The Trinity Foundation - A History of Hypo-Calvinism

As I continue to study the doctrines of sovereign grace and the issue of common grace and the well meant offer I learn more and more how compromised the vast majority of so-called "Calvinists" are these days. Sinclair Ferguson, for example, has misrepresented the Marrow Controversy as having to do with the issue of antinomianism versus legalism. The case could not be more wrong. The actual issue was the so-called "well meant offer". In other words, advocates of the WMO say that God, against His double decree to both election and reprobation, desires to save the reprobate. How God could desire to save those He has already predetermined to eternal damnation is a question that can only be answered by irrationalism and self contradiction.

Herman Hoeksema exposed the Hypo-Calvinists as being sub-Reformed in their theology:

 And in his classic essay titled “Jesus Savior and the Evil of Hawking Him,” Hoeksema strongly exposes the false gospel of the Hypo-Calvinists:

Among the more conservative and moderate of these hawkers of Jesus are those that confine themselves to the preaching of a Jesus that is willing to save all men and who, therefore, present salvation as a mere chance, an opportunity the realization of which depends upon man’s choice. . . . And with heartrending pathos they will reach the climax of their perorations by saying: “Jesus is still waiting, waiting for you to open the door of your heart, that He may enter in! Won’t you come? Won’t you open the door? Won’t you accept Him and let Him in?” . . . Hawking Jesus is denying Him. . . . But Jesus, the Jesus of Scripture must be preached. He must be preached to all men promiscuously no doubt. It is a patent fact that, when the apostles go into all the world, they never hawk Jesus, they simply preach Him. . . . They preach Jesus and Him crucified and raised from the dead. They call men to repentance and faith in His name. But they never hawk Jesus. They preach a gospel that is, indeed, a power of God unto salvation; a Jesus that actually satisfied for the sins of His people, that actually saves by the power of His Spirit. And as many as are ordained to eternal life believe and are saved under their preaching, while the rest are hardened, hate the apostles, are enraged against them, stone them, kill them, as they did the prophets.³²

 Click here to read the entire article by Marc Carpenter:   The Trinity Foundation - A History of Hypo-Calvinism