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Canon of Dort, Head 2 Article 5.
"Moreover, the promise of the gospel is that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of His good pleasure sends the gospel."
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Read the words above, and help answer this question:
To whom does God, out of His good pleasure, send the gospel?
Aim well, waste no bullet, please.
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Charles
the regenerate!
sing
Who told you that? Did the PRC teach you?
Charles
what is PRC?
sing
Protestant Reformed Church! Not Princely Roman Catholick!
A PRC man insisted the REPROBATE are included... God has them in mind too.
Charles
The other day I went to the IPC (Independent Presbyterian Church, affiliated with the PCA) and inquired about their views of particular atonement.
I talked with Bill Hogan, assistant pastor and I got the gospel regeneration view and later checked their website and he previously had been a regional director of northeast Campus Crusade for Christ.
He chided me for my views.
Pj
It is sent unto them that God hath chosen and given life.
Jerry
"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF, EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL. Then they that GLADLY RECEIVED HIS WORD were baptized..." Acts 2:39, 41...The gospel will only settle into the heart that has been prepared of the Lord...
Johnny
the key would be the meaning of "pleasure" as God only, produces "good." Perhaps the word translated "pleasure" has meaning to the 1611 reader it does not have to us today, especially in America, where "pleasure," is associated with sexual stimulation, good food and drink, fast cars and the like. Probably not confusing at all. I'll check a modern translation.
It is God's Universe, God's creation, God's humanity creation. So, humanly speaking, it is reasonable to think that God will be the giver of grace to whomever ever He pleases. How he does that is meaningful to each person, in the circumstance they were given life, in time and place. We, having the Word, have been blessed to receive it, and by God's love, we have it, and thus know of God's perfection, man's sin, man's own sin, God's love and reconciliation of His creation back to him. Some do not have His word, and are blessed in other ways, as the scripture stated, without "distinction." So, I'm not about to second-quess the Creator, as to why, or even how, he extends His love to ME. I''m merely thankful, and faithful in believing He is the same with everyone. As to bullets, perhaps there is greater responsibility given by God to ME, than there is for the human living on the Amazon River, never having an opportunity to know of God, other than how God comes to them. I just believe He does, and without distinction, "Is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." For they will be found.
Manage
Robert
Isaiah 52:6 "my people"
McGeown
Canons II, 5 is clear enough: God sends the Gospel to many, many people, among whom are God's elect people. This article teaches the promiscuous proclamation of a particular promise. For example, I preached at a wedding. Most of the audience were unbelievers. I set forth the Gospel, and commanded everyone there to repent and believe in Christ. That is what we are commanded to do. This does not mean that God desires the salvation of all, or that Christ died for all (He did not), but the Lord causes the Gospel to be preached to more than the elect, and His purpose is to save the elect and to harden the reprobate.
sing
Martyn, Does God, out of his good pleasure, send the gospel to the reprobate?
Please note that this question is entirely different from whether the gospel is to be addressed indiscriminately at the hearers present. There is no other example of the public proclamation of the gospel any other way. No preacher can distinguish the elect from the non-elect among the sinners in his audience.
Though the gospel is to be addressed indiscriminately, the preacher is fully aware that the gospel is relevant and true only to God's children, and that such alone are bound to believe because God HAS SAVED them and they are duty bound to believe the truth of the gospel of their salvation by God's free grace.
Dellis
He plants the seed on all ground like the good sower,God giveth the increase.
sing
The parable of the sower is a parable about some reality in the kingdom of heaven... the different ways those ALREADY in the kingdom of heaven respond to the preaching of the word. It is a parable on DISCIPLESHIP... on fruit-bearing. It is not a parable on how to lost sinners saved.
McGeown
Yes, the Canons do teach that God sends the Gospel to the reprobate. God in His providence sends the Gospel to many more than the elect. That is His Good Pleasure. That does not mean that God desires the reprobate's salvation.
sing
Thanks, McGeown.
If God does not desire the salvation of the reprobate, to what purpose, God out of His good pleasure sent the gospel to the reprobate? Is it to mock at them? To tease them? To taunt them?
It is true that the reprobate may come under the preaching of the gospel intended to call out His children (those already saved by God), is that the same as saying that God, out of His good pleasure, send the gospel to them. Or their coming under the sound of the gospel is merely incidental?
Consider these:
Scriptures say that God, out of His good pleasure and for His own glory, foreknew a people, predestined them unto eternal glory in Christ Jesus.
Scriptures say that Jesus Christ, in perfect harmony with God's good pleasure, came to save as many as His Father has given Him... He came to do His Father's will, and redeemed them and no one else.
Scriptures say that the Holy Spirit, in perfect harmony with God's good pleasure, applies the same eternal redemption to the SAME people individually and personally - effectually calling them out of their native state sin and death to that of grace and salvation.
I understand that God, in perfect harmony with His own good pleasure, sends the gospel of Jesus Christ to the SAME group of people.
I understand that the gospel is the good news of what God has done to save Himself a people, and it is His good pleasure to ordain the gospel ministry to call such to believe the truth of their salvation by God's free and sovereign grace.
Why would God send the gospel to the reprobate and command the reprobate to repent and believe in Jesus Christ when He had plainly declared He didn't even give Jesus Christ to be their Saviour? Does God require them to believe a lie?
Well, confused and irrational men do think their god is as confused and irrational as themselves!
I would be pleased to hear your answers to my inquiries. Thanks.
Nelda
We are blessed to have Eld. Martin Onyoni from Kisee, Kenya in our home. He stated that I Cor. 2:14 would be very relevant to the subject at hand.
This verse says that the natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit. He is dead to spiritual things and has to be made alive by the power of God, Eph 2:1 before he can hear the gospel.
sing
Say hello to Elder Martin from turksland Malaysia.
So, to whom does God, out of His good pleasure, send the gospel?
Is it God's good pleasure to send His gospel to His children whom He has effectually called out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation, and in need of knowing the truth of the gospel of their salvation....
Or is it God's good pleasure to send His gospel to those who are still dead in trespasses and sins, and who not only are unable to receive the things of the Spirit, but also consider spiritual things as foolishness?
To whom does God, out of His good pleasure, send the gospel?
Charles
"God in His providence sends the Gospel to many more than the elect. That is His Good Pleasure. That does not mean that God desires the reprobate's salvation." This sounds like John Piperism, two willed god
Why would God want to harden the reprobate, they already are "dead" with "hearts of stone" How do you make dead deader and stone harder?
sing
I sent lunch for my boy, and many of his friends enjoyed the sight and smell of the great pizza his mama made for him!
My son ALONE got to eat it. That was Mama and my good pleasure. The rest are all incidentals!
Charles
so you didn't relish the thought that his friends couldn't enjoy the pizza also? I get the idea that the Moderated Calvinist relish the thought that the unelect are unelect and that the thought of teasing them just adds to their pleasure.
MarkT
To the dead alien sinner, the 'gospel food' is not seen or smelled with any degree of relish. It is to them, foolishness and the smell of death unto death. They cannot be teased or tempted by it.
Charles
only the regenerate have the capacity to be teased or tempted!
