Author	Thread: The Gospel: Offer or Command?
Admin	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 24 Mar, 2011 10:10 AM The Gospel: Offer or Command? If the gospel is an offer how can it really be sincere since only the elect will be regenerated? Response: According to the witness of Scripture itself, the gospel is nowhere clearly presented as merely an offer, but as a divine command. There is no clear indication from the Text anywhere that we are simply "offering" the gospel to people. We, rather, plead with people to obey the Divine command to believe in His Son. There is explicit Scriptural evidence that the Gospel is a command. Here are some key texts: "Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." -Acts 17:30 "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ..." - 1 John 3:23 Not only do these texts explicitly affirm that the gospel is a command, but we should take note that the Gospel has every characteristic of a command. Just like commandments throughout the Bible, the command to believe the Gospel is accompanied by covenant blessings for obedience and covenant curses for disobedience. And like a biblical covenant it is accompanied by the shedding of blood. On the other hand, a gift held out as a mere offer does not usually threaten consequences for refusing it. The other article also expressed concerns of the genuiness of an offer/command if we were unable to obey/receive it ourselves. But as we know, God gives us commands all the time that we are unable to carry out (Love God will all our hearts, obey the 10 commandments, believe in Jesus >John 6:65). The purpose of the Divine legislation is to reveal our sin and inability(Rom 3:19, 20), not our ability. "Through the Law comes knowledge of sin." In other words, the Law simply reveals our spiritual impotence. And this passage in Romans does not make us any less accountable to obey. What we "ought" to do does not equal the "ability" to do it. The purpose of the "ought" is actually to reveal our "inability". Do you recall the rich young ruler who went away sad because he will unwilling to depart from his covetousness to follow Jesus? Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven then for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The apostles respond correctly by wondering out loud, "then who can be saved?" In other words, if God's standard is so high then no one can have any hope to live up to it. That is exactly what Jesus wanted them (and us) to understand for He says, "What is impossible with man, is possible with God." But what is Jesus speaking of that is impossible with man? Answer: repentance & faith - Only God can give it (2 Tim 2:25, John 6:65, Phil 1:29) but man is still culpable for his response of willful autonomy. That is what this passage and encounter with the Rich Young Ruler was all about. Consider in our every day world, if someone squanders a huge sum of money they borrowed, (say $10 million) their inability to repay it does not alleviate them of their responsibility to do so. Right? In the spiritual world this kind of moral inability is, likewise, inexcusable and thus God requires it of us even though we are unable to do it. If we were physically blind and were told to read something, we would not be blamed for saying we could not. But moral inability is a different matter altoghter. Those who are spiritually blind are bent willfully and beyond repair (like a debt we cannot repay), and thus culpable. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind...if you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." We are impotent to repay our debt and our downfall is that we often proudly think we can, but thanks be to God, in Jesus Christ God does for us what we could not do for ourselves. This is the most humbling news any of us could hear and it is only GRACE ITSELF that makes us humble enough to embrace this. The natural man does not accept the humbling terms of the gospel so it requires the intervention of the Spirit. So God is quite sincere in commanding us to obey the Gospel, to believe in His Son, even though we will not do so apart from the grace of Christ who raises us from spiritual death by His Holy Spirit. Posted by John on October 25, 2005 01:53 PM from: http://www.reformationtheology.com/2005/10/the_gospel_offer_or_command_1.php Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 24 Mar, 2011 06:21 PM Posted by James: " We are impotent to repay our debt and our downfall is that we often proudly think we can," -------------------------------------- This statement is error. We will pay this debt with our very lives and die or accept the offer of God to have it paid by Jesus and live. Why do you reformers have to make the Gospel so complicated? Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 01:58 AM Well believers do not support the gospel of the elect, believers support the word of God in entirety the gospel. Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 05:03 AM Beileivers that have good reading comprehension can understand the written word correctly,quit giving yourself credit for Gods work.Only God could save a sinner like you.Why would a TRUE Christian even want any GLORY that belongs to Christ only!Why are you better than your neighbor who didnt accept Gods offer?Must be something special about you.I know its those great accepting powers hunh?Quit patting yourselves on the back for the Lords work,I wouldnt do that if I were you.That could come back to bite you. In Christ Steve Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 07:20 AM Well Steve you where almost right. Calvin will never be any where close to the Gospel to believers. Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 09:00 AM So right PJ... Shared ~ Beileivers that have good reading comprehension can understand the written word correctly, quit giving yourself credit for Gods work.Only *** That�s really Humorus�the Insults against a persons comprehension and understanding is How the Calvinististic Reformers place themselves in the GLORY of Them Self and a Doctrine that Only Caters to the FEW that are ELECT� Shared ~ God [ could ] save a sinner like you. *** God [ DID ] Save a Sinner�. Shared ~ Why would a TRUE Christian even want any GLORY that belongs to Christ only! *** Please concider Answering your question� Shared ~ Why are you better than your neighbor who didnt accept Gods offer? *** Not better�just Firmly Planted in Christ Jesus and Gauranteed not Going to Hell�by God's Grace... Shared ~ Must be something special about you. *** ALL of Jesus children are Special�Favored�Chosen�Called�ELECTED� Shared ~ I know its those great accepting powers hunh? *** F.Y.I...Accepting is not a Power�it is an Action to Surrender unto Christ Jesus� Shared ~ Quit patting yourselves on the back for the Lords work, *** There is not Back Patting�Only Standing in and of The Truth�JESUS�All Glory to the Most High God... Shared ~ I wouldnt do that if I were you. That could come back to bite you. *** As 2Spar called it�� The Illuminated Ones� have already returned with the Nashing of Teeth....Which by the way neither of ya ever answered any of his questions on the other thread� Hava God filled and Blessed day�unless of course ya have other plans�xo Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 10:52 AM I think that Christians who ignore the fact that the Gospel is a command and not an offer, is just more evidence that Modern American Christians have a view of God that is more like Santa Claus than How God has presented Himself in His Word. God does not merely "offer" a way out in case humans decided in their infinite wisdom whether or not they will take the offer. God, who is infinitely holy, and perfectly wise, COMMANDS all people to repent and Trust in Jesus. "offering" the gospel sounds like Santa Claus. It SOUNDS nice, and it would certainly fit on a hallmark card. It just does not agree with the Biblical data. In Christ, James Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 25 Mar, 2011 03:32 PM James, using your own twisted logic: God is Sovereign, therefore what God commands happens, otherwise God is not Sovereign, Yet God commands people to repent who don't....opps....another Epic Calvinist Fail! Post Reply
View Profile History	The Gospel: Offer or Command? Posted : 26 Mar, 2011 11:59 AM They don't have the ability twosparrows. That does not mean they are not responsible. Post Reply