This is an important question to settle, and, therefore, I will give three examples from Scripture.

No one can doubt the zeal of Saul of Tarsus.  This was no easy-going, charitable creed, which supposes all good men are right.  He was sure that if he was right, as a natural consequence Stephen was wrong, even blasphemous, and as such worthy of death.  Therefore, he had no scruples about instigating the death of such a one.  Notwithstanding all this uncompromising and straightforward religiousness, he needed to be brought from death to life.

Again:  look at Cornelius, who was “a devout man that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway” (Acts 10:2).  There can be no mistake about this man with such a testimony; and yet he also needed to hear words whereby he and all his house should be saved (Acts 11:14).  Next:  Nicodemus, I suppose it will be admitted, was an earnest and religious man.  Evidently, he was one of those who “believed in the name of Jesus, because he saw the miracles which He did” (John 2:23).  This man, humble and teachable as he was, came to Jesus, and said, “Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him.”  Yet he was told, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3).  As surely as all mankind are dead in Adam, so surely every man needs spiritual life.  In this respect it was no new thing which the Lord Jesus propounded to Nicodemus.  The spiritual change of heart he referred to has always been the one condition of intercourse with God.  All God’s saints, even in the Old Testament times, had experienced ’this.  Hence the Lord’s exclamation, “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”

It may be urged that these three men were not in the Christian dispensation.  Let this be granted; but the point at hand is that they needed spiritual life, though they were such good religious men.  It will not be very hard to prove that even baptized men in the Christian dispensation need to be raised from death unto life just as much as any other children of Adam.  It is clear, both from Scripture and experience, that baptism, whatever else it imparts, does not give spiritual vitality.

St. Peter’s testimony is this, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him” (Acts 10:  34, 35).  Accepted to be saved, not because there is any merit in his works, but because God sees that there is real sincerity in his living up to the light he has.  The heathen who know there is a God, and do not worship His as God, are given over to idolatry (Rom.1); but, on the other hand, those who do worship Him, and give Him thanks, are taken in hand to be guided into life and truth.  Therefore are we justified in hoping that earnest and religious men, though they be dead, if their religion is really towards God, will be brought to spiritual life.