Do You Warn The Wicked?

"When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself." (Eze. 3:18-19 NASB)

"Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life." (Eze. 33:7-9)

Why do our modern Hardshells not feel the weight of these words? Why do they not tremble at hearing them? Do they warn the wicked? Or, do they only feed the sheep? If they do warn the wicked, of what do they warn them? If they warn them of the final judgment, and of hell fire, then to what purpose? Is it not in order to awaken them from sleep in regard to their soul's danger? Is it not in order that the wicked man might "turn from his way," that is, that he might repent?

Hardshells today admit that they have no message to preach to the wicked who is doomed to die in sin. They believe it is silly to preach to the spiritually dead, as much as preaching to or giving warning to stones. So, they do not warn the wicked. They only warn the righteous, and not in respect of any final judgment upon their souls, but in regard to things pertaining to this life only.

This failure at warning the wicked is not what characterized their forefathers. They believed in warning the spiritually dead, "the wicked," and believed that it was serious business.

So, how did the first Baptist do along this line? Did he not say to the wicked in his day - "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt. 3:7) That is a real "primitive" Baptist!