Once Saved Always Changed by Steve Fernandez
This book has six
chapters on the topics: 1. Significant of Regeneration: Crucial Truth, 2.
Necessity: Sin, Depravity, Gospel, 3. Character: Radical Renewal, 4.
Consequences: Changed Lives and Sin in the Church, 5. Order: Conviction,
Regeneration, Saving Faith, 6. Implications: Evangelism, Discipleship,
Counselling. As the subtitle of the book claims itself, it is about the meaning
of new birth or regeneration of a believer. He wrote about the aspects,
necessity, nature, and consequences of regeneration, and also about the
relationship between regeneration and faith. The book ends with practical
implication of the doctrine of regeneration.
It begins by stating
that new birth (or regeneration, to use the theological term) is a radical
change of the core disposition and nature of a person that fundamentally
transforms both their attitudes and behavior of life. The author contends that
the biblical and historical Christian position is that regeneration actually
breaks and dethrones the general controlling power of sin so that the
believer’s basic life-direction is now away from self and sin, and toward God
and holiness. He rightly refers to regeneration as the root of
obedience and holiness. He writes that Christ’s purpose with Nicodemus (as with
the entire Sermon on the Mount) was to show that external righteousness is
totally inadequate. Regeneration is necessary because of man’s depravity. Man
is born with a sin-corrupted nature and is an object of God’s wrath. Man is
spiritually dead, he cannot be revived. Man has a God-hating heart and cannot
welcome truth and needs a recreation through regeneration by God Himself. When
a person is regenerated, it gives him not only a new birth but a new capacity,
and new conduct which always follows because it made him a new person. He is
born of the Spirit and it produces the life of the Spirit. Without Him, there can
be no Salvation. He possesses a single nature, radically transformed, but with
sin remaining as a vestige and remnant of the old man. He does not possess an
“old nature” and a “new nature” as is commonly taught.
In chapter 5, Steve
deals with the order in which God brings sinners, dead in their sins, to
personal salvation and life in Christ under the term “calling.” God not only
invites to salvation (the general external call heard by many through the preaching
of the gospel), He also effectively brings specific people to the saving
relationship with Himself. This call is the internal or effectual call. The
initial step is the proclamation of the gospel. Next is the conviction process. When
exposed to the truths of the gospel, the person becomes aware, and even
concerned about their need to turn to Christ and of their guilt before God.
Conviction, however, is not efficacious. That is, it does not bring a person to
saving faith. People, because of their hardened heart, would not turn to
Christ. The heart of a person must change, this is regeneration. God must do a
further work in regeneration, or there will be no embracing of Christ in saving
faith. The Word of God is the instrument (I Pet 1:2), and the Holy Spirit is
the agent, but the new birth itself is totally the work of God acting directly
upon in the person. Faith is exercised as the immediate and inseparable result
of the new birth. Instantly and inseparably the sinner renounces sin and
exercises trusting, reliant faith as he gladly embraces Christ. The reason he
exercises saving faith, the reason he has come to salvation, is God Himself, in
His love, interposing and regenerating and renewing his heart. It is to Him all
the glory goes!
Steve, in the last
chapter, writes about the implications of regeneration: to pray for the work of the Holy Spirit before evangelism and witnessing and not manipulations of tactics,
and to avoid giving false assurance.
Recommendation:
It is the first book
of Steve Fernandez I ever read. It motivates me to take prayer seriously for
unregenerated people, especially those we are about to witness. It reminds me
to take prayer seriously, and not just to rest on the power of the gospel, and
not on intellect. It also reminds me of the depravity of myself, and mankind
and the saving works of God. The implication of regeneration will force every
reader to depend on the Holy Spirit and not on psychology or methods of
counselling.
I recommend this book to every professing Christian to read this book and examine oneself and our
church members on what it really means to be born again.
June 13, 2014