Through out Church History, God has sent fresh outpourings of his Spirit upon one generation after the next. Perhaps the most notable revival of the past was that of the Reformation. However, as in all revivals, those that followed have failed to value their father's treasures and have squandered a great inheritance of truth. These late comers parrot many of the words of the Reformers but the definitions they attach to their words are greatly perverted.

How is it that the great reformers of the past exercised mighty gifts of power in their ministries? They prayed for the sick, wrought miracles, prophetically foretold future events and demanded sanctified living before a Holy God. Yet, today their predecessors neglect and oppose all that their fathers once treasured. The commonplace of the past has now been defined as heretical.

• Springs from the aged or dyeing roots of the Reformed tradition.
• Renders a dishonest accounting of Reformed History.
• Turns a blind eye to the sovereign acts of God among his people
• Introduces a altered rendering of the truths that broke the back of the dark ages.

Remember that the reformers revival restored scriptural truth to the masses of darkened Europe. The Spiritual Anointing that the Reformers exercised is largely unknown today! Thus, the world rushes back to apostasy.

From today’s modern Reformed Theology flies the deadly spoors of: Neo-Sovereignty, Neo-Election and Neo-Grace. These evil spoors eventually infect each ensuing revival and thus, insight God to call out a new generation of faith from each succeeding generation. Hence, we see numerous denominations springing up like so many toadstools upon the blighted earth! These modernistic spoors can be found in almost every denomination and Christian University. False teachers are infecting Theology students this very hour!

1. Neo-Sovereignty -- Neo-Sovereignty teaches that every good or bad event is under the control of God and is ultimately God’s will made manifest upon the earth. This differs from the teachings of the old reformers in that they refused to submit to the lies of Rome and would not accept that a wicked Church should rule the earth. Through prayer and personal sacrifice the Reformers turned a darkened world upside down.

Ultimately, the Reformers changed circumstances and nations through mighty prevailing prayers. The Sovereignty they preached was that in which the Hebrew Children placed their trust. They knew that God was more powerful than man was and that God would sustain them no matter what man might do. The power that prevailed in Babylon also prevailed for the Old Reformers. That power is still available to those that will cast their all upon Christ. Christ will still answer prayer today and turn nations back to Christ.

Most have forgotten that the reformers believed that if they failed to preach and act upon God’s word, the victory God planned would not arrive. They understood that God’s plan for his people might go unfulfilled. In our day people are neglecting prayer and dedication because they believe that God’s Sovereign will shall be accomplished in spite of Christian indifference. This was not the opinion of the Reformers.

2. Neo-Election -- Today’s modern definition of election stands in stark opposition to the faith of the old reformers. Today, many wrongly suppose that God will save all that are elected and little can be done to avoid or seek God’s predestinated choice. Similarly, many are presumed to be outside of God’s foal and have no hope of salvation.

The old reformers viewed election as something totally different. They understood election to be the Divine move and conviction of the Holy Ghost upon an unconverted heart. That heart might belong to either a Heathen or to a baptized Church member or an ordained Christian minister. In any case they understood that a powerful move of the Holy Ghost was necessary to effect true conversion. They understood that without such a move God’s election had not been realized and salvation was not a reality. They also knew that "prevailing prayer" might move the hand of God and initiate the move of the Holy Ghost and the conversion of souls. Such a move was not likely to happen in the absence of such prayer.

During the time of the old reformers many clergymen assumed that they were Christians but were in reality only Christian in culture and not in heart. Because the Church of Rome was in such a poor state the Reformers felt justified in leaving that great apostasy of presumption. We should take the same position today!

The Reformers understood the Roman Church to be the Mystery Babylon of Revelation. We affirm that modern teachers that deny the power of God are part of the same!

3. Neo-Grace -- There are two major areas in which today’s neo-Grace Theology turns away from old reformation truth. These two are, Holiness through Personal Suffering and Holiness in spite of Wicked Living. The old reformers understood that true Holiness was imputed and imparted by a miracle (sovereign act) of God. They also understood that the believer appropriated his personal sanctification by the Blood, the word and the Spirit.

• Holiness Through Personal Suffering

"Holiness through personal suffering," is perhaps the most insidious form of modern Reformed neo-grace. This teaching agrees with new age theology and both have their roots in ancient Hinduism. In this errant teaching, we are informed that our personal suffering cleanses and empowers us for ministry. During the dark ages the Monastic system fully embraced this thinking and inflected all manner of pain upon its adherents. The Flagellants plumbed its depths as they beat their own bodies to attain holiness and acceptance with God. In the end "Holiness through personal suffering," nullifies the Cross of Christ.

Today’s modern reformed Theologians do not normally move to the depths of the flagellants. However, they are certainly walking on the edge of spiritual sadism when they deny the power of God to deliver. For example one Theology Professor, Dr. Bowdle (of the Church of God’s Lee University, Cleveland TN, Graduate of Princeton) states that Prayer does not change circumstances but it does change the prayer giver. The nationally known Dave Wilkerson states that it is better to suffer sickness than to be healed. In either case the power of God to heal and or work physical miracles is belittled and the benefit of personal suffering is elevated. This thinking certainly takes the first step on the road to self-flagellation unto holiness.

Remember that we should never willingly carry a load that Christ has already born for us. Jesus came to heal the sick, set at liberty the oppressed and cast out demons. The old Reformers also practiced Jesus’ ministry and yet their predecessors fail to grasp that old time message of life!

• Holiness is possible in spite of wicked living

Finally, grace is also perverted in the teaching that Holiness is possible in spite of wicked living. The old reformers left Romanism because of this false assumption. All of the old reformers believed in God’s imputed righteousness but once that righteousness had come the tree of morality was always expected to bare good fruit. In addition to faith, right living and holiness were the message of the Reformation. The self-righteous works that the reformers preached against were the substitute offerings of the Roman Church. They rejected indulgences, purchased prayers, self-inflicted pain to pay for sin, and all sorts of relics and idolatrous substitutes for the Cross of Christ. Once at the cross the reformers all saw a new way of living must follow the man of God.

Note: Our assertions regarding the old reformers are supported through out the old book called "Scots Worthies" -- Howey. These early Presbyterians moved in all of the apostolic gifts of the spirit and consequently changed the world for Christ!