Are All Men "Laboring and Heavy Laden"?

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you..."

In conversations with variety of Christians of other orders, I have inquired as to the single best verse of scripture that supports the notion of the well-meant offer of salvation to all of humanity (WMO). I have repeatedly been given Matt 11:28 in response.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

But is it possible that those that the Lord Jesus Christ refers to as "Laboring and Heavy Laden" represent all of humanity? If the unregenerate man believes the things of the spirit of God are foolishness (I Cor 2:14) and has no thought of God (Ps 10:4), can he possibly be the man that Jesus Christ has in mind when he refers to the “laboring and heavy laden"? Clearly not.

To my surprise and to their credit, some of the Christians with whom I have had this conversation have admitted, albeit somewhat reluctantly, that not all men are laboring and heavy laden in the way the Lord has in mind in that passage. Inconsistently, they seem far less amenable to accepting the inevitable consequence of their admission, namely that it proves that their “best text” for the WMO (Matthew 11:28) does not teach that the gospel is a well meant offer of salvation to all of humanity. Suffice it to say that:

If Christ is the savior, and he did not die for someone,

there is no basis upon which to offer them salvation.

It follows that Matthew 11:28 does NOT teach that the gospel is a WMO of salvation to all of humanity, but rather that the gospel brings rest to the beatified children of God by teaching them of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf.

"...rest."

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