Let us recall, briefly, what is implied in the truth of salvation through the free and sovereign grace of God alone. It means, in general, that God is the sovereign Lord, also in the matter of salvation. Salvation is, from its beginning to its end, a mighty wonderwork of God, no less marvelous, and therefore, no less divine, than the work of creation.
It is that wonderwork of the Almighty by which He calls light out of darkness, righteousness out of unrighteousness, everlasting glory out of deepest shame, immortality out of death, heaven out of hell! It is the wonder of grace, whereby God lifts an accursed world out of the depth of its misery into the glory of His heavenly kingdom and covenant. That work is absolutely divine. Man has no part in it, and cannot possibly cooperate with God in his own salvation.
In no sense of the word, and at no stage of the work, does salvation depend upon the will or work of man, or wait for the determination of his will. In fact, the sinner is of himself neither capable nor willing to receive that salvation. On the contrary, all he can do and will is to oppose, to resist his own salvation with all the determination of his sinful heart.
But God ordained, and prepared this salvation with absolutely sovereign freedom for His own, His chosen ones alone, and upon them He bestows it, not because they seek and desire it, but in spite of the fact that they never will it, and because He is stronger than man, and overcomes the hardest heart and the most stubborn will of the sinner. He reconciles the sinner unto Himself; He justifies him and gives him the faith in Christ; He delivers him from the power and dominion of sin, and sanctifies him; He preserves him. All this belongs to the wonder of salvation, which is accomplished through sovereign grace alone.
Now there can be no doubt about the fact that the same Bible that repeatedly emphasizes in many ways that "whosoever will may come," also teaches very emphatically that the salvation of the sinner never and in no sense depends on the will of the sinner to come, but only on the sovereign will of God who is the Lord. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom. 8:29,30.
Do not overlook the fact that in these verses the matter of the salvation of all the foreknown and fore-ordained is presented as an accomplished fact: they are justified, and called, and glorified. In the counsel of God He knows His own as saved and glorified sinners. And so, He blesses us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, "according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world." Eph. 1:3, 4. "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Rom. 9:11-13.
And "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Rom. 9:16. Yea, He hath "mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." Rom. 9:18. O, indeed, "whosoever will may come;" but this is also true: "no man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
And again: "Therefore I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father." John 6:44, 65. And have ye never read that "except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom the God." And how shall a man seek that which he does not even see?
It is plain, then, that when a man sings or preaches, "Whosoever will may come," he presents in song or sermon what is undoubtedly true. And to this we have no objection. Indeed, it is true that whoever will may come to Christ, and will surely be received. Never a man will appear in the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will be able to say that he longed, and desired, and willed, and sought earnestly to come, but was refused.
But if a man sings or preaches no more than this, he, nevertheless, fails to present the full truth of the gospel as it is in Christ Jesus and revealed to us in Holy writ. He speaks a half truth which, because of its deceptive nature, is more dangerous than a direct and plain falsehood. A large part, the more basic and, therefore, more important part of the truth he forgets or intentionally omits. One may, indeed, freely proclaim "over vale and hill" that "whosoever will may come," but he is unfaithful to his ministry unless he adds: no one can come unless the Father draw him"; it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
This one-sided emphasis on what man may do and must do in order to be saved without mention of the truth that the sinner can do nothing unless God first performs the wonder of His grace upon him, is characteristic of most collections of hymns in distinction from the beautiful and mighty Psalms. And this one-sided presentation of the matter of salvation also predominates in modern, so-called evangelical preaching. And so the way is prepared for that caricature of gospel preaching, that consists chiefly in begging the sinner to come to Jesus before it is too late, leaves the false impression with him that it is quite in his power to come today or tomorrow, or whatever time may be convenient to him, and that presents a very willing but powerless Jesus, that would be ever so pleased to save the sinner, but is incapable to do so unless the sinner gives his consent. The "whosoever will may come" is presented as meaning: "All men can will to come whenever they please." And instead of the truth of the gospel that no man can come to Christ unless the Father draw him, we now hear: "No Christ can come to the sinner, except the sinner permit him."
Here is a fair example of it: "God is ready, God is willing, God is eager, God is anxious, God is pleading for the privilege of washing away the sins of every soul in the precious blood of His Son and heir. But his hands are tied, His power is limited, His grace is constrained by you. If you want to be saved, God is willing to save you. If you don't want to be saved, there isn't anything that even God can do to rescue you from that pit of eternal burning." That is what becomes of the preaching of the gospel when the truth of God's sovereign grace is either forgotten or denied. Call it the gospel, if you like; to me it is nothing short of blasphemy of the name of the living God! An anxious and pleading God, whose power is limited, and whose hands may be tied by the proud and stubborn sinner, who is less than dust of the balance, is no God, but a miserable idol!
It is that wonderwork of the Almighty by which He calls light out of darkness, righteousness out of unrighteousness, everlasting glory out of deepest shame, immortality out of death, heaven out of hell! It is the wonder of grace, whereby God lifts an accursed world out of the depth of its misery into the glory of His heavenly kingdom and covenant. That work is absolutely divine. Man has no part in it, and cannot possibly cooperate with God in his own salvation.
In no sense of the word, and at no stage of the work, does salvation depend upon the will or work of man, or wait for the determination of his will. In fact, the sinner is of himself neither capable nor willing to receive that salvation. On the contrary, all he can do and will is to oppose, to resist his own salvation with all the determination of his sinful heart.
But God ordained, and prepared this salvation with absolutely sovereign freedom for His own, His chosen ones alone, and upon them He bestows it, not because they seek and desire it, but in spite of the fact that they never will it, and because He is stronger than man, and overcomes the hardest heart and the most stubborn will of the sinner. He reconciles the sinner unto Himself; He justifies him and gives him the faith in Christ; He delivers him from the power and dominion of sin, and sanctifies him; He preserves him. All this belongs to the wonder of salvation, which is accomplished through sovereign grace alone.
Now there can be no doubt about the fact that the same Bible that repeatedly emphasizes in many ways that "whosoever will may come," also teaches very emphatically that the salvation of the sinner never and in no sense depends on the will of the sinner to come, but only on the sovereign will of God who is the Lord. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom. 8:29,30.
Do not overlook the fact that in these verses the matter of the salvation of all the foreknown and fore-ordained is presented as an accomplished fact: they are justified, and called, and glorified. In the counsel of God He knows His own as saved and glorified sinners. And so, He blesses us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, "according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world." Eph. 1:3, 4. "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Rom. 9:11-13.
And "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Rom. 9:16. Yea, He hath "mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." Rom. 9:18. O, indeed, "whosoever will may come;" but this is also true: "no man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
And again: "Therefore I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father." John 6:44, 65. And have ye never read that "except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom the God." And how shall a man seek that which he does not even see?
It is plain, then, that when a man sings or preaches, "Whosoever will may come," he presents in song or sermon what is undoubtedly true. And to this we have no objection. Indeed, it is true that whoever will may come to Christ, and will surely be received. Never a man will appear in the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God who will be able to say that he longed, and desired, and willed, and sought earnestly to come, but was refused.
But if a man sings or preaches no more than this, he, nevertheless, fails to present the full truth of the gospel as it is in Christ Jesus and revealed to us in Holy writ. He speaks a half truth which, because of its deceptive nature, is more dangerous than a direct and plain falsehood. A large part, the more basic and, therefore, more important part of the truth he forgets or intentionally omits. One may, indeed, freely proclaim "over vale and hill" that "whosoever will may come," but he is unfaithful to his ministry unless he adds: no one can come unless the Father draw him"; it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
This one-sided emphasis on what man may do and must do in order to be saved without mention of the truth that the sinner can do nothing unless God first performs the wonder of His grace upon him, is characteristic of most collections of hymns in distinction from the beautiful and mighty Psalms. And this one-sided presentation of the matter of salvation also predominates in modern, so-called evangelical preaching. And so the way is prepared for that caricature of gospel preaching, that consists chiefly in begging the sinner to come to Jesus before it is too late, leaves the false impression with him that it is quite in his power to come today or tomorrow, or whatever time may be convenient to him, and that presents a very willing but powerless Jesus, that would be ever so pleased to save the sinner, but is incapable to do so unless the sinner gives his consent. The "whosoever will may come" is presented as meaning: "All men can will to come whenever they please." And instead of the truth of the gospel that no man can come to Christ unless the Father draw him, we now hear: "No Christ can come to the sinner, except the sinner permit him."
Here is a fair example of it: "God is ready, God is willing, God is eager, God is anxious, God is pleading for the privilege of washing away the sins of every soul in the precious blood of His Son and heir. But his hands are tied, His power is limited, His grace is constrained by you. If you want to be saved, God is willing to save you. If you don't want to be saved, there isn't anything that even God can do to rescue you from that pit of eternal burning." That is what becomes of the preaching of the gospel when the truth of God's sovereign grace is either forgotten or denied. Call it the gospel, if you like; to me it is nothing short of blasphemy of the name of the living God! An anxious and pleading God, whose power is limited, and whose hands may be tied by the proud and stubborn sinner, who is less than dust of the balance, is no God, but a miserable idol!
