Free offer of the gospel

The free offer of the Gospel, sometimes called the well-meant offer of the gospel, in Christian theology, is the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. It is generally accepted by Calvinists, but rejected by a few small Reformed denominations, such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia and the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, and also by some English Strict Baptists of longer standing, such as John Gill and, later, the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists.

The phrase "the free offer" has not always been used in the same way throughout history. One historical usage is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 31, "What is Effectual Calling" which ends "he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel." Due to its presence in the commonly used catechism, this phrase would for centuries have been familiar to most Scottish Christians and to some in other countries as well. In this context, the phrase is used in connection with God's elect, whom he effectually calls.

Modern day usage of the phrase "the free offer" is used synonymously with the phrase "the well-meant offer." Modern debates over the topic generally deal with the phrase as defined by John Murray in his OPC statement "The Free Offer of the Gospel."

The free offer of the gospel builds on, but is not the same as, the general call, which can be found in the Canons of Dort. This states: "Moreover, it is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people, to whom God in his good pleasure sends the gospel" (II.5).

This distinction is important as it distinguishes those who deny the free offer from those who might deny the general call.

The free offer is related to the belief that "God not only delights in the penitent but is also moved by the riches of his goodness and mercy to desire the repentance and salvation of the impenitent and reprobate."

Based upon this belief, John Murray concludes that: "The full and free offer of the gospel is a grace bestowed upon all... 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."

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