The Heart of My Religion – Deji Yesufu
My theology has been formed by controversies. I recall seeing the concept of “eternal security” in Scripture back in 1998, when I was a member of a Pentecostal church. The result of that understanding was that while that church preached a prosperity gospel, it did not appeal to me one bit. There was a greater prosperity I was seeing within scripture: the fact that I was saved and safe. The last controversy that shifted my theology slightly was the Alistair Begg controversy. It was the discovery of Pharisaism within the Reformed movement. When many of those brothers refused to repent of it, I separated my life and ministry from them. There is a close relationship between theology and practice. It was James who wrote: “…Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world…” (James 1:27). He wrote this within the context of practical religion – that we should not be hearers of the word alone, but also doers of it (verse 22). It means this: sound doctrine is the product of a godly lifestyle. Sound doctrine should never stand alone. There are those individuals who appear to monitor everything one says or writes, and are seeking to correct every sentence or doctrine, etc. That is not Christianity. Your doctrine begins to have a life of its own after your own life has reflected the gospel. These thoughts lead me to reconsider what is the most important item in my religion – what is the heart of my religion? And how this item determines my decision-making, my position in controversies, my worship of God, my leadership of the church, and so on. I hope you will find my reflections a blessing.
I am convinced that the most important item in all religion is the new birth. The greatest creation of Almighty God is his ability to change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. I adopted reformed theology because it is a biblical theology that is concerned with how God saves sinners. Reformed theology speaks about the ordo salutis, or the Order of Salvation. Simply speaking, this is God electing men from the foundation of the earth; the Spirit calling men effectually in time; regeneration – being born again; conversion – faith and repentance; justification – right standing with God; adoption – entering the family of God; sanctification; perseverance; and glorification. There are debates as to the order in which these things occur, but largely, many reformed Christians agree that this is how God redeems sinners. Each of these items is a topic on its own, and they are such rich topics that they are worth the time studying. In fact, I am convinced that many sceptics of religion have met the Saviour simply by listening to these truths. It was John Wesley who was listening to someone read Martin Luther’s introductory notes to the book of Romans, when he suddenly felt his heart strangely warmed, and he came to living faith in Jesus Christ. May God grant such a blessing to all readers of these texts.
Now, while the ordo solutis is a fundamentally reformed theory, the very act of God changing the hearts of sinners and making them born again in Jesus Christ is a biblical reality. In fact, the real debate this article wishes to render is that God goes beyond the boundaries of religion to save sinners. I am saying essentially that many men and women were converted by the power of God long before Jesus Christ came to this earth, and I am also convinced that there is a revelation of God that can save men today, even though these men have not heard the gospel in the plain sense that some of us have. These thoughts were engendered in my mind as I considered the theory of special revelation and natural revelation. Special revelation is God’s revealing of himself within holy scriptures. Men getting to know God’s truth within the scriptures and men being converted by the power of God as a result of this knowledge. So, men like Abraham, David, Solomon, and Isaiah had a revelation of God, outside the person of Christ, and that revelation was sufficient to save them. In the same vein, there are many who do not even have as much knowledge of God as the Old Testament saints had, but who encounter God through natural revelations. Natural revelations will be God’s revealing of himself through nature, circumstances of life, and through conscience. As limited as this revelation is, many have met the Saviour that way. It is safe to say that persons like Melchizedek, Job, and Nebuchadnezzar encountered God in this manner and may possibly have been soundly saved. Here is the controversy: there are revelations of God in the Quran and other religions that can bring these people to a knowledge of God in Jesus Christ and save them soundly. They may not refer to themselves as Christians, but they are elects of God that he employs supernatural means to bring into his fold. Therefore, how do you know an elect of God from a reprobate? The fruit of their lives (Matthew 7:16-23)
This brings me to my main argument: I am very concerned about many Christians who spend all their waking moments glorying in one aspect of their tradition but who somehow appear to miss the very heart of religion. I have seen Roman Catholics whose overarching preoccupation is with the worship of Mary, the Rosary, and so on. I see Pentecostals who spend all their waking moments trying to get people to speak in tongues and cast out devils. It appears that they are convinced that the moment people begin to utter gibberish, then the Holy Spirit has come upon them and they are soundly converted. I see no such evidence within the Bible. I also see reformed Christians whose overpreoccupation is doctrine hunting. They want to be sure that what you are saying or have written does not contradict what John MacArthur, John Piper or any other reformed thinker has taught. If it does, you are a heretic. I see a preoccupation with non-essentials, while the essential part of religion is wholly and totally ignored. This is an issue. Because what it means is that you can be sound in all Marian dogmas as a Roman Catholic and still never have met the Saviour. You can speak in tongues and demons will flee, and still not be converted. And, oh, God forbid, you can possess all sound doctrine in your head and not have a changed heart – such that everything is a mere academic exercise. When Jesus said that the prostitutes and tax collectors would enter God’s kingdom ahead of many religious people, our Lord was talking about how we can all do all kinds of religion and still miss the heart of it all. The heart of religion is that God, through grace, has encountered a sinner, by the revelation of God in the gospel, and changes that sinner and makes him a new creation. The only way we know that an individual has genuinely met God is when his religion reflects his profession. It is not enough to say things; we must do things. Religion is practical. It is objective reality. Faith is subjective; it is something between you and God. However, sound religion speaks to men without words, and God wishes that our religion reflects gospel realities.
Now, if God still saves his elect in all religions as I have posited, does this mean that we should neglect the preaching of the gospel? No. Rather, it means we should intensify our preaching. There are many Muslims who have met the Saviour through the reading of the Quran. Some of them then see Christ in the Bible and through the lives of Christians. Some have the courage to change religions; others do not. It does not change the reality of God’s powerful work in their lives. We will see these men in heaven. The faithful preaching of the gospel would help people to see God more, and a greater revelation of God will birth a greater conversion rate. Some have suggested that what I am teaching is universalism. Universalism teaches that all people will be saved. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that the heart of religion is God’s work in converting sinners and making them saints through the revelation of God. There would always be an elect according to grace. It is our hope that all men would encounter God through his revelation in his Son, Jesus Christ. But I am convinced that God still saves men even outside the narrow confines of Christianity. It is his gracious acts of reaching the elect – a work that only eternity can reveal how he does it.
Deji Yesufu is the pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church Ibadan. He is the author of HUMANITY. He can be reached at [email protected]
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