Religionists claim the new birth is attributed to faith. Scripture, on the other hand, affirms that one must be born of God before he can have a conversion experience by faith. The Arminian thinks it is his act of faith that determines the act of God. Those who believe in free grace say that life in the subjective sense produces faith; therefore, spiritual life precedes faith.

Christianity in America had a small beginning with a Puritan migration which took place in the 1600’s. The Puritans brought some of the old errors with them. They believed in the union of church and state. Thus, they believed it was necessary to establish their own government, and one of the conditions of their society was allegiance to the church. True freedom, as far as they were concerned, was to be found in the truth as they interpreted it. One writer has put the matter in a facetious way as follows: “The Puritans came to this country to worship God according to their own consciences, and to prevent others from worshipping Him according to theirs.” This, however, in no way belittles the fact that there were some great Christians among the Puritans. Following the awakening by men like Edwards, Whitefield, and Watts, a false concept of revival was introduced by Finney. Nothing militates more against genuine revival than the presumption that we can control God. Thus, the humanity-organized, decisionist religion has resulted in self-deception. The idea that people can receive Christ any time they choose is heresy.

Professing Christendom is full of shams. Few today love the naked truth. Christ gathered up all the sacerdotalism and ecclesiasticism, all the pomp and pride, and all the prayer and piety of the Pharisees into one great bundle and called it hypocrisy (Matt. 23). The Pharisees were pretenders—actors. Christ publicly exposed the Pharisees. Hypocrisy that is fatal consists of human repentance, human faith, and human love and zeal. Human repentance mourns not for sin but for its consequences. Human faith desires a ticket for heaven, but not a life of sanctification on earth. Human love and zeal are active in things that gratify one’s feelings, but want nothing that is self-denying and humiliating. (See Matt. 15:1-20.)

The order we are contending for is the relation between “cause” and “effect.” The sinner is unable in himself to “see” (John 3:3—“…Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”), to “come” (John 6:44—“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”), to “receive” (John 14:17—“…the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”), to “hear” (John 8:43 and 47—“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word…He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”), to “understand” (I Cor. 2:14—“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”), and to “cease from sin” (II Pet. 2:14—“having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children”). Without subjective life, it is impossible to believe the objective message of Christ. On the other hand, when a person is regenerated, it is impossible for the person not to believe on Christ. Regeneration is solely the act of God. Faith is the act of the regenerated person in the power of the new life—“knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake” (I Thess. 1:4, 5).

Life in the objective sense is associated with the judicial sense (John 3:14-16, 18, 36; 5:24; Gal. 3:26; Acts 16:31). Regeneration is life in the judicial sense. This is the repentant sinner embracing the “objective message” of Christ’s redemptive work through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the objective aspect of life, we have the subjective Spirit embracing the objective facts of Christ’s incarnation (I John 4:1-4), the historical records of Christ (I John 5:9-13), the finished work of Christ on the Cross (John 3:14-16), His resurrection out from among the dead (John 20:1-10), and His glorious coming again (Acts 1:9-11).

There must be life wrought in the chosen sinner before he can embrace the life wrought for him by Christ on the cross. Hence, the subjective must precede the objective in the application of life to the elect; however, the objective precedes the subjective from God’s point of view (Rom. 6:1-11; II Tim. 1:9-11).

In giving a commentary on John 3:8, a Baptist pastor, Dr. P. D. O’Brien of Big Spring, Texas, said, “The Holy Spirit comes, you cannot see Him, you know not His origin or destination, yet as He passes by He refreshes your drooping spirits. By faith you breathe Him into your life, and He gives you spiritual life…you do not have to understand the Holy Spirit of God to enjoy the eternal benefits He gives to those who receive Him into their lives.” However, the truth is that being “born again” and “believing” are two completely different aspects of life. (1) “Born again” is subjective, and “believing” is objective. (2) The first is impartation, and the second is imputation. (3) The first has to do with one’s subjective position, and the second has to do with one’s knowledge of his objective condition before God.

The distinction between the subjective and objective aspects of life was given by Jesus Christ (John 3:8-16). Life by the Spirit is essential to sight and activity. Being born of the Spirit is essential to sight and activity. Therefore, being born of the Spirit is life in the subjective sense. Faith in Christ is life in the objective sense, and is also an Old Testament sense. This is also an Old Testament principle. Jeremiah said, “You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the LORD my God” (Jer. 31:18). This same principle was taught by Paul, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed; and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12:3). This distinction is in harmony with depravity, the effectual call, and God’s sovereignty. One does not go from Jesus Christ to the Holy Spirit for completion, but he goes in the power of the regenerating Spirit to Jesus Christ.

Faith is a complex subject. Let no one be influenced by all the sickly talk about “simple faith.” Some take the view that man is not wholly passive at the time of his regeneration. Therefore, only as the sinner’s mind is brought into contact with the truth does God complete His regenerating work. Furthermore, some believe regeneration, calling, conversion, and justification are not chronologically separated, but all occur at the same time.

There is a question that demands an answer at this point of study—Whose faith is it that justifies the sinner before God? There are two major views: (1) Arminians argue that the sinner has the capability of producing justifying faith by an act of his free will. (2) Most Reformers contend that the sinner’s faith is not the cause but the instrument of justification before God.

Paul speaks of “the faith of those chosen of God” in Titus 1:1-4—“Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”

Although Paul speaks of “the faith of those chosen of God,” he also says, “…we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith” (II Thess. 3:2). Those who have “the faith of those chosen of God” are those who were “appointed to eternal life” (Acts 13:48). It is those who are thus appointed to eternal life that are “…being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed” (Gal. 3:23). God -- who has disclosed Himself objectively in history, in His Son, and in the written word -- will enlighten the elect subjectively in order that they may apprehend His self-disclosure experientially. The preceding statements should be followed by Paul’s statement in II Corinthians 4:6—“For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Thus, “the faith of those chosen of God” is the subjective response of the spiritually enlightened person to God’s objective revelation of Himself.

Faith is a part of the new birth, and that which is a part cannot be the cause of the whole. Hence, faith cannot be the cause of itself. This proves that faith consists of the knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ His eternal Son. Christ said in His prayer, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Saving faith is not a human contribution to being born of God. There is nothing in man that could succeed as a condition. It is not a new organ added to human nature. That would make a person less human than the believer. Paul speaks of the Spirit of faith that works in the person whom God has quickened or made alive. Before regeneration, Paul went away from God; after his regeneration, he went toward the Lord. Grace is not a reward for faith, but it is a power enabling the recipient to believe subsequent to being born of the Spirit.

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.

Copyright ã   2005

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