Regeneration

Without a proper understanding of Biblical regeneration, we will attempt to "save" souls with a man-centered pseudo gospel, which focuses on the outside of the cup, but has no power to cleanse the inside. Do we say to the filthy beggar (which every sinner is), "here is a fine set of new clothes. Just put these on and you will be one of us." This is like saying, "if you look like a Christian, you can be one." Do we say, "if you look like a sinner, you can be one?"

Acts of righteousness can never bring peace with God because He requires absolute perfection and our performances will fail to measure up. Only One (Christ) has perfectly obeyed the law of God with all His heart, mind, soul and strength. If there is no cross in your gospel, where you die and Christ lives in you, there can be no salvation. Therefore, to offer a "salvation" based on joining the club and doing good deeds is to negate the gospel of grace in favor of a gospel of morality.

The truth is, to be a Christian, you must be born one. Jesus stated that regeneration is "passing from death unto life." (John 5:24) Paul shows again, in Ephesians 2:1, that in the new birth, life comes forth from death, we are made "alive to God through Jesus Christ." (Rom. 6:11) His resurrection power raises us up from the dead and we are born again by virture of His life!

God alone can take a dead, lifeless corpse and breathe life into him. He does not enter into our heart just to fix us up or reform us - He makes us into "new creatures." (2 Cor. 5:17) "All things become new" because WE have become new!

Rules-based Christianity can never satisfy the demands of a Holy God who executes a perfect law and demands a perfect obedience, nor can it satisfy the need of the human heart to be clothed with a righteousness that meets those demands. It also produces pew sitters who are critical, rather than compassionate, because they measure the "success" of others by their own personal standards.

Only a life born in and living from -Jesus Christ - can live acceptably to God and glorify the gospel of His grace.

"..as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: WHICH WERE BORN, NOT OF BLOOD, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, BUT OF GOD. (John 1:12-13)