The Invitation

Many people who go to church have heard it. Many church services have, as a component of their service, a section called "the invitation". It is when someone offers to all the congregation the Gospel. It usually includes an "altar call" of some sort, although I think those are largely going out of vogue in these days of not wanting to put impediments in the way of "seekers". Most Christians today think of the Gospel as just such an event -- an invitation to come to Christ.

There are reasons for this perception. Many of the New Testament statements seem to be invitations. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Sounds like an invitation. There are many of those "if" type statements. "If you ... then I will ..." Sounds like an invitation. And aren't we commanded to "preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15). Sounds like an invitation. One of the most popular Gospel invitations is found in Revelation. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). Sounds like an invitation.

I wonder, however, if the offer of the Gospel is really an offer as much as a command. There are a few reasons for my question. First, there isn't a "Gospel invitation" in the Old Testament. No one is ever invited to submit to God. You will never find a prophet giving an altar call. Jonah didn't go to Ninevah with an offer; he went with a threat. In the Old Testament God's "offer" is always, "Repent or die" in some form or another. People in the Old Testament could choose either. They could have faith or not, but it wasn't an invitation; it was a command which, if not obeyed, would carry consequences.

The second factor is the number of New Testament commands on the topic. Jesus didn't present an offer; He commanded, "Repent" (e.g., Matt. 4:17; Luke 13:3). Paul told the Philippian jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31). That isn't quite an offer; it's an ultimatum. Just about everyone knows the "invitation" of John 3:16, but most don't realize the flip-side that Jesus offered: "He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

Well, then, what about those passages I listed that seem to be offers rather than commands? I think they bear further examination. Oddly enough, Matthew 11:28 is followed immediately by Matthew 11:29-30. These don't quite appear to be as "invitational":

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:29-30).

"Take my yoke upon you." That's an invitation? No, that sounds more like a command with an ultimatum. And, indeed, we are to preach the gospel to all creation, but that good news doesn't even begin to require an invitation. The "good news" is "You're a sinner (good news?), and your only hope is to place your trust in Christ who died for your sins." Not much of an invite there. One of the most tortured invitational pieces is that Revelation 3 verse. Yanked wholly out of context, it certainly does seem quite inviting. But you have to yank it out of context for that. What is the context? This is in the midst of a letter from Jesus to one of the seven churches, not to the world. Jesus isn't writing to the world, "I'm standing outside your door knocking." He's writing to a church. When you have the Lord of the Church writing that He's standing outside, it's not much of an invitation. This becomes ominous. Instead of a generous offer to a lost world, this becomes more of a last-ditch opportunity to a dying church to repent or die.

We like it to be an invitation. It sounds nice. It's also a bit deistic. But what is really the problem? Why would I care about the distinction? The concept of an invitational gospel is nice, but it is problematic if God is making a command, not an offer. An offer can be refused. "Would you like this?" "Oh, no thanks." A command cannot. A command can only be obeyed or disobeyed. Too often these days I hear skeptics saying, "Why would God send people to Hell simply because they don't take His offer?" That's the problem. God doesn't send people to Hell because they don't accept an invitation; He sends people to Hell because they defy the God of the universe. If it's an offer, it's not that big of a deal. If it's a command, woe to him who ignores it. I think the concept of an invitational gospel misses entirely the sin of refusing it.