Absurd Statements From Hardshells

Wrote Elder C.H. Cayce in commenting upon I Peter 4: 17-18:

“Them that obey not the gospel of God,” we think, are the Lord's children who hear the gospel, or understand it, but do not obey it."

"The “end of them that obey not the gospel of God” will be in suffering the chastening rod for their disobedience. “For if we sin willfully,after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for opf judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.” (Hebrews 10:26-30). The Lord judges His people, and punishes them for their disobedience."

In a recent posting concerning how Hardshells have gone to extremes in Bible interpretation in identifying "the saved" with "the lost" ("Them That Are Lost" Are Saved?), we saw that Hardshell leader Ronnie Loudermilk spouted the same kind of nonsense as was put forth by Elder C.H. Cayce in the above citation. Cayce was one who helped to mold the PBs into a cult in the latter part of the nineteenth and in the early part of the twentieth century.

How are saved people described by Cayce? By his interpretation of the passages cited, he believes that saved people are described as

1. "Them that obey not the gospel"
2. "Who shall receive sorer punishment" ("punished with everlasting destruction")
3. "Who sin willfully in rejecting the gospel"
4. "Tread under foot the Son of God"
5. "Insults the Spirit of grace"
6. "Despise the gospel"

Is the judgment merely temporal? Who can believe it except a Hardshell Universalist?

Who of our Baptist forefathers prior to the Hardshells ever taught such a thing?

In spite of the clear description of lost people, Cayce wants to make the words to be descriptive of saved people. On what basis can he so interpret the words of the text? Because the text cited says "the Lord will judge his people." But, by "his people" is meant the nation of Israel, and this included saved as well as lost people. Though even Judas, Jezebel, etc., were Israelites, of "his people," they were not so in heart and spirit. They were Israelites outwardly in the flesh but not so in heart. (See Rom. 2:28-29) So also today we say that believers are "the Lord's people" but we do not mean that all who profess faith are actually saved people. There are many hypocrites.

Still, you can see how Cayce was a quasi Universalist.