12.19.07
Help from Dabney on the Free Offer of the Gospel (4)
This is the fourth post of R. L. Dabney’s comments dealing with many of the issues surrounding the free offer of the Gospel and the disposition of God in it. This can be found in Lecture 43 of his lectures on Systematic Theology
“But it will be objected: If God foreknew that non-elect men would do this; and also knew that their neglect of gospel-mercy would infallibly aggravate their doom in the end, (all of which I admit), then that gospel was no expression of benevolence to them at all. I reply, first; the offer was a blessing in itself; these sinners felt it so in their serious moments; and surely its nature as a kindness is not reversed by the circumstance that they pervert it; though that be foreseen. Second; God accompanies the offer with hearty entreaties to them not thus to abuse it. Third; His benevolence is cleared in the view of all other beings, though the perverse objects do rob themselves of the permanent benefit. And this introduces the other cavil: That such a dispensation towards non-elect sinners is utterly futile, and so, unworthy of God’s wisdom. I reply: It is not futile; because it secures actual results both to non-elect men, to God and to the saved. To the first, it secures many temporal restraints and blessings in this life, the secular ones of which, at least, the sinner esteems as very solid benefits; and also a sincere offer of eternal life, which he, and not God, disappoints. To God, this dispensation secures great revenue of glory, both for His kindness towards contumacious enemies, and His clear justice in the final punishment. To other holy creatures it brings not only this new revelation of God’s glory, but a new apprehension of the obstinacy and malignity of sin as a spiritual evil.
Some seem to recoil from the natural view which presents God, like other wise Agents, as planning to gain several ends, one primary and others subordinate, by the same set of actions. They fear that if they admit this, they will be entrapped into an ascription of uncertainty, vacillation and change to God’s purpose. This consequence does not at all follow, as to Him. It might follow as to a finite man pursuing alternative purposes. For instance, a general might order his subordinate to make a seeming attack in force on a given point of his enemy’s position. The general might say to himself: ” I will make this attack either a feint, (while I make my real attack elsewhere), or, if the enemy seem weak there, my real, main attack.” This, of course, implies some uncertainty in his foreknowledge; and if the feint is turned into his main attack, the last purpose must date in his mind from some moment after the feint began. Such doubt and mutation must not be imputed to God. Hence I do not employ the phrase “alternative objects” of His planning; as it might be misunderstood. We “cannot find out the Almighty unto perfection.” But it is certain, that He, when acting on finite creatures, and for the instruction of finite minds, may and does pursue, in one train of His dealings, a plurality of ends, of which one is subordinated to another. Thus God consistently makes the same dispensation first a manifestation of the glory of His goodness, and then, when the sinner has perverted it, of the glory of His justice. He is not disappointed, nor does He change His secret purpose. The mutation is in the relation of the creature to His providence. His glory is, that seeing the end from the beginning, He brings good even out of the perverse sinner’s evil.”
G.B.
rjs1 said,
December 28, 2007 at 7:41 pm
G.B.,
Are you able to establish the meaning that Dabney ascribes to the term “offer of the gospel”, i.e. is the gospel offered or does the gospel contain an offer.
Kind regards,
Richard
puritanismtoday said,
December 31, 2007 at 7:39 pm
RJS
Sorry i have not got back to you sooner. i was taken up with preparation for the Sabbath etc.
I have had not had time to examine your question specifically from Dabney. however my thoughts are that:
Life and salvation are offered in the gospel – that is a verbal use of the word offer. Something we are doing or more particularly Christ is doing when the gospel is preached. Of course this life and salvation is in him and I would hold that he is offering himself not just the abstract concepts.
This aspect of the gospel presentation I would call the offer – noun.
G.B.