Chapter 30 - Hot Shots Returned (5th Volley)

ISAIAH, PAUL & BARNABAS - GOD'S MEANS IN BRINGING SALVATION

"And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49: 5,6)

"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. (Acts 13: 46-49)

"And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and (to turn) from the power of Satan unto God, THAT they may receive forgiveness of sins, and (in order that they may receive) inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (Acts 26: 14-18)

It is very clear that Isaiah, Paul and Barnabas, yea, every gospel minister who "brings glad tidings of good things," were and are predestined and made by God to be his "servants" in order "to bring salvation." God had determined to make Isaiah a preacher of the good tidings, and by him, as a means, to "bring again the captivity" of his people, to effect their "return" to the Lord, and to work and effect their "salvation."

There is no way to distort or twist these verses as to make them concern only a "salvation" from temporal trials and errors but to a "salvation" which, by its description in the above verses, can be only that which delivers and rescues from sin and eternal condemnation, of that "salvation" which the Scriptures overwhelmingly speak, and which brings with it the "forgiveness of sins." People, in the "salvation" under consideration in the above passages of scripture, are delivered from the "power of Satan," from his bondage, and who were therefore not "free," nor "saved," nor "born again," prior to hearing and believing the gospel.

In this "salvation" sinners were brought to see and confess their sins and their need of Christ, and were "effectually drawn" to him as a suitable Savior. This "salvation" includes, as the above passages show, "receiving the forgiveness of sins," and "receiving an inheritance among the saints." How anyone can make this "salvation" something unconnected with eternity, and to refer strictly and simply to only some "timely deliverances," of those who are already eternally saved, is to pay absolutely no attention to the "context" and to shut ones eyes to what is obvious in the language of the passages cited.

It is by means of the gospel and gospel ministers that the Lord "gathers" his "sheep," and by which he "calls" and "brings" them into the "sheepfold." This was the view that Elder Watson expressed, in his book, "The Old Baptist Test," as being both his and the truly "Old Baptist position." It is by the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ that sinners are brought to faith and repentance, by which they are converted and changed, and whereby they truly come to "know God" and to "know Christ," and whereby they are instructed in the truth about Christ and his salvation.

Dr. Gill wrote:

"...thus what was decreed and resolved on by God the Father, and was declared by him to his Son, is applied to his ministers and ambassadors, who represented him; so that what they did, he may be said to do; and who by them was to go, and did go to the Gentiles, and enlighten them with the light of the Gospel, and became salvation to them; so that this prophecy is produced by the apostles, to vindicate their conduct, as well as to show the agreement between the command of Jesus Christ to his disciples, and the decree of God the Father; as also to illustrate and confirm the particular order, which the Apostle Paul had, to go to the Gentiles, and to which he may have a regard here; see Ac 26:17." (Commentary on Acts 13)

Dr. Gill believed the reference in Isaiah referred first to Christ and secondarily to the ministers of the gospel. Paul definitely cites the passage in Isaiah in order to authenticate his ministry and to show that it was the "work of the Lord" and the result of his making his own appointed means effectual.

Hardshells, in excluding gospel ministers and gospel preaching, a "belief of the truth," as the God ordained "means" he uses to accomplish his salvation, are clearly against these plain facts from inspired witnesses.

TAKING THEM OUT BY THE GOSPEL

"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: THAT the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning." " (Acts 15: 14-20)

This "taking out of the Gentiles a people for his name" is connected with the work of conversion through the preaching of the Apostles. God was "saving" and "calling out from among" the Gentiles those whom he had "chosen to salvation." Christ sent his ambassadors to offer the "conditions of pardon" to "every man." Those whom the Lord had thus "taken out," by the ministry of the Apostles and gospel preachers, from among the Gentiles, were those who had received that gospel and who had, thereby, sought, called upon, and found the Lord.

This work of "converting" sinners, of "making disciples," is part and parcel of that "salvation" and "regeneration" that God promised to bring by the hands of those whom he sends with the message, "Be ye reconciled to God."

It is interesting too that the Apostle James calls this "work" of "calling out" the Gentiles by the gospel, of "taking out from among them a people for his name," is the "work of God." But, it is Hardshell "logic" that says that such a work cannot possibly be the "work of God" because it involved means! If the Hardshells make the "salvation" and "conversion" of this passage to be a "time salvation," then they are forced to accept the Absoluter argument and position that says "conversion," like "regeneration," is always "effectual" and "irresistable," because it is the "WORK OF GOD." Conditionalists, the predominant sect within the Hardshell cult, will not, however, accept this position. These have staked it out, as their position, that "conversion" is the result of the free will choice and work of the child of God himself, and is, therefore, not certain nor "irresistably" the "work of God."

Dr. Gill wrote:

"James speaking to an assembly of Hebrews...observes, that he (Peter) had given a very clear and distinct narrative, how God at the first preaching of the Gospel, quickly after the day of Pentecost, was pleased to look upon the Gentiles, and show favour to them, and visit them in a way of grace and mercy, by sending the Gospel to them, and his Spirit to make it effectual: this was a gracious visit; he came and looked upon them, quickened them, and spoke comfortably to them, and bestowed special favours upon them; the set time for such a visit being come..." (Commentary Acts 15)

THAT expresses truly the Old Baptist position on this matter, does it not? Neither Dr. Gill, nor the truly Old Baptists, saw it as detracting from the glory of God in salvation, in the least, for God to use the means of his own gospel and the means of his own created witnesses to it! They certainly did not see the idea of regeneration, by the "means of the gospel," as a "blasphemous," teaching, as do those who arrogantly and wrongly claim to be "Old Baptists"!

First Christians All Saved By The Gospel

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:40, 47)


"Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." (Acts 11:14)


"Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost." (I Thessalonians 2:16)

Some of these verses I have already mentioned in previous writings. Again, who can deny that men are saved by the preaching of the gospel? Who can think, without Hardshell help, that the word "saved" in these passages, and others like them, is not clearly talking about eternal salvation? To make all such passages to deal with "timely deliverances" is to sit on the edge of a doctrinal pit of heresy, and be precariously near to falling into the abominable pit of full blown Universalism.

I again challenge every Hardshell who reads this book to cite one Baptist forefather, prior to the 1800's, who interpreted all these passages, that speak of sinners being "saved" by the hearing and believing the gospel message, as being unconnected with eternal salvation from sin and death!

If you cannot find your "interpretations" of all these passages in any Baptist writing prior to the 1800's, prior to the "rise of the Hardshells," then you must confess, if you are honest, that your views are truly novel and hybrid, and that they are clearly not the truly Old Baptist "position"!


"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

The Hardshell will want to make this "salvation" to be a timely deliverance for those who are already eternally saved apart from or before they ever hear the preaching of Christ's gospel. They are, therefore, logically forced to believe that the "condemnation," in the passage, is not eternal but must also likewise be some kind of "timely judgment." Again, it is simply absurd to view Christ, contextually speaking, as talking about anything other than what is most momentous, for the occasion, and that is the salvation of those sinners whom God had destined beforehand to call by the preaching of the gospel. Hardshells do not believe what this verse, and many verses like it, clearly affirm -- every soul who rejects the gospel of Christ will be condemned, lost eternally.


"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21)

Again, this is but another of many verses that speak of Christians as being saved by the preaching of the gospel. The Hardshells do not believe that the word of God is "able to save" the soul of sinners, that the gospel is the "power of God unto salvation," but the Scriptures expressly teach otherwise.


Partaker Of The Divine Nature By Means

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (II Peter 1: 3,4)

It is "by the promises," by the words of promise, the gospel, that men come to be "partakers of the divine nature," and are made free from "corruption" and human nature's depravity. This is denied however by Hardshells.

They sometimes "reason" on "how people in the Old Testament were saved if men are saved by believing the gospel, implying, that one could not believe the gospel in the Old Testament.

I have heard some ask, "Where did Abel get his FAITH if it comes by the preaching of the gospel"? They will "reason" that those who believe men are "the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" must believe that God had one way of saving people in the Old Testament and another way in the New. From there they will reason that he only "system" that will allow for only "one way" of "saving sinners," alike under both Testaments, is the Hardshell view on regeneration.

Well, these are not difficult questions at all. Abel believed the gospel. He had the good news of a promised Redeemer, one who was divinely called the "seed of the woman." He believed in this coming Redeemer. That was his faith and it was true in his case, as in every case, that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." The gospel did not begin, strictly speaking, when John the Baptist arrived on the scene. Who has not often see the gospel in Isaiah? Is it not so full of "gospel" that men sometimes call it "the gospel of Isaiah"?

So, Abel had the promise of God, full of good news and glad tidings of the coming Redeemer, the one who would undo and restore all the harm done by sin and Satan. And, as Peter testifies, it is by the means of these, and other like promises, that men come to saving faith in Christ and to "partake of the divine nature."