A Confessional Foundation: Life Prior to Obedience

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith commences the doctrine of salvation not with human movement toward God, but with divine gracious action toward humanity. Before faith is exercised, before repentance is expressed, before obedience is rendered, the Confession asserts that sinners must be effectually called, regenerated, and made willing and capable of belief. Salvation is not conceptualized as moral improvement, but as spiritual resurrection, not as external conformity, but as inward renewal.

This confessional logic, grounded in Scripture, establishes the paramount biblical principle that governs all subsequent matters: Grace precedes response, life precedes action, and being precedes doing. Consequently, the Confession rejects any scheme that measures salvation primarily by the accumulation of works, experiences, religious acts, or longevity, and instead anchors assurance, ethics, and perseverance in the qualitative reality of union with Christ.

It is from this doctrinal foundation that the distinction between quality and quantity in biblical ethics, salvation, and the expansion of the kingdom of God must be comprehended.

Quality Over Quantity: The Nature of Faith, Obedience, and Life in Christ

Scripture does not initially inquire about the extent of a person’s actions, but rather about their essence.

The lament of much erroneous religion is not its lack of activity, but its abundance of activity devoid of life. Quantity can be amassed by the flesh; the Spirit can only create quality. The gospel does not rehabilitate fallen humanity; it raises the dead; therefore, genuine religion is established in a genuine piety rather than a false piety that is hypocritical. As Christ Himself teaches, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6 NASB). The problem Scripture identifies is not a lack of effort, but an unregenerate nature.

Biblical ethics, therefore, is ontological before it is behavioral. Throughout Scripture, God exposes obedience that proceeds from lips while the heart remains distant, religious precision that multiplies acts while remaining severed from love for God (cf. Matthew 15:8). Such obedience is not immature holiness; it is condemned religion. Israel’s history testifies repeatedly that external conformity without inward renewal provokes judgment rather than blessing (Isaiah 1:11-17; Amos 5:21-24).

This is why Jesus’ warning regarding righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees is not a call to greater moral output, but to a different kind of righteousness altogether, one rooted in a transformed heart and a reconciled relationship to God (Matthew 5:20). The Pharisaical failure was not quantitative deficiency but qualitative absence; therefore, Jesus warned the disciples about the teaching of the Pharisees (Matt. 16:6,11-2; Luke 12:1).

True faith, then, is not defined by intensity, longevity, or visibility, but by its object and origin. Saving faith receives Christ as He is offered in the gospel and rests upon Him alone for righteousness and life. Scripture speaks of this faith as arising from divine begetting rather than human resolve, from God’s initiative rather than man’s will (John 1:12-13). Other forms of belief—temporary, historical, miraculous—may endure for a season and even exhibit impressive outward expressions yet ultimately fall away because they never arise from a renewed heart (Luke 8:13; Hebrews 6:4–6).

Saving faith may be weak, trembling, and often assaulted, but it is alive. Its security lies not in its strength, but in the sufficiency of Christ, in whom the believer is found clothed with a righteousness not his own (Philippians 3:8-9).

Repentance operates on a similar qualitative principle. Scripture does not commend sorrow multiplied, but rather sorrow transformed. Godly sorrow engenders a repentance that manifests in life, characterized not merely by regret, but by a decisive turning of the entire individual toward God (2 Corinthians 7:10). The prophets describe this repentance as the fruit of a renewed heart and spirit bestowed upon by God Himself, resulting in a transformed disposition toward sin and obedience to God (Ezekiel 36:26–27).

Consequently, good works are never the sole foundation of salvation, yet they are never absent in the presence of genuine salvation. They flow inevitably from union with Christ, akin to fruit emanating from a thriving tree. Scripture consistently situates good works downstream from grace, as the manifestation of a life already transformed in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10). Quantity will indeed follow—but only where quality already exists.

Eschatological Significance: A Kingdom Formed by Regeneration

This distinction holds significant weight not only for individual assurance but also for the future of the church and the world.

A church that prioritizes quantity, such as attendance, activity, and visibility, without emphasizing spiritual regeneration, inevitably fosters superficial Christianity and cultural vulnerability. Conversely, a church grounded in qualitative transformation nurtures households, congregations, and institutions that progressively align under the lordship of Christ. The Scripture portrays the progression of the kingdom not as superficial growth but as the permeation of righteousness, peace, and joy through the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

The kingdom advances quietly yet irresistibly, akin to leaven working through dough, not through mass conformity but through inward renewal that manifests outwardly and generationally (Galatians 5:9). Christ reigns now with all authority in heaven and on earth, progressively bringing all things into submission through the gospel and the Spirit’s work among His people (Matthew 28:18; 1 Corinthians 15:25).

The essence of Christian eschatological hope lies not in optimism rooted in human potential, but in confidence grounded in Christ’s present reign and efficacious salvation. Scripture anticipates a world increasingly characterized by the knowledge of the Lord, as the transformative power of the gospel shapes lives, cultures, and nations over time (Habakkuk 2:14).

History does not bend through external compliance, but through regenerated hearts producing faithful obedience across generations.

Examine Yourself: Eternity Depends on it

Considering these realities, Scripture imparts a sober and necessary call upon every hearer: examine yourself.

The apostolic command is not to measure religious output, but to test whether one is truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). The questions Scripture asks of us are searching and eternal in scope. Do we rest in Christ alone, or in our accumulated performance? Do we hate sin because it offends a holy God, or merely because it carries consequences and inconveniences us (Psalm 51:4)? Do we hunger and thirst for a righteousness we cannot produce, or are we satisfied with visible respectability (Matthew 5:6; 6:1)? Do the means of grace nourish living faith, or merely occupy our routines (Hebrews 4:2)? Is your motivation to live for what you believe you should gain or deserve from Christianity, such as respectability, human approval, or temporary blessings, to experience fleeting worldly joy (1 John 2:12-17)? Or is it to glorify your heavenly Father and please Him with a thankful, renewed heart (Colossians 3:17)? From this heart, true joy in the Holy Spirit arises, allowing you to enjoy Him now while hopeful of eternal communion, which is the peaceful fruit of righteousness and contentment regardless of circumstances (Psalm 16:11; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Corinthians 5:9)? Which of these describes you: are you trying to be perfected by your own efforts (Galatians 2:16-17; 3:2-3), or are you being trained and strengthened in your pursuit of holiness and truth through God’s enabling grace (Hebrews 12:11; Titus 2:11-12; Psalm 127:1-2)?

Familiarity with Christian language, habits, and institutions must never be confused with union with Christ. Scripture warns that many will confess outward allegiance while lacking inward submission, discovering too late that profession without regeneration cannot withstand the judgment (Matthew 7:21-23).

Eternity does not depend on our deeds, nor is our right to eternal life earned through actions. Instead, it hinges on the truth of our redemption through Christ, our becoming known to Him, and knowing Him in return. Thus, the core question of the gospel is not about our religiosity, but whether we are united to the Son and whether we have been baptized into His death and raised in a resurrection like His (Rom. 6:2-14), as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.”

Consequently, the call is urgent and hopeful: abandon lifeless religion, hold steadfast to Christ, and live now in the light of the imminent, unshakeable kingdom.