"Jesus is the Great Preacher, and, by His omnipresent Spirit, He preaches His gospel savingly to His people (Isa. 61:1-3,10,11; Luke 4:16-30; Heb. 2:11,12; Psalm 110:3)."
I have written on this statement by Hassell previously (See "Was S. Hassell Right?" here).
This was also the view of many Hardshells in the late 19th century when the battle over "means" in salvation, over the nature of regeneration, over perseverance, over the necessity of evangelical faith and repentance, and kindred topics, was hotly debated and became a point of division, the means PBs going one way and the anti means Hardshells the other way.
The above view of Hassell was also expounded by Elder J. H. Oliphant in his writings of this time, who also said that Christ preaches the gospel directly to all the elect in regeneration. This view was the view promoted by C.H. Cayce during the same period. This direct preaching view of regeneration, and on how the production of faith and repentance occurs therein, was first formulated by Elder Gilbert Beebe in the 1840s and became increasingly popular decade after decade till it became the dominant view and brought on the division over means and over perseverance (vs. mere preservation) in the late 19th century.
This view is a "transition view," being a kind of bridge dividing or joining the old original view that Christ speaks (or preaches to sinners) through preachers of the word and the influence of the Spirit accompanying it, and the new view of today's Hardshells (since the split over means) that deny that Christ "preaches the gospel" personally, but rather limit the regenerative speaking of Christ to the simple words "come alive" or "live" (as in Ezekiel's infant who was thrown away) or "come forth" (as Christ spoke to dead Lazarus)! But, this is not "preaching the gospel."
Christ (or the Father through Christ) may also "teach" the sinner in his "drawing" of them, but it is far from calling it "preaching the gospel" by his direct speaking. In fact, most Hardshells today will deny that sinners are taught anything about the gospel in their regeneration. The words that Christ "speaks" directly and immediately consist in no more than saying "You are guilty of sin" and "live." People who experience this Hardshell "regeneration" do not come away having learned or been convinced of any gospel truth! Yet, they had the best teacher in the world according to Hassell, Oliphant, et als! That is so absurd. Christ personally preaches the gospel to sinners in rebirth but they come away knowing not Jesus nor anything about the gospel!
There are so many absurd and untenable consequences to this view.
1. It is mysticism and claims inspiration for all who have been so spoken to by Christ.
2. It makes one ask - why did Christ stop speaking directly? It seems more likely that he would continue to do so. So, why preachers and teachers?
3. It denies that Christ preaches through his preachers.
Paul's teaching in Romans chapter ten totally refutes the idea that Christ appears to each sinner that he saves and preaches and teaches them the gospel. Then why go into all the world to preach the gospel? Is Christ's direct preaching not needed after regeneration as much as before? Then why does he speak once in regeneration but after regeneration preaches through preachers?
What think ye?
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