Decisional Regeneration

There are three views of regeneration: baptismal, monergistic and decisional regeneration. Some believe that you are born again when you are baptized. The Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Oneness Pentecostals believe that you are regenerated when you are baptized. Others hold to a Holy Spirit Baptism, monergistic, solely the work of God apart from any cooperation from man. These are Calvinist and Reformed believers. The third baptism is the predominant view of evangelicals. It is decisional baptism in which the believer cooperates with God, opening his own heart to God for regeneration.

Decisional baptism is regeneration, new birth, received at the time of a sinner's deciding to accept Christ. It is expressed as walking down the isle to accept Christ. One may be lead to Christ by a soul winner who explains the way of salvation and leads the sinner in a prayer of acceptance. This DOES NOT MEAN that everyone saved this way are lost but it does mean that many false conversions are secured in this manner. Too many to dismiss this topic as merely argumentative. It has inherent dangers and poor results.

The dangers are a mistaken believe in the ability of man and this corrupts the foundation of all else that is professed in Christianity. It is an insult to the sovereignty of God and his own self determined pleasures.

It has no biblical basis nor does it have a historical tie to the first century church. It is a product of Charles Finney's methodology seen in the last several centuries.

For a good article about this and particularly as it relates to the Southern Baptist church go here.