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Common Grace Considered Rev Common Grace Considered Rev. Herman Hanko Common Grace Considered 1 SUMMARY Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3 Common vs. Particular Grace .................................................................................................... 5 Brief History of the Origins of The Teaching .............................................................................. 8 John Calvin and the Subject of Common Grace ....................................................................... 11 The "Canons of Dordt" and Common Grace ............................................................................ 15 The "Free Offer" of the Gospel ................................................................................................ 18 Amyraldianism ........................................................................................................................ 20 The Westminister Confession and the "well-meant gospel offer" ............................................ 23 Did the Westminster Assembly teach a gracious and well-meant offer .................................... 26 The “Marrow Controversy” ..................................................................................................... 30 Dr. Abraham Kuyper and Common Grace ................................................................................ 34 Dr. Abraham Kuyper's common grace ..................................................................................... 37 The "Common Grace" issue in the Christian Reformed Church ................................................ 40 The Serious Implications of "Common Grace" ......................................................................... 43 The First Point of Common Grace: An Introduction ................................................................. 47 Is God Gracious in Giving Good Gifts to All Men? .................................................................... 52 Are Riches a Blessing? or Sickness a curse? ............................................................................. 56 The Distinction Between Gifts to the Righteous and Gifts to the Wicked ................................. 60 Is Love Consistant with Justice and Wrath? ............................................................................. 64 The Sovereignty of God -- and sin ............................................................................................ 68 Christ: His human nature and His love - for whom? ................................................................. 71 Election and Reprobation Denied ............................................................................................ 76 Scriptural "proof" for Common Grace: Matthew 5:44-45 ........................................................ 79 God is Kind to the Unthankful and to the Evil .......................................................................... 86 Is "General Revelation" a matter of Common Grace? .............................................................. 90 God's Wrath shown to the Ungodly in Creation ....................................................................... 94 The Works of the Law Written in Man's Heart ......................................................................... 99 More On the Works of the Law in the Heart .......................................................................... 103 "General Revelation" Again ................................................................................................... 107 Common Grace: the "Restraint of Sin in all Men" .................................................................. 110 The view of "Restraint of Sin in Natural Man" ....................................................................... 113 Implications of the Second Point of Common Grace .............................................................. 117 Scriptural "proof" for the Second Point of Common Grace .................................................... 120 II Thess. 2:6,7& Belgic Confession, Arts. 13, 36 ...................................................................... 124 Sundry Arguments for "gracious restraint of sin"................................................................... 128 Does God 'Restrain Sin"? ....................................................................................................... 133 What does the Spirit work in the reprobate?......................................................................... 138 What do the Confessions teach about restraint of sin?.......................................................... 142 Protestant Reformed Position regarding Common Grace ...................................................... 145 What of the unbelievers' "good works"? ............................................................................... 149 Further evaluation of the "good" of the reprobate ................................................................ 153 Scripture and the Confessions on the "good works" of the reprobate ................................... 156 Final remarks on the "good" that the ungodly do .................................................................. 160 The Gracious Well-meant Offer ............................................................................................. 164 The Teaching of "The Well-meant Offer" of Salvation ............................................................ 167 Theological Arguments Given for the "Free Offer of the Gospel" ........................................... 170 The "Free Offer" and Christ's Atonement .............................................................................. 174 The "Apparent Contradictions" in God .................................................................................. 176 2 Further reflection on the "knowledge of God." ..................................................................... 180 Two Charges Against Deniers of a "Free Offer" ...................................................................... 184 Is the "free offer of the gospel" taught in the Canons of Dordt? ............................................ 188 God's Command to Repent and Believe ................................................................................ 191 What of the Canons of Dordt, Articles 8 and 9? ..................................................................... 194 What of I Tim. 2:4 & I Tim. 4:10? (51) .................................................................................... 197 What of Ezekiel 18:31-32 and Ezekiel 33:11? ......................................................................... 201 Ezekiel 18 and Ezekiel 33 further examined ........................................................................... 204 Concerning II Peter3:9........................................................................................................... 207 What II Peter 3:9 Teaches ..................................................................................................... 211 Turretin's Quote; What of Matt. 23:37-39? ........................................................................... 215 Further Comments on Matt. 23:37-39 ................................................................................... 218 What is the Preaching of the Gospel? .................................................................................... 221 Final Remarks and Final Article.............................................................................................. 225 Common Grace Considered 3 INTRODUCTION At the last annual meeting of the British Reformed Fellowship in July, 2008 it was decided to continue the forum that Prof. Engelsma had led on the subject of justification by faith alone. Because Prof. Engelsma had nearly finished the material he wanted to include in his articles, it was decided to introduce a new subject: “Common Or Particular Grace.” And it was decided to ask me to write for the forum on this subject. I accepted this appointment with some reluctance, for my work in Seminary was not in the field of theology. But the importance of the subject compelled me to accept. I am hoping that the discussion of common grace versus particular grace will generate questions and/or comments. Such questions or comments will make the forum more lively and give me an opportunity to learn what problems others have with the subject. I think, however, that the best way to conduct a discussion on these questions or remarks is through me. If we open the forum to a general discussion, we run the risk of reducing the forum to a debating society, and subsequent progress would be slow at best. If questions or comments are sent to me, I will answer them in my own writings in the forum so that all can profit by them. So, please write. As most of you know, I am a member of the Protestant Reformed Churches. That means that the controversy concerning common grace versus particular grace is at the starting point of our history as a denomination and was the immediate occasion for the coming into existence of the churches of which I am a member. My own personal life is closely bound up in the controversy, for my father was a member of Rev. Herman Hoeksema’s church (Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church) at the time of Rev. Hoeksema’s deposition from the ministry by the Christian Reformed Church. He was in the first graduating class from the Protestant Reformed Seminary and was a minister of the gospel in that denomination
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