The “Offer” of the Gospel

(Rom 10:13 KJV) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We’ve probably all been in churches where the pastor pours out his heart in preaching the Gospel; then at the end of the service, he makes an appeal to those in attendance that the “offer of the Gospel” is open for you…that you should come and receive Christ and become saved.  Many churches, even those touting the reformed doctrines, will claim that the “offer of salvation” is open to all.  I’ve also heard some churches say the offer is sent forth, but only God’s elect will respond to that call. This is true, for if God qualifies a person to respond to the Gospel for salvation, then they will come.

However, the question really is “Does God send the offer of salvation to the entire world?”  Is this what the Bible teaches concerning evangelism? The answer may surprise you because it’s a resounding NO!  Nowhere in the Bible does God make an offer of salvation to anyone. He doesn’t even offer the gospel to His Elect!

“The Bible teaches that the Gospel will be “preached” to the entire world but God will only apply it to the elect.”

The Bible never uses the word “offer” in connection with the Gospel. The word used in conjunction with it is “preached” or “proclaimed.”  Salvation through Jesus Christ is to be proclaimed throughout the world, but never is an offer to be made to accept Him or for salvation.

(Mat 24:14 KJV) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

(Mat 26:13 KJV) Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. 

(Mark 6:12 KJV) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

(Mark 16:20 KJV) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

(Luke 4:44 KJV) And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

(Acts 8:5 KJV) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

(Acts 9:20 KJV) And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

(Acts 13:5 KJV) And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

(Acts 14:7 KJV) And there they preached the gospel.

(Col 1:23 KJV) If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The term “preached” in the New Testament is used sixty times. These ten verses are representative of the entire sixty verses.  The Gospel is preached and there’s never an offer linked to that proclamation.  Nowhere in the Scriptures do we ever find the (blasphemous) idea that God is begging or pleading with sinners to “accept” His Son. 

If God makes no offer of salvation to the non-elect, then neither should we. That’s a false and misleading method of trying to bring people into the Kingdom.  We are to preach and proclaim the Good News, and God makes the application to those that He has predestined.  In other words, we faithfully water and God gives the increase.

This idea of the offer of salvation comes from the belief that spiritually dead people can regenerate themselves by their own free will unto salvation.  They’ll be able to do that when physically dead people can raise themselves back to physical life. And that will never happen!

In Scripture, any time dead people were restored back to physical life, it was God doing it. So reading these resurrections in Scripture, how can someone believe that a spiritually dead person can raise themselves to newness of life? Spiritual resurrection must be done by an outside source, and that source is the Lord Jesus Christ.

(John 10:28 KJV) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

(John 17:2 KJV) As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Notice what these two verses are teaching. They’re very straightforward:  the Lord Jesus Christ gives eternal life to His children. He doesn’t offer it to the world but He gives it to His children.  Let’s be crystal clear about this: the salvation spoken of in the Gospel is to be preached to the world, but never offered.

To God Be The Glory!