There are two modern movements in evangelism today which claim the backing of Reformed Christians and are even supported by many of my closest friends. I find I cannot go along with them and must make my reasons clear for thinking, believing and acting otherwise. These many brethren will remain my friends, but I want them to realize what a dangerous threat to the Gospel their views have become. Any doctrine which relieves man of his responsibility for his own sins and declares him to be innocent of the mess he is in as a fallen sinner leaves no room for the atoning work of the Cross. If we are not responsible for our own sins, there is no reason or sense in Christ taking on Himself the responsibility of our having… Full Article
Posts Tagged John Gill
Recently, I came across a long essay in six parts entitled, ‘A Rebuttal to George M. Ella’s ‘John Gill and Justification from Eternity’ on a website named Word of His Grace. The writer, Peter Ditzel, had obtained a part-copy of an armchair talk I gave to my host and friends on justification in Minnesota some years ago. The author claims that in rebutting me, he is also rebutting Peter Meney’s New Focus article ‘Ten Arguments for Justification from Eternity’. I commenced my talk by referring to Romans 4:5 on God’s justification of the ungodly, thus opening a discussion on the timing of justification. Ditzel claims that before rebutting my Scriptural application, he must… Full Article
The suretyship of Christ in His office as Mediator Christ is our Surety because He transfers our obligations and debts to Himself, leaving us free from them. Those who preach that Christ was not imputed with our sin and did not pay a ransom for sinners’ debts, leave the sinner with his obligations, guilt and debts. He is forgiven, but still guilty, as if Christ had never unburdened him. Nowadays, we hear that Christ brings us pardon but not freedom from guilt, so we must constantly mortify ourselves through the moral law, to put into practice what Christ has gained for us in theory. The entire Mosaic law could neither save nor sanctify a sinner, so how can a cut-down version of it work such miracles? Christ’s Mediatorial… Full Article
The Mediatory and Covenantal Offices of Christ: An Evaluation and Acceptance of the Doctrine as expressed by the Reformation in General and John Gill in Particular. Part One: Christ’s Qualifications as Mediator Christ’s Covenant Mediatorship The New Testament, especially the Epistle to the Hebrews, describes Christ as Mediator. This office is allied to Christ’s further office, that of Covenant Head. He is described as the Mediator of the new and better covenant (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Christ alone bears this office as “there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). Many say that Moses, too, was a Mediator. His office, however, was that of God’s spokesman. Christ… Full Article
Iain Murray’s Controversy
Dec 15
Letter to the Banner of Truth Dear Christian Friends, Though The Banner of Truth Magazine is entitled to consider any matter as ‘an important controversy’ (Issue 378, p. 22), as in all controversies it is important to keep a cool head and avoid unwarranted statements. I must therefore point out that the argument that I denigrate 18th century evangelical contemporaries of William Huntington in all denominations is entirely unwarranted. Anyone who has read my recent articles and books on 18th century evangelicals of all denominations such as Cotton Mather, John Gill, James Hervey, William Romaine, William Cowper, Risdon Darracot and Philip Doddridge will know how utterly untrue your statement is. I would like to see this error… Full Article
Dear Brother: What is the difference between Gill’s ‘free declaration of peace and pardon, righteousness, life and salvation to poor sinners’ and the ‘free offer’ and ‘duty faith’ of those who deny outright that Gill appealed to all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel? The difference is that Gill keeps to the gospel as fulfilling what the law could not do, namely provide ‘free grace’. Modern harsh critics of Gill such as friends of the Banner of Truth and Reformation Today, cannot give up their trust in the law for salvation and sanctification. They start with preaching the gospel of duties until faith comes (sic!) and end with preaching sanctification and holiness through keeping the law. There is… Full Article
Come and Welcome Letter
Nov 11
The Banner of Truth Trust perverts Bunyan’s gospel A letter to the English Churchman Sir: Bunyan’s Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ based on John 6:37 is beset with the finest jewels of Christian preaching, infusing hope and joy into the hearts of sorrowing sinners. The BOT’s 1991 reprint of Bunyan’s original version was a most welcome evangelistic venture as Bunyan’s elegant, pithy language speaks as clearly today as it did in the 17th century. So why has the BOT now published a new, badly edited and altered version with an introduction and blurb containing irrelevant and misleading New Divinity propaganda? Paul Austen (Nr. 7652) rightly challenges the suitability of a publisher’s preface which presents… Full Article
Dear Sir, 1795-1835 was a time of widespread revival with Anglican Robert Hawker preaching to thousands, Independent William Huntington equalled his efforts and Baptist William Gadsby founding 45-50 churches filled with new converts. The PBs were not inactive in this time but Mr Cook confuses Gill’s orthodoxy with Fuller’s. Gill had one of the largest Particular Baptist congregations in Britain, outnumbering Fullers by far. Contemporary evangelical magazines objecting to Fullerism’s ‘gangerous’ effect on church growth were legion. However, in 1814, Fuller claimed that his churches had shrunk greatly to an average of fifty members and had been steadily on the decline for 25 years. Church increase was due to… Full Article
Harmon on Fuller
Nov 7
I have forgotten for which publication I wrote this letter. Sir: Prof. Harmon’s recent critique of my Law and Gospel in the Theology of Andrew Fuller (Fall, 2001.) is inaccurate, lacking the objectivity of a scholar. I do not argue that Fuller sought to modify extreme Calvinism but point out that Fuller was often more High Calvinist than a number of his friends and foes, including Gill and Huntington. Prof. Harmon ranks the latter two with High Calvinists although they were both Sublapsarians. Fuller grew up in an extreme High-Calvinist, Antinomian and Johnsonian church and pastored it for some time. His Hyper-Calvinistic teaching that the full gospel was for believers only never left him and would have… Full Article
The March/April, 1999 number of Reformation Today features four articles on John Gill. The first, entitled John Gill – a Sketch of his Life, is a succinctly written biography of Gill’s faithful and productive life in the service of the gospel. Next, Editor Errol Hulse continues with John Gill – An Appreciation, presented as a review of The Life and Thought of John Gill (1697-1771), (ed. Michael Haykin). Here, Hulse ignores the facts of Gill’s own testimony to make what he calls ‘a fair assessment of the damage which emanated from his errors.’ Thus, though the book Hulse reviews chiefly depicts Gill as a great evangelist and soul-winner, his one-sided critique is centred on Gill’s supposed Hyper-Calvinism and lack of… Full Article
