Monday, December 31, 2018

Exhorting Sinners Is Heretical Practice?

It is shocking news! Many Christians inclined to disbelieve the report! Are there really Christians and Bible believers who think it a great evil to preach to sinners, and to exhort them to believe and repent? Yes, there are really such Christians! Those who call themselves "Primitive Baptists" exclude people for the practice of exhorting sinners.

Elder C. H. Cayce is a household name among Hardshells. He was their leading debater, and the editor of one of their leading papers throughout the 20th century. In his "Editorials" for October 10, 1905, under the title "OUR WORK ENDORSED," Cayce wrote:

"The Forked Deer Association met with the church at Flowers Chapel, near Rutherford, Gibson county, Tenn., on Friday before the second Sunday in September, 1905. Elder John Grist, of Friendship, Tenn., was moderator, and L. J. Law, Trenton, Tenn., was clerk. The following appears in their minutes as the third and fourth items of their business on Saturday:

By motion and second, agreed that we adopt as the sense of this association the action of five of our churches as expressed in their letters, that we declare non-fellowship for the idea of a federal form of government, that the commission was given to the church and not to the apostles or ministry, that it is the duty of the ministry to admonish the alien sinner to repent and believe the gospel, and against affiliation in and with secret institutions."

Notice that! The Hardshells "declare non-fellowship" against those who believe that it is "the duty of the ministry to admonish the alien sinner to repent and believe the gospel."

This makes them a cult.

It also shows how evil is their stance against gospel preaching to the lost. Their declaration would also exclude every prophet, every apostle, every evangelist in the new testament, as well as Christ himself! Did Paul not say that all are commanded to believe and to repent?

The first Hardshells (or "Primitive" or "Old School" Baptists) did not believe it was an evil to preach to lost sinners. So, not only is the Hardshell declaration an exclusion of the prophets, apostles, evangelists, and of Christ himself, but of their own founding fathers! How is that for hypocrisy?

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