THE BALANCE OF TRUTH

"We must be careful not to go overboard with Divine sovereignty." "We must be careful to maintain a balanced ministry." "If we are not careful, we might lead men into antinomianism by insisting too much upon salvation by grace, sovereign predestination, and the perfect security of God's elect in Christ." These, and many other such warnings, are things which I hear with increasing frequency from both those who are friends of the gospel and those who are seeking an excuse not to preach the gospel. It seems that many are fearful that the charges laid against us are true, that the plain declaration of gospel truth will have an ill effect upon God's people. I hear men say, almost apologetically, "I believe in Divine sovereignty, BUT (emphasizing the word "but") I also believe in human responsibility. I believe in election, BUT I also believe whosoever will may be saved. I believe in eternal security, BUT I also believe that a man must maintain good works." THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE "BUT"! THE TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL DO NOT CONTRADICT AND OPPOSE ONE ANOTHER!

Let's quit trying to please our hearers. That is really the problem. If the preaching of Divine sovereignty offends some Arminian, let him be offended. If the preaching of human responsibility offends some Hyper-Calvinist, let him be offended. If the preaching of free, perfect, eternal salvation irritates some legalist, let him be irritated. If the preaching of perseverance angers some antinomian, let him be angry. If the truth of God is perverted, twisted, and abused by some unregenerate religionist to the ruin of his own soul, the problem is not the pure truth of God but the evil heart of the man.

The infinite wisdom of God revealed in the gospel does not need the defence of puny men like us. Naked truth is powerful. The truth of God cannot be adorned by human ignorance (we call it "wisdom"). We will have a balanced ministry and a balance of truth only when we simply proclaim the truth as it is in Christ without fearing how men may respond to it.