Common Grace and the Free Offer of the Gospel

Introduction

Within the sphere of human cultural activity, there are traces of the true, the good, and the beautiful. This is true despite the reality of human depravity. Human beings are sinners both by nature and by choice – as the Apostle Paul says, ‘None is righteous, no, not one’ (Romans 3:10). How then can we explain this paradox? There seems to be a tension between the relative good of human beings and their inherent depravity. How can we account for the noble and sometimes heroic actions of fallen men and women? How is it that lost humanity is in possession of great talents in the arts, humanities, and sciences? Why is there a universal impulse towards religion throughout the world? ‘How can the unregenerate still speak the truth, do good to others, and lead outwardly virtuous lives?’[1] These are questions which the Reformed doctrine of common grace seeks to answer. My own view of common grace builds upon the work of John Murray and Louis Berkhof – I am greatly indebted to these giants of Reformed theology. Once common grace has been established, we will consider the overture of grace in the free offer of the Gospel. God reaches out in love to lost mankind – calling sinners to faith and repentance and freely offering his mercy and grace to all who will call upon his name.

The Development of the Reformed Doctrine of Common Grace

The Augsburg Confession teaches that ‘man’s will hath some liberty to work a civil righteousness, and to choose such things as reason can reach unto; but that it hath no power to work the righteousness of God’. There was therefore a distinction between civil righteousness and saving righteousness within Lutheran theology. Zwingli argued that the sanctifying influence of God grace ‘penetrated in a measure even into the gentile world’ and that this accounts for the relative social and cultural good within society.[2] Calvin disagreed with both Luther and Zwingli to some extent by arguing that lost mankind was incapable of doing saving good and everything that men and women did was tainted by sin. Grace was saving, special, and particular to the elect. However, alongside this doctrine of total depravity and special grace, Calvin developed a doctrine of common grace to act as a limiting factor on the doctrine of total depravity. In the words of Louis Berkhof, 'This is a grace which is communal, does not pardon nor purify human nature, and does not effect the salvation of sinners. It curbs the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men'.[3]

The Puritans insisted upon God’s forbearance with lost mankind, his compassion to all creatures, and his overtures of grace toward lost humanity. One only needs a cursory familiarity with John Bunyan or Richard Baxter to realise that this was the case among post-Reformation Reformed pastors and theologians within Britain – the overtures of the free offer of the Gospel are frequently found in their practical works. The Dutch Further Reformation similarly developed doctrines of God’s general love and mercy towards lost mankind in their practical writings. For example, in his consideration of the divine attributes, Wilhelmus à Brakel distinguishes between God’s general love of benevolence that is common to all mankind and his special love to the elect. He similarly distinguishes between general mercy for all mankind and special mercy for the people of God’s choice.[4] In the modern period, the doctrine of common grace received considerable development in the writings of Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck.[5] Kuyper is arguably the doyen of common grace and his three-volume study of the doctrine remains the most important work on the subject.[6] Notable advocates of common grace in the Reformed tradition of twentieth century include John Murray, Louis Berkhof, and Herman Kuiper who devoted significant aspects of their published writings to the subject.[7]

The Meaning of Common Grace

Reformed theologians carefully distinguish between their view of common grace and the view commonly held by Arminian theologians. Arminians generally believe that common grace is a link in the ordo salutis and that it has special salvific significance in giving all mankind the capacity to believe the Gospel. For Reformed theologians, common grace (gratia communis) has no salvific significance – it is purely general and non-saving. It is contrasted with special grace (gratia particularis), as given only to the elect, which brings them out of the darkness of sin and into the light of the Gospel. Common grace, in the Reformed sense of the term, is defined by Berkhof as being made up of two parts: '(1) Those general operations of the Holy Spirit whereby He, without renewing the heart, exercises such a moral influence on man through His general or special revelation, that sin is restrained, order is maintained in social life, and civil righteousness is promoted; or (2) those general blessings, such as rain and sunshine, food and drink, clothing and shelter, which God imparts to all men indiscriminately where and in what measure seems good to Him'. In the Kuyperian sense, we might add to this definition that God actively promotes the true, good, and beautiful within the sphere of culture, art, society, and science – this is all part of his common, non-saving, goodness to the world. John Murray offers a succinct but helpful definition of common grace as ‘every favour of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this underserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God’.[8]

The Operation and Fruits of Common Grace

Common grace may be said to operate in the world through the light of God’s general revelation and the work of civil governments. Firstly, Reformed theologians have argued that common grace is said to operate by the light of God’s general revelation – this is described by John as the light of Christ which ‘gives light to everyone’ (John 1:9). It is universal, but non-salvific. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul shows the gentiles have some capacity to observe what the law requires and carry out relative good: ‘For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law unto themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them’ (Romans 2:14–15). God has in some sense impressed upon the hearts or consciences of unregenerate men and women what he requires in the law. The conscience accuses those who break this law and acquits those who keep it. It is written in their hearts.

Common grace is also said to operate through the work of civil governments who act to restrain sin and impose order on society as Paul argues in Romans chapter 13. Civil magistrates are sent by God ‘for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well’ (1 Peter 2:14) In the words of the Belgic Confession: 'We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, hath appointed kings, princes, and magistrates, willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies; to the end that the dissoluteness of men might be restrained, and all things carried on among them with good order and decency' (Article XXXVI). In other words, God has instituted civil governments to restrain sin and promote relative good in society. Even though men and women are totally depraved, the confession assumes some capacity for ‘good order’ and ‘decency’ among men. This is God’s work of common grace in their hearts.

There are several fruits of common grace as identified by Reformed theologians including the delayed sentence of death, the restraint of sin, some degree of truth and morality in society, good works and civil righteousness among the unregenerate, and natural blessings to elect and reprobate alike.[9] Firstly, God warned Adam solemnly that should he eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). However, when Adam did eat of the fruit in disobedience to God’s command, he did not die immediately. God delayed the punishment of death and gave Adam the opportunity to repent. This is owing to his common grace. He gives humanity a chance to repent of sin. He does not immediately execute the punishment of death upon the sinner. This is owing to his goodness – a goodness designed to lead men and women to repentance as Paul argues in Romans 2:4. There is a restraint on the manifestation of God’s wrath towards sin. Secondly, God actively restrains the manifestation of sin in the world. The doctrine of total depravity does not mean that all men and women are as bad as they could possibly be. Not everyone is an incarnation of Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao, or Stalin. God limits the manifestation of sin in the hearts of men and women. In the words of Calvin, ‘But we ought to consider that, notwithstanding the corruption of our nature, there is some room for divine grace, such grace as, without purifying it, may lay it under internal restraint’.[10] In the case of Abimelech, we see God’s sovereign hand in preventing him from committing a sin: ‘Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her' (Genesis 20:6). We have no reason to suppose that Abimelech was regenerate or a member of God’s covenant people, so clearly here is an example of an unbeliever being restrained by God from committing a sin.

Thirdly, God preserves some degree of truth, morality, and religion within society. Society is not hell on earth. Human beings are capable of relative good in the world. There is an outward semblance of morality in society, however corrupt this may appear. We have already argued that the Gentiles have some capacity to keep the law as Paul argues in Romans. Paul was also able to say of the Athenians, ‘I perceive that you are very religious’ (Acts 17:22). They had religion, albeit corrupt. They were able to worship the ‘unknown God’ (Acts 17:23), despite their great ignorance. Religion serves the purpose of common grace. It allows for a point of contact with lost mankind, as Paul used this in his debate with the Gentiles. In the words of the Canons of Dort, ‘There remain, however, in man since the fall, the glimmerings of natural light, whereby he retains some knowledge of God, of natural things, and of the difference between good and evil, and shows some regard for virtue and for good outward behaviour’ (III–IV. 4). As the doctrine of common grace teaches, man is capable of some relative good, albeit non-saving – and this maintains good order and decency within society.

Fourthly, human beings are capable of outwardly good deeds and works of civil righteousness – this is commonly known as justitia civilis among Reformed divines.[11] The Bible often speaks of the works of the unregenerate as being relatively good. For example, when Jehu eradicated the worship of Baal from Israel, God said to him ‘Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel’ (2 Kings 10:30). Similarly, Joash and Amaziah are commended by God for their relatively good deeds, even though they did not ultimately remove the high places and prevent the people from worshipping there (2 Kings 12:2 [cf. 2 Chronicles 24:17– 25]; 14:3, 14–16, 20, 27 [cf. 2 Chronicles 25:2]). In the New Testament, Luke records Jesus as saying that sinners are capable of relative good: ‘And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same’ (Luke 6:33, cf. Matthew 5:46). Similarly, Matthew records Jesus as saying that those who are evil are nonetheless capable of giving good gifts to their children: ‘If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him’ (Matthew 7:11). Of course, none of these good deeds by the unregenerate are salvific in nature. They are relatively good as opposed to savingly good.

Finally, unbelievers are the recipients of many natural blessings. There are many passages of Scripture where it appears that God showers his gifts upon elect and reprobate alike. For example, the Lord promises to bless Ishmael, even though he is not the chosen line of God’s covenant grace (Genesis 17:20). God also blessed the house of the unregenerate Potiphar for Joseph’s sake – so much so that the ‘blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had’ (Genesis 39:5). In a verse that captures the very essence of common grace, the Psalmist says that ‘the Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made’ (Psalm 145:9). In other words, the psalmist speaks of a common grace on the part of God towards all of God’s creatures. The psalmist says, ‘He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart’ (Psalm 104:14–15). In other words, God provides for the happiness of humankind. He is a God who ‘gives food to all flesh: for his mercy endures forever’ (Psalm 136:25, emphasis my own). Notice that God’s generosity extends to all humanity, not exclusively to the elect.  

In the New Testament, Jesus commands us to love our enemies because this reflects God’s character, who showers blessings upon the righteous and the unrighteous alike: ‘But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise of the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous’ (Matthew 5:44–45). Not only are we to love our enemies as a reflection of God’s character, but God himself loves his enemies to the point of blessing them with rain and sunshine (cf. Luke 6:35–36). These are surely gifts of common grace. Paul and Barnabas entreat the unregenerate crowds by pleading God’s common grace towards them: ‘In past generations, he [God] let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness’ (Acts 14:16–17). Rain and fruitful seasons are gifts of God’s common grace to lost mankind. Nobody deserves them, but God freely gives them.

The Scriptures clearly seem to support the doctrine of common grace as developed by Reformed theologians. God actively works to restrain sin in the world and promote his goodness through the civil magistrates and through the light of general revelation. His common grace is seen in his forbearance and longsuffering, his restraint upon the full exercise of his wrath until the day of judgement, the presence of some degree of truth and morality in society, the good works and civil righteousness of the unregenerate, and the natural blessings given to both righteous and unrighteous alike. Common grace prepares the way for the overture of grace in the free offer of the Gospel – the next subject of our consideration.

The Free Offer of the Gospel

The free offer of the Gospel is taught explicitly in several places of Scripture including Isaiah 45:22; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; Matthew 11:28–30; 23:37 and 2 Peter 3:9. We shall shortly consider each of these texts in turn. However, we must first ask: what exactly do we mean by the free offer of the Gospel? By the free offer of the Gospel, we mean the indiscriminate overture of grace that is extended to sinners of lost mankind in the preaching of the Good News. It is nothing less than full salvation in the richest and fullest meaning of the term that is offered in the Gospel. As we shall see in our examination of some of the following texts, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and desires that sinners should come to him in repentance and faith. In the Gospels, Jesus sometimes movingly invites sinners to come to him and find in him full salvation. For it is nothing less than Christ himself that is offered in the Gospel. It is not the mere possibility of salvation that is offered, but the certainty of it for all who will call upon the name of the Lord. As John Murray observes, ‘The grace offered is nothing less than salvation in its richness and fullness. The love or lovingkindness that lies back of that offer is not anything less; it is the will to that salvation. In other words, it is Christ in all the glory of his person and in all the perfection of his finished work whom God offers in the gospel’.[12]

In Isaiah 45:22, we encounter an overture on the part of God to the whole world: ‘Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other’. That the whole world is intended is sufficiently clear from the words ‘all you ends of the earth’ – the offer is universal in scope. It is also quite clearly salvific in its intent: turn and be saved. The reason attached is divine monotheism: ‘for I am God, and there is no other’ – this is clearly reinforced by the context in which all nations are being called to renounce their idols and worship God alone. The second and third texts of interest come from the book of Ezekiel: 'Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? … For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!' (Ezekiel 18: 23, 32). 'Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ (Ezekiel 33:11). God himself speaks in these texts. He makes it plain that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and would rather that the wicked would come to him in repentance. In Ezekiel 33:11, we actually encounter God pleading with the wicked to repent: ‘Turn, turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ Of course, we are not speaking of the decretive will of God in this context. It is certainly true that God decrees that some should be saved according to his eternal purpose of election, while others should be lost. However, as Murray observes, ‘In the text [above] it is the will of God’s benevolence (voluntas euarestias) that is stated, not the will of God’s decree (voluntas eudokias)’.[13]

The fourth text comes from Matthew 11:28–30: ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light’. In these verses, the Lord Christ offers and provides what is needed by those who are weary and burdened. These people are clearly sinners, but they have been put under a difficult yoke – that of the many rules and regulations of the pharisees. Jesus by way of contrast offers a yoke that easy and a burden that is light. Those who come to Christ and learn of Him will find rest for the soul. Clearly salvation in the fullest sense is freely offered in these verses to sinners of lost mankind. As John Murray observes, 'What is freely offered in the gospel? The word of Jesus already quoted (Matthew 11:28) gives the answer. It is Christ who is offered. More strictly, he offers himself. The whole gamut of redemptive grace is included … When Christ invites us to himself it is to the possession of himself and therefore of all that defines his identity as Lord and Saviour'.[14]  The whole Christ is offered freely to sinners of mankind lost in these beautiful verses and the free offer of the Gospel most clearly manifest.

The fifth text is taken from Matthew 23:37 (cf. Luke 13:34). Here Jesus pleads for the salvation of Jerusalem: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing’. It seems clear from this verse that Jesus desired to gather the people of Jerusalem as a mother hen would gather her chicks under her wings. As John Murray observes, ‘This surely means the gathering together of the people of Jerusalem under his saving and protecting grace. So we have the most emphatic declaration on the part of Christ of his having yearned for the conversion and salvation of the people of Jerusalem’.[15] Christ expresses intense emotion over the capital city of Israel. ‘Jerusalem’ is twice repeated for emphasis. Here is the very heart and centre of Israel, representing all the different kinds of people whom Jesus had encountered in his ministry. Jesus would gather them all under his wings, yet they refused him.

Our final text is taken from 2 Peter 3:9. ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. Here Peter argues that the delay of the coming of judgement is due to God’s patience or longsuffering as some translations put the verse. There is a fundamental antithesis in this verse between the terrible sentence of death meted out to lost sinners, and the life which God offers through repentance. God does not desire that any should perish. The divine patience allows time for the sinner to repent. In other words, God desires that such sinners should repent while there is still time before the final judgement occurs. According to Murray, ‘there is in God a benevolent lovingkindness towards the repentance and salvation of even those whom he has not [eternally] decreed to save. This pleasure, will, desire is expressed in the universal call to repentance’.[16]

Given the above observations, it seems that there is a clear basis in Scripture for the doctrine of the free offer of the Gospel. God clearly desires that all would turn to him and be saved through repentance and faith in his Son, the Lord Christ. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and desires that sinners would turn to him and be saved. The Lord Christ himself pleads with lost mankind to come to him and even weeps over Jerusalem, desiring to see all Israel saved. Peter reminds us that there is still time for repentance. God is patient and has no desire to see anyone perish. All this impresses upon us the urgency of the free offer of the Gospel and of the overtures of divine grace to lost mankind. Today is the day of salvation. The Church has a duty and responsibility to proclaim the riches of God’s grace, lovingkindness, and forbearance with lost humanity. Mission should take seriously the overtures of God’s grace and the kindness of his genuine and well-meant offer of redemption to lost mankind.

Recommended Reading

Bavinck, Herman, ‘Calvin and Common Grace’, The Princeton Theological Review, vol. VII (1909), 437–465.

Berkhof, Louis, ‘Common Grace’, Systematic Theology (Edinburgh, 1958), pp. 432–446.

Kuiper, Herman, Calvin on Common Grace (Grand Rapids, MI, 1928).

Kuyper, Abraham, Common Grace: God’s Gifts for a Fallen World (Bellingham, WA, 2016–2020), 3 vols.

Macleod, Donald, Compel Them to Come In: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel (Fearn, 2020).

Mouw, Richard J., He Shines in All That’s Fair: Culture and Common Grace (Grand Rapids, MI, 2001).

Murray, John, ‘Common Grace’, in The Collected Writings of John Murray: Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1977), pp. 93–119.

Murray, John, ‘The Atonement and the Free Offer of the Gospel’, in The Collected Writings of John Murray: The Claims of Truth, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1976), pp. 59–85.

Murray, John, The Free Offer of the Gospel (Edinburgh, 2001).

Van Til, Cornelius, Common Grace and the Gospel, 2nd edition (Phillipsburg, NJ, 2015).

 

Footnotes

[1] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Edinburgh, 1958), p. 432.

[2] Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 434.

[3] Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 434.

[4] Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI, 1992), pp. 123–125.

[5] Herman Bavinck, ‘Calvin and Common Grace’, The Princeton Theological Review, vol. VII (1909), 437–465.

[6] Abraham Kuyper, Common Grace: God’s Gifts for a Fallen World (Bellingham, WA, 2016–2020). 3 vols.

[7] Louis Berkhof, ‘Common Grace’, Systematic Theology, pp. 432–446. John Murray, ‘Common Grace’, in The Collected Writings of John Murray: Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1977), pp. 93–119; Herman Kuiper, Calvin on Common Grace (Grand Rapids, MI, 1928).

[8] John Murray, Collected Writings, vol. 2, p. 96.

[9] Berkhof, Systematic Theology, pp. 442–3.

[10] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II. 3. 3.

[11] Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 443.

[12] John Murray, The Free Offer of the Gospel (Edinburgh, 2001), p. 30.

[13] John Murray, The Free Offer of the Gospel, p. 21.

[14] John Murray, ‘The Atonement and the Free Offer of the Gospel’, in The Collected Writings of John Murray: The Claims of Truth, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1976), p. 82.

[15] John Murray, The Free Offer of the Gospel, p. 12.

[16] John Murray, The Free Offer of the Gospel, p. 30.