Canons of Dordt (37)

The call of the gospel is sincere. It proclaims that the Lord has no desire in the death of the wicked, but that he would turn unto Him and live.

He calls the dead, who are enemies against Him, “Be ye reconciled to God.” The prophet says in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near.” He is near when He knocks at the door of our hearts in the sincere call of the gospel. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. But by nature men have no desire for God and His service. They do not come to Him and repent. The fault does not He in the gospel, but in them.

This is what we read in the Third and Fourth Heads, Article 9.

It is not the fault of the gospel, nor of Christ, offered therein, nor of God, who calls men by the gospel and confers upon them various gifts, that those who are called by the ministry of the Word refuse to come and be converted. The fault lies in themselves, some of whom when called, regardless of their danger, reject the word of life; others, though they receive it, suffer it not to make a lasting impression on their heart; therefore, their joy, arising only from a temporary faith, soon vanishes and they fall away; while others choke the seed of the word by perplexing cares and the pleasures of this world, and produce no fruit. This our Savior teaches in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13).

Many are called by the gospel to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. This is a calling that comes to all the hearers without distinction— rich and poor, young and old. However, many do not come to the Lord. The question is whose guilt this is. The Remonstrants said that the Reformed with their teaching of election and reprobation had to put the blame on God. For did not the Reformed say that faith is not man's decision but a gift of God wrought by His Spirit, and that conversion is a fruit of this work? Therefore, according to the Remonstrants, the cause lies in God if man does not have that faith and perishes.

Our fathers rejected this accusation. They did not speak about man as a poor victim, but as a responsible creature, who is active in his state of death, hardens himself against all God's callings and invitations, and willfully chooses the way of death instead of the way of life.

Salvation, the Reformed taught, is by free grace alone, but man perishes because of his own foolishness. It is his own fault.

Where the guilt does not lie

The cause of our perdition lies in us. It does not lie in the gospel. This gospel calls man sincerely, urgently, freely. It comes to whoever hears it. It is such a serious matter to live under the proclamation of the good tidings.

The guilt does not lie in Christ. He is the greater Joseph, whose storehouses are still full. His work is all sufficient. There is hope even for the chief of sinners. His blood cleanses from all sins. Saul of Tarsus could be cleansed by it; so could even a Manassen in the prison and the thief on the cross. Harlots and publicans have not been sent away by Christ. Is there then anyone who can say that the calling of Christ does not come to him? We read in John 1:11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”

The guilt also does not lie with God. There is no injustice in Him. He is not the author or worker of unbelief, but He is patient and longsuffering, even to those who continue to harden themselves against all His warnings, callings, and invitations. This article says that God even “confers upon them various gifts.” In Hebrews 6:4-5 the apostle speaks of those who were once enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come. It is possible to have received gifts to serve in God's church. Judas preached the Word and could perform miracles. God, in His longsuffering, can bestow upon men precious gifts, and yet they may not repent and surrender to Him. No, it is the opposite: they will exalt themselves and appeal to these gifts as a right. We read in Matthew 7:22, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many wonderful works?” Christ, however, will say to them, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” In spite of all those precious gifts, they refused to repent and turn to the Lord.

Where the cause really lies

Nobody will be able to cast the blame upon God or upon His gospel. There is sufficient room in the gospel; Christ's sacrifice is sufficient, and the blood of Jesus Christ is able to cleanse from all sin. It pleases God when people return to Him and believe. Our fathers emphatically stated that the fault lies in us. In our fall in Adam we have chosen death instead of life, the bondage of the service of sin instead of the liberty of God's service of love. And now man by nature confirms that choice daily. He wants to be free, but he is a slave. He desires to be his own boss, but he is really a captive of the prince of darkness and of his own evil lusts. Our hearts are wicked, evil, and stubborn, and they refuse to give heed to God's Word.

Yes, there are differences among people. Not everyone receives the Word or reacts to it in the same manner. It is as the Lord Jesus taught in the parable of the sower.

The Word is as seed that is sown, and part of it falls by the wayside, where the birds come and take it away. These are the people who have little esteem for the means of grace. If they come to church, they sit under the preaching of the most precious and solemn truths with an indifferent heart, full of the desires and cares of this present world. They are perhaps buying and selling while God is speaking to them through His Word. Or they are busy with others; listening for others; criticizing the preacher, consistory, and other people in church, without any concern for the salvation of their souls. As soon as they are outside the building, they show in their conversations that they already have forgotten most of what has been said. They remain unmoved when they hear of guilt and sin, about the necessity of Christ, about the treasures that can be found in Him. In their carelessness they reject the gospel.

There are also other hearers. Their reaction to the Word of God preached to them is quite different. They are not unmoved but show emotion. They may be in tears or have feelings of joy under the preaching of God's Word. They may have good intentions in their hearts; they may express beautiful promises and resolutions. They may already sing with joy while God's children are perhaps sitting in bands of unbelief and strife. In short, it looks very promising, just as with the seed that feil on the stony ground. It sprang up quickly; however, it had no depth of earth, and soon, under the heat of the sun, the plants withered away without giving any fruit. Thus it is with this class of hearers. When persecution comes, or when the work is tested by trials, it appears that it was temporary, and they return to their former life. Their feelings were touched, but their hearts were not renewed, and there was no true conversion to God.

Some of the seed falls among the thorns, which choke young plants. It is a picture of those who have a divided heart. For a while there seems to be a sincere longing to hear the Word of God. There are deep impressions of the truth, but “perplexing cares and the pleasures of this world” soon take away all their good intentions, and it appears that they have never truly turned their backs to the world. These are people who like Orpah could not say farewell to the Moab of the world. They halt between two opinions. They never come to the choice of Ruth.

A calling to us

What a warning, also for us! Life is so busy, and everything goes so fast in our days. We are all in a hurry. Young people sometimes tell me that some sermons made impressions on them, but in the week following they were so busy with their exams and studies that soon all they heard went to the background. Middle-aged people will tell you that in their youth they had convictions, but now they are so busy providing for their families that they just do not have time anymore to sit down and consider, or, it seems, to seek the Lord. How different it is when God binds the weight of our souls and eternity upon us, and when He opens our eyes to see the grave danger in which we are and the necessity to haste for our lives' sake. There will be seed that by God's grace will fall into earth well prepared by the Spirit. We can never excuse ourselves with the necessity of divine intervention in our lives. We read in Luke 10:13-14, “Woe unto thee Chorazin! Woe unto thee Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.”

The Lord still calls us; He is longsuffering and patient. But this will not be forever. He has opened a way of salvation in the blood and righteousness of His dear Son. He is worthy to be served and honored. Bow yet before Him, seek Him early, and cry mightily for the power of His work in your heart. Then we would say with Jeremiah 3:22, “Behold, we come unto Thee; for Thou art the LORD, our God.” And with verse 25, “We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD, our God, we and our fathers.”

Those who may thus come to Him He will not turn away, but He will receive them in mercy and will surprise them with His gracious gifts.

(Rev. Vogelaar is pastor of the congregation of Kalamazoo, MI.)

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