Decisionism Vs Regeneration
Decisionism Vs Regeneration
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DECISIONAL REGENERATION
by James E. Adams
Contents
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
2. Decisional Regeneration and Counseling .................................................................. 2
3. Decisional Regeneration and Altar Calls .................................................................. 4
4. Decisional Regeneration and Preaching .................................................................... 5
5. Decisional Regeneration and Theology ..................................................................... 6
6. What Must We Do? ........................................................................................................ 8
But os mony os receiveJ bim
to tbem qove be power to become tbe sons of 6oJ
even to tbem tbot believe on bis nome Wbicb
were born not of blooJ nor of tbe will of tbe
flesb nor of tbe will of mon but of 6oJ
}ohn
2
1. Introduction
What Is Regeneration?
Except a man be born again,
1
he cannot see the kingdom of God (Joh 3:3). Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that the new
birth is so important that no one can see heaven without it. Mistakes concerning this doctrine have been very destructive to
the Church of Christ. The new birth is a spiritual change wrought in us, not an act performed by us. The Apostle John states
this so beautifully in the first chapter of his Gospel, when he speaks of the children of God as those which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (v 13). Regeneration, or the new birth, is Gods work by
the Holy Spirit in changing a sinners heart and bringing him to faith in Jesus Christ. It is not something that man does or
can do, but something that God does.
What Is Decisional Regeneration?
The history of the Christian Church has seen many errors concerning the new birth. These teachings depart from Scrip-
ture by attributing to man the ability to regenerate himself. When denominations adopt these false concepts of man and the
new birth, they soon become corrupted with false practices. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and many others have
all been corrupted at different times and to different degrees by practicing and teaching Baptismal Regeneration.
2
Baptismal
Regeneration teaches that the waters of baptism convey the new birth. Man performs this sacrament and it is in his control.
Because of this erroneous teaching on regeneration, these denominations have embraced false practices.
In the nineteenth century, few controversies were as heated as that over Baptismal Regeneration. It is interesting to note
that C. H. Spurgeon,
3
the most prolific preacher of that century, printed more copies of his sermon denouncing Baptismal
Regeneration than any other in 1864.
4
However, the twentieth century Church must combat a more subtle falsehood: Decisional Regeneration. Decisional Re-
generation differs from Baptismal Regeneration only in the fact that it attaches the certainty of the new birth to a different
act. This doctrine, just as Baptismal Regeneration, sees the new birth as the result of a mechanical process that man per-
forms. Decisional Regeneration has in its deceptive way permeated much of the Christian Church.
Our Purpose
The methods and theology of those that practice Decisional Regeneration need to be examinednot with a malicious
spirit, but with a fervent desire that all of Gods people may be one in doctrine and practice for the glory of God. We love all
that are in Christ; but we agree wholeheartedly with Charles Spurgeon:
1hc lcsi way io romoic union is io romoic iruih. Ii will noi do or us io lc all uniicd iogcihcr ly yiclding io
onc anoihcr`s misialcs. Wc arc io lovc cach oihcr in Chrisi; lui wc arc noi io lc so uniicd ihai wc arc noi allc io
scc cach oihcr`s aulis, and csccially noi allc io scc our own. No, urgc ihc housc o God, and ihcn shall grand and
llcsscd iimcs dawn on us."
5
So then, our purpose is not to question the sincerity of some Christians or to malign them, but to unite Christians in the
truth as it is in our Lord. This alone is true Christian unity.
As we earnestly seek to bring unity to the Church of Christ, let us turn from falsehood unto Gods truth. The practice of
Decisional Regeneration in the Church must be exposed in order to save men from the damning delusion that because they
have decided or signed a card, they are going to heaven and are no longer under the wrath of God. The purity of the
Gospel is of extreme importance because it alone is the power of God unto salvation and the true basis of Christian unity.
2. Decisional Regeneration and Counseling
Some may still not understand exactly what Decisional Regeneration means. Perhaps some are unfamiliar with the
counseling courses that many organizations teach in this country and abroad or with the numerous Soul Winning Confer-
ences that are taking place. In these meetings, counselors are instructed that successful counseling must conclude with
absolute assurance of salvation for the one who makes a decision for Christ. Counselors are often instructed to assure an
individual that his salvation is certain because he has prayed a prescribed prayer and because he has said yes to all the
right questions.
The woiu oqoin can also be ienueieu from obove which points to the ultimate souice of the new biith the Tiiune uou
Baptismal regeneration the uoctiine that watei baptism effects the saving woik of the Boly Spiiit in washing away oiiginal sin Roman Catholi
cism teaches that baptism usually of infants confeis giace to the inuiviuual whethei oi not faith is piesent Lutheian theology teaches that
baptism must be accompanieu by faith eithei in the inuiviuual oi in the paients to be effective in washing away sin While Anglicans Eastein 0i
thouox anu otheis holu to vaiying foims of baptismal iegeneiation othei Piotestants aigue that it contiauicts the concept of justification by
giace thiough faith alone
Cbarles Haddon Spurgeon influential English Baptist ministei anu histoiys most wiuely ieau pieachei apait fiom those founu in
Sciiptuie
4
This seimon is available in piint fiom Chapel Libiaiy
Ibiu p
Robert Lewis Dabney Piesbyteiian theologian of the nineteenth centuiy authoi of lectures in Systemotic Tbeoloqy anu Biscussions
Fvonqelicol onJ Tbeoloqicol
4
hcrc. 1hcy arc conscious ihai ihcy wcrc ihoroughly in carncsi in ihcir rcligious anxiciics and rcsolvcs ai ihc iimc,
and ihai ihcy cli sirangc and roound cxcrciscs. Yci liiicr and moriiying cxcricncc has iaughi ihcm ihai ihcir
ncw lirih and cxcrimcnial rcligion ai lcasi was a dclusion. How naiural io concludc ihai ihosc o all oihcrs arc dc-
lusions also. 1hcy say: 'ihc only dicrcncc lciwccn myscl and ihcsc carncsi Chrisiians is, ihai ihcy havc noi yci
dciccicd ihc chcai as I havc. 1hcy arc now noi a whii
1O
morc convinccd o ihcir sinccriiy and o ihc rcaliiy o ihcir
cxcrciscs ihan I oncc was o minc. Yci I lnow ihcrc was no changc in my soul; I do noi lclicvc ihai ihcrc is in
ihcirs. Such is ihc aial roccss o ihoughi ihrough which ihousands havc asscd; uniil ihc couniry is srinllcd all
ovcr wiih inidcls, who havc lccn madc such ly ihcir own cxcricncc o surious rcligious cxciicmcnis. 1hcy may
lcc ihcir hosiiliiy io ihcmsclvcs in ihc main; lccausc Chrisiianiiy now walls in hcr silvcr slicrs"; lui ihcy arc
noi ihc lcss sicclcd againsi all saving imrcssions o ihc iruih."
11
Dabney penned these words a hundred years ago, long before the days of the mass evangelism and highly organized
campaigns. If a hundred years ago the country was sprinkled all over with infidels, who had been made such by their own
experience of spurious religious excitements, what must be the situation today? This is a serious question for every Chris-
tian. To have led men, even sincerely, into false hope will be an awful condemnation for a Christian when he stands before
Almighty God.
3. Decisional Regeneration and Altar Calls
One may read thousands of pages of the history of the Christian Church without finding a single reference to the old-
fashioned altar call before the last century. Most Christians are surprised to learn that history before the time of Charles G.
Finney
12
knows nothing of this type of invitation. The practice of urging men and women to make a physical movement at
the conclusion of a meeting was introduced by Mr. Finney in the second decade of the nineteenth century. Dr. Albert B.
Dod, a professor of theology at Princeton Seminary at the time of Mr. Finneys ministry, pointed out the newness of the
practice and showed that this method was without historical precedent. In his review of Finneys Lectures on Revival, Pro-
fessor Dod stated that one will search the volumes of church history in vain for a single example of this practice before the
1820s.
13
Instead, history tells us that whenever the Gospel was preached men were invited to Christnot to decide at the
end of a sermon whether or not to perform some physical action.
The Apostle Paul, the great evangelist, never heard of an altar call, yet today some consider this practice to be a neces-
sary mark of an evangelical church. In fact, churches that do not give an altar call are often accused of having no concern
for the lost. Neither Paul nor Peter ever climaxed their preaching with forcing upon their hearers the decision to walk or
not to walk forward in a meeting. The altar call is not only in conflict with Church history then, but with Scriptural history
as well.
One may ask, How did preachers of the Gospel for the previous eighteen hundred years invite men to Christ without the
use of the altar call? They did so in much the same way as did the apostles and the other witnesses of the early Church.
Their messages were filled with calls for all men everywhere to come to Christ.
Surely, all must admit that the first sermon of the Christian Church did not climax with an altar call. On the Day of Pen-
tecost, Peter concluded his sermon with these words: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Peter stopped. Then the divinely inspired record tells
us: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:36-37). This response was the result of the work of the Spirit of God, not of clever ap-
peals or psychological pressure. That day the apostles witnessed the conversion of three thousand people.
C.H. Spurgeon called men to come to Christ, not to an altar. Listen to him invite men to Jesus Christ:
Bcorc you lcavc ihis lacc, lrcaihc an carncsi raycr io God, saying, 'God lc mcrciul io mc a sinncr. Iord, I
nccd io lc savcd. Savc mc. I call uon 1hy namc...Iord, I am guiliy, I dcscrvc 1hy wraih. Iord, I cannoi savc my-
scl. Iord, I would havc a ncw hcari and a righi sirii, lui whai can I do? Iord, I can do noihing, comc and worl in
mc io do o 1hy good lcasurc.
Thou alone hast power, I know
To save a wretch like me;
To whom, or whither should I go
If I should run from Thee?
Bui I now do rom my vcry soul call uon 1hy namc. 1rcmlling, yci lclicving, I casi myscl wholly uon 1hcc,
Cbarles Crandison Finney the Fathei of mouein ievivalism establisheu the mouein foims anu methous of ievivalism between
anu among othei things taught the ability of people to iepent anu make themselves new heaits anu the peifectibility of human na
tuie anu society
Albeit B Bou The 0iigin of the Call foi Becisions Tbe Bonner of Trutb Hoqozine Lonuon Bec vol p
5
O Iord. I irusi ihc llood and righicousncss o 1hy dcar Son...Iord, savc mc ionighi, or ]csus` salc.` Go homc alonc
irusiing in ]csus. 'I should lilc io go inio ihc cnquiry-room.` I darc say you would, lui wc arc noi willing io an-
dcr
14
io oular sucrsiiiion. Wc car ihai in ihosc rooms mcn arc warmcd inio a iciiiious conidcncc. Vcry cw o
ihc suoscd convcris o cnquiry-rooms iurn oui wcll. Go io your God ai oncc, cvcn whcrc you now arc. Casi your-
scl on Chrisi, ai oncc, crc you siir an inch!"
15
Spurgeon directed men to Christ and not to aisles. George Whitefields sermons called sinners to Christ, not to an altar. We
may say the same of Jonathan Edwards, the Reformers, and others in the past: God blessed them with a harvest of many
souls as they used Scriptural means to proclaim the Gospel and call sinners to repent and believe in Christ.
Today the altar call has become the climax and culmination of the entire meeting. As the church sings many stanzas of
a hymn, all kinds of appeals are made to sinners to walk the aisle. This gives the impression that their eternal destiny hangs
on the movement of their feet.
Charlotte Elliott wrote the precious hymn, Just as I Am, in 1836. Choirs and congregations frequetnly sing this hymn
for the alter call:
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
The phrase, O Lamb of God, I come, I come, has been widely used to encourage people to come down the aisle. However,
it is significant that Miss Elliott wrote the hymn for the infirm, and that it first appeared in a hymnal prepared especially for
invalids.
16
To Miss Elliott, coming to Christ was not walking an aisle.
Although most who use the altar call realize that coming to Christ is not synonymous with coming to the altar, they do
give the impression to sinners that the first step in coming to Christ is walking the aisle. I am purposefully being very care-
ful not to misstate the case. I understand the sincerity of those who practice the altar call, it having been a part of every
service from my earliest memory until college. In fact, I grew up in Christian circles unaware that evangelical Christianity
existed without the altar call. In many services during this time, my mind was centered on the glorious person of Christ and
His suffering on the cross only to find the whole focus of the worship service suddenly changed at the conclusion from see-
ing the glories and sufferings of Christ to walking an aisle. Many others have spoken of the same experiencethat the altar
call and the clever appeals at the conclusion of meetings, the decision to walk or not to walk, and the wondering how many
will respond have distracted them from seeking Christ and from worshipping God in spirit and truth.
Do you remember how the crowds physically followed our Lord Christ until He began to preach some unpopular truths?
Then the crowds turned back (Joh 6:66). Why? Had they not come to Jesus with their feet? Yes, but this is not the coming to
Him that is necessary for salvation. Christ said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out (Joh 6:37). And again He said, No man can come to me except the Father . . . draw him (Joh
6:44). In neither of these instances was Jesus speaking of the physical movement of the feet.
People need to know that coming to Christ is not the same thing as walking an aisle. Coming to Christ means repenting
of ones sins and believing on Him for the pardon of sins. May God cause His Church to return to the Scriptures for its
methods of winning men to Christ. We must call sinners to faith in Christ, not to come forward in a meeting.
4. Decisional Regeneration and Preaching
The false teaching of Decisional Regeneration has even polluted the structure of the sermon. Jack Hyles, considered by
many to be an authority on preaching, gives the following advice to his fellow-ministers:
Many o us in our rcaching will malc such siaicmcnis as, 'Now, in conclusion`; 'inally, may I say`; 'My lasi
oini is...` 1hcsc siaicmcnis arc somciimcs dangcrous. 1hc sinncr lnows ivc minuics lcorc you inish; hcncc hc
digs in and rcarcs himscl or ihc inviiaiion so ihai hc docs noi rcsond. Howcvcr, i your closing is alrui and a
losi crson docs noi suscci ihai you arc aloui inishcd, you havc crci u on him and hc will noi havc iimc io
rcarc himscl or ihc inviiaiion. Many colc may lc rcachcd, using ihis mcihod."
17
Upon first reading this, one might hope that he has misread Mr. Hyles. However, the second, third and fourth readings
confirm that he actually teaches that sinners may be converted to Christ by a ministers clever method in his sermon. This
means that ones eternal destiny may be determined by ones impulse in an unguarded moment. The idea that creeping up
on and surprising a sinner into salvation is in direct conflict with the Scriptural doctrine of receiving Jesus Christ. In reali-
Nuiiay op cit pp
David Martyn Lloyd)ones Welsh ministei peihaps the gieatest expositoiy pieachei of th centuiy ministeieu at Westminstei
Chapel Lonuon Englanu
Recoiueu in shoithanu fiom the seimon The Responsibility of Evangelism pieacheu at uiace Baptist Chuich Cailisle PA in }une
Foi the cleaiest statement of Finneys theoiy of iegeneiation ieau his seimon Sinneis Bounu to Change Theii 0wn Beaits in Sermons on vorious
Subjects New Yoik Foi a uetaileu examination of Finneys theology see Review of Lectuies on Systematic Theology Tbe Biblicol Reper
tory onJ Princeton Review Philauelphia vol pp also Benjamin Bieckiniiuge Waifielu The Theology of Chailes u Finney
Perfectionism Philauelphia pp
) H Merle DAubigne piofessoi of chuich histoiy anu histoiical theology at the Ecole ue thologie ue ueneve best known as the
authoi of Eistory of tbe Reformotion of tbe Sixteentb Century anu Tbe Reformotion in FnqlonJ
Pelagianism the uoctiine of Biitish monk Pelagius c who supposeuly ueclaieu that human effoit anu meiit coulu biing about salva
tion without the powei of uivine giace
}B Neile uAubigne Tbe Reformotion in FnqlonJ Lonuon vol p also iepiinteu by The Bannei of Tiuth Tiust
Cbarles Hodge the most influential Ameiican Piesbyteiian theologian of the nineteenth centuiy taught theology at Piinceton Sem
inaiy
7
unrcncwcd man can do noihing o himscl io sccurc his salvaiion, ii is csscniial ihai hc should lc lroughi io a rac-
iical conviciion o ihai iruih. Whcn ihus convicicd, and noi lcorc, hc sccls hcl rom ihc only sourcc whcncc ii
can lc oliaincd."
26
In both the above statements stress is put upon mans helplessness to be born anew, and the necessity for God to create life.
It is especially in these two areas that the doctrine of Decisional Regeneration deviates from the biblical doctrine of regener-
ation. This brings us to the foundational issue of Decisional Regeneration: What is the spiritual condition of man?
Can a man be born again by answering yes to a certain group of questions? Can a man be born from above by walking
to the front of a building? Can a man become a true Christian by responding to an invitation as a result of being crept up
on unawares? Your answers to these questions will be determined by your view of mans spiritual condition. What is mans
spiritual state?
The grand old Scottish theologian Thomas Boston
27
vividly illustrated mans spiritual condition by comparing the un-
converted person to a man in a pit. He can only get out of the pit in one of two ways: he may through much toil and
difficulty scale the sides of the pit to the top, which is the way of works; or he may grab hold of the rope of grace let down by
Christ and be pulled out of his misery. Yes, he may decide to pull himself up by the rope of the Gospel, But, alas! The un-
converted man is dead in the pit and cannot help himself either of these ways.
28
Man is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins and cannot please God (Eph 2:1; Rom 8:8). Our Savior Himself portrayed
mans condition as one of utter helplessness: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him . . .
no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father (Joh 6:44, 65).
This state of death and bondage to sin cannot be changed by making a decision or by walking an aisle. A man cannot
make himself a Christian. Only the Spirit of God can create a new man in Christ. God in His grace gives men new hearts.
Only then can they willingly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. God Himself has stated this truth by saying: A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes... (Eze 36:26, 27).
Jesus Christ also clearly said, For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth
whom he will (Joh 5:21).
We cannot see the greatness of Gods power in saving sinners unless we see it against the background of mans desperate
condition. What a glorious doctrine is the new birth to a helpless sinner! May the Church return to biblical doctrine so that
it may evangelize again to the glory of God.
How helpless guilty nature lies,
Unconscious of its load!
The heart, unchanged can never rise,
To happiness and God.
The will perverse, the passions blind,
In paths of ruin stray;
Reason, debased, can never find
The safe, the narrow way.
Can aught, beneath a power divine,
The stubborn will subdue?
Tis Thine, almighty Saviour, Thine,
To form the heart anew.
O change these wretched hearts of ours,
And give them life divine!
Then shall our passions and our powers,
Almighty Lord, be Thine!
Isaac Watts