No — you cannot clean up your life to become a Christian; God saves only the ungodly who believe in Christ.
The Bible says God justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5), not those who have made themselves good. Les Feldick teaches that trying to clean up your actions is like washing a dead car battery: the outside gets shiny, but nothing changes under the hood. Until God's power regenerates your spirit, you remain dead in sin.
Romans 4:5 — Paul states that God justifies the ungodly — this directly answers why self-cleanliness cannot earn salvation.
Matthew 9:12 — Jesus says healthy people don't need a physician; sinners must recognize they are sick before they can be saved.
The Bible answers this question by revealing the kind of person God saves. Paul writes: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). Right standing with God is not a reward for cleaning up your life; it is a gift given to those who believe on the One who justifies the ungodly. Jesus also said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Matthew 9:12). People who think they are already clean will not see the need for a Savior. Scripture therefore points to the exact opposite of self-improvement: you must come as a sinner and be justified by faith.
Les Feldick repeatedly uses a dead car battery to explain why self-improvement cannot produce salvation. He says that when a battery is dead, you do not wash and polish it — you bring in outside power to charge it. Spiritually, Adam's sin left every person dead before God, and now it takes the power of God to energize the human spirit. No amount of washing your outward life can put a charge into your spirit (Clips 2, 3, 5). He also confronts the common attitude: "When I can clean up my act, then I'll get saved." Les says that no man on earth can do that. Salvation is not becoming good enough for God; it is being saved where you are, as a sinner who believes on Him who justifies the ungodly (Clip 4). He warns that many genuinely good people will never be saved because they are too good to admit the sin that Scripture says they have (Clip 0). Only when the Holy Spirit lights a spark in a person's dead spirit does that person come to believe and receive God's new life (Clip 7). The outward changes that follow are the result of salvation, not the cause (Clips 1, 6).
Les Feldick says that if you have a dead battery in your car, you don't wash the outside of it with soap and water — you find outside power to regenerate it. He compares this to Adam, who is spiritually dead. You can wash and polish that old battery until it shines like a new dime, but when you turn the key, nothing happens because it is still dead. It takes an outside source of energy to put power into it. Spiritually, only God can energize your dead spirit and make you a new creation. This is why good works and self-cleanliness can never produce salvation.
Les has heard countless people say, "When I can get rid of this awful habit, then I'll be ready to get saved." He says that is impossible — there isn't a man on earth who can clean up his act enough to be saved. God saves people right where they are, as ungodly sinners who believe. Les also points out that many good people are so good they never see their need for salvation, and they are headed for eternal doom just as much as the worst criminal. The issue isn't how moral you are; it's whether you believe on Him who justifies the ungodly.
Les teaches that salvation is an event, and then the Christian life is a process of growth. You do not become a mature Christian overnight. Once a person truly believes that Christ accomplished everything on his behalf, God moves right in and gives that believer power to live a life pleasing in His sight. Even then, believers still fall and trip, but God is patient and forgives. The cleaning up of behavior follows salvation; it is not the path to it.
Good People Can Miss the Need for Salvation
Les points out that many morally good people are so satisfied with their goodness that they never see their need for salvation — yet they are as lost as any criminal.
Spiritual Growth Comes After Believing
Les ties true belief to God's work: the new outlook and desires come after you trust Christ, not because you cleaned up your life in advance.
Dead Battery Needs Outside Power
A dead battery cannot be fixed by washing its outside; it needs an outside power source. Adam's spiritual death demands God's regenerating power, not good works.
Shining a Dead Battery Still Leaves It Dead
Even after polishing the dead battery, it still will not start the car. Spiritual death from Adam can only be reversed when God's power energizes your spirit.
'When I Clean Up My Act' Is Impossible
Les directly addresses the phrase 'when I clean up my act, then I'll get saved' and says it's impossible. God saves you right where you are, as an ungodly person who believes.
Only God Can Touch the Invisible Part
No matter how long you scrub the outside, you cannot charge a dead battery. In the same way, no religion or human effort can reach the invisible part of a person — only God can.
God Gives Power to Live Pleasingly
Once a person genuinely believes, God moves in and provides the power to live a life pleasing to Him — showing that behavior change follows salvation, not precedes it.
The Spirit Is Dead Until God Enables Belief
The human spirit is dead because of Adam, and dead people can't even believe; God the Holy Spirit must ignite a spark before anyone can come to salvation.
Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
This verse directly states that God justifies the ungodly, not those who have cleaned up their own lives.
Matthew 9:12: But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Jesus explains that only those who recognize their sickness need to come to Him for healing.
Because becoming a Christian is not about making yourself good enough for God. Les Feldick uses the dead battery illustration: washing the outside does not put power in. God saves ungodly sinners who believe in Christ (Romans 4:5), not people who have achieved self-cleanliness.
Yes. Les says many good people never see their need for salvation and are headed for eternal doom. Jesus said the sick need a physician, and everyone is spiritually sick because of Adam's sin. Your goodness is not the issue; your need for a Savior is.
Yes. Salvation is an event, and then the Christian life is a process of growth. Les teaches that God moves right in and gives believers power to live lives pleasing to Him, though they may still stumble. That change is a result of salvation, not a prerequisite.
Watch the Teaching: Plan of Salvation: Faith Alone in Christ's Death & Resurrection