Not many things make a preacher more excited than having visitors to the congregation any given morning or evening for worship. We encourage our people to invite their friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors, and hopefully we ourselves are doing the same thing. But the question that can sometimes perplex preachers of a Reformed background is, “How do we speak to those visitors in our midst who do not profess Christ?” After all, we are Reformed, which entails a commitment to God’s sovereign decree and to his purpose of election. Are we to be stifled in our preaching by the fact that there may be those not of the elect of God in our midst? If we offer the gospel plainly and freely, are we not falling into the pitfalls and traps of Arminianism?
Donald John MacLean seeks to address this question in his short book, All Things are Ready: Understanding the Gospel in its Fullness and Freeness. MacLean devotes nine chapters to show that the nature of the gospel and the character of God himself demand the free gospel offer. Reformed theology at its best, MacLean demonstrates, has both held to the invincible sovereign providence of God and to the free offer of the gospel. Therefore, preachers should not hesitate to proclaim the free grace of God in Jesus Christ to all who will hear.
MacLean begins with the statement, “It is one of the glories of the gospel that it is universal in scope. There is nothing narrow or limited about the good news of salvation” (11). He goes on to state his purpose, “My hope in this book is to explore this great gospel message of salvation, focusing on the nature of this free offer of the good news of salvation to lost sinners. By this free offer I mean a well meant and sincere invitation from God to all without exception to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior” (11–12).
MacLean accomplishes his task well, exploring various facets of the gospel and looking into the Scripture’s teaching on the character of God. Leaning on Scripture and Reformed luminaries such as John Calvin, James Durham, Thomas Boston, John Murray, and others, MacLean demonstrates that the doctrine of the free offer of the gospel has both a Scriptural and a Reformed pedigree. In the early chapters of the book, he deals with the theological grounding of the gospel offer; he explains the nature of the gospel itself, the reality of God’s sovereign election in salvation, the reality of the gospel offer in Scripture, and that God himself ultimately is the One who offers the gospel (64–69).
In the latter portion of the book, MacLean addresses those questions that we may consider practical questions. Like a skilled surgeon, he seeks to excise those impediments that often keep a sinner from calling upon Christ. Perhaps you are a pastor who has counseled someone who doubts that he is among the elect of God. Perhaps you are a person who has wondered if you could possibly be among the elect of God, or if God could possibly want you to be saved. If that is the case, then you will find the last half of this book to be of great value. From examination of the Scripture’s teaching on the reception of the gospel offer (79–92), to explaining how we ought to understand God’s will as it relates to secret and revealed things (93–115), to answering common objections to the free offer of the gospel (139–158), MacLean masterfully shows forth that sinners should lay their objections aside and come unto Christ. And is this not what the pastor ought to do—to show sinners Christ and exhort them to cease striving against Christ’s call and come unto him? Christ will receive with gladness all who come to him.
The book has many strengths, but it especially excels in its pastoral sensibilities in the second half of the book. Particularly helpful is the discussion of God’s character as it relates to the gospel offer. For example, MacLean explains that God delights in sinners coming to Christ because “God’s revealed will is His delight” (97). If this is the case, then God does not begrudgingly tolerate the fact that sinners come to him and only half-heartedly show them mercy. Rather, he delights to receive sinners. MacLean, commenting on Ezekiel 33:10–11 writes,
We cannot deny God’s pleasure in any and all sinners turning to Him without denying the very being of our God. Seeing as He could swear by no one greater than Himself, by His own eternal superabundant life, He has set His own life as the seal that He desires all sinners to repent and find life. And because of this the compassionate loving call goes forth, “Turn, turn from your evil ways.” God’s gospel offer is not a bare command disconnected from who He is. (106)
Other very helpful pastoral and theological counsel is seen in the chapter on “Objections Considered” (139–158). One imagines in this section a parishioner approaching a pastor, concerned not only for the current state of his own soul, but concerned also about his own election. Far too often, the doctrine of election is seen as a hindrance to coming to Christ rather than as a help. MacLean offers no compromise on the truth of God’s unconditional election or Christ’s definite and particular atonement; but nonetheless, he demonstrates that God sovereignly orchestrates the offer of the gospel going to sinners to bring about their conversion. The import of this is that a sinner ought not to despair that he can never be saved if he will come to Christ, nor should he use God’s sovereignty as an excuse for apathy (140–143). In other words, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are upheld.
It is difficult to determine any major weakness in this book. It serves both as a much-needed antidote to stilted preaching that has lost its evangelistic edge, and as a word of comfort to the weary saint battling for assurance and seeking to understand how they fit into God’s decree. It is also a corrective to the man or woman or child who will not come to Christ because they believe there is no hope for them. Perhaps one area where the book leaves the reader wanting is simply in leaving other practical questions unaddressed. For example, a preacher may wonder if this means he can explicitly and forthrightly say to all his hearers, “Jesus Christ died for your sins.” Can an evangelist say to the new person with whom he is interacting, “Christ has borne your guilt,” or is he only to speak in generalities? Given that a book of this length and nature cannot possibly address every question or objection the reader may have, this should not be seen as a major weakness.
Donald John MacLean has written an immensely helpful book for understanding the nature of the gospel and its free offer. In a day in which Reformed preaching often suffers due to lack of urgent appeals for sinners to come unto Christ, MacLean’s book serves as an exhortation to take up the task of evangelistic preaching once again. It will also help the struggling believer or the person who just cannot believe that God could ever accept them. As MacLean reminds us by quoting John Murray in the first chapter, “It is Christ in all the glory of his person and in all the perfection of his finished work whom God offers in the gospel” (15).1 How could such a Christ whose work is so perfect and indestructible fail to save any who will come unto him? This book will remind you of the gospel of grace, of the glory of Christ and of the character of God. It will not only aid your understanding but it will also warm your affections and drive you to greater awe at the glory of Christ and his free grace.
Note
- John Murray, Collected Writings of John Murray, 4 vols. (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1976–1982), 4:132, quoted in MacLean, 15.
© James Ritchey. All Rights Reserved.
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James Ritchey
James Ritchey is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and studied at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS (2018). James serves as mission developer and pastor at River City Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Little Rock, AR.
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