Nielsen’s Nook

What is freely offered in the gospel? Matthew 11:28 among other verses gives us the Lord’s answer:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Christ offers himself, with “the whole gamut of redemptive grace … included.” (Collected Writings, vol 1. p 82). This is of course in the context of Union with Christ, which is a triune union.

It is thus union with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the particularity that each person sustains to men and in the distinguishing grace that each bestows in the economy of salvation. To nothing less are sinners invited in Christ’s overture of himself. (ibid)

And so if it is Christ who is offered then we may only speak of an atonement that has in fact wrought redemption. It is not an opportunity for salvation that is offered but Christ himself, who is salvation. Further, while the general love of God for humanity is not to be discounted, the offer is of the Gospel which is distinguished by God’s particular love for His sheep, His church (John 10:10-29; Ephesians 5:25-27). Thirdly, it is only in Christ that the wealth and love of the Gospel are existential. (ibid, p. 83).

Murray then concludes in his typical economy of precision. The free offer of the Gospel demands faith and commitment - not to a proposition (e.g., believe and be saved) but commitment to the Salvation, to Jesus Christ. The whole Christ is freely offered and “faith is first of all commitment to him. It is receiving and resting upon him alone for salvation.” (ibid, p. 84).

For me Murray moves me towards contemplation here, away from purely propositional thoughts, though not removing the place of the thought from the thing being contemplated. There is sort of sigh that I can hear in my soul, “Oh God, thank you that you have saved me on the basis of Christ Jesus and not on my ability to articulate the intricacies of all that you have done in History to accomplish this!” Indeed, “wherever there is faith as slender as one strand of the spider’s web, there the fulness of redeeming grace is active. ‘Him that cometh unto me,’ said Jesus, ‘I will in no wise cast out.’ (John 6:37).” (ibid, p. 85).

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Murray, John. Collected Writings of John Murray. Volume 1: The Claims of Truth. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1976. Reprinted 1989.