When I was a young Hardshell pastor, I had a Missionary Baptist laymen say to me while we were all gathered together in a home - "you (PBs) emphasize grace and we emphasize faith." My answer then was - "without grace there would be no faith. As the Scriptures say in Acts 'helped them much which had believed through grace." At this answer I recall the brother simply nodding in agreement, but with his judgment seemingly still intact about the PBs and their attitude and belief regarding "faith." Had I known then what I do now, however, I would have simply agreed with him. In fact, I would have even been more radical in my observation about the Hardshells and what they teach and say about faith, at least in this day and time.
I have read a great deal about what Hardshells of bygone years, as well as of present day, have said about faith. Oftentimes the tenor of their remarks on the subject is to decry it, to speak of what it cannot do, of what it is not a means, condition, or end unto. Many of them say that faith is a work! And, having come to believe such about "faith," they say "the bible says we are not saved by works and faith is a work." Their constant message is "we are not saved by faith." How ironic! The scriptures conversely repeat the message "by faith you are saved and not by works." So Paul wrote - "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace." (Rom. 4: 16)
It seems clear that the writers of scripture, when talking about "faith," cannot exalt it enough. Simply read Hebrews chapter eleven as an example! And yet, ironically, the Hardshells cannot seem to stop belittling faith! They even back themselves into a corner in such denunciations regarding evangelical faith. They have so often insisted that faith plays no part in the eternal salvation of sinners that they find themselves unable to explain numerous scriptures that clearly show otherwise. So, what do they do? Do they not reinvent the definition of "faith"? When they are faced with a text that clearly links faith to eternal salvation, they then give to faith a weird and strange definition. Zach Guess, present day Hardshell apologist, for instance, affirmed that "faith" in these texts simply means "ability to have faith." Others do the same. But, this is all simply stupid, to be blunt. By this reasoning we may say that "repentance" also simply means, not actual repentance, but the "ability to repent." And, again, with other such words denoting things necessary for salvation.
Why should "faith" be decried when it is realized that God is the author of it? That those who believe do so by the "working of his mighty power"? (Eph. 1: 19)
"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)
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Heb. 6: 12)
These verses, and others like them, certainly say things about faith that the Hardshells do not say.
Wrote Hardshell leader Elder Charles Waters
"I do believe that all who are regenerated will and do have faith, but deny that the "faith" -- that is, the believing response to God -- is in all cases "cognitive" or "informed" faith -- for cognitive faith necessarily depends on hearing the rational proclamation of the gospel..." (See my posting here)
He also in Zion's Advocate (June 1890) wrote:
"Every regenerate child of Adam is saved eternally, faith or no faith. Infants and idiots must be so saved; for they cannot believe, though they must be regenerated. Faith, therefore, is not necessary to eternal salvation."
Then he wrote later in the same periodical (June 1891):
"Spiritual and eternal life may exist, then, apart from a belief in Jesus, repentance toward God, or knowledge of spiritual things, all of which are consequent upon and follow after regeneration; and it may please the Lord to remove the subject of His grace from this time state ere he has developed this spiritual growth, and rear him up beyond the river." (See my posting here for more on this)
Why do the Hardshells not see the harm they are doing in telling sinners that they can be saved "faith or no faith"? Why do they not rather tell sinners "except you believe" that Christ is the Lord and Savior, the Messiah, "you shall die in your sins"? (John 8: 24) Why do they not warn them of the eternal consequences for disbelieving Christ?
Just as Hardshell errors led them to drastically alter their ideas as to the change that takes place in regeneration and the new birth, making it into a "hollow log" experience, a minor, as opposed to a radical change, so their errors in soteriology have led them into a "hollow" and meaningless idea about what constitutes true "faith." In Hardshellism both regeneration and faith lose all their biblical definitions and sense.
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