One aspect of the Christian religion that sets it apart from all other religions of the world is the doctrine of regeneration, i.e., the work of the Holy Spirit of God whereby the sinner’s heart is renewed and brought from a state of spiritual blindness and death to that of spiritual sight and life (John 3). Without this supernatural work of God in regeneration, Christianity devolves into nothing more than another belief system based on the traditions of men, on the rudiments and philosophies of the world — as though becoming a Christian were similar to that of becoming a Buddhist or a Hindu or some other religion. However, as Richard Baxter stated, “To be the people of God without regeneration is as impossible as to be the children of men without generation.”¹ Without God there is no “washing of regeneration and renewal” or indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, Romans 8:9), which would render the Christian life impossible. Believers are depicted in Scripture as branches attached to a Vine whereby they receive the power and ability to live the Christian life. A Christianity wherein God does not exist would be as absurd as though a branch could bear fruit though the tree did not exist. Thus, unlike man-made religions, which are viable and workable though there were no God, Christianity stands alone in that in both belief and practice it is entirely dependent on the intervention of the power of God Himself (2 Peter 1:3, 4, Philippians 2:13, etc.).
Our primary aim in this Chapter is not involved with whether or not regeneration takes place prior to faith (Calvinism) or as a result of faith (Arminianism), but rather with the implications of the doctrine of regeneration which both views hold as being essential to our salvation.
According to Scripture, all those in their natural state, born of the flesh, of the seed of Adam, have an innate propensity to sin and are therefore habitually inclined to its practice; “For the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21)and in Psalm 14:2-4,
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (see Romans 3:11, 12).
We read in Jeremiah 13:23, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” In our natural state, we are no more capable of living holy and godly lives than the Ethiopian is capable of changing the color of his skin or a leopard its spots. All those outside of Christ are in the flesh and therefore “live according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:13). “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8). Thus, we find ourselves in a terrible predicament if left to ourselves. For God, throughout Scripture, requires that we live righteously before Him declaring in essence that we must change our “spots” or die:
Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die (Prov. 11:19).
Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! (Ps. 104:35).
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it (Isa. 13:9).
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Ps. 1:5, 6).
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust (Prov. 11:4-6).
If a man is righteous and does what is just and right…executes true justice between man and man, walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God (Ezek. 18:5-9).
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (1 Cor. 6:9).
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die (Rom. 8:13).
(Emphasis added in all the above).
We often hear in the church that since our salvation “is not of works” and we have Christ’s righteousness imputed to us in our justification, when we stand before God in judgment our own righteousness will be irrelevant to our acceptance with God. The deeds we practice in daily living are only relevant to our rewards in heaven and not heaven itself. However, in each of the foregoing passages, it clearly states that one mustbe steadfast in righteousness or perish; that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Again, Jesus Himself said in John 5:28, 29,
Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment (emphasis added).
It should be clear to anyone with ears to hear that according to Christ only those who have done good will receive eternal life while those who have done evil will perish; “That is, they who are righteous, or they who have by their good works ‘shown’ that they were the friends of Christ.”2 Matthew Henry writes of this passage,
Whatever name men are called by, or whatever plausible profession they make, it will be well in the great day with those only that have done good, have done that which is pleasing to God and profitable to others. The resurrection of the body will be a resurrection of life to all those, and those only, that have been sincere and constant in doing good3(emphasis added).
Peter says in Acts 10:34, 35, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (emphasis added, NKJV). Again, it would seem clear, to the impartial mind, that if this verse is to have any meaning at all, it teaches that God only accepts those who fear Him and work righteousness (We are not addressing here the issue of whether or not the righteousness mentioned in these verses is meritorious, but whether or not it is essential to a man’s acceptance with God, irrespective of the source or means by which it is attained). These are not isolated passages. This same truth is expressed in a myriad of other passages and, without exception, those in reference to the final Judgment:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil (Eccl. 12:13-14).
For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done (Matt. 16:27).
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality (Rom. 2:5-11).
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10).
(Emphasis added in all the above).
When Christ speaks of separating the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25:32-46, it is based on their deeds, what they had done whether good or bad:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? …And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. …And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (emphasis added).
The “good” or “righteous” are defined by their service to Christ evidenced by a compassionate heart toward those in need, not in the world primarily, but among the people of God. For He says, “you did it to one of these brothers of Mine.” Who are His brothers? “My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). They are His followers; the children of God as distinguished from the children of the devil (1 Jn. 3:10). The sheep and goats are a depiction of saints and sinners, the righteous and unrighteous, the faithful and faithless. The same truth is stated in the parable of the tares,
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear (Matt. 13:41, emphasis added).
Here, those who are righteous in practice will remain in the kingdom of God, and all law-breakers cast out. Their status in this verse is based entirely on their behavior whether it be good or bad. In the parable of the net we read,
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace (Matt 13:49-50, emphasis added).
The net is the gospel which gathers all sorts of people out of the world who make a profession of faith in Christ. In the judgment the angels will sort the genuine from the hypocrite — the righteous from the lawless — the good from the bad. It is even as those in Matthew 7:21-23 who make a profession of faith but Christ says to them “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” In Revelation 22:12-15 we read,
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie(emphasis added, NKJV).
And in Rev. 21:8,
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (see also 1 Cor. 6:9-10, Gal. 5:19-21).
In Rev 20:11-13 it says,
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done (emphasis added).
Here the books are opened and all men are judged according to what they had done, whether good or bad. Albert Barnes writes,
Kings had their chronicles written (Est. 6:1) wherein people’s good or ill deeds toward them were recorded. But the image is one of the oldest in Scripture, and in the self-same words (Ex 17:14), ‘the Lord said to Moses, Write this, a memorial in a book’.…Both expressions are used, only to picture vividly to our minds, that our deeds are present with God, for good or for evil; and in the Day of Judgment He will make them manifest to men and angels, as though read out of a book, and will requite them. So Daniel had said (Dan 7:10), ‘the judgment was set, and the books were opened.’ And John says (Rev 20:12), ‘The books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’4
Jesus says in Matthew 12:36, 37,
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Words reveal the spiritual condition of the heart. A good heart speaks good things; a bad heart speaks corrupt things (Luke 6:45). According to this verse, a person will be justified or condemned based on whether or not their hearts are good or bad. This is the heart described in the parable of the four soils, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15) (see chapter 9). David says in Psalm 15:1-3,
O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; (NASB, emphasis added).
Only those who walk with integrity and work righteousness are fit to abide in his kingdom and dwell in the heavenly presence of God which again lines up with what we read in Acts 10:35, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him (NKJV).
So then, in light of the numerous passages throughout Scripture, it is unmistakably evident that living righteously before God is an essential aspect of our salvation. The reader can plainly see for his or her self that in these judgment passages God will evaluate the reality of our faith, based on how we lived — in righteousness or sin.
This brings us back to our dilemma. The intention of man’s heart, in its natural state, is evil from his youth and yetis required to live righteously before God or perish. To do so is likened to a leopard changing his spots. Many try to cover the spots with good deeds or wash them off with the “works of the law.” This is the error of legalism. “Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God” (Jer. 2:22). Others imagine that because they profess to believe in Christ as their Savior God will simply turn a blind eye to the spots, looking only at the spotlessness of Christ, as they continue in their sin. This is the error of antinomianism or licentiousness (Jude 4, Rom. 6:1, 15). However, it is all to no avail. The leopard must change his spots and the Ethiopian his skin, and this can only be accomplished by the intervention of the supernatural power of God Himself through faith. “There is an almighty grace that is able to change the Ethiopian’s skin, and that grace shall not be wanting to those who in a sense of their need of it seek it earnestly and improve it faithfully”5 To live in heartfelt obedience to the spiritual law of God the natural man must become a spiritual man. He must be born again of the Spirit; Re-generated by God Himself. Jesus says to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, in John 3,
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
And in verse 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him,
How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?’
“The Jews had some general notion of the new birth; but, like many among Christians, they put the acts of proselytism, baptism, etc., in the place of the Holy Spirit and his influence: they acknowledged that a man must be born again; but they made that new birth to consist in profession, confession, and external washing.”6 Jesus reproves Nicodemus for his lack of spiritual perception of this fundamental teaching in Scripture that the burial of the old life in Adam and the entering upon a new spiritual life generated from above was essential to salvation. Even so, the Pharisees would see it as necessary for gentile converts but not for themselves as they were ignorant of their own need of “repentance from dead works and of faith toward God” (Heb. 6:1). Jesus is saying to Nicodemus in essence, “You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate [the heart], that the outside also may be clean” [the behavior] (Matt. 23:26). It is as God says to backslidden Israel, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn” (Deut. 10:16) and “make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” (Ezek. 18:31). To make a new heart and a new spirit we must become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 6:15), created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10). It is not about reforming one’s behavior by keeping the letter of the law, but rather that of an inward transformation and change of character. We must have a new divine principle within that governs our thoughts and actions that they might be turned in a new direction; A principle that inclines us toward righteousness and away from sin. We must be born again “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). It is as we read in Ephesians 4:22-24 “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
So then, the solution to our predicament can only be found in God Himself, in that which He graciously performs and accomplishes on our behalf through faith. He says in Ezekiel 36:25-27,
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you [cleansing the inside of the cup and the plate]. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules [that the outside also may be clean] (emphasis added).
And in Deuteronomy 30:6,
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live (emphasis added).
These are among the most exceptional promises in all of Scripture. It is the promise of a glorious and magnificent grace available to all that desire to be in a right relationship with their Creator. No matter how abominable, despicable, wicked, or filthy men may be, God freely offers them pardon, reconciliation and renewal. God says in essence
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