Gross Error of Hardshellism

Elder Gilbert Beebe, one of the founding fathers of Hardshellism, wrote:

"...the gospel of God our Savior makes no address whatever to dead sinners; it addresses the living, the quickened, and them exclusively." (article titled "Means."  see here)

What a gross error! It makes one think that the Hardshells are reading a different Bible than the rest of us!  Notice these verses:

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  (Luke 2: 10)

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  (Mark 16: 15)

Of course, in their defence, Hardshells like Beebe will define what it means to "preach the Gospel" to a person.  To them, to preach the Gospel to a person is all the same as telling a person that he/she is saved, therefore, to preach the Gospel to every person is to tell every person that he/she is saved.  But, this is not what the Scriptures mean by preaching the Gospel to a person.  To preach the Gospel to every person is to announce to them that each can be saved, because of Christ, IF he/she believes in him and calls upon his name.  Notice these words of Paul:  "But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."  (Rom. 4: 24)  Notice that the work of Christ being put to one's account is dependent upon "if we believe on him." 

Further, if Beebe is correct in his denial that it is wrong to preach the Gospel to the unsaved, then Christ and his apostles are guilty of error, for it is clear that they preached the Gospel to the unsaved.  This has been shown by me in my series "Addresses to the Lost" and in other numerous articles in the Old Baptist and Baptistgadfly blogs.  Oh that Hardshells could see their error and begin to preach the Gospel to the lost!