Dr LLoyd-Jones and Hypothetical Universalism

There's another manifestation of dishonesty within reformed evangelicalism and that is where it shows itself in not being totally honest about what you believe the Scriptures to teach on the way of salvation.  So long as a preacher can say the right words and use the right terms, it matters little what he means by them.  "Dishonesty is the best policy" in this regard. 

Because Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones never said he was Amyraldian, yet preached a Gospel message consistent with the Amyraldian view, reformed men held him to be a "five point Calvinist" as usually understood.  Which he wasn't.  Because he believed in and preached the universality and the universal sufficiency and design of the atonement to save the whole world, dishonest people ignore that this was in reality the case.  Just read his evangelistic sermons and references to this doctrine abound in every sermon and almost on every page.

But, and here's the point; he never said, to the best of my knowledge, that he was an Amyraldian; therefore he must be an Owenite theologically.  Others have said he was an Amyraldian, and there are more than sufficient data to establish this beyond doubt.  He knew and declared that Christ died for the whole world, that He does to take away the sin of the world, that He shed His blood for humanity and for the human race.  Yet our reformed brethren do not seem to take this on board, primarily because it will bring tremendous and irreconcilable distress upon them.  What if they admit the truth?  What will their ultra-reformed brethren think of them?  Will preaching invitations be withdrawn?  Will they be written off an unorthodox or sub-orthodox?

The lesson: don't admit to what you really believe and don't put a name to it, and you'll be accepted by your peers as a totally orthodox theologian.  The high orthodox men appear to be happy in a world of no definition, because the moment you define as precisely as possible the meaning of a thing, you are in for trouble. 

It appears that the church today does not want men who follow faithfully to the biblical Gospel as expounded by Calvin and his faithful followers.  Calvin's Gospel is too wide for them, for to adopt and preach it, you will end up possibly diluting your small and pure church membership, thus making ministerial life difficult for yourself.

However, what the church needs most of all is a Gospel that is as wide as God's mercy to mankind allows and as particular as His sovereign grace operates.  Christ's death on Calvary is sufficient enough to save the whole world and it is also efficient and effective enough to infallibly save the elect of God.

As George Whitefield so rightly said, "Take sinners to the primary school of repentance and faith before taking them to the university of election and predestination."