In the preceding chapters it has been shown that the doctrine of the final perseverance of the elect and called is both a bible doctrine and the primitive belief of the Particular Baptists and that the denial of it, by many neo-Hardshells, is more proof that they are not in fact "Primitive Baptists." It was shown that preservation and perseverance, rather than being mutually exclusive, are inseparable, the former guaranteeing the latter.
Perseverance was also defined, a thing many neo-Hardshells assert is not done by those who believe in it. Perseverance was shown to involve remaining a believer in Jesus, and habitually following him. It was shown that perseverance did not deny that born again people fall, sin, and sometimes go astray, but that they nevertheless overcome, that sin does not become the master of their lives. It was also shown that departures from a belief in means, and faith for salvation, brought about serious departures in what is definitive of the experience of regeneration, and this then led to other departures in the doctrine of the perseverance of saints.
It was also shown that the first Hardshells did not deny this doctrine, that it was not till late in the 19th century that Hardshells began to deny the doctrine of perseverance and to strip the word perseverance from their old articles of faith.
It has also been shown how those Hardshells today who still profess a belief in perseverance are nevertheless inconsistent in it, for they believe that conversion to Christ, by the gospel, is no part of regeneration, and that evangelical faith in Christ is no part of or immediate effect of regeneration. But, how can the elect and called persevere apart from faith?
In this posting I will review a writing by present day Hardshell, Elder Zack Guess, one of the minority of neo-Hardshells who still profess adherence to the old doctrine. In his Internet article titled "The Preservation and Perseverance of the Saints" Guess wrote:
"Why do we refer to this truth as both Preservation and Perseverance? We do so because from God's perspective it is Preservation. God's people persevere in grace only because they have been preserved in Christ Jesus. From man's perspective it is Perseverance. If a person is truly saved he will give evidence of his salvation. He will not completely lose his faith and die in a finally impenitent state. Only the wicked will die in his sins (John 8:21). The combined truth of Preservation and Perseverance is clearly seen in Phil. 2:12, 13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.""
Some Hardshells today are beginning to retrace their steps and are affirming that all the elect will not only be regenerated, but converted, at least those who hear the gospel. From the above words of Elder Guess, one would think he believes it, for he says that a truly saved person "will give evidence of his salvation." He says the regenerated "will not completely lose his faith and die in a finally impenitent state." Those Hardshells today who deny perseverance will not accept this statement of Guess. Guess no doubt knows this and is probably why he has written on it, hoping to convert his brethren from their error.
I have written a review of a sermon by Guess where he denies means in regeneration, affirming that faith is not essential to being regenerated. But, here, he defines perseverance as not losing faith. But, how can one lose a faith that he did not have via regeneration?
Guess wrote:
"It is important to remember that the child of God will overcome the world by his God-given Faith: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4). This does not mean that the saint will never commit sin. It means that the Spirit of God in him will not suffer him to always live in sin but will work Godly sorrow in him and will bring him to repentance. I John 3:9 means that the born-again person will not continually and habitually live in sin as a way of life. The child of God may backslide temporarily and fall into much sin, but he will not live in it permanently in an unrepentant state. See also Matt. 7:21-23; James 2:20; I John 2:4; I John 2:15; I John 3:3; I John 4:15."
This is well stated and represents the view of those old Baptists who wrote the oldest confessions, and represents the view of leading Hardshells of the 19th century, as has been shown. One can only hope that Guess will be able to reform his brethren and bring them back to the primitive faith of Baptists.
Guess wrote:
"One of the ways that God causes His people to turn from their sins and to persevere in holy living is chastisement. See I Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:6."
Again, this is what is taught in scripture and in the old Baptist confessions. But, one must ask Guess how he can say this of those "born again" heathen worshippers of false gods, who have no faith in God and Christ? How can one please God apart from faith? (Heb. 11: 6) Do those "born again heathen" people "persevere in holy living" apart from faith in Christ?
Guess wrote:
"There are many Scriptures that people who believe that a child of God can fall from grace use to support their arguments. Most of the arguments can be refuted by the principle taught in I John 2:19, "They went out from us but were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." There are those who make a profession of faith, who seem to show some fruits of the Spirit temporarily, but who are not truly regenerated. In time they show their true colors and manifest their true nature. There is a possibility that some of these hypocrites never openly reveal their true nature in this life. See Matt. 13:30."
Again, this is the historic view of the old Baptists and what is abundantly taught in scripture. But, sad to say, this is not the view of the majority of today's Hardshells.
Guess wrote:
"To restate the doctrine of Perseverance, we say that this means that all of the saints shall persevere in faith and holiness. They will never permanently and fundamentally repudiate their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. While troubled by their sinful natures, they will nevertheless show evidences of their being alive in Christ. Grace in one's heart does not lead to a life of careless, licentious living. We believers in grace have been accused of believing it is okay to "continue in sin, that grace may abound." But we say, along with the Apostle Paul, "God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. 6:2)"
Guess here says that "all of the saints shall persevere in faith and holiness." Again, it is the truth, and is what is being denied by many of today's Hardshells, but it is inconsistent for Guess to say this seeing he denies that all the regenerated possess faith in the one true and living God, and in his Son Jesus Christ, but remain polytheists.
Guess wrote:
"Preservation and Perseverance really represent two sides of the same coin. They inseparably go together."
Again, this is the teaching of scripture and of the old Baptist confessions. It is sad, however, that Guess does not also believe that regeneration and conversion "go inseparably together." Were he to come to believe this, then he would be even closer to true primitive Baptist doctrine. The old Baptist writers who penned the old confessions spoke of regeneration and conversion being "two sides of the same coin," a phrase Guess applies to preservation and perseverance. But, Guess denies that regeneration and conversion are "two sides of the same coin."
Guess wrote:
"Many, many Scriptures teach the doctrine of Perseverance and show the relationship between Preservation and Perseverance. One of these is I Cor. 15:10. There Paul says, "But by the grace of God I am what I am." (Preservation). "And his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all." (Perseverance). "Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (Preservation). Notice that Perseverance is dependent on Preservation. Notice also that God gets full credit for it all. God's children are responsible for doing good works, but when they are blessed to perform them, they must give all the glory to God for His enabling grace." See here for the article by Guess.
Again, Guess is to be applauded for his adherence to the old Baptist doctrine of the perseverance of the chosen and called, and it is hoped that he will be able to bring some of his brethren back to the old Baptist faith.
Guess closes his article by saying that "Elder Bradley preached the same views in a sermon on youtube."
It is no doubt the view of those who are connected with the "liberal movement" among the Hardshells, which is basically a reform movement, to get the Hardshells back to the beliefs of the old Baptists as stated in the London Confession, on both the use of means in regeneration and on perseverance. Elder Lasserre Bradley, Jr. has been one of the leading preachers in the Hardshell cult for the past 45 years or so.
In closing this series of chapters on perseverance, let me mention how some Hardshells are trying to sound orthodox by saying they believe that "God perseveres in his preservation." This is similar to their attempts to ascribe faith to God in those passages where faith is put for a condition for salvation, where they say it is God's faith, God's believing and trusting in the work of his Son. But, the emphasis on perseverance in scripture is not on God persevering, but of the saints persevering. It is the saints who "continue in the faith," and who "do not practice sin," not God.
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