Garrett on "Hardshell" Citations

Brother Garrett stated:

"Yet consider this following quotation from David Montgomery, manager of a leading PB website, in reference to the inquiring rich young ruler who approached Jesus (Mark 10:17-22):

“But that young man turned it all down because he loved his money too much. The Bible never mentions him again. I wonder where that young man is right now. Do you think he is in Hell because he rejected Jesus? If he is, then we have a serious problem and we ought to be very afraid. The scriptures say that Jesus loved the young man, and the Apostle Paul says that nothing shall separate us from the love of Jesus Christ (Romans 8). I think that young man is in heaven right now but I also believe that he spent his days on earth in great sadness. The scriptures say the he went on his way sorrowfully. That is where the Bible leaves him and that is where the Bible will leave us if we likewise reject the Lord. But, if we are obedient, if we believe, if we act on our faith, then the joys that we shall receive will be awesome. It will bring heaven closer to us while we live here on earth. This is Time Salvation.” 

http://primitivebaptist.info/mambo/content/view/1575/36

Closely connected to this thought of rejecting Christ must be considered the idea of rejecting His gospel as well, which is simply the testimony concerning Him."


Brother Garrett misses my emphasis, which is wholly consistent with Elder Montgomery's remarks. In what sense did the rich, young ruler reject Jesus? Did he altogether reject Jesus' message as untruth? No, he went away sorrowful, feeling the weight of his inability to fulfill the law. Contrast this with Jesus' words to the non-elect pharisees of John 8:47. This is the fundamental distinction between all sheep and all goats under the sound of the gospel. The rich, young ruler "heard", acknowledged, and felt convicted by the message of Christ, and did, in this sense, not reject Christ like the non-elect of John 8:47 or John 10:26.

I have never argued that all the regenerate under the sound of the gospel would necessarily obey and manifest all the outward evidences of discipleship at any one time after their spiritual rebirth. However, we do not know the complete life of the ruler; I trust, as one Christ loved, the ruler would have continued progressively in conversion and sanctification by the transformation of the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18).

Brother Garrett stated:

"Straight from www.pb.org, the Primitive Baptist website itself, comes this bold assertion from the Salem Association (2008):

“"We reject the teaching that all regenerate persons will respond favorably to preaching regarding Christ when they hear it. While all of God's children ought to receive the truth of the news of their eternal salvation and would be greatly benefited by it,there are many who will not believe either through the error that is mixed with such preaching, the fear of cultural or familial pressure, the failings of the preacher, or the rebelliousness of sin in their nature." 

http://www.pbpage.org/Salem2008.php"

I would suggest that the word, "favorably" of the Salem Association should be interpreted as the evidences of true belief in discipleship, which include public profession and baptism. They are not specifically addressing the fundamental conviction of sin and testimony of the spirit that I have been arguing to Brother Garrett that all Primitive Baptists would acknowledge is testified in their conscience, and, more acutely, in the gospel - the sense in which the gospel is the power of God to all the elect under the sound of it. They, in essence, are defining "favorably" in an outward context - the context "harped" on by other orders, and I have been defining it in an inward context - an inward context that precedes outward evidences of conversion and discipleship.

Brother Garrett references Hagler's works. Brother Garrett states:

"I might add here that this book was being circulated in the Smoky Mountain Meeting which takes place every year in Pigeon, Forge TN. Would a work containing such statements as this be propagated at this popular event if it was the prevailing view that gospel conversion is not optional for those “under the sound of it”?"

I have only argued that some degree - at the very least, some inward degree - of gospel conversion and sanctification was predestined to be fulfilled in time, not that conversion to every outward evidence of discipleship was predestined in time for all of the elect that have ever lived (though Paul, for example, was predestined to this level of discipleship in time). How, then, could the thief on the cross have been saved, let alone infants, as they could not have fulfilled every outward evidence of discipleship?

The degree of gospel conversion obtained by the elect under the sound of the gospel is variable, so there is a distant element of truth in Hagler's emphases. The preponderance of his statements seem to imply the ignorant, quasi-universalist emphasis. Many of those teaching such things secretly deny the Bible teaches the doctrine of an eternal hell, and some who do not deny the Bible teaches an eternal hell have been heavily influenced by those who did deny. These are the minority, however.

Perhaps there was more of a trend of this in the days when Brother Garrett was an Elder among the PB's. But  today, there is definitely more of a trend toward orthodoxy.

I would encourage Brother Garrett to visit Primitive Baptists across the United States to find out what the preponderance actually believe.