John Gill

Lessons from Life and Ministry

Dropped formal education at the age of 11, but was known for always studying and being at the book store. One can learn through hard work and discipline.

Was measured in his disagreements with others and was able to maintain friendships with those whom he had disagreements

Embodied the the necessary function as pastor theologian

Pastored at the same church for more than 50 years

1709: Experienced coversion after hearing his pastor William Wallis, preach on

1716: At 19, made public profession of faith in Christ and was baptized by Thomas Wallis

1717:

Controversy

Eternal Justification

1729: Persuaded the church to replace Benjamin Keach’s Confession: 19-20

Keach was in agreement with the Second London Baptist Confession. That faith in Christ was the instrument of justification. The second confession excludes eternal justification in chapter 11 paragraph four, when it writes, “God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification; nevertheless, they are not justified personally, until the Holy Spirit does in due time actually apply Christ to them.”

One’s justification precede their belief in the gospel. That justification upon believing is not properly justification.

However, he still wasn’t an antinomian and believed the moral law was a rule for life for the believer

Calvinism

The Cause of God and Truth

The Modern Question

Was it man’s duty to believe the gospel? Ought Christians freely offer the gospel to all?

He seems to have moved in the direction of high or hyper calvinism, though he did believe in some exhortation, but rejected did reject the free offer. This doesn’t mean he was unconcerned with the conversion of the lost.

The Trinity and Incarnation

In Gill’s day subscription to creeds and confessions had come under suspicion, one reason for this is because many among general baptist and Presbyterians had begun adopting heretical views of the Trinity and the person of Christ, including unitarianism, arianism, and modalism. Many of these positions arose by the growing popularity of rationalism, and placing Scripture under the authority of human reason.

Gill responded to this trend by explaining and defending historic and orthodox position of the Trinity and both eternal Sonship of Christ and his deity.

A treatise on the Doctrine of the Trinity, defended the Trinity in general

A Dissertation Concerning the Eternal Sonship of Christ, defened the distinction between the first and second person of the Trinity, by demonstrating this was the historic postion. He produced a Scriptural Defense in his Body of Divinity

Dr. Haykin, of The Southern Baptist University stated in the class I took with him on Andrew Fuller that Gill is one of the main reasons that english particular baptist remained orthodox on the doctrine of the trinity.

Covenant Theology

Gill seems to have views of the Covenant similar to those found in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

However, he clearly believed in believers Baptism and defended it along with closed communion.

Resources

Commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, he is the first person to publish commentary on every verse in the Bible.

A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity

The Cause of God and Truth

A Treatise on the Doctrine of the Trinity

By His Grace and For His Glory by Tom Nettles

The Life and Thought of John Gill edited by Michael A.G. Haykin

Was measured in his disagreements with others and was able to maintain friendships with those whom he had disagreements