Chapter 20 - OF THE GOSPEL AND THE EXTENT OF GRACE
THEREOF

1 In response to sin's breaking and rendering the federal creation mandate unfulfilling for life, God, in His pleasure, gave the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman. This promise serves as the means by which God calls the elect and generates in them faith and repentance. The gospel, in its essence, was revealed in this promise, and through it, God's power is effectively at work for the conversion and salvation of sinners.

2 The way to be saved through Christ is something we can only learn from the Bible. You can't figure out who Christ is or what His grace means just by looking at nature or thinking about how the world works. These things don't even give us a vague or unclear idea about Him. It's impossible for people who
haven't heard the good news about Christ to find true faith or turn from their sins on their own.

3 The gospel is revealed to sinners in various ways and at different times. This includes the promises and commands that require obedience. The decision of which people and nations receive this revelation is based entirely on God’s sovereign will and good pleasure, not on any promise tied to how well people use their natural abilities or common understanding without the gospel. No one has ever been able to do this, and no one ever will. Therefore, throughout history, the preaching of the gospel—its reach and its limitations—has been determined by the wise counsel of God's will.

4 Although the gospel is the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace, and is fully sufficient for that purpose, it's also true that for people who are spiritually dead in their sins to be born again and made alive, a further, powerful work of the Holy Spirit is necessary. This work must act on their entire soul to create new spiritual life within them, and without it, no other means can bring about their conversion to God.