Hardshells Decry the Gospel's Power

Recently I wrote an article titled "Hardshell Anti Faith Preaching" in which I observed that the Hardshells have deviated far away from their historical roots, from their forefathers who endorsed the Philadelphia Baptist Confession and who founded their separate denomination under the dual names of "Old School Baptists" or "Primitive Baptists" in the 1830s. Their forefathers sang of the power of faith, but today's Hardshells only speak of its impotency.

Those old Baptist forefathers also often spoke of the POWER of the gospel, of what it was "able" to do when attended with the blessing of God, and with "the hand of God," and were often crediting it with being the instrument of their internal change of heart that was the essence of rebirth. They seemed to not be able to stop heaping up enough praise to the glory, beauty, and conquering power of the gospel when preached with the Holy Ghost. In fact, two of the favorite verses of those forefathers (as anyone who is familiar with the writings of the Hardshell forefathers will agree) was to cite the words of Paul who spoke of the gospel being spoken "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (I Cor. 2:4 KJV) and who said "for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." (I Thess. 1:4 KJV) They were often citing the words of Paul who said that "the gospel of Christ...is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." (Romans 1:16 KJV) Another apostolic statement about the place of the gospel in the scheme of salvation, that they often quoted, were the words of Paul in II Thess. 2: 13 - "chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."

Today's Hardshells, instead of speaking of the power of the gospel, of how it has made saints of sinners, has awakened sinners, has revealed Christ, and has regenerated, birthed, saved, converted, and transformed them, and how it is God's means in their preservation in Christ and in their necessary perseverance in the faith of the gospel, will rather decry how the gospel has no power to do these things. It only has power for the living, we are told, and not for the dead. It only has power to those who are already born and saved. This is what characterizes their preaching today. It is obvious that their views regarding the gospel's power is quite different in comparison to that of their forefathers. They not only are "anti faith" in their views regarding this Christian grace, and in their talks about the nature and power of faith, but are "anti gospel" in their views about the power and efficacy of the gospel when preached in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I would love to see things change in the ranks of my Hardshell brethren. I would love for them to repent of their anti means view of salvation and begin again to sing the praises about the gospel's power as did their forefathers. If they do not retrace their steps on this issue, to the place where they went wrong on this issue, and throw off their novel view, and adopt the true historic view of their forefathers, they will dwindle and die. It seems to me that they would love to see sinner's effected by the power of gospel preaching.