This post is about one of the biggest problems in evangelicalism today, the undermining of the Biblical doctrine of regeneration with the man-made doctrine of decisionism.
In God’s word, He is frequently referred to as a Rock.
Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
Below are some references to God’s word.
Psa 119:89 Lamedh Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven. Psa 119:152 I have known from my earliest days that Your laws will last forever. Psa 119:160 The very essence of Your words is truth; all Your just regulations will stand forever. Mat 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Mat 24:34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will never disappear. 1Pe 1:25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 2Pe 3:13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
The point of the above examples from scripture about God and His word is to say that His word that comes from His mouth is like Him, a Rock; furthermore, Jesus is called the Word of God in scripture; therefore, God’s word is a Rock….
Following are Jesus’ words about the doctrines of men: Mat 15:9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'”
The picture above is a graphic example of these things; the Rock, His word (the mountain range) and the little temporary, fragile, edifice of the doctrine of men (the house).
So, the problem of preachers turning from the Rock of God’s word to their own doctrines and teaching them as though they were reliable, truthful…is a grave matter. Men that do so are false teachers because they are not teaching God’s ways from His word.
Pastors like the following are speaking out against such false teachers who comprise the majority of Christianity today.
There are 5 videos below, the first and longest is a 14 minute excerpt from a “shocking” sermon given by Paul Washer at a youth conference in 2002; it is critiqued by Tim Challies a well respected blogger. Challies breaks the sermon into 3 simple but weighty points, comprehensible to new Christians. The 4 very short videos that follow are about the doctrines of regeneration, faith and repentance.
The following 4.5 minute video by R. C. Sproul addresses the order of salvation, placing regeneration before faith / repentance.
Following is 4 minute video by Dr. John MacArthur about the same topic. I included this video because his presentation may somehow be more meaningful to some readers. Sproul and MacArthur are both great at making complex subjects understandable. Yet, you might find one more comprehensible.
I wanted the reader to hear Paul Washer speak on regeneration as a followup to his sermon excerpt that opened this post. Please don’t skip this video, it is discussing regeneration via preaching, not teaching as Sproul and MacArthur did.
I want to close with this 2.5 minute excerpt by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson about faith and repentance; it is from one of Ligonier’s Bible classes available online. Dr. Ferguson’s illustration of faith / repentance is the best I have ever heard; I hope you find it to be understandable; the initial 30 seconds is difficult, but the remainder is not so. If you do not understand this video, then search YouTube for other examples.
Understanding these doctrines and seeing them at work in your own life will come as you abide in God’s appointed means of grace (see, categories, Christian Walk).
If you’re new to the study of doctrine, be patient with yourself. Also, you might consider investing in the Westminster Confession of Faith for study classes (therein, all Bible doctrines are identified and explained); and a study Bible, such as the ESV Crossway study Bible (see categories; Christian Walk; Christian Study Helps post).
I want to say a few words to define reformed theology: it is that theology that was born out of the protestant reformation. The 5 solas are central to it.
Sola scriptura: the Bible alone is our highest authority; sola fide: we are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ; sola gratia: we are saved by the grace of God alone; sola Christus: Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior and King; soli Deo Gloria: we live for the glory of God alone.
If you study the solas and begin to look around at Christianity, then you will find that many things are being conducted without regard for God’s glory, but with the end of glorifying man, e.g. Some other examples could include: when one says he can choose Christ, he is denying the sovereignty of God; as the Bible states that God draws mankind to Christ (see John 6; Eze 36; e.g.); when one is going to church to feel good about himself or to build his own self-esteem, or just to feel good; then he is not seeking to glorify God but himself. Or when man believes that he can do the work of making himself righteous, then he is glorifying himself and saying that he does not need faith in Christ’s merit (see categories; Unbiblical teachers / preachers; Prosperity preachers post–in the closing section of that post there is a description of a man-centered gospel; that gospel does not glorify God and it describes most of Christianity).
So, knowing the solas of the reformation and reading your Bible in light of them will help you correctly interpret scripture; it will also help you correctly ascertain whether the church you attend is honoring God and His word, or whether it is man- centered; and much more.
After having read through my Bible, I was drawn to churches that subscribe to reformed theology because I discerned that these churches were following scripture. These churches make up a very small portion of the current visible church in the world.
Read through your Bible, study it, continue to read through it and you will likely come to such a perspective. Men such as Luther, Calvin, and those who wrote documents like the Westminster Confession of Faith were obviously steeped in Bible doctrine and understood the Bible like very very few do these days.
There is a 12 part series on reformed theology taught by R.C. Sproul on YouTube. Each part is about 20 minutes in length.
May God bless your study of His word.