THE GOSPEL MESSENGER - December 1896
"The Divine Order of Salvation"
1st, Regeneration
2d, Repentance towards God
3d, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
4th, Obedience to God
5th, The Certainty and Fullness of Eternal Life in Heaven, of which Life, Regeneration, Repentance, Faith, and Obedience are the Fruits and Evidences on Earth. John 3:1-21.
This is the Hardshell "ordo salutis" given by one of the leading Hardshells of all time. This "ordo salutis" is no different than what is being propounded now by those claiming to be "reformed Baptists," and or "founder's friendly churches." If the "ordo salutis" being promulgated by these "reformers" is not Hyperism and Hardshellism, then neither is that which Elder Hassell put forth.
Notice how Hassell puts regeneration before repentance, faith, and obedience; And, by this order, he has a man "regenerated" but still in unbelief and impenitence, and one who has not yet "obeyed" the Lord. By Hassell's definition of "regeneration" there is no faith, nor penitence, nor obedience connected with it!
In this same writing, after giving the Hardshell "ordo salutis," he writes the following.
"Mr. W. A. Short, of Putnam, Texas, requests me to write a sermon on John 3:14-17: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,' etc. In partial compliance with his request, I will present, in a brief manner, my understanding of the text which he mentions, in connection with the context, which is absolutely indispensable to a full, Scriptural, and accurate view of the subject -- a subject which, in its comprehensiveness and importance to sinful men, is surpassed by no other subject in the Scriptures. The text upon which I will write a few thoughts comprises the first twenty-one verses of the third chapter of the Gospel of John -- the conversation of Nicodemus and Christ, which I understand ends with the 15th verse, and in the commentary of John, in the next six verses, upon that conversation, the language of Christ and of John being equally inspired and infallible. Divine wisdom, most instructive and important to us, is shown in the order and connection of the truths presented in these verses. The fact that a human being has eternal life, and will therefore be safely housed in heaven at last, is manifested here in time, at least in the case of adult and rational persons who live where the gospel is preached, by these four occurrences, in this invariable order: lst, regeneration; 2d, repentance towards God; 3d, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and 4th, obedience to God; and no human being, even though dying in infancy, irrationality, or heathenism, will, without regeneration by the Spirit of God here on earth, and redemption by the blood of the Son of God, enter the heaven of immortal glory. There is no salvation, no eternal life, no enjoyment of heaven, without the renewing power of the Holy Ghost and the atoning death of the Son of God; and, unless we are first regenerated, or born again, or born from above, or born of God, or born of the purifying power of the Holy Spirit (called by Paul 'the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,' Titus 3:5), we will never truly repent or believe or obey or enter heaven; and, if we are thus born of God, we will certainly repent, believe, obey, and inherit the fullness of eternal life."
Before I cite the rest of this article by Elder Hassell I must stop here and make some observations.
1) Elder Hassell equates "regeneration" with being "born again," and thus does not seem to adopt the "three stage birth model" of his forefathers, the view of Beebe, Trott, W. Thompson, Conrad, and others of the first generation of Hardshells (1830-1870 time period).
2) Elder Hassell does, however, seem to hold the position that every "regenerated" person who was old enough to hear the gospel, and who heard the gospel, would embrace it, and none reject it. This is important historically for those Hardshells who are now hotly debating the question - "will all the elect (or "regenerated") come to believe the gospel before they die?"
3) Considering the time period of Elder Hassell (2nd generation - late 19th and early 20th centuries) this position seems to be a "transition" or "compromise" position. If Elder Hassell's forefathers mostly believed in a 3-stage model of the "new birth," wherein they did not equate the terms "regeneration" and "born," then Elder Hassell shows he does not agree with it and wants his readers to know that he sees the two terns as denoting the same thing. This is the predominant view held today, but "it was not so in the beginning."
The 3-stage model of the "new birth" seems to uphold the view that all the elect will hear the gospel, post "regeneration," and be thus "birthed" or "delivered" from the "womb of conviction," by gospel preaching and by ministers acting as spiritual "midwives."
Hassell's view is a softening of that view, however. Rather than saying that all the elect will come to hear the gospel, and believe, repent, and obey, he says all the adult elect who happen to hear the gospel, will "certainly" believe, repent, and obey. Those elect and "regenerated" ones who die in infancy, or in heathedom, however, are nevertheless saved, and "regenerated," and "born again."
Hassell seems to take a modified view on that question, affirming that not all the elect will hear the gospel, but the adult ones who do will all irresistably embrace it. He says "if we are thus born of God, we will certainly repent, believe, obey..." He does not believe the Lord will actually get the gospel to all the elect, for he believes many heathens are "regenerated" although they have no gospel faith nor evangelical repentance, nor any knowledge of the God of the bible. And, he believes that infants are "regenerated" without faith, repentance, conviction of sin, knowledge of Christ, etc., and all without the gospel or word of God!
Elder Hassell continues:
"That the new birth precedes faith and obedience is shown clearly by John in his First Epistle, 5:1, and 2:29 'is born' should, in each of these verses, be rendered 'has been born',' for the verb is in the perfect tense. 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God'; 'Everyone that doeth righteousness has been born of Him.' In Ezek. 36 and 37, and Zech. 12 and 13, it is perfectly clear that the renewing work of the Holy Spirit precedes and causes evangelical repentance, faith, and obedience. This fact is further demonstrated by such Scriptures as Acts 5:31; 11:18; Gal. 5:22; 1 Cor. 12:9; Eph. 1:3,19; Heb. 12:2; Philip. 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:21; Philip. 2:13; Heb. 13:20,21; John 5:25; 6:37,39,45,47; 10:15,26-30; 17:1-3,24."
I will stop again at this point, before proceeding with the citation, to say that I will not respond to the argument from I John 5: 1, that supposedly teaches that men are born again before (and without) faith, as I plan to do that in my upcoming series on "Hardshell Proof Texts," together with other passages that Hassell, and the Hardshells, and other Hypers, think prove the regeneration (or birth) before faith idea. Does Hassell mean effectually "causes" in every case where the regenerated hear the gospel?
Hassell continues:
"The first step in time, in the manifestation of eternal life is the new, heavenly, spiritual birth, which is the work of God alone (John 1:13; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23; Eph. 2:1-10; 2 Cor. 5:17,18), and which Christ illustrates by the water to devote its purifying power, and by the wind to set forth sovereignty and irresistibility of the Divine Spirit in this work. The word rendered 'man,' in the third and fifth verses, 'Except a man be born again,' or 'born of water and of the Spirit,' is not a noun but an indefinite pronoun -- tis, and means 'one,' referring, as the context shows, to a human being. That the work of regeneration takes place in the soul or spirit of man is just as certain as that the Scriptures are true (Eph. 4:23; Rom. 2:29; Philip. 3:3; Psalm 19:7; 66:16)."
Again, I must pause to consider why Hassell feels a need to go into this point about who or what is "regenerated" or "born"? It is because the Hardshells had been previously involved in wars over what was called the "Whole Man Doctrine" versus the "Hollow Log Doctrine." (See my earlier chapters on this in the ongoing book - "The Hardshell Baptist Cult")
Hassell continues:
"In the new birth, a new life, a new nature, a new heart, a new mind, a new principle, a new will, are imparted; the former nature or principle was fleshly or corrupt, the new nature or principle is spiritual or holy."
Again, let me pause here and make some observations on these words. Notice how Hassell uses different prepositions in relation to the new birth and in regard to what either is involved "IN" it or else comes "AFTER" it. In the above words he says - "IN the new birth..." Yet, in other contexts, he will say "AFTER the new birth." What happens, according to Hassell, "IN" the "new birth," being a part of it, versus what happens "AFTER" it, and is NOT a part of it?
He says that God gives a "new heart" and a "new nature" in the "new birth," and yet, in his "ordo salutis," he puts conviction of sin, repentance, faith, and obedience, and love for God, AFTER it. Do you see his "paradigm problem"? (One I have addressed in earlier chapters on the Evidences of Regeneration and on Conviction of Sin) By this analysis, the Hardshell and "reformed" view of "regeneration" or "rebirth" makes the "new heart" to be unbelieving, impenitent, disobedient, and without love for God or knowledge of him!
Observe also from the above two citations from Hassell how he keeps repeating the idea that "nature" means "principle" and also when a person is born again, or comes to faith and repentance, that these are simply "manifestations" of eternal life in a person. Hassell was a very learned man and knew how to write complex sentences, even writing one of the longest in the history of the world in his book "The History of the Church of God," and so he worded things very carefully, knowing full well who was his audience.
Recall from my earlier chapters on the Hardshells that I talked about the "two seed" view of Elder Daniel Parker and the doctrines that grew out of that original novel view, such as the doctrines of "eternal children" and "eternal vital union" and "hollow log" regeneration. With these people the word "manifested" was used quite frequently. Life was not created or generated, but it actually "came down from heaven," like an "alien seed" and is "planted" in a human being, and it is at times "manifested" or "brought to light." But, more on this in upcoming chapters.
Hassell continues:
"The second step in the manifestation of eternal life, which may seem to us simultaneous with the first step, but which we know from the Scriptures that I have cited is caused by the regenerating Spirit of God, is conviction of sin, repentance for sin, indicated, in our text, by the pain and terror of the Israelites bitten by the fiery serpents in the wilderness, and applying to Moses, the law, for relief (John 3:14; Num. 21:5-9)."
Notice how Hassell puts "steps" in his talk about the new birth, but he does not speak of "steps" in the same manner as the Old Regulars and first Hardshells who taught that regeneration was step one, and conviction was step two, and the new birth was step three. Rather, he carefully puts "steps" into what he calls the "manifesting" of the children of God, or the manifesting of eternal life. The first manifestation of the children of God is regeneration or the new birth. But, one must wonder how this is "manifested" without any faith, repentance, conviction of sin, obedience, or hearing of the gospel!
The first step or first manifestation of the children of God, according to Hassell, is all that is necessary to go to heaven! He goes on to speak of the "second step," but it is not the second step in salvation, or in the new birth, but the second manifestation of the elect (or regenerated), being the time when they come under conviction, and repent and believe the gospel. He says that this "second step may seem to be simultaneous with the first step" but then denies that it is so. Thus, he denies that conviction of sin, repentance, faith, and gospel obedience are simultaneous with, or a part of, or that which is given "IN" regeneration!
I dealt with this nonsense in earlier chapters on "Conviction of Sin." I showed how both the bible and our Baptist forefathers did not teach the view that conviction of sin, without faith and repentance, were evidences of regeneration. They generally viewed this as a "work of the law" that went prior to the "work of grace" and that it was a "preparation for regeneration," rather than an evidence of it.
I have put the Hardshells on the proverbial "hot spot" with questions along these lines. I have asked them - "is conviction of sin an immediate result of being regenerated?" What kind of responses do you think I get? Well, most of those who respond with spontaneous answer, as did my dad, say "yes." This too, based upon my historical readings of the Hardshell founding fathers and leading debaters and apologists, has been the overwhelming view. Once I have gotten the expected "yes" answer to my question, I then follow it up with this one - "so, an infant in the womb, who you say is regenerated, immediately feels convicted of sin and has a penitent heart?" And - "so, an idiot, who you say is without cognitive ability, and who is, as you say, regenerated, also experiences conviction of sin?" Well, you should see them squirm! In fact, since I am posting on the internet, I will ask any Hardshell who is reading this to "step up to the lick block" and answer the questions.
Another interesting question to ask these people - "what kind of 'conviction of sin' or 'repentance' is there in heathens who have never heard the gospel?"
Hassell wants to make all legal strivings and convictions under the law as an evidence of regeneration! Again, I have shown how unscriptural, unBaptistic, and how devilish, is this teaching. It is so because it tells people who are not saved to believe that they are already saved.
Hassell will now begin to discuss the teaching of Christ in John 3 relative to the new birth and to faith in him, or sinner's looking to him in the same way the ancient sinning Israelites "looked to" the brazen serpent on the pole and were delivered from the sentence of death.
He begins his interpetation of Christ's interpretation by saying that all these Israelites represent born again people. Clearly, however, they do not. But, besides looking at the symbolism of the people and the event, why does he deny that some of these Israelites were not elect and not regenerated? It is because he does not believe that any unregenerated or non-elect person is to be told to look to Christ and him crucified for salvation. He wants, by his "interpretation," to limit the biting and the death from it, to only those who are elect, or are already spiritually alive, and then, having done that, to affirm that the dying was only temporal.
Hassell equates the "biting" of the disobedient Israelites with conviction of sin, which he has said, is a sign or evidence of being born again and in the favor of God!
Hassell continues:
"The serpent was cursed by God; and the fiery serpents represent the curses of God's fiery law against sinners. When the Holy Spirit comes to us, He first convicts us of sin (John 16:8,9). The bitten Israelites exclaim, 'We have sinned' (Num. 21:7). If they had been dead, they would not have felt the bite of the serpents; and so, when we are dead in sin, we do not mourn because of our sins."
Oh glorious Hardshell "hermenuetics"! He is so stubborn against believing that "dead sinners" could be addressed in the gospel and called upon to do something to keep from experiencing spiritual or eternal death, that he must "force" these passages to "square with" his false ideas. So, just like many of them do with the case of Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones, he makes these bitten Israelites and the dead bones to represent spiritually living and regenerate souls!
How wrong are they are this subject of "regeneration" and on what the bible teaches about "conviction of sin," and of the work of the law! Anyone who "mourns" over his sins is a born again child of God! No wonder they have had so much problem with "No-Hellism" and "Universalism"!
And, no wonder so many Hardshells look to an experience of having been bitten by the serpent as being an evidence of their regeneration, instead of their degeneration!
Hassell's statement also is further verification that the Hardshells have serious problems with their hyperism in regard to "total depravity" and in how and in what sense men are said to be spiritually dead! To affirm, as does Hassell, that a man who has any pricks of conscience, or has any life in his consience, or any remorse for any sin, is a born again living child of God, is outlandish and scandolous.
To be spiritually "dead" does not mean that we cannot feel guilt, shame, mental suffering for sin, nor the pricks of God's law in the conscience! In fact, knowing Hardshellism as I do, I can affirm that their belief on this point equates to saying that anyone who in fact has a moral conscience is a child of God, and the only ones who are non-elect are those amoral souls who "have no conscience." But, more on this in upcoming chapters.
But, notice how Hassell, in his falsely allegorizing of the lesson, makes physical life to be equated with spiritual life. No "dead" person in the grave, the Hardshells would argue, were "bitten," and so the lesson is for those who are spiritually alive, and thus the biting of the serpents cannot symbolize anything pertaining to eternal death.
But, in this novel paradigm he has some problems. What are they? First, the Old Testament story tells us that thousands died who never looked! What can we say this means according to Hassell's interpretation? Simply that many who are under conviction of sin, and born again, but who nevertheless do not come to faith and repentance, nor to obedience to Christ. The "looking" was simply to avert temporal judgment, not eternal, and saved them, not from sin, but simply from feelings of guilt. But, if this is so, then Hassell will also teach that the "looking" and "believing" of those who look to Jesus and to Calvary does not save eternally but only saves from the experience of the convictions of the law. A man can go to heaven whether he looks to Christ on the pole of Golgotha or not.
Hassell continues:
"But, being the chosen people of God, and being alive, they were distressed by the poison rankling within them and the fear of death, and they penitently and earnestly sought healing and relief. By the merciful command of God, Moses raised a fiery serpent of brass, having no poison in it, upon a pole, a banner-staff (or cross), as the word literally means; and the bitten Israelites looked upon the brazen serpent and lived -- that is, as explained by Christ, they did not perish or die, but they were healed and saved. And so the ceremonial law -- ordained by God, and given by Moses -- points the convicted sinner, the bitten Israelite, to the sinless and crucified Son of Man, who was also the Son of God, made a curse for the sins of His people, and forever putting away those sins by the sacrifice of Himself. No agonizing and dying Israelite in the wilderness would for a moment refuse to look upon the brazen serpent for healing; and, when he looked, he was instantly and forever healed of the poison within him; he never died so far as death by the poison was concerned; he did not, after he looked, have a different life from what he had before, but the life he already had, continued -- he did not perish or die. And in the same manner the quickened and distressed sinner, led by the Holy Spirit, who takes of the things of Christ and shows them to him (John 16:14)."
From this citation, observe how Hassell again seems to teach that every convicted (serpent bitten) chosen Israelite will not resist looking to Christ when he is shown the pole (has the gospel preached). Again, for those Hardshells who are today debating whether all the elect will hear the gospel, here is more evidence from Hassell that shows he held a view similar to it, affirming that all adult elect who hear it will receive it.
Second, he makes a terrible blunder when he says that no Israelite died from being bitten or from not looking at the pole. That is a supposition that is not in the Old Testament narrative. Thousands of them did die!
And notice how Elder Hassell argues that since they were physically alive before they looked, therefore the looking did not have anything to do with them being alive. Who said it did? The question is, did it have anything to do with them staying alive? And, if Hassell admits that the physical life represents spiritual life, then why does not the physical death not symbolize spiritual death?
Hassell argues contradictory manner when he, on one hand, wants to make the symbolism to refer to temporal evils in the lives of the people of God, and then, on the other hand, wants to say that their physical lives represent spiritual life and eternal blessings. He can't have it both ways. But, it is typical Hardshell hermenuetics.
Notice also that he preaches that a sinner looking to Christ and Calvary produces "no change in the life of the person looking"! Is that not "Hollow Log" teaching?
He continues:
"-- third step in salvation -- beholds, by the eye of faith, 'the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world' (John 1:29), sees 'Christ as the end of the law for righteousness to him as a believer' (Rom. 10:4), feels 'the fellowship of Christ's sufferings,' is 'crucified with Him,' and 'conformed to His death,' and 'lives by faith of the Son of God, who loved him, and gave Himself for him' (Philip. 3:10; Gal. 2:20), mourns over his wretched sins that pierced and slew his Lord with an inconsolable mourning except by the consolations of the blessed Gospel, and feels the cleansing and emancipating efficacy of that precious blood that poured from the veins of his dying Redeemer (Zech. 12,13), and rejoices in the Lord Jesus Christ as the God of his salvation, and -- fourth step in salvation -- delights in obedience to God (John 3:21), and lives on forever, and can no more perish or die eternally than Jesus Himself can die an eternal death (Philip. 3:3; John 14:19; 3:16; Col. 3:3,4). He is a sheep of Christ, for whom Jesus laid down His human life, and to whom He has given spiritual and eternal life, so that he can never perish (John 10:15,16,26-30; 17:1-3,24). His believing in Christ, instead of being the cause, is simply one effect and evidence of his having already been born of God, and having eternal life (1 John 5:1; John 6:47)."
Notice how Hassell has in the ending part of this writing switched from calling these "steps" as "manifestations" but as "steps in salvation." This is awkward. I can see how it would not be so had he held to stages in the new birth, as his forefathers, but why is he using this language? He has already stated that he believes every adult "regenerated" person will "certainly" become Christians and persevere, and so these would be steps in their "salvation" albeit not in their "regeneration" or "birth of the Spirit."
He says further:
"Everything in the Scriptures, everything in the doctrine of election and predestination, everything in the doctrine of special atonement, everything in the doctrine of divine regeneration, everything in the mind, purpose, wisdom, love, power, unchangeableness, and truth of God, is not at all against, but is all together in favor of the certain and everlasting salvation of every human being to whom sin is the greatest burden and Christ is the greatest desire. Such is the gospel, the good news, the glad tidings of a free and full and holy and everlasting salvation to every person of the Adamic family who really longs for it."
http://knhurst.net/Hassell/Hassell_015.html
Again, I addressed this in my introductory chapter to the series on "Conviction of Sin" with the chapter "Evidences of Regeneration?" I showed how it was near universalism to make statements like this.
In closing, I also ask my "reformed Baptist" readers who promote the same "ordo salutis" as the Hardshells, to come forward and show how they are all that different.
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