(From Outside the Camp Vol. 7, No. 3)
"It is my contention that often
we are not preaching the gospel to sinners properly.
I fear that we are failing in this great matter with disastrous consequences.
This is the place where the finger of accusation must come to rest. Are we
really preaching the gospel to sinners? ... That question ought to tax us. Are we preaching
'right'? Are we addressing sinners properly? Frequently, I think not. ... I see
a practical, or incipient, hyper-Calvinism and a paralysis creeping upon us.
... Inevitably, this must tend to reduce conversions. ... I contend that often
we are failing to preach the gospel in a soul-saving way. ... And our failure
lies both in the content of our sermons and in their style and delivery. ... It
is clear that God delights in the salvation of sinners. It is proper to say
that God takes pleasure in their salvation. But to say that does not go far
enough; it falls short of the scriptural teaching on the free offer. The point
is: Does God actually desire
the salvation of sinners? Does he want
sinners to be saved? And further, Does God desire the salvation
even of those who are reprobate? ... I assert that this is the heart of the
matter. Does God desire
the salvation of all men? The answer is, yes! Therefore we must, in
our preaching, declare indiscriminately to all our hearers that God desires to
see them saved. Further, we are preaching the gospel to sinners properly, only
when we are convinced of the truth of such a desire in God and say so very
clearly. We can only persuade sinners to be reconciled to God when we are
persuaded that God not only delights in their salvation, but he actually desires it."
- David Gay, in "Preaching the Gospel To Sinners" (1 & 2), The Banner of Truth, Jul. & Aug-Sept. 1994 (emphasis in original).