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"Jack Graham In Disagreement With His Own SBC Baptist Faith & Message" By Alan Kurschner-The Calvinist Gadfly (www.calvinistgadfly.com)

Jack Graham in Disagreement with his own SBC Baptist Faith & Message.
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It has been brought to my attention a few times in the past year that the ranting of anti-Calvinist Southern Baptist preachers such as Jack Graham, Adrian Rogers, Paige Patterson, and Johnny Hunt are inconsistent with their very statement of faith, the SBC Baptist Faith & Message. These individuals in the past have railed against the notion that God must first change the sinner’s heart in order to give faith and repentance. This truth that God changes the heart first is simply the Calvinist teaching of God’s monergistic grace. Graham, Rogers, Patterson, and Hunt all disagree with the following Baptist Faith & Message statement on salvation that asserts regeneration precedes faith:

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis mine) Article IV, A.

Those two words, “to which” are pivotal. They clearly state that regeneration, or being born again, enables, or leads to, repentance and faith. And yet, Graham, Rogers, Patterson, Hunt (and many other SBC preachers) teach against their SBC Baptist Faith & Message by teaching that faith and repentance causes, or comes before, regeneration. For example, in Jack Graham’s infamous anti-Calvinist sermon this past year (starting at 32 minutes into the sermon) you can listen to him call this statement “backwards” and “illogic.”

So, despite what these SBC preachers have against this truth, it is encouraging that the Southern Baptist Convention’s Baptist Faith & Message supports the Calvinist belief that regeneration precedes faith. But most importantly, I think it’s best that we close by looking at God’s opinion on this matter,

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions– it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13
“He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 8:47
“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14

Cheers,
Alan Kurschner
10/08/05

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