# Gospel Invitations



## AV1611 (Dec 30, 2006)

To whom are gospel invitations made? What saith the Scriptures?

*Isa 45:22* Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

*Isa 55:1* Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

*Isa 61:1-3* The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

*Mat 11:28* Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

My position is that the gospel should be preached to all (the gospel being the declaration of a promise) but gospel invitations are specific to sensible sinners. Your thoughts?


----------



## toddpedlar (Dec 30, 2006)

AV1611 said:


> To whom are gospel invitations made? What saith the Scriptures?
> 
> *Isa 45:22* Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
> 
> ...



What's a "sensible sinner"? I'm not sure anyone can actually tell who fits such a description, since what (I think) you mean by "sensible sinner" is a matter of the heart, whose state we are unable to judge. Hence the gospel (which must needs include invitation) should be made to all - just like in your first reference above, but it must be made with the understanding that the one coming has relinquished all claims to self-righteousness - just like in Matt 11:28 and Isa 55:1.


----------



## Puritan Sailor (Dec 30, 2006)

Furthermore, how do sinners become "sensible?" Is it not through daily interactions with compassionate and godly Christians, persuading every sinner they know that they must be reconciled to God?


----------



## MrMerlin777 (Dec 31, 2006)

trevorjohnson said:


> If anyone wants to restrict the offer of the Gospel, they need only restrict it to "any who thirst" or "all who labor and are heavy laden." The Bible addresses such groups and we should too.



 

Preach the Gospel to all. Freely offer to all. Only God knows His elect it is not for us to pick and choose. We are to call sinners to repent and believe the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will do His work as He wills.


----------



## Ivan (Dec 31, 2006)

MrMerlin777 said:


> Preach the Gospel to all. Freely offer to all. Only God knows His elect it is not for us to pick and choose. We are to call sinners to repent and believe the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will do His work as He wills.


----------



## Larry Hughes (Dec 31, 2006)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by MrMerlin777
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## JM (Jan 18, 2007)

Let me toss these in...



> ...does God in any manner seek the salvation of all men?
> 
> ...a true Calvinist must say that in some sense God seeks the
> salvation of all men: for the gospel offer expresses this. Here then is
> ...





> The attempt to recourse to hypotheticals is unhelpful too. What
> they try to say is: the gospel is offered to all men conditionally. And
> even though the provision is actually only for the elect, *if* any man (at
> the concrete individual level) were to believe, there _would_have_been_
> ...


----------

