THE GOSPEL OFFER IS FREE
By David H.J. Gay
Brachus (2a Banks Road, Biggleswade SG18 0DY)
178 pages. £5.00 (post free)
Calvinists have quarrelled about it for centuries. It was called ‘The Modern Question’ in 1737. It is still a question. It is the question of ‘The Free Offer’. Enter, in one corner, George M. Ella who denies FO, in his Free Offer and the call of the Gospel, 2001. And now, in the opposing corner, 2004, David H.J. Gay, who defends FO, seeking to answer Ella in the process.
Gay accuses Ella of red herrings, caricature, cavalier behaviour and allegations without justification (p.viii). Ella declares that the view Gay is representing is a man-centred and philosophical approach to gospel preaching, designed to appeal to the natural man, rather than a Christ-centred, biblical approach, based upon God’s electing grace (p.9). Each vigorously defends his approach by biblical exposition, Gay with more resort to reasoned argument.
The ‘Free Offer’ insists that the preacher must tell every listening sinner that ‘Salvation is there for the taking and await an either-or response’ (Ella, p.14). The implication is that every sinner listening has the duty to exercise faith, even though he or she cannot, without electing grace. There is ‘The duty, the obligation, the responsibility, of all sinners to trust Christ’ (Gay, p.3). The question is: is faith a legal duty, allowing the preacher to make a genuine, full and free offer of salvation to every listener, or is it not? Ella says, No! Gay says, Yes!
Paradox
In order to justify his Yes, Gay (and many Calvinists before him) reasons that there is the paradox of two aspects of the will of God in regard to the salvation of sinners — his absolute decree (his secret will of particular redemption) and that which pleases him (his revealed will of desired behaviour). In other words, God can desire of sinners what he has not decreed. Ella criticises such a view as proposing an unacceptable and irreconcilable tension in the Godhead.
Interestingly, neither argues against preaching the gospel to every creature — perhaps the real question is, what is the gospel message?
John Appleby,
retired missionary, worshipping with believers seeking to reach into a large housing estate in SW Shrewsbury
