see and to know that Jesus is Christ, their Lord. That birth only brings forth a manifestation of the life. The life was brought into existence in the conception at some point previous.

There are many people who probably mistakenly confuse the time that they were enlightened, or brought to a knowledge of the truth for when they were born of the Spirit of God. But we say this should be avoided. When individuals are made to rejoice in Christ Jesus, when they are made to say, "This is the truth, this is the way, and how I love it," this is not the time when life is given. But rather this is when the sensibility of it is manifested. When a natural child is born, it does not have the capacity, the knowledge, or the capability of identifying itself, of understanding its surroundings, and its settings, or communicating with others, but that is left for the period we call development. We see children after some months beginning to discover their hands and their feet, the environment around them. They did not bring these things into existence then. But rather, this was when they first recognized they were there. When a spiritual child sees that Jesus is their Lord, learns the sweet doctrines of Grace, finds the beauty and the glory of the Church and other such things, this is not their birth, but this is when these truths have been manifested to them because they have been born again. There may have been much in spiritual travail previous to these things, much groaning and ignorance along the way." ("The Remnant" - Volume 3, No. 2 - March - April, 1989)

(http://www.geocities.com/docsofgrace/)

Of course, this "paradigm" is a bunch of nonsense, as I have shown to some degree already, and will yet further in future chapters in the Hardshell book and other writings. But, it does seem that this is the "paradigm" that really corresponds to the views of many "Reformed" Baptists and some associated with the "founder's movement," and with the "Hypers."