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NASB | Matthew 11:28 ¶ "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 11:28 ¶ "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. |
Subject: Is this invitation open to everyone? |
Bible Note: Dear Brother Mark, If you will kindly excuse my interposing here a moment... I think you are mixing up a variety of doctrines. The doctrine of the universal offer of the Gospel does not preclude the doctrine of election. The doctrine of the clarity of the Scripture does not preclude the doctrine of the necessity of the Holy Spirit for men to comprehend it. Blurring the distinctions between these doctrines leads to much of the confusion we have today concerning them. Bruce Demarest writes, "The universal offer of the Gospel is not a sham nor a grand deception, for the reason that ALL who respond affirmatively WILL receive what God has promised. Deception or fraud occurs when what is promised is not given once the terms of the agreement have been properly satisfied." (My emphasis.) Frankly, I know of no Christian theology that fails to recognize the universal offer of the Gospel. (Admittedly, that might be a limitation of my own experience.) John Calvin wrote, "God invites all indiscriminately to salvation through the Gospel, but the ingratitude of the world is the reason why this grace, which is equally offered to all, is enjoyed by few." Later, John Wesley wrote frequently on what he called the "free offer" of the Gospel. I'm also quite puzzled that you would see the Bible as being anything other than a message to God's own people. The Scripture itself is quite specific about its purpose. (For example, we often reference 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which clearly states the purpose of Scripture -- and that purpose is not offered to the lost.) It is so easy in our posts to get far afield! Then the job of discussing our various perspectives becomes so much more difficult. In Him, Doc |