Those who promote the regenerated (or born again) before faith view lean heavily upon a logical argument, even more so than upon any scripture that can be offered that expressly affirms such a proposition. Their argument may be thus stated:
Dead people can't hear, see, feel, or do anything. Before they can hear, see, feel, or do they must be given life. People must be regenerated (given life) before they can savingly hear and believe, before they can repent and be converted. It is the "law of biogenesis" it is claimed. Life must precede action. Upon this I have written about several times through the years.
However logical this may sound it is clearly not in accordance with scripture; And, we do not rely upon human reason and logic for our faith but upon the express statements of scripture. The above scripture plucks up by the roots this argument. Who is it that "hears" the voice of the Son of God? The "dead"! The very thing said not to be possible! They heard it before they were made alive by hearing. It is "hear and live" and not "live and hear." So too did our Lord speak of "the deaf" being made to "hear." (Luke 7: 22) To be deaf denotes inability as much as does being "dead." Notice these words of God addressed to sinners:
“Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see." (Isa. 42: 18)
Just as God says "listen you deaf people," and "look you blind people," so he says "come to life you dead people." So the record of scripture is also:
"Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” (Eph. 5: 14)
Not only is the unregenerate state one of spiritual death in scripture but it is also one of sickness. Can we say of a dead corpse that he is sick? Can we say of the sick "he is dead"? Notice also this text:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17: 9 ESV)
Some translations have "desperately wicked" instead of "desperately sick." The latter translation is correct in my view. Said Albert Barnes: "Desperately wicked - Rather, mortally sick." Said Keil and Delitzsch: "אנוּשׁ, lit., dangerously sick, incurable, cf. Jeremiah 15:18; here, sore wounded by sin, corrupt or depraved."
Leprosy is often seen by expositors as a type of sin and depravity and this is acknowledged even by those who believe in the regeneration before faith view and make false statements about what the spiritually dead can and cannot do. Sin, depravity, and spiritual death is also compared to sickness and disease. One song sung by our Hardshell brothers says:
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power
So, yes, the sinner is spiritually dead (because not joined in heart to Christ) but he is also sick and diseased, wounded, and weak (impotent).
The Prodigal Son story speaks of the returning of the wayward son as a coming to life, his time in sin away from his father and his house being a time of death.
"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." (Luke 15: 24)
His coming to life again was connected with his being no longer "lost," and in being "found," which language speaks of evangelical conversion.
We also read of one who was literally weak and wounded and in a state of dying in the story of the good Samaritan. There was a man left by assault and battery "wounded" and "half dead." (Luke 10: 30) We may say of the dry bones at the point where all the sinew, skin, and bodily parts were all assembled, that they were still "half dead." But, when the breath of the Lord entered into them, then they were no longer dead at all, but fully alive. Notice this text:
"And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin." (Gen. 35: 18)
The spirit may exit the body quickly or it may exit slowly. Dying can be a process. So too can being quickened.
The Puritans and our Old Baptist forefathers spoke of times when sinners were "awakened." (On this I have also written much - use search engine for "awakened sinners") This is when the dead are awakened for a short time before they fall back into the sleep of death (comatose). This has actually happened many times in regard to physical death. People have died and been resuscitated and then died again. This awakening of the sinner oftentimes resulted in conversion but not always. I had several awakenings while I was in sin before I woke to sleep no more.
What about conviction of sin? Can a dead man feel spiritual guilt?
Are the spiritually dead not also spiritually blind and deaf? But, do we say of a corpse "he is blind and deaf"?
Spiritual death is a metaphor for denoting total inability, or powerlessness. Thus, the "deadness" of Sarah's womb and the deadness of Abraham.
"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb." (Rom. 4: 19)
Spiritual death is continuous so that we may say that we are dying. The Greek word for "deadness" is nekrosis and is used only two times, in the above passage, and in II Corinthians 4: 10 where Paul says:
"Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."
Strong says nekrosis means: "decease; figuratively, impotency:—deadness, dying."
Clearly in regard to the "deadness" of Sarah's womb and the deadness of Abraham's body the deadness denotes inability or impotency. Sarah was unable to give birth and Abraham was unable to procreate. Yet, Abraham did produce life though dead. So too Sarah's "womb," though dead, brought forth life! The deadness of both was overcome by the power of God. Of the deadness of Abraham, as respects his ability to reproduce, Paul says that he was "as good as dead." (Heb. 11: 12)
Deadness speaks of the dying process. This is seen in the fact that we often say "he is dying." This is true with gangrene. Flesh dies as the gangrene spreads till the whole is dead. Thus, we read of one who was dying and said to be "half dead," as we have seen. Death to the body comes from the spirit exiting the body. Life comes to the body when the spirit enters into it. (See James 2: 26) Notice these words: "For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying." (Luke 8: 32) Death here was progressive. The departure of the spirit from the body does not always happen in an instant. Sometimes the spirit is slow in exiting. Not only do we read of "half dead" in scripture but we also read of being "twice dead" (Jude 1: 12) and of a "second death." (Rev. 2: 11; etc.)
That the sinner is unable to please God or do anything to save himself, apart from God's grace and power, is what is denoted by being spiritually dead.
Death is said to be sleep and bible teachers have often spoken of times of "awakening" preceding quickening to new life in Christ.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 26)
And a man without God and the Holy Spirit is dead in his spirit. Dead to righteousness. In fact, as many commentators affirm, spiritual death denotes alienation or separation from God.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness." (Matt. 23: 27)
This deadness of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites was said to be like tombs "full of dead men's bones." This recalls the story of the resurrection of the dry dead bones in Ezekiel 37. (See my previous posting on this story and how it relates to the subject of spiritual deadness, faith, and the use of means)
Remember that Paul said:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Rom. 8: 6)
Unbelievers are not spiritually minded. Only believers are such. Therefore they alone have spiritual life. They are spiritually minded because they "have the mind of Christ." (I Cor. 2: 16) Paul also wrote:
"To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (II Cor. 2: 16)
The gospel comes as an "aroma," a perfume, what in itself smells good. But, it is not often received as it is but is rather toxic, killing those who smell it. On the other hand, the same gospel odor is life giving to those who were previously dead. Hearing and believing the gospel is a "life giving aroma that brings life." The "life before faith" view has difficulty to face in the light of this text. If the gospel gives life, it is given to them who are dead. But, this is not what the life before faith view believes. They who teach this view believe that smelling (believing) the gospel is not a life giving aroma, for those who believe it are already alive before they ever smell it.
Of course, the objection is made "how can the dead smell?" Well, ask Paul! He is the one who spoke of the dead smelling an odor that either kills them or makes them alive. But, Paul did not get his theology from logic. Yea, it often goes contrary to human logic. Think of how the gospel is "smelling salt." Those who are unconscious (deathlike) will be revived by such methods. In many ways the spiritually dead sinner lives in a state of spiritual unconsciousness. The gospel is designed to awaken the sinner, hopefully once for all in true conversion.
The Psalmist said more than once, in his address to the Lord: "your word has quickened me." (Psa. 19: 50, 93)
But, the word quickens no one till he believes that word, even though spiritually dead.
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