Luke 2:10—“good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people”

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people (Luke 2:10).

 

WELL-MEANT OFFER ARGUMENT:

Q. “According to Luke 2:10, the gospel is meant to be ‘good tidings of great joy,’ for ‘all people’ … The gospel is intended to be ‘good news’ for ‘everyone’—not just some. How can it be ‘good tidings’ for everyone if it merely declares the facts that God loves His elect, that Christ has secured them by purchase, and that the Holy Spirit will irresistibly call them to faith and salvation? … If that is how we define and preach the gospel, how can it ever be good news to ‘all’ people? … Surely it can only be good tidings to ‘all people’ if it is a general, well-meant offer; that God goes out in the preaching to all that outwardly hear, graciously offering them salvation, promising them salvation if they will simply believe in Jesus Christ, and sincerely desires all who hear to be saved by it; that it is a message that is intended to benefit and bring ‘great joy’ to everyone …”

Q. “If the gospel is, intrinsically, ‘good news’ for ‘all men,’ then there must be a favour of God upon all men in some sense, and that it only becomes ‘bad news’ toward those who willfully reject it; until they do that, they claim, it is *good* news to them …”

 

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Prof. David J. Engelsma

The Bible teaches that the gospel, although good news in itself, is good news that is intended by God to harden some humans to whom it comes (see Romans 9).  Also, Scripture teaches that the gospel proves to be good news only to some humans (Acts 13:48).  If God intended it to be good news accomplishing salvation to all men, why are not all men saved by it?  Does it depend on the will of sinners?  Here again the implication is that salvation is a matter of the will of sinners, rather than the will of God. (DJE, 03/09/2018)

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More to come! (DV)