If He Wash You Not — E.A. Johnston

Modern Evangelism and False Conversion

I was at a church recently, which to me typified modern evangelism in America today. Between the loud rock songs, the music minister yelled out to his congregation, you don't have to wait for the invitation to be saved.

Just put your faith in Jesus right now and you can sing this next song as a believer. Just do it now. Only two seconds elapsed from his comments and he began strumming his guitar and jumped into the next song.

And I sat there and thought, how in the world can someone pass from death to life in two seconds by responding to such a weak and perverted view of the gospel? It made me think of how easy it is to be deceived in our efforts to reach people for Christ.

We overlook the main fact that they must be born again and only God can perform that supernatural act. I want to relate to you today, friends, a story about the British evangelist George Whitefield. George Whitefield, while a student at Pembroke College in Oxford, was a member of the Holy Club.

The Holy Club and Religious Works Without Conversion

The Holy Club was comprised of a small group of students who gathered on a weekly basis to pray, to sing hymns, and to read the word of God together in an effort to encourage one another in their faith.

Both John and Charles Wesley were members of this group as well. They would become known as Oxford Methodists because of their strict method of religious behavior and duties. I have been to Dr. Williams' library in London and I have held in my hand a page from Whitefield's diary and on it was a very strict regimen of holy duties for each hour of the day.

And I have been to Wesley's church in London down in the basement where his papers are kept and I have examined as well the pages of John Wesley's diary and they're pretty much identical to Whitefield's in regard to the method of religious duties written down for the day.

It's very obvious that John Wesley taught this to George Whitefield. So here was this little band of students, the Holy Club, who were zealous in their religion and active in their service to God. But the problem was, in 1732, when they were meeting so frequently, neither John Wesley, Charles Wesley, or George Whitefield were truly converted.

George Whitefield even adopted a monk-like behavior in denying himself decent food and warm clothing as he tried to work his way to heaven. It was a book written by a Scotsman, Henry Schugle, that awakened Whitefield to his lost condition.

The book was entitled, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. And as George Whitefield read it, he realized he had not experienced a new birth and it shook him to his core. How many today, friends, try to reach God by their good works and a good opinion of themselves without truly being born again?

Whitefield's Conversion and the New Birth

I want to read for us this afternoon a page from my biography on Whitefield because it pertains to our message today on true conversion versus false conversion. Let me read you this section from my chapter entitled, His Days at Oxford.

And in it, I quote Luke Tierman, who writes about Whitefield's conversion experience at Oxford. Whitefield would often comment when he was preaching, I know the place, it may be superstitious perhaps, but whenever I go to Oxford, I cannot help running to that place where Jesus Christ first revealed himself to me and gave me the new birth.

Let me read you now, friends, this section from the chapter, His Days at Oxford, where a young George Whitefield experiences the new birth. I cast myself down on the bed, crying out, I thirst, I thirst.

Soon after this, I found and felt in myself that I was delivered from the burden that had so heavily oppressed me. The spirit of mourning was taken from me and I knew what it was truly to rejoice in God, my Savior.

And for some time, I could not avoid singing psalms wherever I was, but my joy gradually became more settled and blessed be God has abode and increased in my soul, saving a few casual intermissions ever since.

Thus were the days of my mourning ended after a long night of desertion and temptation. The star, which I had seen at a distance before, began to appear again and the day star rose in my heart. Now did the spirit of God take possession of my soul and, as I humbly hope, seal me unto the day of redemption.

Whitefield's biographer, Luke Tierman, goes on to say, Here we must pause. Whitefield evidently considered this to be the time of his conversion. The date was about seven weeks after Easter in the year 1735.

This was three years before the Wesley brothers professed to receive the same blessing. In fact, young Whitefield seems to have been the first of the Oxford Methodists who attained to the experience expressed in Romans chapter 8, 15 and 16.

Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father, the Spirit itself, bear witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

The Danger of an Unconverted Church

Now, friends, bear that story in mind. The Oxford Methodists, under the name of the Holy Club, from 1732 to 1735, were a group of zealous, religious young men who were completely lost and unconverted, including both Wesleys and Whitefield.

They thought their foundation was good and their position secure as to heaven, but they each were still unconverted men trying to reach God through good works and a good opinion of themselves. Is this not where the church in America stands today, a predominantly unconverted church, zealous in good works?

Regeneration and Christ's Washing

My message this afternoon is entitled, If He Was You Not, and our text is found in the Gospel of John chapter 13 and verse 8. You may turn in your Bibles there now. My message, friends, is on the doctrine of regeneration.

Regeneration is a message you won't hear much about today because most church members just reform themselves a little. They clean themselves up a little on the outside to fit in better with the existing church crowd.

They are happy to serve in the choir or to sit on a deacon board, but although they have joined the church and been baptized, they are still unchanged individuals who rest upon a false bottom of security.

Our passage of scripture from John chapter 13 relates the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and here we have rash Peter putting his foot in his mouth once again by telling Jesus what he can do and what he can't do.

Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. That is our text, friends, and there are three truths from the word of God I want to bring before you this afternoon.

Three Biblical Warnings About Conversion

The first one is this, if he washed you not, you have no part in him. Number two, if you live after the flesh, you shall die in your sins. And number three, that except you be converted, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I want to tackle each of these one by one. I fear many today have much in common with George Whitfield and the young Wesley brothers. They are church members in good standing. They are zealous for God and demonstrate their zealousness by their good works.

They have a good opinion of themselves in regard to their future acceptance into heaven. But sadly, they are deceived, for they are victims of a modern gospel that has no saving power. They enter the church as members and have their names on the membership roll, but their names are not written in the Lamb's book of life, for they are still unconverted individuals who were lost and on their way to hell.

So this is a solemn subject and a serious matter, which I bring before you all today. Let us focus on our first statement, which relates to our text from the gospel of John. If he washed you not, you have no part in him.

Christ's Spiritual Washing

And that's the title of my message today, friends. If he washed you not, listen carefully as we proceed. Jesus tells Peter, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Jesus is speaking figuratively and referring to regeneration of being washed in his blood as a believer.

Let us turn to the wise comments of the Bible commentator Matthew Henry to elaborate on this point from John 13 .8. And need I mention that George Whitefield read Matthew Henry's entire Bible commentary on his knees.

Let me read you what Matthew Henry wrote. All those and those only that are spiritually washed by Christ have a part in Christ. This may be taken as a declaration of the necessity of spiritual washing.

It is to be understood, if I wash not our soul from the pollution of sin, that you have no part with me, no interest in me, no communion with me, no benefit by me. It's necessary to have our part in Christ that he wash us, all those whom Christ owns and saves, he justifies and sanctifies, and both are included in his washing them.

We cannot partake of his glory if we partake not of his merit and righteousness and of his spirit and grace. There are two companion verses, friends, that relate to this aspect of the necessity of our sins being washed in the blood through regeneration.

Actually, they are warnings to those who lie in an unconverted state. The first is from Proverbs, and it to me best describes the condition of many church members today. Proverbs 30, 12 declares, there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

People join the church and still hug their sins. And our other companion verse is from the book of Revelation in chapter 22, verse 11, which states, he that is unjust, let him be unjust still, and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.

If you die in your sins, friend, this describes you, as a tree falls, so it shall lie. If you are a member of a church and you have never had your sins washed in the blood, and if you have never been born from above, then you will surely die in your sins and be filthy still, be unjust still, be under the wrath of God still.

Living After the Flesh Leads to Death

So this first point is seen very plainly. If he washed you not, you have no part in him. Now for our second point, if you live after the flesh, you shall die in your sins. This is seen from Romans 8, 13, which declares, for if ye live after the flesh, you shall die.

That means to die eternally, friend, to die in your sins, spell certain doom to the wicked. If you live to please your flesh and sit on the throne of your life in rebellion to God and the lordship of Christ, it will be the ruin of your soul, friend, the ruin of your soul.

What Jesus said to his disciples applies to everyone today who names the name of Christ. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Listen, friend, salvation is when self is dethroned and another is enthroned there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's a living Lord who sits on a throne, and if you want him, you must come to him there, bow to him, submit to his reign in your life.

If you fail to do this, then you fall into the category of our second point, which is if you live after the flesh, you shall die. That means die in your sins and end up in hell and its fires. Oh, friends, how careful we must be not to be deceived here and rest upon a false foundation of carnal security based on a track record of service and a good opinion of ourselves.

I know of which I speak. I was a unconverted church member for years. I was greatly deceived by the false gospel of our day. Don't let it happen to you, friend. Let this sermon be a loud alarm to your conscience.

May it awaken you to your great danger of not being washed by Christ. And this leads us to our third point, which is that except you be converted, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Conversion as Entrance Into the Kingdom

Our text from this is found in Matthew 18 3. Verily, I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christ's words are a stern warning here.

Little children are humble, under command and governed by a superior. You must be converted. That means, of course, you must be born again through the supernatural act of the new birth, which is regeneration.

And if he washed you not, friend, you have no part in him. Your sins must be under his blood. A true convert has experienced change like young George Whitfield did. There must be a life of God in the soul of man.

You can't reach heaven by your good works, friend. You cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven through the pride of a self-righteous opinion of yourself. You must be humble like a little child and be governed like a little child.

The Lord Jesus must reign in your life. He must wash you from your filthiness, lest you be filthy still when you die. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. If he washed you not, let it ring in your ears.

If he washed you not, let it be an alarm to awaken you. If he washed you not, you have no part in him, friend. No part in him. If you live after the flesh, you shall die. You shall surely die. I will leave you with God's word, which declares, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found.

Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Amen.