2nd June: Hypercalvinism and the Gospel Offer

Speaker: Chris Laws

Misunderstanding the magnificent doctrines of grace has historically undermined the conviction of Paul, expressed in 1 Corinthians 9.16: “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel”. How did – and do – whole church groups find justification for themselves to neither preach the Gospel nor to engage in witnessing?

Hypercalvinism sounds like an extreme form of Calvinism. It is more: a rejection of historic Calvinism.
A great evil. CHS: “false Calvinism”
Calvinism teaches man will never choose Christ unless God works in him. Only He can convert.
Hypercalvinism teaches

(1) that since God chooses/elects, we can do nothing about it.
Fatalism – doomed to be whatever God decides – totally opposite to an approachable, personal God.
Am I elect? CHS: I cannot tell you. I have never been to Heaven and read the roll.

(2) Since He converts souls, there is no need to evangelise.
Denies that the Gospel message must be offered to all sinners.
A misunderstanding of the process of conversion.
A cold, lifeless dogma which produces barren churches.
Historic Calvinism says (Matthew Henry): “preaching is the vehicle of divine grace.”            

A blight upon churches
Began in ~1700 with Joseph Hussey – preach Christ to all, but would not offer the Gospel to anyone.
Dismissed the church fathers, Calvin, reformers. Despised them. He alone had solved the issues – like cults.
In William Carey’s day hypercalvinism had stifled the English churches – opposed all forms of evangelism.
John Ryland Snr heard William Carey talking about going as a missionary to India – “Sit down young man. When God decides to save the heathen, He will do it without your help.”
Carey and his helpers all the more determined to go and preach the Gospel.
Achieved astonishing things, and saw multitudes converted from Hinduism.

Hypercalvinism has invaded UK Reformed churches today. Satan whispers to pastors:
• You are wasting your time with the elect, because God will call them when He decides.
• You are wasting your time with the non-elect, because they will never be saved.
• So why remonstrate with unbelievers and offer them salvation in Christ? (epidemic proportions today)

THE OPPOSITE OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISTIC PREACHING
Jesus Christ offered the Gospel: “Repent and believe” to those vast crowds
Paul (the first ‘Calvinist’) crossed land and sea to preach it and persuade men
The Reformation/ the Puritans reasoning with souls/ the early Baptists.
John Bunyan’s Come and Welcome: “When He cries ‘Come!’ He means what He says.”
The 18th-century Great Awakening (George Whitefield).
1858/9 awakening, the Victorian pulpits.
Hypercalvinism is a great evil. But it opens up a whole subject: Why do we evangelise?

WRONG VIEW OF CONVERSION
Hypercalvinists say: God calls, regenerates (Michaelangelo picture). God even gives men repentance and faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2.8).
So the preacher becomes almost an irrelevance
To the unbeliever they say – ‘You can't do anything, just come to church and wait for God to convert you.’
They make conversion an instantaneous ‘zap’ without any human involvement.

But conversion is a process with stages like birth – the new birth.
This process involves preaching (or witness) for the first five stages, then God’s sovereign act.

1. Word plants seed of life eg Lydia “whose heart the Lord opened” as she listened to Paul (Acts 16.14).          Conception. Seed of life sown.

2/3. Awakening & conviction. “Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said…What shall we do?”
(Acts 2.37) Peter’s sermon.

4/5. Repentance & faith – the awakened sinner is able to respond. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16.30)
“Believe on the LJC, and thou shalt be saved” (16.31).

6/7. Justification and the new birth. “Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God” (Rom 5.1).
God uses preaching/ witness to accomplish the saving of the elect.
3000 on Day of Pentecost were awakened and convicted, irresistibly drawn to Christ by preaching.

THE TWO CALLS
We speak of – external call (1) and internal call (2).
1. The preacher urges all to come; “knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor 5.11).
2. God draws some to himself. Eg Lydia “whose heart the Lord opened.” Not everybody in that group.
The preacher/witnesser cannot know who is elect! So he tries to persuade all his hearers.
We know we cannot bring about new life in Christ, only the Holy Spirit.
So pray to be used, but then speak and try to persuade people!
Don't grieve the Holy Spirit or He won’t work. No gimmicks, just the Word.
Be assured that God will save some if we are faithful. We are co-workers with God.

DENIAL OF THE GOSPEL OFFER
Hypercalvinism denies that the Gospel calls all sinners to repentance and faith – only the elect.
They say unbelievers are incapable of faith, so believing in Christ must never be presented to them.
Deny that faith is a duty for the unregenerate.

‘Gospel-standard’ Baptists – oppose virtually all forms of evangelism.
They say each sinner has to look for evidence that he is elect!
Leads to an obsession with conviction of sin & self-examination. Has God worked in my life? Tragic to watch.
Christ said “Come!” as you are. Matt 11.28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest.”
Vast numbers didn’t believe. Believe that He will forgive you.
Isaiah exhorted the faithless Israelites to turn to the Lord.
Isaiah 45.22 – “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Calvin insisted on the Gospel offer.
Only some of those who hear the Gospel (external call) are sovereignly drawn by God to salvation (internal call).
Those preached to are clearly more in number than the elect.
Matt 22.14 – “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Paul and Barnabus preached to “almost the whole city” of Antioch (Acts 13.44).
Acts 13.48 – “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, & glorified the word of the Lord: & as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
The elect are converted as the result of preaching.
2 Thess 2.13-14 “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation…whereunto he called you by our gospel.”

PERSUASION
Gospel preaching/witnessing is not just explaining Calvary.
Some say that they proclaim the Gospel – but exclude any pleading/reasoning
2 Cor 5.20 – “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
Paul pleaded. John Bunyan wrote: “When Christ cries ‘Come’ He means what He says.”

WHY DOES GOD WANT US TO PREACH TO ALL, EVEN THE NON-ELECT?
1. To demonstrate that men are obstinate, will not turn.
      It would never be seen but for witness and preaching.

2. To publish His heart; God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3.19).
Calvin speaks of “His lovingkindness…in the Gospel. There God stretches out His hand to all alike.”

3. People will be judged by the Gospel; we have a ministry of judgement.
      Paul says Gospel preachers are both “the savour of death unto death; and…the savour of life unto life” (2 Cor 2.16).

4. God insists people are persuaded and come freely.
      Those whose will He liberates, are persuaded, and come most freely.

In 1970s some called us ‘activists’ because of our evangelism.
But those like us that have engaged in Gospel work have been blessed.
Rev 22.17 “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”