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Serious Call of the GospelIt is a call to repentance ofsins.This sets forth the proper relationship between God whocalls and men who receive the call. It is a relationship of theCreator and creatures who were created rational and moral. Assuch, when man falls into sin, the demand to repent is legitimate.It is therefore a call to the proper duty of man. Here it must beemphasized that actual sins must be dealt with to bring aboutgenuine conversion.This is what Heppe called Hthe vocatio universalis andnaturalis, " in contrast with Hvocatio specialist supernaturalis andevangelica."13 The latter is a call addressing the chosen of God.while the former. men in general.It is (I ctlll to faith toward tile Lord Jesus Christ.Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no man can come tofellowship with God except by Him (John 14:6). Coming to Christis a proper duty of fallen man. whether or not he has a personalinterest in Him. Arminius challenged the propriety ofcalling allmen after the Fall to faith in Christ. He wrote:I say and affirm, asseverate, profess and teach that Adam before hisfall had not power to believe in Christ because there was no needoffaith in Christ~ and therefore that God could not have demandedthis faith from him after his fall (to wit, by this right) because Adamhad criminally lost that power to believe ("Apology or Defence ...Against Certain Theological Articles:' 19 in The Writings ofJamesArminius [1956], 1:333).14Turretin answered Arm·inius' question very well that, indeed,Adam had that power to believe in Christ even before the Fall,should God have been pleased then to reveal the coming Fall andredemption plan in Christ to him. ls The Fall made not only Adam13. Heinrich Heppe, Reformed Dogmatics. p. 510.14. Francis Turretin, Institutes ofElenetic Theologl', vol. 1, (P&RPublishing, P. O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865-0817), p.571.15. Ibid., pp. 571-573.November, 2001 43
ut all his posterity unable to obey God's commandment as well asto believe in Christ. This inability is no reason for the gospel callnot to include calling men to their bounden duty. This controversyin Arminius' day also demonstrates that the serious call of thegospel is a matter ofthe command anchored upon original rectitudeof man and not a matter of the offer.In this connection, it is improper, in the external, general call,to call all men to believe that Christ died for all men, head for head.The simple reason why this may not be done is that God would notrequire people to believe in something which is not true. It issimply not true that Christ died for all men head for head. Ifthatbe true, then all men would be saved, given the substitutionarynature ofChrist's Atonement.Cunningham says:This revelation (that the gospel be preached to every creature LCK) does not warrant us in tell ing them that Christ died for all andeach of the human race- a mode of preaching the gospel neveradopted by our Lord and His apostles.'"Turretin rightly says:Christ is not revealed in the Gospel as having died for me inparticular; but only as having died in general for those who believeand repent. Hence I reason from that faith and repentance which Ifind actually to exist in my heart, that Christ has, indeed, died forme in particular. I know that he died for all who fly to him; henceI can and should infer that he died for me. That the faith commandedin the Gospel is not a direct and immediate belief thatChrist died for me, appears from this consideration: that when it isenjoined either by Christ or his apostles, no mention is made of ~tsbeing applied to this or that man, in particular. It is set forth onlyin a general relation to duty, or to blessings promised to those whobelieve; as in Matt.xvi.16. Peter, in his celebrated declaration offaith, professes no more than this: that he believes Jesus to be the16. William Cunningham, Historical Theology, A Review of thePrincipal Doctrinal Discussions in the Christian Church Since theApostolic Age, vol. Il, (Banner of Truth Trust. 1969), p.345.44 PRTJ
Page 1 and 2: ProtestantReformedTheologicalJourna
Page 3 and 4: EDITOR'S NOTESProf. Russell J. Dyks
Page 5 and 6: For there are many, even l unruly,
Page 7 and 8: happen to hold unwittingly to some
Page 9 and 10: tion oftheir false teachings. II Pe
Page 11 and 12: est, they are very weak, at worst,
Page 13 and 14: truth~' (see I Tim. 4: 1 - 4). Ever
Page 15 and 16: Thomas Bradwardine:Forgotten Mediev
Page 17 and 18: ated grace and uncreated grace. Unc
Page 19 and 20: Bradwardine faces the question ofth
Page 21 and 22: the age, namely, that having set fo
Page 23 and 24: did not identify Thomas Bradwardine
Page 25 and 26: The first is that Bradwardine was a
Page 27 and 28: to Bradwardine as oneof"two pre-emi
Page 29 and 30: Gospels, Acts, and Revelation. Sir
Page 31 and 32: power of the papacy in Bradwardine'
Page 33 and 34: The Serious Callof the Gospel -Is t
Page 35 and 36: elieve th~s proclamation with uprig
Page 37 and 38: to bring good news with their "fig
Page 39 and 40: nation, we read of Melchisedek, the
Page 41 and 42: official activity ofa monarch's her
Page 43: 8): "Calling is ofthose elect and r
Page 47 and 48: alone, and He saves whom He will. E
Page 49 and 50: have moved away from the notion oft
Page 51 and 52: every member ofthe visible, institu
Page 53 and 54: fulfilling this calling is their pa
Page 55 and 56: contingent. Further, Calvin did not
Page 57 and 58: ofacceptance in terms of merit, ins
Page 59 and 60: covenant ofgrace and works, or it i
Page 61 and 62: Spiritual, Suffers Them to DefileTh
Page 63 and 64: the gospel is preached" (p. 212).In
Page 65 and 66: "They do not hold that JesusChrist
Page 67 and 68: II Corinthians 3:6 that "the letter
Page 69 and 70: is to oppose and to repulsethat sec
Page 71 and 72: Rightly Divided: Readings inBiblica
Page 73 and 74: is necessary speaks volumesabout th
Page 75 and 76: Guilt, Grace and Gratitude,Lectures
Page 77 and 78: 76ted under the new? If it wererigh
Page 79 and 80: er to keep himself holy; forthe Sab
Page 81 and 82: there is room for both positionsin
Page 83 and 84: Dr. Gannett's eschatologyalso effec
Page 85 and 86: that, but man has a corrupt nature(
Page 87 and 88: the love of God is "universal"(p. 5
Page 89 and 90: ever, throughout the book thereis n

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