New Birth, Faith, Then Righteousness

          Does faith lead to the new birth, which leads to righteous living, or does
     the new birth lead to faith, which in turn leads to righteousness?


          The Bible teaches the latter - regeneration (the new birth or being born again) is
     necessary before a sinner can believe and therefore live a righteous life.


          THE NEW BIRTH

          Because sinners are dead in their sins,

                                        "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which
                                         you once walked, following the course of this world, ...
                                         and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of
                                         mankind."
                                                                              Ephesians 2:1-2a,5


          they must be raised to new life by God through Christ.


                                         "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love
                                          with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our
                                          trespasses, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER WITH CHRIST -
                                          BY  GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED  ..."
                                                                               Ephesians 2:4-5


           How does God make us alive?


                                          "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
                                           I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you
                                           a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move
                                           you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
                                           ... you will be my people, and I will be your God.  I will
                                           save you from all your uncleanness."
                                                                                          Ezekiel 36:26-29a


            The sinner is now spiritually alive with a new heart that responds to God, and follows
     Him in salvation.      


                                                                **********

          FAITH

                                        "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has
                                         been born of God, and everyone who loves the
                                         Father loves whoever has been born of Him."
                                                                                         1 John 5:1 ESV


           In this verse, we see that "everyone who believes (already has faith) that Jesus is the
     Christ HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD (BORN AGAIN), and everyone who loves the Father
     HAS BEEN BORN OF HIM" (BORN AGAIN).  "Has been" is an indication that the new
     birth as already happened, and then the person believes and is saved.


          John MacArthur comments:

                        "Saving faith is the first characteristic of an overcomer. ('For everyone who has
      been born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world -
     our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the
     Son of God'  1 John 5:4-5).  The term 'believes' conveys the idea of continuing faith, making
     the point that the mark of genuine believers is that they continue in faith throughout their life.

                         "Saving belief is not simply intellectual acceptance, but whole-hearted dedication
     to Jesus Christ that is permanent.   Whoever places faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior HAS
     BEEN BORN AGAIN and, as a result, is an overcomer.

                          " 'Born of God' is a reference to the new birth and is the same word that Jesus used
     in John 3:7.  The tense of the Greek verb indicates that ongoing faith is the result of the new birth
     and, therefore, the evidence of the new birth.

                          "Love is the second characteristic of the overcomer.  The overcomer not only be-
     lieves in God, but loves both God and fellow believers."


                                                                 **********

          RIGHTEOUSNESS


          Loving God and fellow believers shows that the person is living a righteous life, and is
     evidence of the new birth.


                           "If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone
                            who practices righteousness has been born of Him."
                                                                                      1 John 2:29


          MacArthur comments again:

                          "Those truly born again as God's children have their heavenly Father's
          righteous nature."


                          " ...what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness."
                                                                                            2 Peter 3:11b


          (If we have faith, we will live righteously, or our faith is useless and dead).


                           "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart
                            from works is dead."
                                                                                             James 2:26


          MacArthur continues:

                          
                           "As a result of being born again, we will display characteristics of God's
     righteousness.  John looks from effect (righteous behavior) to cause (being truly born again)
     to affirm that righteous living is the proof of being born again."


                                                                    **********


          The NEW BIRTH ----- leads to ----- FAITH ----- which leads to ----- RIGHTEOUSNESS!