REFORMED INJILI AJARAN PALSU REGENERATION BEFORE FAITH

STEPHEN TONG, DANIEL LUCAS LUKIT CS MENGAJAR AJARAN PALSU YG TIDAK DIAJARKAN ALKITAB YAITU LAHIR BARU (REGENERASI) TERJADI TANPA IMAN (REGENERASI TERJADI SEBELUM ORANG PERCAYA TUHAN YESUS)

AJARAN PALSU INI DIDASARKAN AJARAN2 PALSU LAINNYA:

1. REFORMED REGENERATION DIDASARKAN ASUMSI PALSU BAHWA ORANG BERDOSA PUNYA KEMAUAN MELAWAN TUHAN TETAPI TIDAK PUNYA KEMAMPUAN PERCAYA TUHAN.

2. REFORMED REGENERATION DIDASARKAN ASUMSI PALSU BAHWA PERINTAH "PERCAYALAH KEPADA TUHAN YESUS" (KIS 16:31) TIDAK BERMAKSUDA SEPERTI TERTULIS--ATAU YANG DIMAKSUD ALKITAB SEPERTI YANG DIKATAKAN CALVINIS.

3. REFORMED REGENERATION DIDASARKAN AJARAN PALSU BAHWA ALLAH DEKRIT PREDESTINASI SEBAGIAN ORANG MASUK SURGA DAN DEKRIT SEBAGIAN MASUK NERAKA. YANG DIPREDESTINASI MASUK SURGA DI-REGENERASI DAN DIBERI IMAN. MESKI TIDAK ADA DALAM ALKITAB ITULAH AJARAN UTAMA STEPHEN TONG, DANIEL LUCAS LUKITO CS.

4. REFORMED CLAIM PALSU BAHWA SPURGEON AJARIN REGENERASI SEBELUM ORANG PERCAYA. KUTIPAN BERIKUT EXPOSE KEPALSUAN AJARAN REFORMED TONG DAN LUKITO CS

Bob L. Ross of Pilgrim Publications [P.O. Box 66, Pasadena, TX 77501] has written a series of helpful articles regarding regeneration and faith. Ross is one of the foremost authorities on the life, ministry and teachings of Charles Spurgeon.

In Ross' article Regeneration: Strong vs. Berkhof, he shows the contrast between Augustus Strong and Louis Berkhof on the doctrine of regeneration. Berkhof held to the view that regeneration precedes faith and that regeneration could take place apart from the preaching of the Word. The danger in this is that it could lead to a deadening of evangelistic fervor ("If people can be regenerated apart from the truth, then there is no need to share the truth with them. God will save them apart from the truth, and apart from preaching the gospel"). Strong held the more Biblical position that repentance and faith took place at the same time. This was also Spurgeon's position.

Berkhof denied the use of the truth, or the Word, as an instrument in the new birth. Berkhof's idea is that the Holy Spirit "implants life" which "enables" the sinner to respond to the Gospel and that this life may not at the time be manifest in repentance and faith. Strong, on the other hand taught that human agency is involved in the miracle of regeneration and that man is not merely passive. Strong taught that regeneration, calling, conversion (repentance and faith), and justification are not chronologically separated, but occur "at the same instant." Strong says, "The Spirit uses the word as His instrument; but the Spirit Himself is the cause of regeneration." The truth is viewed as "the sword of the Spirit" which "must be wielded by the Holy Spirit himself. "Only as the sinner's mind is brought into contact with the truth, does God complete His regenerating work."

Berkhof taught that regeneration and conversion are two distinct works and may therefore have a chronological time sequence. In other words, one may be regenerated at one time and be converted (repent and believe) at some later time. "The new life is often implanted in the hearts of children long before they are able to hear the call of the gospel" (Berkhof). This is similar to the statement quoted above in the Reformation Study Bible which said that infants can be regenerated as babies, and not come to faith in Christ until years later! In contrast to this, Strong taught that regeneration (God's side) and conversion (man's side) took place at the same time with no time gap in between. Strong gives the illustration of a wheel: "Regeneration and conversion are not chronologically separate. Which of the spokes of a wheel start first?"

Ross, at the end of the article, mentioned that in the 1800's there were certain Baptists who became known as "Primitive Baptists" (sometimes nicknamed "Hardshells"). This position was regarded as "hyper-Calvinism" because these people opposed various methods of evangelism and were opposed to missions because they held a view similar to Berkhof, that regeneration was by the Holy Spirit apart from the use of truth as a "means."

Another article by Ross is entitled Regeneration in Relation to Faith in Calvinist Theology. Ross points out that error on the subject of regeneration in relation to faith led to the anti-missionary, anti-means dogma of the Hardshells or Primitive Baptists in the 19th century onward. Ross then shows that John Calvin taught that you cannot have regeneration apart from faith. Ross also shows that the Canons of Dort, the Westminster Confession and Stephen Charnock all taught that you cannot have regeneration apart from faith and also that the Holy Spirit uses God's Word as the means to regenerate people and never apart from the Word. These Confessions recognize that there is a "pre-faith work of the Spirit," that is, that the Spirit of God works mightily in the hearts of men prior to the time when they put their trust in Christ. Ross explains further:

Neither of these Confessions categorizes the pre-faith work of the Holy Spirit as "regeneration," so those today who choose to broaden the term to cover the pre-faith work of the Spirit do not represent the view of the Confessions of Faith. They should not, therefore, be quoted by the critics of Calvinism as "representative" of the Calvinist view, creating the impression that Calvinism teaches "regeneration" before, without, or apart from faith, which is the core of Hardshellism.

Ross then recommends the work of Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) entitled The Word, the Instrument of Regeneration.

Another article written compiled by Ross is entitled C.H.Spurgeon on Regeneration. It is a collection of quotations by Spurgeon relating of the subject at hand. Spurgeon believed that regeneration and faith took place simultaneously. It was unthinkable to Spurgeon that a person could be regenerated and then at some later time believe on Christ. Spurgeon taught that every unregenerate man was condemned (John 3:18) and that every man who is not condemned is a saved man. That a person could be regenerated but not saved or that a person could be regenerated and not a believer in Christ were ideas unthinkable to Spurgeon. They are also Biblical absurdities.