Free offer of the gospel

Free offer of the gospel

The free offer of the Gospel refers to the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. It is generally accepted by Calvinists, but rejected by a few small Reformed denominations, such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia [ [http://www.epc.org.au/start/literature/mod-cal.html Modern Moderate Calvinism] ] and the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, and also by some English Calvinists of longer standing, such as John Gill and, later, the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists.

Terminology

Some confusion arisesfact|date=July 2008 from the fact that the phrase "the free offer" has not always been used in the same way throughout history. One historical usage is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 31, "What is Effectual Calling" which ends "he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel." [ [http://www.ccel.org/creeds/westminster-shorter-cat.html Westminster Shorter Catechism] ] Due to its presence in the commonly used catechism, this phrase would for centuries have been familiar to most Scottish Christians and to some in other countries as well. In this context, the phrase is used in connection with God's elect, whom he effectually calls.

Modern day usage of the phrase "the free offer" is used synonymously with the phrase "the well-meant offer." Modern debates over the topic generally deal with the phrase as defined by John Murray in his OPC statement "The Free Offer of the Gospel." [ [http://www.opc.org/GA/free_offer.html Orthodox Presbyterian Church statement] ]

General Call vs. Free Offer

The free offer of the gospel builds on, but is not the same as, the general call, which can be found in the Canons of Dort. This states: "Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel" (II.5).

This distinction is important as it distinguishes those who deny the free offer (PRCA, John Gill) from those who also deny the general call (Gospel Standard).

The free offer is related to the belief that "God not only delights in the penitent but is also moved by the riches of his goodness and mercy to desire the repentance and salvation of the impenitent and reprobate." [ [http://www.opc.org/GA/free_offer.html Orthodox Presbyterian Church statement] ]

Based upon this belief, John Murray concludes that: "The full and free offer of the gospel is a grace bestowed upon all... The grace offered is nothing less than salvation in its richness and fullness. The love or lovingkindness that lies back of that offer is not anything less; it is the will to that salvation." [ [http://www.wscal.edu/clark/freeoffer.php "The Free Offer of the Gospel"] (the majority report submitted to the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1948) by John Murray with a foreword by R. Scott Clark.]

Dispute

This idea has caused dispute in Calvinist circles concerning whether or not an evangelist can sincerely say that God desires the salvation of everyone in attendance and is waiting and hoping for them to "repent and believe." The concern is that this message is no different than the Arminian delivery. The heart of the matter, according to the majority report submitted to the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1948, is "whether it can properly be said that God "desires" the salvation of all men." [ [http://www.wscal.edu/clark/freeoffer.php "The Free Offer of the Gospel"] (the majority report submitted to the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1948) by John Murray with a foreword by R. Scott Clark.] Those taking the negative position are sometimes labeled Hyper-Calvinists. [ [http://www.apuritansmind.com/PuritanWorship/McMahonABriefCritiqueOfHyper-Calvinism.htm "All house and no doors: A Critique of Hyper-Calvinism"] by C. Matthew McMahon]

This label is disputed, however, in that some who deny the free offer accept the idea of a "general call". David J. Engelsma states: "Ours is a denial that arises out of the Reformed faith itself, that is in perfect harmony with all aspects of the Reformed faith (including the serious, external call to all who come under the preaching!), and that is made for the sake of the maintenance of the Reformed faith. It is not a rejection of the church's duty to preach the gospel to all men indiscriminately. We believe that the many must be called." [ [http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_35.html "Is Denial of the Well-Meant Offer Hyper Calvinism?"] by David J. Engelsma]

John Gerstner, a former student of Murray, states: "With tears in my heart, I nevertheless confidently assert that they erred profoundly in The Free Offer of the Gospel and died before they seem to have realized their error which . . . still does incalculable damage to the cause of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of His Gospel." [ [http://www.trinityfoundation.org/PDF/145a-AHistoryofHypo-Calvinism.pdf "A History of Hypo-Calvinism"] by Marc Carpenter]

References

External links

* [http://www.loughbrickland.org/articles/freeoffer.shtml "The Free Offer of the Gospel: Is It Biblical and Reformed?"] from "Free Church Witness"
* [http://www.corkfpc.com/freeoffercalvinists.html "Calvinists and the Free Offer of the Gospel"] - primary source quotations compiled by Colin Maxwell
* [http://www.fpcr.org/blue_banner_articles/murray-free-offer-review.htm "Murray on the Free Offer: A Review by Matthew Winzer"]
* [http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/Free%20Offer/cover.htm "History of the Free Offer"]
* [http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_35.html "Is Denial of the 'Well-Meant Offer' Hyper-Calvinism?"]
* [http://www.trinityfoundation.org/PDF/145a-AHistoryofHypo-Calvinism.pdf "A History of Hypo-Calvinism"]
* [http://www.trinityfoundation.org/PDF/147a-TheBannerTruthvsCalvinism.pdf "The Banner of Truth vs. Calvinism"]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gospel Standard — The Gospel Standard is a monthly magazine . Founded in 1835 by hymnwriter and preacher William Gadsby, it is the oldest Christian monthly magazine still in publication in the UK. The Gospel Standard was the name given to a magazine which was… …   Wikipedia

  • Free Grace theology — refers to a distinct view of Christian topics, such as faith, repentance, assurance of salvation, and perseverance, that is tied to dispensationalism. Two organizations that promote it are the Grace Evangelical Society (GES), and the Free Grace… …   Wikipedia

  • Gospel Magic — is a specialized form of stage magic. It refers to the use of otherwise standard magic tricks and illusions to catechize those preparing for sacraments, in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Orthodox Churches or during general preaching, or… …   Wikipedia

  • The Incarnation —     The Incarnation     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Incarnation     I. The Fact of the Incarnation     (1) The Divine Person of Jesus Christ     A. Old Testament Proofs     B. New Testament Proofs     C. Witness of Tradition     (2) The Human… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Blessed Trinity —     The Blessed Trinity     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Blessed Trinity     This article is divided as follows:          I. Dogma of the Trinity;     II. Proof of the Doctrine from Scripture;     III. Proof of the Doctrine from Tradition;… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Sacrament of Penance —     The Sacrament of Penance     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Sacrament of Penance     Penance is a sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest s absolution to… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Benedictine Order —     The Benedictine Order     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Benedictine Order     The Benedictine Order comprises monks living under the Rule of St. Benedict, and commonly known as black monks . The order will be considered in this article under… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Church —     The Church     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Church     The term church (Anglo Saxon, cirice, circe; Modern German, Kirche; Sw., Kyrka) is the name employed in the Teutonic languages to render the Greek ekklesia (ecclesia), the term by which… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Secret (2006 film) — The Secret Directed by Drew Heriot Produced by Rhonda Byrne (Executive Producer), Paul Harrington (Producer) …   Wikipedia

  • The Simpsons Movie — The Simpsons Movie …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”