Corrupting the Word of God: The History of the Well-Meant Offer
Does the eternal, unchangeable, all-powerful, and sovereign God really have a temporal, changeable and weak desire to save those whom he has unconditionally reprobated (Rom. 9:22), for whom the Son did not die (John 12:31) and whom the Holy Spirit will not regenerate, sanctify or glorify (John 3:8)?
Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anabaptism, Arminianism, Amyraldism, and Marrowism say yes to the well-meant offer of the gospel. The biblical, Augustinian, Reformed, and creedal position is no!
Emeritus professor of church history Herman Hanko guides us through fascinating doctrinal controversies in the early, Reformation, and modern eras of the church, taking us to North Africa, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, and America, and emphasizing the teaching of the great theologians, such as Augustine and John Calvin, on God’s particular grace, which is always irresistible and never fails or is frustrated.
In dealing with the historical perspective of God's absolutely sovereign grace versus the well-meant offer, this book fills a gap in the literature, and does so in a way that is warm and easily understood.
What others are saying about this book:
"The book’s value is threefold. First, it sets forth a history of the doctrine of the well-meant offer (WMO). I am aware of no other book-length treatment of this history. This book is unique in providing such a history. Second, by tracing the historical development of the doctrine, the book exposes the error of the WMO. Hanko correctly notes that we must determine from Scripture alone, and not from the historical development of a doctrine, whether a doctrine is true or false. Third, the book’s value is to reveal that, running in a parallel track to the history of the WMO, the opposition to the WMO by faithful men and church bodies also has a long history. We who oppose the WMO are not new in our opposition, nor do we stand alone. It may seem that we stand alone, but when we consider the history of the opposition to the WMO, we must realize we do not. These values of the book make it worthwhile reading. I encourage you to read it. Are you afraid that the book will be 'over your head'? The book is not so much doctrinal as historical, the chapters are not overly long, and Hanko’s style is easy to follow. [You] can handle this book, even if you read it only a chapter at a time." -Douglas Kuiper
Read a review by Douglas Kuiper (the Standard Bearer).
Herman Hanko (1930-2024) served as a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1955 to 1965, when he was appointed to serve as professor in the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grandville, MI. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2001. Until his passing in April 2024, he continued to lecture widely in the USA, the United Kingdom, and other countries, including Singapore and the Philippines. He is the author of several RFPA books.
Mark Homer Hoeksema (1949-2021) was the son of a Protestant Reformed minister. He had a great love for church history, facilitating and recording many dozens of interviews and profiles with men and women in the Reformed church tradition. Many of these can be found in the archives of the Standard Bearer and the Beacon Lights, a publication for Reformed young people of which he was editor-in-chief for some years. He also wrote numerous Bible study guides for the RFPA.
- 272 pages
- hardcover
- ISBN 978-1-944555-10-8
- Release date: December 1, 2016
eBook version available