One of the problems facing Christians today is that progressives have subtly deleted important doctrines from the gospel to supposedly make it more palatable to modern man. Those deleted doctrines are not enumerated by them, so Christians have to pay careful attention to their pastors in order to identify their errors. These modern progressives still assert that faith in Christ’s atonement is necessary for salvation. But that appears to be the beginning and the ending of their theological system.
First, Progressives pervert the gospel because they do not believe in regeneration. That is why they can so easily accept someone like Greg Johnson (formerly in the PCA but now in the EPC) who says he is a Christian, but that his identity is as one who is same-sex attracted—a struggle which has been unremitting for him since before he supposedly believed. Yet, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). And Paul said, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In the third chapter of John, Jesus first proclaims regeneration before he mentions saving faith in that most famous verse, John 3:16. There can be no true faith until a person is born again. A friend spoke with Johnson at the PCA General Assembly in 2018. Johnson told him that he did not believe a same-sex attracted person could ever be any different. That is a denial of regeneration wherein God takes away the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh; He takes away the evil, unbelieving heart and gives us a heart of faith. If regeneration is denied, the gospel is lost. So, progressives who show compassion to someone whose identity is still with their sins are really denying the power of God to change the hearts of His people. And that is a very bad trade.
Second, Progressives pervert the gospel because they do not believe in progressive sanctification. Progressives limit sanctification to that initial cleansing of believers which is called ‘definitive sanctification’ as a result of our position in Christ. We who believe are positionally sanctified through our relationship in Christ by faith, but progressive sanctification is denied by progressives. If we talk to progressives about the need for walking with Christ and being holy, they accuse us of being legalists. I have heard several people this summer tell me about their terrible experiences with progressive pastors who denied the necessity of pursuing “the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14b). A denial of progressive sanctification goes hand-in-hand with the denial of regeneration. The latter necessarily leads to the former.
Third, Progressives pervert the gospel by cheapening grace to the point of meaninglessness. They speak much about grace, but it is a grace that is undefined and indefinable. It is a catch word that they can use to excuse anything and permit everything. Are you against homosexuality? Well, progressives will rebuke you for not understanding grace and not believing in the gospel. Scripture defines grace primarily as the grace of God in the gospel. Progressives believe that grace covers everything, except there is no grace for the one who denies their view of grace.
Fourth, Progressives pervert the gospel by ignoring the work of the Holy Spirit. They are like the disciples Paul found in Ephesus whom he asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And our modern progressives respond, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2). Presbyterians, particularly, have a problem concerning the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, it seems like we are still living before the day of Pentecost. Our Godhead, it seems, consists of the Father and the Son, but the Spirit is nowhere to be found in our system of theology. It is this denial of the work of the Holy Spirit which is at the bottom of all the errors of progressives. And this ignorance concerning the Holy Spirit points out to us those who are most at danger of becoming progressives someday in the future.
I recently read an article about sanctification by a young reformed minister. Not one time in the article did he mention the Holy Spirit. Yet, Paul wrote, “if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live” (Romans 8:13). Progressive sanctification is a synergistic work of our efforts and the Spirit’s enabling. Now, progressive sanctification is not the sanctification views of Progressives. Progressive sanctification means we cannot do sanctify ourselves. The Holy Spirit does not sanctify us without our diligent efforts nor does He sanctify us all at one time. Sanctification is a progressive, ongoing work of the Holy Spirit with the synergy of our own efforts. Anyone who thinks he has found the secret of sanctification apart from the inner working of the Spirit or without diligent effort is sadly mistaken. I would like to whisper in their ears, “You haven’t found the secret just yet.”
Even confessional Presbyterians can fall into this progressive error and heresy. Confessional Presbyterians start with the assertion that they believe in objective truth which is extremely important. But that position is not enough. We also need to hold to subjective truth and subjective grace. Many 20th century theologians emphasized objective truth over against subjectivism because of the heresies of Karl Barth and Barthianism. Barthians denied objective truths and emphasized subjectivism. Modern-day progressives deny subjective grace (which is also a denial of subjective truth). That emphasis on objective grace (or, truth) while denying subjective grace is a grievous error. Many of those who fell into the Federal Vision heresy started out as staunch supporters of objective truth while dismissing anything that was subjective in nature. Yet, by dismissing subjective grace they also dismiss the work of the Holy Spirit. Truth affects us both objectively and subjectively. A Southern Presbyterian in the 18thcentury and close friend of James Henley Thornwell, Robert J. Breckinbridge, wrote two volumes on the knowledge of God. The first was titled, The Knowledge of God Objectively Considered. The second was titled, The Knowledge of God Subjectively Considered. God can be and must be known in both ways—objectively and subjectively. Grace affects us both objectively and subjectively. They both go together and cannot be severed from one another. Yet, the great problem in modern Presbyterian and Reformed circles is that the subjective grace of the Holy Spirit is denied and grace is defined only in objective terms. That error leads to a multitude of other problems.
Before my book, Historical Christianity and the Federal Vision, was published, I sought the endorsement of a well-known fellow minister who is respected for his theological acumen. I sent him the manuscript via email and within a few minutes he called to let me know he would not endorse it because he disagreed with the definition of Pelagianism which I set forth in that book. I got my definition of that heresy from the great reformed and Pauline theologians all the way back to Augustine. A friend and well-known Calvin scholar who did Ph. D work in Pelagianism, though, told me that my definition was absolutely correct. Also, my book was later endorsed by R. C. Sproul, who was second to none among modern reformed scholars. The real error of Pelagius, as all good reformed scholars know, is the denial of the subjective grace of the Holy Spirit. Well, that is also the problem with Progressives and even with proponents of the Federal Vision. Both Progressives and Federal Vision proponents limit the gospel to the objective work of Christ for us and deny the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In fact, the Federal Vision further limits God’s grace to only a few aspects of Christ’s objective work for us because they believe all saving grace is conferred through the water of baptism. It is a mistake when some modern-day reformed scholars define Pelagianism as the denial of all grace. That is simply wrong, as B. B. Warfield states, “Pelagius consistently denied both the need and reality of divine grace in the sense of an inward help to man’s weakness.” Yet, Augustine also noted that Pelagius talked much about “grace,” but it was an undefined grace and, therefore, a meaningless grace.
Progressivism is Pelagianism and Pelagius was the first member of the “grace boys” club. He talked much about grace, but could never quite define it just like those who are in the modern-day hyper-grace movement. Progressives deny the work of the Holy Spirit and so did Pelagius. Progressives deny regeneration and Pelagius denied “grace in the sense of an inward help to man’s weakness.” Progressives deny the necessity of progressive sanctification and Pelagius denied that we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Beware of the gospel according to Progressives. Beware of anyone who does not emphasize the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit. Their gospel sounds good. It sounds so easy. It promises forgiveness without holiness. Beware. It is an enticing doctrine that brings together liberals and “grace boys” and Federal Vision proponents and even so-called Confessionals who do not yet see the necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit. But the gospel according to Progressives is not the gospel. It is another gospel that is accursed according to Paul (Galatians 1:8). The true gospel includes saving faith in the cross of Christ and regeneration and progressive sanctification and the inner working of the Holy Spirit—all of them without exception.
News:
Vanguard Presbytery received Rev. Sterling Brown as a minister on Monday evening, August 12, 2024 via transfer from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church denomination. His mission church, Geneva Reformed Church in Richmond, Ohio, was also received as a mission work of the Presbytery. TE’s Bill Hill and Howard Sloan were given limited powers as evangelists to examine and ordain ruling elders for the mission work as they intend to petition Presbytery to become a particular church at the October meeting of the court.
Dewey Roberts, Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Destin, FL