The Reformation False Gospel Denies the New Birth
“This can be plainly seen in one of the most well-articulated Reformed treatises on the subject of the new birth: it is an article endorsed by the Reformed icon Graeme Goldsworthy, and the article is entitled, The False Gospel of the New Birth. Any questions?”
“This Gnostic paradigm enables those of the Reformed tradition to affirm the truthfulness of the new birth, while denying its significance. The new birth is a mere shadow of the only important thing that can power our lives. Like their Gnostic parents, they are masters of deception in this way. It enables them to dismiss the plain sense of Scripture on a large scale while building their antinomian juggernaut.”
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Hopefully, the Reformation will one day take its proper place in history as one of the great cults. Like all cults, it utilizes familiar biblical terminology, but has assigned a different meaning to the terms. Though the Reformers and their offspring frame explanations of salvific elements in biblical plausibility, their words are carefully chosen to deceive those who are not “ready” for their deep Reformation “truth.”
Basic elements of Reformed ideology are a direct affront to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Christ said, “You must be born again,” and this the Reformers deny. The biblical meaning of the new birth is a total recreation of the saved person. The old self was put to death and no longer lives—we are new creatures. “Behold, all things are new.” The old man who was inflamed in temptation by the law is now dead, and the believer is now free via the new birth to pursue freedom in the law, though not perfectly. This is what the new birth does: it changes the relationship of the law to the saved individual. He/she is no longer under it for justification, but upholds it as a kingdom citizen and slave to Jesus Christ. Failure thereof temporarily disrupts the intimate family relationship with the Father and the Son, but can be restored through a repentance that is not a washing, for we are already washed.
This creates an abundance of difficulties for Reformed theology. An actual transformation of the individual that includes the efficacious union of Christ, rather than the life of Christ being the only life in a spiritually dead believer, is the Waterloo of Reformed theology. Are we alive with Christ? Or are we still dead with Christ? Is sanctification by faith alone because we are still dead, or are we creditable colaborers who are able to truly love our Lord through our actions?
In Reformed theology, there is no new birth that makes us new creatures with Christ, the “new birth” is “Christ for us.” Not just for forgivenessof sins, but for EVERYTHING. “You can do nothing without me,” is translated, you can’t do anything at all because you are still spiritually dead.
Reformed theology is a let go and let God doctrine on steroids. And in Reformed theology, to deny that Christians remain spiritually dead is paramount to works salvation because the law remains the standard for justification. Instead of being dead to the law for justification, we are still dead to law for sanctification as well—the relationship has not changed—Christ must keep the law for us to maintain our just standing. This is why, according to most Reformed theology, you can lose your salvation if you do not live the Christian life by, “faith alone.” Trying to obey the law in sanctification is supposedly insanity because the standard is still perfection—we are still under the law. Not only that, we are still spiritually dead to boot. Justification texts are deceptively applied to sanctification and vice versa. It’s all the same.
This is why Reformed theology turns truth completely upside down at every point. It is a gargantuan library of lies that cover for other lies. It started with a false premise, and has spent over 500 years building, refining and crafting its narrative. It uses the same metaphysics that Satan needed to be equal with God. To compete with God, Satan needed to be different—so he created the antithesis of God: evil. Therefore, in Satan’s book, the whole story, or the rest of the story, or the totality of “wisdom,” should have included his creation as well: the knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge of good alone is knowledge of God alone—Satan would have none of that.
Hence, the first sentence of the Calvin institutes describes wisdom as primarily the knowledge of God and us (who remain totally depraved). Therefore, according to the same garden metaphysics, we must remain evil in order to have a working epistemology. If we change, if we become more and more like God, the epistemological gateway is diminished. A deeper and deeper knowledge of our depravity can no longer be set against a deeper and deeper knowledge of God’s holiness—leading to more and more “wisdom.” Therefore, the idea of the new birth drives a stake through the heart of the first sentence of the Calvin institutes. The transformation of us just points more to knowledge about God and less about our former condition—this seems to upset Calvin’s epistemological apple cart.
But whether or not you buy my working theory on the deeper issue of metaphysics, the fact remains that Reformed theology clearly teaches that we remain totally depraved as Christians. The only argument is whether or not neo-Calvinism has distorted the original intent of the Reformers. I contend that they have not. And if they have, the Calvin purists can blame themselves because an apt treatise against the neo-Calvinists is nowhere to be found, but rather fellowship. If Calvinists don’t want to wear the shoe that fits, let them come out from among them.
In the Reformed mindset, to claim transformation through the new birth is to make salvation about us, and less about God. Such is not the truth because God doesn’t need evil to better define Himself, nor does He need evil as a contrast to magnify His glory. Therefore, pointing to our own evil does not glorify God. Becoming more like God glorifies God; Christ makes this clear in the Sermon on the Mount. But notable contemporary Reformers state the opposite, saying that emphasizing the enabling power of the new birth (as Christ did with the word, “must”) “eclipses” the glory of Christ:
It robs Christ of His glory by putting the Spirit’s work in the believer above and therefore against what Christ has done for the believer in His doing and dying.
~ Geoffrey Paxton (Australian Forum)
But to whom are we introducing people to, Christ or to ourselves? Is the “Good News” no longer Christ’s doing and dying, but our own “Spirit-filled” life?
~ Michael Horton
And the new-birth-oriented “Jesus-in-my-heart” gospel of evangelicals has destroyed the Old Testament just as effectively as has nineteenth-century liberalism. (footnoted to Paxton’s article with above quote).
~ Graeme Goldsworthy (Australian Forum)
In it [Goldsworthy’s lecture at Southern] it gave one of the clearest statements of why the Reformation was needed…. I would add that this “upside down” gospel has gone away— neither from Catholicism nor from Protestants.
~ John Piper
Another way those of the Reformed tradition explain away plain truth about the new birth is the Reformed Emphasis Hermeneutic which is based on Gnosticism. Truth is beyond what the five senses can ascertain. What the five senses can ascertain are shadows and forms of the vision of the good. So, to “emphasize” what the Holy Spirit is helping us do within is emphasizing what we sense, and what Reformers call “subjective experience.” The only true objective truth is “the objective gospel outside of us” which is a Reformed mantra (http://www.objectivegospel.org/). What they have done is reversed normal metaphysics in the same way Gnosticism does. What we observe is no longer empirical, but deemed subjective; only the true vision of the good is objective; ie, the gospel outside of us. Therefore, to emphasize the new birth is to emphasize the shadows and forms of the higher good, and not the higher good. It is “emphasizing a good thing, but not the best thing,” and, “emphasizing the fruit, and not the root.” This Gnostic paradigm enables those of the Reformed tradition to affirm the truthfulness of the new birth, while denying its significance. The new birth is a mere shadow of the only important thing that can power our lives. Like their Gnostic parents, they are masters of deception in this way. It enables them to dismiss the plain sense of Scripture on a large scale while building their antinomian juggernaut. This can be plainly seen in one of the most well-articulated Reformed treatises on the subject of the new birth: it is an article endorsed by the Reformed icon Graeme Goldsworthy, and the article is entitled, The False Gospel of the New Birth. Any questions?
Reformed theology is in no wise truthful on any point other than some facts that are used as coconspirators in their evil plot to take away from God’s objective truth, and also add to it. Their doctrine drives a stake through the very heart of the true gospel. They boldly deny the words of the Lord of Lords, the glorious Holy King: “You must be born again.”
And their desert will be just.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
OK I will try to have a rotten day, but that is difficult since I know God is in sovereign control of it. What is progressive justification? Every Calvinist I know or have ever known believed we are just as justified as we ever will be the moment we first believe the gospel. How can that be progressive?
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Barba,
No, they believe that you are as totally depraved as you ever will be. We don’t grow–our rejoicing in the cross grows as we become more and more aware of our sinfulness as set against God’s holiness. It denies the new birth completely and redefines it as a realm. If you are going to call yourself a Calvinist–at least know what Calvin believed.
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“Perhaps it is because you keep making wild accusations that don’t ever come close to what they believe”
Barba, If you believe ALL the words (all meaning all) you wrote in your long comment you have a bad case of cognitive dissonance and you do believe (but deny you do) that God authors evil and does not give people a choice to respond to the Gospel but has chosen them before creation and before Adam sinned. It really is taht simple. You just cannot see the contradictions because you are into a cultish movement that is man made. You have allowed yourself to be taken into by a movement that makes our Holy God out to be a monster for many. And I understand it, I was drawn to it, too, years back. It shocks me how easy it is to get drawn into it.
If you cannot see the twisting of scripture with the interpretive grid needed for Calvinism, at least look at history and the bloody mess from following men instead of Christ.
The saddest part of it is you want to sound intellectual all the while defending a doctrine that concludes you are not capable of it. You are unable. God controls every molecule.
“Let me just leave you with one question and I won’t bother you again. If the Holy Spirit is given to convict all people equally, and we must assume he does that apart from the gospel since all people have not heard and will not hear the gospel, and as a result some by their free will choose to believe and others choose not to believe, what is it that prevents those who choose to believe from boasting that they made a wiser choice than the others? See 1 Cor. 4:7. Have a nice day.”
This has to be my favorite by far. See, if any of us think we had any input into becoming a believer then we will boast about it. Therefore, if we can think, have reason, all God given abilities, we boast. The converse is that Calvinists are puppets and we must make sure they are not a puppeteer of Satan. After all, they have no choices and are controlled by something. But the irony is the entire movement is made up of the most arrogant, condescending nasty people I have ever met in Christendom in all my years. It is amazng to watch a 20 something YRR rebuke a little old lady for being ignorant about doctrine when all she does is love Jesus.
But here is what is interesting. Who decides who is boastful about salvation? They do! Because if you do not believe the process happens exactly the way they say it does, then YOU are guilty of boasting about saving yourself!!!!
It is incredible. There are cults that are jealous of who clever the Calvinists are. Now, if they could shut us down like Calvin did they would have a clear road. But thankfully the evil englightenment brought us to the point we are today and we don’t have to worry about the magistrate at our door for dissenting from Calvin. (Not sure how long it will last, they love power and control over people just like Obama does)
It does not make any difference what Scriptures you cite, Barba. You are interpreting through the Calvin filter. “Al”l does not mean all. in Calvinism. More and more are learning it is a dead end when talking to a Calvinist because of the bizarre interpretive filter where all does not mean all. I have learned not to waste my time. Calvinists absolutely turn the bible into a literal manual cherry picking.. What they do with Romans 3 (man talking to God) and turn it into a job description for salvation is despicable. Nevermind there ARE examples of people in scripture who “seek God” and God even calls Job righteous. However, the Calvinist then has to go into thousands of words to explain why that is not true. Just like they need thousands of words to explain taht ALL does not mean ALL. What they do with Romans is down right sad.
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Paul,
I have read Calvin and he didn’t believe that. I don’t know any Calvinist who does. If a person believes that, he isn’t a Calvinist. Nothing in your post says anything about progressive justification.
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Barba,
LOL! Whatever you say Barba.
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Barba,
The following chart is the bottom line. It is a Calvinist chart–not mine. https://paulspassingthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gospelgrid11.jpg
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Lydia,
Calvinist don’t believe God directly causes everything He has decreed. He does not need to cause sinful actions. All he needs to do is leave sinners to their own devices, and they will unwittingly fulfill his proposes. See for example. Gen. 50: 19-20.
It seems to me before you continue condemning Calvinists, you need to adequately explain the mountain of verses that declare that God is. The sovereign Lord who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.
Re: boasting, Who distinguished you from the unbeliever. I that was the result of your free will decision, then can you not claim you were better or at least decided better than the unbeliever? If you claim that was all your doing, then what do you call that if it is not boasting?
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Is this Calvin’s doctrine of progressive justification and lack of growth in sanctification you are referencing?
Let us now see what kind of righteousness belongs to those persons whom we have placed in the fourth class. We admits that when God reconciles us to himself by the intervention of the righteousness of Christ, and bestowing upon us the free pardon of sins regards us as righteous, his goodness is at the same time conjoined with mercy, so that he dwells in us by means of his Holy Spirit, by whose agency the lusts of our flesh are every day more and more mortified while that we ourselves are sanctified; that is consecrated to the Lord for true purity of life, our hearts being trained to the obedience of the law. It thus becomes our leading desire to obey his will, and in all things advance his glory only. Still, however while we walk in the ways of the Lord, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, lest we should become unduly elated, and forget ourselves, we have still remains of imperfection which serve to keep us humble: “There is no man that sinneth not,” saith Scripture (1 Kings 8:46).
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This chart is the bottom line Barba–it’s their chart–not mine: https://paulspassingthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gospelgrid11.jpg
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“OK I will try to have a rotten day, but that is difficult since I know God is in sovereign control of it.”
Which means you have no responsibility and cannot do anything. So when you sin, it was God controlling every molecule of what you do. There is no real sanctification in Calvinism which is why the Justification has to be progressive. God does not allow humans to make decisions or have rational thought. Everything is controlled by God. Jesus obeys for you.
Calvinism is why a 3 year old who was molested by a 16 year old at church is as much a sinner as the 16 year old. So, it is a wash, sin wise. the 16 year old molester is told to say sorry and the 3 year old is told to forgive him. That is the logical conclusion of Calvinism played out. And that is a true story.
Paul is right. You do not know what Calvinism teaches. There are variations of reengineered Calvinism out there but you are not able to take the Calvin filter to it’s logical conclusion. Perhaps your determinist God will not allow you to understand it.
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Lydia,
Could you direct me to the place where Calvin or a Calvinist teaches that God controls our every action in the sense that he causes us to do what he has forbidden? I don’ think I have ever read that in Calvin or in any Calvinist literature. I am quite certain that is not my view. Since you know Calvin’s writings so well, it shouldn’t be difficult to produce at least on quotation.
Thanks
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Lydia,
Assuming the 16 year old is male, I’d nail his balls to a stump and kick him off backwards. But, of course, they are equally sinful by nature. A person does not become a sinner when he/she hits puberty. Still, that has nothing to to with what should be done in that situation. And it certainly has nothing to do with Calvinistic doctrine. It just proves there are more horses asses on the world than there are horses.
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OK Paul,
I looked at the chart. Don’t you think those things happen in the sanctification process?
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Barba,
No. What’s growing? Salvation doesn’t grow.
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I’m trying to get a fix on what you people believe. Perhaps one of you could answer a few questions to help me understand where you are theologically. Short answers are fine, but if possible, give me a Scripture verse or two to help me understand on what you base your answers.
1. Do you believe people are sinners by nature, or do we become sinners when we sin for the first time. That is, are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we are sinners?
2. If you answered that we are sinful by nature, do you believe all sinners are equally sinful by nature, or are some naturally more sinful than others?
3. If some are naturally more sinful than others, what causes the difference ?
4. If we are not born in sin, why is it that some don’t remain in their unfallen state?
5. If we are born with a sinful nature, does that mean we are hostile toward and the gospel?
6. Does faith in Christ and faith in God’s promises rise naturally out of sinful nature?
7. Does the Holy Spirit convict everyone, even those who have never heard the gospel? What did Jesus mean when he said the Spirit will convict people of sin “because they do not believe on me [Jesus]? If all don’t hear the gospel, how could they be guilty of the sin of failing to believe on Jesus?
8. If the Spirit doesn’t convict everyone, why doesn’t he?
9. Does God’s Spirit ever forbid gospel preachers to enter a particular geographical region to evangelize and send them to another region instead? Why would he do that if he wants everyone to hear the gospel and be saved?
10. If the Spirit convicts everyone, does he convict some more than others?
11. Does the Spirit’s work of conviction, of itself, produce faith in anyone?
12. If not, why is it that some believe and some don’t?
13. If sinners are equally sinful by nature, and some always resist the Holy Spirit, then would not everyone always resist the Holy Spirit?
14. If sinners always resist the Holy Spirit, and no one by nature is seeking to know God, how does anyone become a Christian?
15. Does God have any control over the universe?
16. If God has any control over the universe, did he create and does he govern his universe apart from first having formed a plan according to which he intended to govern his universe?
17. Does God ever make mistakes?
18. If God is not in control, is anyone in control? Does God share the control with Satan, God doing all the good stuff and Satan doing all the bad stuff? Or, is every person the master of his own fate, and the captain of his soul?
19. Do you believe God is able to control his universe without directly causing everything that occurs in it?
20. Do you believe if God had actually predestined everything that occurs, it would be redundant for him to use means to actually accomplish what he had planned?
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