In his introduction to the Fall 2021 edition of The Master’s Seminary Journal, John MacArthur writes:
Here is the key lesson that runs like a powerful current through everything the Bible says about the New Birth: Eternal life is not a prize for being good. It is not a reward for those who try harder. It is not heaven’s reimbursement for those who live sacrificially in this life. It is not a wage that can be earned by being pious and legalistic. You don’t obtain it by forsaking vices or praying prayers. You can’t acquire it by paying tithes or performing religious ceremonies. It isn’t the birthright of anyone’s ethnicity or an entitlement for some privileged class. You don’t get it by joining a religious sect, no matter how meticulously you keep its traditions.
John goes on to say that the new birth is a gift one doesn’t end. It’s a work of God. That is central to the doctrine of regeneration, the theme of the Fall 2021 TMS Journal…
