Tag: Moral Improvements Fail without Spiritual Regeneration

Luke 11:24-26 (ESV Strong's)

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Tag: Moral Improvements Fail without Spiritual Regeneration

Our society (church emphasis and focus included) seems to think that improving the moral choices of the person is the solution to the evil in our world.  However, Jesus tells us in the above passage that simply improving your moral framework does not take care of the major problem ... your position with God and being regenerated.  Jesus came to establish a relationship with us as sons and daughters of God, not simply improving our moral framework.   We have many churches who are all consumed with social justice and social equality, but lack any message of regeneration via justification by faith.   Jesus is concerned about our sanctification.  Simply read the Sermon on the Mount and we can see that He is very much concerned about our living behavior.   But, behavior follows repentance from sin.  Simply cleaning up the life does not change character.  In fact, as Jesus taught, above, cleaning up the moral life puts in further struggles.   Jesus teaches that demon influence and possession is a real thing.   Moral improvement does not equate to Spiritual Regeneration.   Notice what Peters says that is very similar to Jesus’ Words:

2 Peter 2:20-22 (ESV Strong's)

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

I would be better to NOT have become moral than to simply try to improve morality in place of repentance.