As I have stated to Stephen Garrett on my blog, Primitive Baptist Apologist, Primitive Baptists are not committed to viewing the "faithless generation" of Hebrews 3 and 4 as born again individuals that failed to inherit the temporal Kingdom of God in the gospel rest of which Canaan's land was the direct reference, as the temporal promise of God to those in the visible community of believers.
First, it is clear that Moses and Aaron were clearly, according to Numbers 14:4-7, on the side of Caleb and Joshua against the faithlessness of that generation. Moses and Aaron were not faithless in regard to the promise of God of entering into Canaan's land. They were prevented from entering into the Kingdom of God in time because of other acts of disobedience from this event.
Second, the central faithlessness of that generation is clearly presented in the Scripture as evidence of the eternal damnation of that generation. This is clearly proved by an examination of Jude 4-7:
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
To any reasonable mind, the faithless of that generation that failed to inherit the temporal promises of God is indicative of non-election in those "before of old ordained to this condemnation". The faithlessness is placed in the same category as the devil and his angels and the damned of Sodom who are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the vengeance of the Lord of eternal fire.
It is, therefore, untenable to suggest that there were born again individuals in that faithless generation that opposed Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, and Yahweh of whom it is said in Hebrews 3 that they, "always do err in their heart and have not known my ways".
However, Moses and Aaron still failed to inherit the temporal Kingdom of God in Canaan's land for other acts of disobedience. This obviously proves that regenerate children of God can fail to enter the temporal Kingdom of God through disobedience.
The point of Hebrews 3 and 4 is that there is a temporal rest promised to the people of God in the gospel - a temporal realization of an eternal reality, as there was to that faithless generation, and it's foundation is the eternal, Sabbath rest of God that Christ secured for His house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (Heb. 3:6).
Without laying hold of the temporal rest of Christ and His righteousness in gospel belief, there is no basis to hope for the eternal, Sabbath rest of God in Christ, obviously. This is the point. There is no hope of eternal heaven apart from gospel belief, as the faithless generation failed the temporal rest of God because they were damned, according to Jude.
One cannot find solace in Moses and Aaron's disobedience, as on what basis could one identify themselves apart from the company of the damned in Jude as simply disobedient but regenerate when they fail to embrace Jesus Christ as did the damned?
However, just because some "seem to come short of it" (temporal rest in gospel belief), does not necessarily mean they are damned, though this could explain disobedience as it did for that faithless generation, as the temporal exhortation of Paul is to seize the temporal inheritance while it is called today - while the disobedient are yet in the way (Matt. 5:25,26), proving one's election of God in fear and trembling, before one is delivered into the prison of hell to pay every farthing of sin treasured up unto wrath and the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the gospel.
The missing piece to understanding Hebrews is the epistemic focus of the quality of faith that confers assurance of eternal salvation. Hebrews does not provide assurance of eternal salvation to those who draw back unto perdition, but to those who believe unto the saving of the soul, which is placed in Hebrews 10 in regard to Christ's final appearance.
I pray that Primitive Baptist ministers will seek a balanced position on disobedient children of God, and teach the whole counsel of God. Unrepentant "disobedience" is not a fruit of the Spirit which leads those truly effectually called (Romans 8:14).
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