I dealt much with what the Hardshells believe about "conversion" in chapter 18 and this will be somewhat of an enlargement. I there showed that the Hardshells greatly erred in divorcing regeneration from conversion. What are some of the consequences of this divorcing of what God has joined together?
1. "Regeneration" has become an "unconscious experience," an event that merely "deposits," or "implants," some vaguely defined "principle of life," some metaphysical goo (what is often called simply an "inner ability)," and becomes an experience that is not well defined, but is rather known by what is absent in the experience, rather than by what is actually present or an immediate consequence of "regeneration."
2. "Regeneration" has progressively been narrowed down to mean simply the first initial move of the Spirit of God upon a man. In such a system "regeneration" becomes a bunch of nothing, meaningless; thus the Hardshell difficulty, historically, with the "Hollow Log Doctrine." "Regeneration" changes a man very little. A man can be "regenerated" and not know it.
3. "Regeneration," without "conversion," becomes a vain and empty thing. It creates the monster of unconvicted, unrepentant, and unbelieving "regenerate" people! There is no such creature in the word of God!
4. "Conversion" is not the work of God's efficacious grace, but the work of the "free will" of the "regenerated." Though all the elect will be "regenerated," only a very few will ever be "converted."
How contrary this is to the first Old Baptist confessions and "articles of faith" of the primitive churches and associations! Let us see the evidence for this startling fact.
For instance, we read the following from the 1806 Mississippi Baptist Association Articles of Faith, under article #6.
"We believe all those who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world are, in time, effectually called, regenerated, converted, and sanctified; and are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation."
(http://www.upbuild.org/article100.html)
Columbia Baptist Church, 1790 (Cincinnati - The First Church in Ohio)
"We Believe that the works of redemption, conversion, sanctification, and faith are not acts of man's free will and power, But of the mighty efficatious (sic) and erisistable (sic) grace of god."
(http://www.geocities.com/baptist_documents/columbia-hist.html)Fisher's River Association 1832
VIII. "We believe that God's elect will be called, converted, regenerated and sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
(http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/frpba1.htm)
Wilmington Primitive Baptist Church, 1805
Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church 1829
"We believe that God’s elect shall be regenerated, called, converted, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
(http://www.fellowshippbc.org/confessions.shtml)
Flint River Primitive Baptist Church
"We believe that God's elect shall be called, converted, regenerated, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost." (http://members.flintriverpbc.org/aof.htm)
Senter Primitive Baptist Church 1829
"5. We believe that sinners are called, converted, regenerated, and sanctified by the Holy spirit and that all who are thus regenerated or born again by the Spirit of God shall never fall finally away." (Ashe County, North Carolina) (http://www.newrivernotes.com/nc/senter.htm)
And Finally
7. "We believe that God's elect shall be called, converted, regenerated, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost."
(A Set of Old School Primitive Baptist Articles of Faith - The Primitive Baptist Unity Website)
Notice the general absence of the terms new birth, begetting, born again, etc., in the older articles. Why is this? Is it not because the four terms they did use were the integral elements of the new birth?
There are four terms that all these old articles use in reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in applying the benefits of the death of Christ to the elect. They are: effectually called, regenerated, converted, and sanctified. They affirmed that "all the elect" would experience what is denoted by those four terms. Hardshells have changed their modern confessions and have eliminated the word "conversion" from their historic articles. For proof of this, I cite these "articles of faith" of neo-Primitive Baptist Churches
Modern Articles of Faith (Neo Old School)
"We believe that the Holy Spirit effectually calls, regenerates and sanctifies all the elect of God. (John 6:37; 2 Timothy 1:9; Jude 1)" (Lexington Primitive Baptist Church - http://www.lexpbc.org/articles.html)
"We believe that all the chosen in Christ shall be called, regenerated, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit; and that they will be justified in the sight of God by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and will be preserved through grace and never fall finally away. John 6:37-40; John 17:2-4; Rom. 8:28-30; II Thes. 2:13; John 10:28-30; II Tim. 2:19."
"We believe that a knowledge of salvation is manifest to the heirs of promise by a direct operation of the Holy Ghost in their hearts. Eph. 2:8-10; Heb. 11:6; II Cor 4:16; I Cor 2:9." (Little Vine Primitive Baptist Church)
(www.littlevinepbc.org/articles_of_faith.htm)
"We believe that sinners are justified in the sight of God only by the direct Operation of the Holy Ghost in their hearts."
This is all that is said! Nothing, in this, or in the preceding articles, about the necessity of being "converted"! We do not see the same four ancient terms! In modern Hardshell confessions we do not see the old order repeated - "calling, regeneration, conversion, santification,"!
The Hardshell periodical that wrote the above article on effectual calling, said:
"A note to our readers: The Banner of Love is not a church body and, as such, does not have its own Articles of Faith. While these Articles of Faith are considered typical of those adopted by many Primitive Baptist Churches, they are presented here for informational purposes only. Articles of Faith vary from congregation to congregation."
(http://www.banneroflove.net/pages/articles_of_faith.htm)
Yes, they may be "typical" of modern "Primitive Baptists," but not of the first or original Old Baptists!
Another modern Hardshell article reads:
"We believe that those of mankind thus chosen and fore-ordained unto eternal life, were redeemed by Christ Jesus, and are effectually called by the direct work of the Holy Spirit, and that by irresistible grace. We, thus, reject the doctrines of water baptism regeneration and gospel regeneration by the preached word. (Ps. 65:4, John 1:10-13, John 3:5-8, John 6:63, John 10:27-30, Eph. 2:1, Gal. 4:6, Jude 1:1, I Pet. 1:18-19)" (Zion Primitive Baptist Church Brunswick, GA - http://www.zionpbc.org/index.html)
And from the late 19th century, from "REGENERATION" - Articles of Faith of a Primitive Baptist Church - by Elder Walter Cash:
"We believe that being born again is not the act of man, nor does it result from what he may believe or do; but it is the work of God, who gives eternal life, thus quickening the sinner, which causes him to confess his sin, and to feel the need of a Saviour."
(http://www.bibletruthforum.com/cords2/articles4.htm)
The theologians, not the bible writers, are the ones who give a definition of "regeneration" as equivalent to "initial move of God"; And, as I have said, if this is how one defines "regeneration," then of course, "regeneration" precedes faith, repentance, conversion, etc.
All of the modern "articles of faith" of the Hardshells have excluded the term "conversion" from that portion that deals with regeneration, effectual calling, and sanctification! Why did they cut this word out? How can they be "primitive" or "original" or "old school," and change their articles on such an important and fundamental doctrine of the Baptist faith?Kehukee Articles of 1777
6. "We believe that it is utterly out of the power of men, as fallen creatures, to keep the law of God perfectly, repent of their sins truly, or believe in Jesus Christ, except they be drawn by the Holy Ghost."
7. "We believe in God's appointed time and way (by means which he has obtained) the elect shall be called, justified and sanctified, and that it is impossible they can utterly refuse the call, but shall be made willing by divine grace to recieve the offers of mercy."
(
"That those that are redeemed by Christ, are in due time called to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus - embracing Him as the only way to God and Savior of poor sinners. This effectual calling is accomplished by the agency of the Holy Ghost operating in a free, irresistable and unfrustrable manner, by which the understanding is enlightened and the will subjected to Christ. Hence the scriptures testify that they are made willing in the day of His power. This eternal change or new birth in the soul is wholly ascribed to the Power of God; for it is said of the regenerate, they are begotten of God, quickened of God, born of God - all expressive that it is the Lord's work, and He is entitled to the praise." (Article #8)
(http://www.upbuild.org/article18.html)
In upcoming chapters I will be dealing with the lies that the Hardshells have told relative to John Gill, especially about what they say in regard to supposed changes in doctrine that he made when he was old, whereby he writes differently on some things, in his "Body of Divinity," than he did in his commentaries. What will now be cited by Gill on "Conversion" is from his "Body of Divinity," and will disprove the idea that Gill "rejected gospel means" in the new birth experience in his "Body of Divinity." I have already cited Gill's "Body of Divinity" in previous chapters wherein he affirmed the exact same position on means as he did in his commentaries, notwithstanding the accusation of some leading Hardshells. But, I will greatly enlarge upon this point in those upcoming chapters on "Gill and the Hardshells."
John Gill on "Conversion"
"Conversion, though it may seem, in some respects, to fall in with regeneration and the effectual calling, yet may be distinguished from them both. Regeneration is the sole act of God; conversion consists both of God’s act upon men, in turning them, and of acts done by men under the influence of converting grace; they turn, being turned. Regeneration is the motion of God towards and upon the heart of a sinner; conversion is the motion of a sinner towards God, as one (Charnock) expresses it. In regeneration men are wholly passive, as they also are in the first moment of conversion; but by it become active: it is therefore sometimes expressed passively; "ye are returned", or converted (1 Pet. 2:25), and sometimes actively; "a great number believed and turned to the Lord" (Acts 11:21), and "when it", the body of the people of the Jews, "shall turn to the Lord", which has respect to their conversion in the latter day (2 Cor 3:16). The effectual calling is the call of men out of darkness to light; and conversion answers to that call, and is the actual "turning" of men from the one to the other; so that, with propriety, conversion may be considered as distinct from regeneration and the effectual calling."
"Conversion is a turn of the "mind" from carnal things to spiritual ones, and from earthly things to heavenly ones; yea it is a turn of the "will", which before conversion is in a very bad state, is stubborn and inflexible, biased to and bent upon that which is evil, and averse to all that is good; but in conversion God "works in" men "both to will and to do of his good pleasure"; he gives them another will, or however a turn to their will, so that of an unwilling people, they are made a willing people in the day of his power on them; whereas they were unwilling to come to Christ for salvation, and take him alone to be their Saviour; "ye will not come unto me that ye might have life", says Christ (John 5:40), that is, ye have no will to come to me at all for life and salvation; they chose rather to go anywhere than to him for it; but now they are willing to be saved by him, and resolve to have no other Saviour but him; yea though he slay them they will trust in him, and say he shall be our salvation; and though before they went about to establish their own righteousness, and did not and would not submit to the righteousness of Christ; now their stout hearts, which were far from righteousness, are brought down, and they become willing to be found in Christ, and in his righteousness only; and inasmuch as before they would not have Christ to reign over them, and chose not to be subject to his laws and ordinances, now they are ready to acknowledge him as their king and governor, and turn their feet to his testimonies, and esteem his precepts concerning all things to be right.
Conversion lies in a man’s being turned from darkness to light; the apostle says, he was sent by Christ to the Gentiles, as a minister of the gospel, "to turn them from darkness to light" (Acts 26:18), that is, to be the instrument or means of their conversion, by preaching the gospel to them. In this conversion may seem to coincide with the effectual calling; but it may be observed, that the effectual calling is a call to, but conversion is a turning of, men from darkness to light; God not only calls unto light, but turns them to light in every sense; to God who is light itself, and in whom is no darkness at all; to Christ, who is the light of the world; to the gospel, which is the great light that shines on men who sit in darkness; and to the light of grace, which is a shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.
Conversion lies in the turning of men "from the power of Satan unto God", as in the above place (Acts 26:18). Satan has great power over men in an unconverted state, his seat is in their hearts, which are the palace in which he rules...but now in conversion they are turned from his power; he is dispossessed of them, and his armor taken from him in which he trusted; the prey is taken out of the hands of the mighty, and the lawful captive is delivered; men are translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son; and though they are not freed from his temptations, yet they have grace sufficient given them to bear up under them till it is the pleasure of God to save them from them, who will shortly bruise him under them; and as they are in conversion turned from him, they are turned to God; who before were without him, and alienated from the life of him, and strangers to him; but now they are turned to the knowledge of him, to love to him, to faith in him, and to communion with him.
"...in conversion, he by his Spirit and grace turns them from their iniquities; he turns them from the love of them to an hatred of them, even of vain thoughts, as well as of sinful actions; from the service and drudgery of them to the service of righteousness; from the power and dominion of them and subjection to them, and from a course of living in them to a life of holiness; and from the paths of sin to the paths of truth and uprightness."
"Conversion lies in turning men from their own righteousness to the righteousness of Christ...and this requires more than human teachings: for though ministers are said to "turn many to righteousness", that is, to the righteousness of Christ, yet only instrumentally, and as the means of it, through preaching the gospel, in which there is a revelation of it; for God is the efficient cause of the turn of them to it; for though the gospel is the ministration of it, yet it is the Lord that must bring it near to stouthearted ones far from righteousness, and make them willing to submit unto it, and to be desirous of being found in it; for men naturally do not care to part with their own righteousness..."
"Conversion lies in a man’s turning to the Lord actively, under the influence of divine grace; and by this phrase it is often expressed in scripture, as in Isaiah 10:21; Acts 11:21; 2 Corinthians 3:16, men being thoroughly convinced that there is salvation in no other but in Christ, that it is in vain to expect it elsewhere; after they have made many inquiries and searches to no purpose, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and look to him alone for salvation; being apprized of their danger, they turn as they are directed, encouraged and enabled to Christ the stronghold, where they are safe from all danger, and from every enemy; being made sensible of the insufficiency of their own righteousness and of the suitableness of the righteousness of Christ for them, they turn to him as the Lord their righteousness, in whom all the seed of Israel are justified and shall glory; and being fully satisfied with the equity of the laws, rules, and ordinances of Christ, they turn to him as their Lord and Lawgiver, and submit to his commands, renouncing all other lords and their dominion over them; and though in their natural state they are like sheep going astray, in conversion they are returned to Christ, as the great Shepherd and bishop of souls: the parable of seeking and finding, and bringing home the lost sheep, is a fit representation of the conversion of a sinner: Christ’s people are his sheep before conversion, but they are lost sheep, straying in the wilderness; and as sheep never return to the fold, shepherd and pasture of themselves, unless looked up and are returned; so neither do they, till they are sought for and found, and brought home by Christ, the proprietor of them, with joy; and the parables following represent the same thing; as that of the lost piece of silver, for finding which the woman lights a candle and sweeps the house, and searches every corner till she finds it, which gives her joy; this sets forth the high esteem and value the elect are in with Christ, comparable to silver, yea to line gold and precious stones; and the passiveness of men in first conversion, who no more contribute to it than the piece of silver to its being found; and the means and methods made use of in conversion, the light of the gospel ministry, and the stir and bustle on that occasion: so the parable of the prodigal son, and his return to his father, is expressive of the same; his manner of living before his return is a lively picture of the state of unconverted men, living in their lusts, and pursuing the desires of the flesh and of the mind; in his return there are all the symptoms of a true and real conversion; as a sense of his starving, famishing, and perishing state by nature; his coming to his right mind, his sense of sin, confession of it, and repentance for it; his faith and hope of meeting with a favorable reception by his father, which encouraged him to return, and which he met with; (see Isa. 55:7)."
"Men are dead in a moral sense while unconverted, they are dead in trespasses and sins, which are the cause of their death...unless they are quickened they cannot be converted..."
"Conversion is such an alteration in a man as is not in his power to effect: it is like that of an Ethiopian changing his skin, and a leopard his spots; such things are never heard of, as a blackamoor becoming white, and a leopard becoming clear of his spots; and as unlikely is it that a man should convert himself (Jer. 13:23), a tree must first be made good, so as to bring forth good fruit; "Make the tree good", says our Lord; but the tree cannot make itself good; another hand must be employed about it, to engraft it, cultivate and improve it: a thorn bush cannot turn itself into a vine tree, and so bring forth grapes; nor a thistle into a fig tree, to bring forth figs; but as soon may these things be done as a man to convert himself and bring forth the good fruits of righteousness (Matthew 12:33; 7:16-18). Conversion is the motion of the soul towards God; but as this cannot be in a dead man, and unless he is quickened, so not unless he is drawn by efficacious grace; wherefore God, in conversion, draws men with lovingkindness to himself; and, with the cords of love, to his Son; for "no man", says Christ, "can come unto me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him" (John 6:44)..."
"God only is the author and efficient cause of conversion. He that made man’s heart, and formed the spirit of man within him, he only can turn their hearts, and frame and mould their spirits, as he pleases; the heart of a king, and so of every other man, is in the hand of the Lord, and he can turn them as the rivers of water are turned; he, and he only, can give a check unto, and turn the thoughts, desires, and affections of the heart into another channel, and the mind and will to other objects; he can remove the stubbornness of the will, and bend it at his pleasure, and make it pliable and conformable to his own will; he can take away the hardness of the heart, though it is like an adamant stone, he can make it soft, and susceptible of the best impressions; he can break the rocky heart in pieces; yea, take away the stony heart, and give an heart of flesh; as he can take what he pleases out of it, so he can put into it what he will, as he does in conversion, his laws, the fear of him, and his Spirit; he can and does draw them, by the powerful influence of his grace upon them, to himself and to his Son; and this he does without forcing their wills; he sweetly allures, by his grace, to come to Christ and his ordinances..."
"The power of divine grace, put forth in conversion, is irresistible; that is, so irresistible, as that a stop cannot be put to the work, and that become of no effect, through opposition made unto it from within and from without. Conversion is according to the will of God, his will of purpose, which can never be frustrated; "Who hath resisted his will?" his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure; it is wrought by his almighty power; the work of faith, which is a principal part of the work of conversion, is begun, carried on, and performed with power; nor can a sinner any more resist, so as to make of none effect, the power of God in conversion, than Lazarus could resist the power of Christ in calling him out of his grave. If it was in the power of the will of men to hinder the work of conversion, so as that it should not take place, when it is the design of God it should; then God might be disappointed of his end, which must not be said; for there is no counsel nor might against him; whatever devices may be in a man’s heart, the counsels of God can never be disappointed; when God has purposed to convert a sinner, who can disannul it? and when his mighty hand of grace is stretched out, to put that purpose into execution, who can turn it back? when he works in any way, and so in this, there is none can let. Besides, if conversion was to stand or fall according to the will of men; or if that had the turning point in man’s conversion, it would rather he ascribed to the will of men than to the will of God; and it would not be true what is said, "It is not of him that willeth": yea, as the will of men then would have the greatest stroke in conversion, in answer to that question, "Who maketh thee to differ from another?" it might be said, as it has been said by a proud and haughty free willer Grevinchovius, I have made myself to differ."
"Thirdly, The instrumental cause, or means of conversion, is usually the ministry of the word; sometimes, indeed, it is wrought without the word, by some remarkable awakening providence or another, and sometimes by reading the scriptures; but, for the most part, it is through the preaching of the word; hence ministers are said to "turn many to righteousness"; and the apostle Paul says, he was sent by Christ into the Gentile world, to "turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God"; and this is done both by the preaching of the law and of the gospel; "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7), though perhaps not the law, strictly taken, but the whole doctrine of the word is there meant; however, the preaching of the law is made use of by the Spirit of God to convince of sin; for "by the law is the knowledge of sin"; and by means of it, when it enters into the heart and conscience, under his influence, sin is made to appear exceeding sinful, and the soul is filled with great distress on account of it; for the "law worketh wrath"; though some take this to be rather preparatory to conversion than conversion itself, which may be better ascribed to the gospel; and, indeed, the receiving of the Spirit, and his graces, and particularly faith, are attributed to the preaching of the gospel, and not to the law, as the means thereof; "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law?" that is, by preaching the doctrine of obedience to it; "or by the hearing of faith?" that is, by the doctrine of the gospel, preaching faith in Christ; which is therefore called "the word of faith", and by which it comes; for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Gal. 3:2; Rom. 10:8, 17), but then the preaching of the word of the gospel is not sufficient of itself to produce the work of conversion in the heart; men may hear it, and not be converted by it; nor receive any benefit, profit, and advantage through it; if it comes in word only, and not with the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; and when it is accompanied with the power of God; or is made the power of God unto salvation, even then it is only an instrument, and not an efficient; for "who is Paul, or who is Apollos, but ministers, or instruments, by whom ye believed?" (1 Cor. 3:5).
"Thirdly, The subjects of conversion; these are not all men, for all, in fact, are not converted; nor does it appear to be the design and purpose of God to convert all men; nor does he give sufficient grace to all men to convert themselves if they will; for he does not so much as give to all men the means of grace, the outward ministry of the word: this was not vouchsafed to the Gentiles for hundreds of years before the coming of Christ; and since, millions have never been favored with it; nor are multitudes at this day..."
(Body of Divinity - Book 6—Chapter 13 Of Conversion)
Now, will the Hardshells continue to tell us that Gill did not preach means in his "Body of Divinity"? Will they continue to say that Gill did not preach the necessity of conversion for salvation and the new birth? An unconverted man, said Gill, is a man "dead in tresspasses and sins." But, there is much more from Gill's "Body of Divinity" on this topic, but more on that in upcoming chapters on Gill.
In summary, let us look at how the term "regeneration" is used and understood by writers on this topic.
Regeneration = New Birth (synonymns)
Regeneration + Conversion = New Birth
Regeneration = Initial Move Of God
Consider this question that I recently asked my father - "Is the 'drawing' or the 'coming,' of John 6: 44, regeneration"? Notice that the "drawing" precedes and causes the "coming." If we equate the 'drawing' with "regeneration," then we have a man "regenerated" before he "comes"! But, Hardshells will generally allow that regeneration involves the actual "coming" of the sinner to Christ and to life. But, if we equate "regeneration" with "initial move of the Holy Spirit," then we must make the "drawing" (or act of God) "regeneration" and then say that "coming" is after "regeneration" and not integral to it.
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