After the interaction on Pyromaniacs on the topic of the 'well-meant offer' of the Gospel, here, I was denounced by a former friend who I have since disfellowshiped (and who is not attending any church either, I may add) as a hyper-Calvinist. This in fact is also the position of the common-gracers like Pst. John MacArthur and Phil. R. Johnson and others like them. However, is that so, or are they in actual fact wrong and as such thus bearing false witness against true belivers in Christ by calling them 'hyper-Calvinists'?
First of all, let me first say that I am not going to give an exhaustive reply to the 'common-gracers' yet, or as I would call them, Neo-Amyraldians. That would be perhaps done at a later date. I would just like to at this moment note the people and denominations on both sides of the divide of the main issue at hand (whether God has two wills with regards to salvation), and then interact with certain elements of the issue with regards to the proclaimation of the Gospel.
Those who are confirmed in the Neo-Amyraldian camp are the following:
Pst. John Piper, Pst. John MacArthur, Phil. R. Johnson, Dr. Cornelius Van Til, the CRC (Christian Reformed Churches), the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Churches)
and those who have embraced the same belief regarding this issue but are not Reformed are:
all Evangelical Arminians
And those who are confirmed on the consistent Calvinist camp (judged on this subject alone) are the following:
The late Rev. John Gerstner, Dr. Gordon H. Clark, John Robbins, Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, the Prince of Puritans Rev. Dr. John Owen
and
the Protestant Reformed Church of America (PRCA), all hyper-Calvinists
Now, it must be first stated that even though I clearly place myself in the latter group, that does not mean that I would necessarily endorse the positions espoused by any of them on other issues. Also, I may not agree and may even object to the various positions and proofs offered as rebuttals against the "common grace" position offered by any of these groups of people. As such, if anyone wants to interact with my position, interact with what I say and not with what others who may be like-minded say, even though we may come to the same conclusions, unless I explicitly commend their position.
With regards to the proclaimation of the Gospel, I would just like to offer a brief rebuttal and observation to the tying of the 'well-meant offer' with 'God's perceptive will' (I keep this term only for its historical usage), as construed by Phil. R. Johnson. Granting such a link to be the case in actual fact is fatal to the propping up of the 'well-meant offer' theory. This is because God in the Scriptures doesn't command people to be saved at all, only to repent of their sins. Since God's perceptive will by definition deals only with what God commands in Scripture, then the only thing which is 'well meant' in Scripture is the command for sinners to repent. As I have said before in my reply on the Pyromaniacs post, although if a person repents they will be saved, yet even if God desires a person to repent does not mean that God desires a person to be saved. The analogy I used to prove that such reasoning is logically fallacious is that of a person desiring to eat fatty food (which would cause one to be fat), and yet such a person does not desire to be fat. Such a person could very well desire to eat fatty food because such food are delicious.
On a similar note, therefore, the preference of God for the repentance of all people does not stem from a desire that all should be saved [Common salvific grace], but from the fact that repentance is what all of us fallen sinners owe to God as our duty as fallen created beings. In other words, the basis of the Gospel call and proclaimation is our status as created beings under a Sovereign Creator God. Such is the basis of the Gospel, not the so-called desire of God for all to be saved.
I would like to elaborate more on this topic sometime in the future, as I think this is a very important and very wide topic which has serious ramifications and practical applications in how we present the Gospel. In the meantime, here's something to think about with regards to how the various systems might present the Gospel if they are consistent with their professed theologies:
Pelagian:
God loves you and desires that you love Him. All you have to do is to say yes to God's forgiveness for the sins you have done, and then resolve to continue to do good. Salvation would be given to those who in the final analysis do more good and repented of the bad things they have done.
Semi-Pelagian:
God loves you and desires that you love Him. You have been born sinful and are thus deserving of hellfire. However, God has already paid the price to save you by the death of Jesus on the cross for your sins, and all you have to do now is to say yes to accept Christ as your Savior and Lord, and then continue on in faith in Him with the doing of good works.
Roman Catholic:
God loves you and desires that you love Him. However, you have been born sinful and are thus deserving of hellfire. God has already paid the price to save you by the death of Jesus Christ, of which merit is placed in the Church. To be saved, therefore, you are to trust in Christ for your salvation by submitting to His representative on earth, the Church, and accepting Baptism to remove your Original Sin, and then striving to grow in Christ-likeness by doing works by the power of your God-given faith, and atttending church and partaking of the Mass. If you should at any time falter, which you will, do not worry, for Christ has given in place many avenues whereby you can grow and restore yourself. Such avenues are by way of indulgences, penance, confession, and of course final purging in Purgatory. After all these then are you finally saved.
Historic Arminian:
God loves you and desires that you love Him. You have been born sinful and are thus deserving of hellfire. However, God has already paid the price to save you by the death of Jesus on the cross for your sins, and all you have to do now is to repent and accept Christ as your Savior and Lord, and then continue on in faith in Him with the doing of good works.
[Note: Although both historic Arminianism and Semi-Pelagianism are different soteriologically, the differences matters little in the way they present the Gospel]
Evangelical Arminian (Calminian):
God loves you and desires that you love Him. You have however been born exceedingly sinful and are thus deserving of hellfire. However, God has already paid the price to save you by the death of Jesus on the cross for your sins, and all you have to do now is to repent of your sins and receive Christ as your Savior and Lord. Your salvation would be manifested in a regenerate spirit and good works, and if you are truly saved, God has promised that you will never fall away.
[Note: The last statement is disputed between the more 'evangelical' and less 'evangelical' Evangelical Arminians. The early Arminian Methodists certianly did think that true Christians could fall away, but some evangelical Arminians today (i.e. Norman Geisler) think otherwise.]
Neo-Amyraldian:
God loves you and desires that you love Him. You have however been born exceedingly sinful and totally depraved, utterly detestable to God and deserving hellfire. However, God in His mercy has already paid the price by the death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of all who would turn to Him. Please therefore repent of your sins and receive Christ as your Savior and Lord, producing good works in accordance with your regenerate nature. If you are repent and are truly saved, God has promised that you will never fall away.
Hyper-Calvinist:
God has chosen people unto salvation before the foundation of the world, damning the rest who whom God hates. All humanity has fallen in sin and are totally depraved. The only way of salvation is thus to believe in Christ who dies on the cross for the sins of the elect. Do you desire to be saved? Repent therefore of your sins and thus show yourself to be the elect of God. If you do so, you are saved and will not fall away as you would continue to prove your salvation by doing good works.
[There are many possible presentations, depending on which version of hyper-Calvinism a person embraces, and I have decided to choose the most compassionate hyper-Calvinist presentation here, if and when it is presented to a person who may show signs of regeneration]
Biblical aka Calvinist:
God creates Man who rebelled against Him. As a created being, are are answerable to God for violating His commands. You youself know that you have been born exceedingly sinful and totally depraved, utterly detestable to God and deserving hellfire and eternal damnation for your rebellion against your Creator and for not seeking Him. However, God in His mercy has already paid the price by the death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of all who would turn to Him. Come therefore and repent of your sins and receive Christ as your Savior and Lord while you are still able to, before the day of wrath and judgment comes when there is no more any second chance. Do so and produce good works in accordance with your regenerate nature. If you repent and are truly saved, God has promised that you will never fall away.
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