Feeling kind of hyper

I have been listening through the Systematic Theology lectures made freely available at Covenant Seminary's Worldwide Classroom at work. I highly recommend them as mostly irenic and not at all "too high" for the layperson, while being doctrinally sound.

While listening to a certain section of the series the proclamation of the gospel came up as a topic. Dr. Peterson made his opinion known in no uncertain terms, that to reject the proclamation of the gospel as a "well intentioned offer" is to be a Hyper-Calvinist. I cringed.

I cringed because this is the very accusation levied against the guy I use for my picture on this blog- John Gill. John Gill denies that the gospel is a "free offer of salvation". At this point, the somewhat more "apologetic" set of Calvinists cut off Gill flat and fear him, because we certainly don't want to offend the sensibilities of the Arminian crowd, and we(rightfully) do not even want to touch "Hyper-Calvinism".

Well, upholding the sovereignty of God in salvation has already offended the Arminian very much, so keeping the "free offer" or "well meant offer" terminology is too little too late.

The other accusation of Hyper-Calvinism levied against John Gill is against his Supralapsarianism, which has to do with the logical sequence of God's decrees concerning creation, election and reprobation, and the fall of man.

Supralapsarianism places logically God's decree to elect and harden men prior to the decree of the fall of man, while the opposing view, infralapsarianism, places the decree of election and reprobation logically after the decree of the fall of man. I won't go into the particulars of the arguments because it would take a long time, and even Gill admits it is an academic argument, making little practical difference.

Those who don't like Gill make it more than academic, and make it a mark of Hyper-Calvinism.

I would like to point out here that Robert Reymond, modern Presbyterian scholar and theologian and former professor at Knox Seminary, and author of the excellent and widely lauded single-volume systematic theology A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (which I highly recommend), is a Supralapsarian. Not only so, but he also advocates the idea of equal ultimacy, that God is equally the ultimate cause of both the election of men to salvation and the reprobation unto damnation of the rest of men. Equal ultimacy is usually associated with Hyper-Calvinism.

Where are Reymond's accusers? Why hasn't he been labeled "Hyper" and shunned as has Gill? Why is he still considered an evangelical Calvinist despite holding the same views as Gill? Is it because he's a Presbyterian?

Back to the "universal and well intentioned offer".

The gospel, over-simplified, is a message about Jesus Christ having made a way for the salvation of condemned sinners by making satisfaction to God for their sins (redemption) by paying the penalty for sins on the cross, and being resurrected from death, conquering death and hell, ascending to heaven where he makes intercession for the saints, restoring us to fellowship with God through him.

The command of the gospel is that we repent of sins and believe this gospel for our salvation.

The promises of the gospel are that whosoever obeys the command, repents of sin and believes this Gospel will be forgiven their sins and granted eternal life; whosoever disobeys the command, does not repent of sins and rejects this gospel will receive eternal condemnation.

It is a covenant- the New Covenant in Christ's blood (his death), with the command to repent and believe containing the promise of salvation for obedience and damnation for disobedience.

The proclamation of this gospel along with the command to repent and believe and the promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for obedience and eternal death and condemnation for disobedience is commanded by Jesus Christ to be proclaimed indiscriminately to all peoples from every nation, throughout the whole world.

This message is the ordinary means through which the Holy Spirit works salvific grace in the hearts of men, calling them to Christ and regenerating their hearts, thereby granting the faith and repentence commanded, which are the fruits of regeneration.

John Gill believed and taught everything that I have stated thus far concerning the gospel and evangelism.

Now, what of the word "offer"? First, lets define offer:

"make available or accessible, provide or furnish; present for acceptance or rejection; put forward for consideration; extend: make available; provide; propose: ask (someone) to marry you;" and so forth (see this Princeton WordNet Search)

Does this word "offer" do justice to the biblical proclamation of the gospel, as a message about Jesus with a command and promises? I don't really think so. The gospel is not given as optional, a proposal for consideration, or anything of the sort. It is commanded that we believe this message, along with a gracious and wonderful promise for obedience, and a solemn and terrible promise for disobedience.

The gospel is not presented as optional, and salvation is not a take-it or leave-it proposition; in a very real sense we are to, by authority of God, command people to recieve salvation! I think to call this an "offer" is akin to calling the ten commandments "the ten well intentioned offers". God's commandments demand obedience, and the commandments are universal, and are to be proclaimed throughout the world to all people.

This is why Gill rejected the term "offer". It is weak and does not do justice to the gospel message, its command or the promises, and especially the way it is presented in Scripture.

Am I a Hyper-Calvinist?