An Inconspicous Error

Several past issues of The Banner of Love Primitive Baptist periodical can be found online. Just google it.  While browsing through one of them, I can across this very simple statement:

Faith is a gift of God. If you believe God and believe in Jesus Christ, this was given to you (Elder Bobby Poe, 'The Ability To Believe')

What the elder states is certainly true. The problem is that it is not consistent with Hardshell soteriology.  Most Hardshells would deny that actual faith in Christ is a gift of God.  The reason is because faith in Christ is synonymous with evangelical faith, requiring the preaching of the gospel.  Paul emphasizes this in Romans 10, the chapter which Hardshells apply to time salvation. So faith in Christ, then, in Hardshellism, is NOT a gift of God because it involves the preaching of the gospel.  "Work", as they call it, must be performed in order for someone to receive it.

This is simply an example of widespread confusion among the denomination.  Hardshells so juggle the concepts of seed faith, faith in God, faith in any God, the ability to believe, etc. as to what is given in regeneration, that you truly will receive 3 or 4 different explanations as to what the sinner believes, if anything, upon his new birth experience.

I think what is happening here is the same thing which J.I. Packer claimed in his famous introduction to Owen's classic work happens with those who promote universal atonement.  When it comes to preaching the gospel they want to magnify the grace of God and the work of Christ, so they feel the way to announce this is by saying that Christ is the Savior, died for all mankind, and paid their sin debt.  However, they must immediately retract such well-intended words upon analysis of their doctrine, for in the end Jesus did not really secure the salvation of anyone, unless fallen man contributes to see it through.

With good intentions it may be that Hardshell preachers likewise announce to their congregation that actual faith in Christ is a gift of God.  For those with the trained eye, however, who navigated the waters of Hardshellism for many years like myself, we know that this is not what is truly believed. Faith in Christ belongs to the doctrine of time salvation.  That means it is optional, coming by the works of the preacher, received weeks, months, years later!  And that only by a few of God's elect! That very small number of God's people who get a chance to hear the gospel in this life!

Am I not correct, my former friends?  Is it not really true that what you should be telling your  regenerated audience is that their seed faith or their faith in some sort of supreme being, for instance, was a gift of God?  But if they wanna believe in Jesus Christ, they better get to working! Because we know that if it comes through the gospel and instrumentality...well, that's salvation by works!  That's what we do for ourselves, right?

Also, why is the title of the article 'The Ability to Believe' when what is argued (simply read it) is not really the ability to believe, but actual belief itself?  Are they one in the same?  Is the ability of believe a gift of God? Or believing itself?

More confusion.