John Gill and the Charge of Hyper-Calvinism « Biographia Evangelica
In
The Cause of God Gill clearly stresses the Christian duty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to call and command sinners to repent. All men are naturally bound to repent, argues Gill, because they have naturally broken the law. Commanding them to repent is putting them under the curse of the law which they have broken in their natural state.
To Gill, this is a law-ordained need for repentance in the legal sense. What man has broken, he has a duty to mend.
This does not mean, however, that man can mend what he has broken and obtain legal righteousness, but he is still a debtor to the law for having broken it. The law forces its demands on every one because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
What Gill calls evangelical repentance, is for him another matter. He sees this as a turning form sin to receive pardon in Christ.
This kind of turning from sin to Christ can only come about by a sovereign act of God`s goodness which leads to true repentance and Gospel righteousness.
Yes, only God can grant repentance to know the truth and be saved, but all men God commands to repent and believe as they have broken the LAW, not God.
It is a sin to not repent and believe the gospel. And sin can only be forgiven by a sovereign decision of God to forgive a sinner, in HIS name is preached the forgiveness of sin.
But you can not come to Christ unless He grants you to know the truth and not impute your sins to you according His mercy for you individually, for you are under the just and right judgement of death for your sins. AND MEN WILL NOT COME OF THEIR OWN FALLEN WILL, just like Christ lamenting the fate of Jerusalem
John 5
39
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
John 6
63 It is the Spirit who gives life;
the flesh profits nothing (note John 5 above). The words that I speak to you are spirit, and
they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
2 Timothy 2:24-26
New King James Version
24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and
that they may come to their senses
and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to
do his will.
Matthew 11:27
All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and
the one to whom the Son wills to reveal
Him.
Luke 10:21-23
New King James Version
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from
the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and
the one to whom the Son wills to reveal
Him.”
23 Then He turned to
His disciples and said privately, “Blessed
are the eyes which see the things you see;
