Elder Sylvester Hassell on Means (10)

Again, I will begin this chapter with another counter argument against the view espoused by Elder Sylvester Hassell and his Hardshell Baptist brethren. We will then continue our examination of Hassell's polemic for his "anti-means" view of salvation as given in his January, 1898 editorial "NO HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY IN REGENERATION," published in Hassell's paper "The Gospel Messenger" (You can read it on page 12 here). 

The above text is a difficult one for the Hardshells in light of their views on salvation. It is a text that has also divided Calvinists and Arminians. Many Calvinists, including the Hardshells, will argue that "all men" means "all the elect who are from all kinds or classes of humans." Not all Calvinists explain the passage in this way. Spurgeon did not. Nor do I. (See my posts on that here, here, here, and here)

Spurgeon said:

"You must, most of you, be acquainted with the general method in which our older Calvinistic friends deal with this text. "All men," say they, - "that is, some men": as if the Holy Ghost could not have said "some men" if he had meant some men. "All men," say they; "that is, some of all sorts of men": as if the Lord could not have said "all sorts of men" if he had meant that. The Holy Ghost by the apostle has written "all men," and unquestionably he means all men. I know how to get rid of the force of the "alls" according to that critical method which some time ago was very current, but I do not see how it can be applied here with due regard to truth...So runs the text, and so we must read it, "God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 26, Pilgrim Publications, p.50.)  

But, let us take the Hardshell view, which is held to by many Calvinists, and asks them what is meant by God's "willing" that all men (i.e. all the elect) be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth? Their view says that the "will" of God means his irresistible will as when Paul asks "for who has resisted his will?" (Rom. 9: 19). So, all under consideration, i.e. the "all men" or "all the elect," will be saved. So far so good. But, what about the second part, about all "coming to a knowledge of the truth"? Their interpretation forces them to affirm that all the elect will come to a knowledge of the truth, the truth about God, the truth of the Gospel! And, how does one come to this knowledge? Is it not through the Spirit's use of the written word of God? 

In the preceding chapter I ended with these words:

Why is Hassell, and his brethren, so vehemently opposed to the idea that the "word of God" means the written revelation or good news? Is it because there are some texts that say the word of God cannot be a means? Is it not rather because they base it upon their own reasoning and carnal logic? 

I then cited several verses that say that the gospel or word of God is the power of God to save and as such is therefore able to regenerate the degenerate and to quicken the spiritually dead.

I think that one of the major reasons why the Hardshell Primitive Baptists so strongly oppose the idea that the word of God is a means in the saving of sinners is because they have a proposition that says "there can be no human means in redemption." We have already noted that one of their other propositions, first promoted by their "Two Seed" forefathers, said that "nothing a person does determines whether he goes to heaven or hell." Both these propositions however are not stated in scripture but are inventions that they believe are implied in scripture. But, in this they are clearly wrong. 

That human beings are used as means in the eternal salvation of sinners is undeniable, and yet the Hardshells deny it anyway. They say "God is not dependent on means" and that is true, but that is not the issue, but what God has chosen to do is the question. God uses his word to save, and God uses his people to bring that saving word to the lost. Further, God used Abraham, David, the Jewish nation, and Mary to bring forth the Messiah, and so they were means in salvation. God also used wicked men to crucify Christ, and it was the crucifixion that brought salvation. (Acts 2: 23) Therefore, Hardshell Hyper Calvinists see problems where there are none. They think the above invented propositions are inspired absolute truth and when they come to texts which contradict those two propositions, they twist those scriptures to make them agree with their propositions. They should however throw away their man-made propositions. 

Hassell wrote further:

"In his persecuting journey to Damascus, Christ arrested him and gave him to know Him, whom to know is life eternal (Acts ix. 5; John xvii. 3; Gal. i. 11—17; 1 Cor. xv. 8). And Paul declares that God quickens His people from the death of trespasses and sins, creates them in Christ Jesus unto good works, shines in their hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, begins the good work in them and performs it unto the day of Jesus Christ, that salvation is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy, and that all things in this new creation are of God ( Eph. ii. 1_10; 2 Cor. iv. 6; v. 17, 18; Phil. 1. 6; Rom. ix. 16)."

When the apostle Paul was regenerated or quickened it was the result of his having been encountered by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, his regeneration included his conversion. In the above citation from Hassell he seems to believe that a regenerated person is "given to know" Christ and that when people are quickened the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" is made to "shine in their hearts." That is not what today's "Primitive Baptists" believe. Hassell clearly is using conversion language to describe Paul's regeneration, as Paul did himself. The text he cites shows that obtaining saving knowledge of God and Christ Jesus are essential to salvation. This is also what the 1689 London Baptist Confession says. In chapter one it says:

"The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation."

"The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture...those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture..." 

Notice the word "necessary." Some things are necessary to be known for "salvation." Hardshells deny that these things are necessary to be known for being spiritually alive. That is why they teach that one can be regenerated and yet remain ignorant of the one true God and Christ and remain believers in false gods. In chapter fourteen "Of Saving Faith" the confession said that saving faith is obtained through the word of God as a "means." In chapter twenty, "Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace Thereof," it says the Edenic "promise" given by God of a coming Redeemer, or protoevangelium, was a "means of calling the elect" and "begetting in them faith and repentance" and identifies "this promise" as "the gospel," and that "as to the substance of it" was "revealed" for "the conversion and salvation of sinners," and which "is therein effectual" thereunto.  

I have heard Hardshells ask the question about Abel's faith, asking "where did Abel get his faith?" They ask this and contend that his faith could not have come through the written word of God because the Bible had not been written yet. They say this because they believe Abel was given faith apart from any word of God, but that is ridiculous and against the plain teaching of scripture, which says "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10: 17) They often do this and then redefine "faith" so as to make it some kind of "deposit," like a germ or virus, which does not really believe anything, but only is the giving of an ability to believe. In this post (here) I cited from Elder Zach Guess who said: "Faith" is "the ability to believe." So, if one believes, he is exercising the faith which he already has." He even said 

"There is much misunderstanding in the religious world about "faith" or "belief." Many preachers will say that salvation is by grace but that a person must "put his trust in Jesus Christ" or "believe in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior" or "have faith in Jesus Christ" before he can be saved."

This is ironic and laughable. He criticizes the actual meaning of "faith" which is "belief" which includes the idea of trust, and gives a definition of it that no scholar ever gives. But, the Hardshells do this often. They give meanings to words that are of their own invention. 

Notice also that the text Hassell cites shows that "life" comes through the medium of "light." There have been historical debates among Calvinistic Baptists as to whether life precedes light. In my post titled "J.C. Philpot on Means" (here) I cited several passages where Philpot affirmed that the word of God was a means in the saving of sinners. I also cited these words on the question of which comes first, light or life (emphasis mine):

"Nor shall we, as we wish to avoid controversial topics, enter at any length into the question whether light or life first enters into the heart—”The entrance of your words gives light.” (Psalm 119:130.) There it would seem that light came first. And so the passage—”To open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light.” (Acts 26:18.) So Saul at Damascus’ gate saw and was struck down by the light before the quickening words came—”Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4.) In grace, if not in nature, it would seem evident that we see before we feel; and thus the disciples “beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father,” before they received the Son of God into their hearts and believed on his name. It will be seen from these hints that without entering into the controversy, or pronouncing any dogmatical opinion, our own view inclines to the point held by Mr. Huntington, that light precedes life. And yet, when we look back on our own experience, how difficult it is to determine whether we saw light before we felt life, or whether the same ray which brought light into the mind did not bring at the same moment life into the heart. At any rate we saw what we felt, and we felt what we saw. “In your light do we see light.” To see this light is to be “enlightened with the light of the living.” (Job 33:30.) And this our blessed Lord calls “the light of life.” “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12.)"

The Hardshells respond by saying that a man must have life and eyes before he can see the light. That may be true in regard to seeing physical light, but it is not so in regard to seeing the light of the truth. Here again we see how the "Primitive Baptists" rely on carnal logic for their belief rather than on the word of God, as I have stated before. In the scriptures "light" may carry the meaning of energy or power. In the creation account God says "let there be light" days before he created the sun and stars. I think in that instance "light" does mean energy. "Light" may also denote life itself. So Jesus said:

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8: 12 nkjv)

The genitive "light of life" is I believe a genitive of apposition and means "light which is life." It could also be an objective genitive and mean "light unto life." We see this same genitive of apposition in these words of the same apostle:

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." (John 1: 4-5, 9 nkjv)

Notice "the life was the light." When the text says that Christ, the "true Light," "gives light to every man coming into the world" he means giving life. This is also true with having spiritual life. A spiritually alive man has the "light of life" and is saved by that light. So wrote the Psalmist in Psalm 80:19: "Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved." 

John says when "the light shines in the darkness" it dispels the darkness. In the Bible the experience of salvation dispels the darkness of depravity. When the Lord sent Paul to take the good news to the nations, one of the things to be accomplished thereby was to "turn them from darkness to light" (Acts 26: 18), but more on that text shortly. Hassell has already stated that "God shines in the heart" of those "dead in trespasses and sins" and thereby quickens them and gives them that saving knowledge which is necessary for salvation, per the apostle Paul. So, the entrance of this light is what brings life. This truth is confirmed in several other texts of scripture. For instance, Paul wrote: 

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Eph. 5: 8 nkjv)

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Col. 1: 13 nkjv)

"You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness." (I Thess. 5: 5 nkjv)

It was light that delivered them from darkness. "Children" or "sons" "of light" means that they became children by the light. The apostle Peter also agreed, writing: 

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (I Peter 2: 9 nkjv)