Experiencing the New Birth

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Reformed, Study, Jesus, Preaching, Christianity, Scripture, Spirit, Bible, Holy, Theology, Christian, God, Teaching

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Holy Spirit gives us a new heart, a new life, a new enjoyment of God, and a new assurance. Today, Michael Reeves observes that a recovery of the Holy Spirit’s significance fueled the Reformation.

Get Reformation Truths, Michael Reeves’ video teaching series, for your donation of any amount. You’ll receive the DVD plus lifetime digital access to all 8 messages and the study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4341/donate

Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global

Meet Today’s Teacher:

Michael Reeves is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in the United Kingdom.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	Christian bookstalls, both Catholic and Protestant, grown under the weight of all the how-to guides.
0:06.9	And we feel why not? When life is so busy, it's relievingly simple to follow a five steps to better spiritual health manual.
0:15.0	But there is such a thing as an outward performance that is spiritually hollow.
0:29.2	It can be easy to fall into the performance trap, isn't it?
0:33.3	Thinking that by doing good we can earn God's favor,
0:37.3	well, there's nothing new about that.
0:39.3	By the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church had reduced Christianity to practice and rituals,
0:45.6	in essence a system of good works. Today, on renewing your mind, we conclude our time in Michael
0:52.6	Reeves' series, Reformation Truths.
0:55.0	So don't forget to request the DVD set.
0:58.0	It's available for you as our way of saying thanks for your donation in support of
1:02.0	Renewing Your Mind at Renewing Your Mind.org.
1:06.0	But be quick as this offer ends tonight at midnight.
1:10.0	Here's Dr. Reeves to point out the difference between ritualistic religion and genuine life in Christ.
1:20.0	Where did the spirit go in medieval Roman Catholicism?
1:25.3	Not an easy question to answer, because really the sacramental system
1:30.8	and the clergy seemed effectively to replace the spirit. The way things worked was God's grace
1:38.3	was a blessing that would pour through the seven taps of the seven sacraments. The seven sacraments of baptism,
1:48.9	confirmation, the mass, penance, marriage, ordination, last rites, and the clergy were the ones
2:00.2	with the power to turn the taps on and off.
2:04.2	And with such a hermetically sealed plumbing system for grace, there was really nothing for the spirit to do.
2:13.2	And in many ways, the Reformation as a whole would be a fight for that line in the Nicene
	...

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