04.12. The Work of the Holy Spirit In Conversion (Concluded)

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION.

(CONCLUDED.)

Begotten by the Word. "Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. . . . And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:22-25). Without a begetting there can be no spiritual life. Peter here affirms that they were begotten by the incorruptible seed, "the word of God, which liveth and abideth," and that word, or seed, "is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you." This is plain and emphatic, and if the sinner is begotten by a direct work of the Spirit, Peter’s language is misleading. But his language is not misleading, for, in fact, the Holy Spirit was here, through Peter, telling just how sinners were begotten. The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:2-20; Luke 8:4-15). In this parable Jesus shows that the word of God sustains the same relation to the spiritual kingdom that vegetable seed sustains to the vegetable kingdom. In nature seed must be planted in the soil to produce a harvest. The same thing is true in the spiritual kingdom, or else the parable and Christ’s explanation of it means nothing to us. Hence, in the spiritual kingdom, seed must be planted in the soil. Jesus explains that the seed is the word of God, and the human heart is the soil. He also explains that the word, or seed, enters the heart, the soil, through hearing. "And that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience." The force of this cannot be evaded by arguing that the soil must be prepared; for, no matter how well you prepare soil, you cannot raise a crop without planting seed. The devil knows this, and, for that reason, he, when he can steals the word out of the heart, lest people believe and be saved. He knows that the word of God is a living, incorruptible seed, and that if it is allowed to remain in the heart the person will believe. If it is not living seed, in which the germ of spiritual life is lodged, why his anxiety to get it out of the heart? Indeed, if the word of God as seed has not in it the germ of life, just as does the vegetable seed, then the parable is misleading. This parable settles the matter—no seed, no harvest. The seed which makes Christians is the word of God.

THINGS ATTRIBUTED TO THE WORD.

It Makes Believers. "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31). "So then belief cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). "And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and Greeks believed" (Acts 14:1).

It Begets. "I begat you through the gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:15).

It Quickens. "This is my comfort in my affliction; for thy word hath quickened me" (Psalms 119:50). "I will never forget thy precepts; for with them thou hast quickened me" (Psalms 119:93).

It Enlightens. "The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalms 19:8).

It Sanctified. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

It Cleanses. "Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3).

It Saves. "Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). "Who shall speak unto you words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house" (Acts 11:14). "Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved" (1 Thessalonians 2:16). The foregoing quotations need no explanation.They are plain statements. Plainly do they affirm that we are made believers, begotten, quickened, enlightened, sanctified, cleansed, saved, by the word of God. If the advocates of the direct operation of the Spirit in conversion could find one plain statement to the effect that we are converted by a direct impact of the Spirit on the heart, they would consider the matter settled beyond controversy. With us one plain declaration to that effect would settle the matter, and we would advocate the doctrine; why then will they not allow the foregoing plain declarations to settle the matter with them? But the advocates of the direct-operation theory cannot read one plain statement of Scripture in support of their theory. They infer that the sinner needs this power, and therefore must have it, else he cannot turn to God. The doctrine is only a guess, an inference, a speculation, and yet God nowhere says the sinner needs such power.

JUDGED BY THE WORD.

"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). "So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty" (James 2:12). As we are to be judged by the word, or the law of liberty, our responsibility does not go beyond the word. But if there is a direct operation of the Holy Spirit on our hearts, and we are responsible for the way we treat this influence, then the word of God, by which we are to be judged, does not reach the limit of our responsibilities. This would leave some of our responsible acts for which we are not to be judged. It must follow, then, that, if there be such a thing as a direct influence of the Holy Spirit in conversion, no one is, or could be, responsible for the way he treats this influence.

PAUL’S COMMISSION.

"To this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:16-18). To Open Their Eyes. Paul was sent to open the eyes of the people. But surely no one thinks Paul was sent to open the physical eyes of the people. His work was to enlighten the people, to open the eyes of their understanding, "that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God." After certain people had been enlightened and had become Christians, he said to them, "Having the eyes of your heart enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18). To open their eyes was to open their hearts; to give a correct understanding, and to lead them to be favorably inclined towards the Lord. We understand with the heart (Matthew 13:15). Paul opened the eyes of the people; for that purpose the Lord sent him. He was the Lord’s agent, and, as such, the Lord was working through him. To say that the Lord cannot open the eyes of the people or convert them through his own chosen agent is to limit the power of God. The Holy Spirit was in Paul, and, through him, preaching to the people. To say the Holy Spirit could not open the eyes, or hearts, of people through his own chosen instrument or agency is to limit the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul affirms that Christ was working through him: "For I will not dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed" (Romans 15:18). If there is a direct power to convert people, Paul would not dare mention it, for he would not "speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through" him. But he did, even in this passage, mention "the obedience of the Gentiles"; hence, Christ brought about their obedience through Paul. And the plain fact that God did things through Paul helps us to understand a matter of much dispute in connection with the conversion of Lydia.

Lydia’s Conversion. (Acts 16:6-15.) At Troas "a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them." It is significant that the call for help was interpreted by these inspired men to mean that God had called them to preach the gospel to the people of Macedonia. It shows that the people of Macedonia needed help, and that God intended to extend the needed help through his chosen agents. Leaving Troas, Paul and his company went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia, where they tarried for a number of days. "And on the Sabbath day we went forth without the gate by a river side, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down, and spake unto the women that were come together. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshiped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things that were spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there."

• Help was needed in Macedonia, and Paul’s vision at Troas shows that this needed help was to be derived through Paul and his company.

• They understood the vision to mean that God was calling them to preach the gospel to the people of Macedonia. .

• The help Macedonia needed, then, was to be extended through preaching the gospel to them.

• Through Paul’s preaching the Lord was seeking to open the eyes of the people, for to that end was Paul sent (Acts 26:18).

If they were to be converted by a direct impact of the Holy Spirit, what need was there for Paul to visit them? It is plain from the record that no one there was converted before Paul preached to them. This shows how the Lord opened Lydia’s heart. To open the eyes and to open the heart is but two ways of saying the same thing. Such expressions mean, to enlighten a person, to give him understanding, and lead him to be favorably inclined towards the Lord. The sight of intense suffering may open the heart of a stingy man so that he attends to the needs of the suffering. The gospel is God’s power for saving men. This power Paul preached, and through his preaching Lydia saw the sufferings of Christ and his great love and rich provisions for man’s salvation. Thus, through his chosen agents, God was bringing his power to bear on Lydia’s heart; and, in this way, her heart was touched and opened so that she attended to the things spoken by Paul, that is, she obeyed what Paul taught her.

There is nothing strange or forced in the foregoing statements. They are in perfect harmony with the general trend of Scriptural teaching and with the claims God makes for his word. Is the heart stony? Then his word is "like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces" (Jeremiah 23:29). Is the heart ignorant? "The opening of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Psalms 119:130). Are the eyes closed? Then Paul was sent for the express purpose of opening the eyes. The word is a sword (Ephesians 6:17) which cuts to the heart (Acts 2:37; Acts 7:54); it gives understanding (Psalms 119:104), enlightens the eyes (Psalms 19:8), and produces faith (Romans 10:17). The word is seed, and its fruits were seen in the promptness of Lydia being baptized. Paul preached the gospel, Lydia’s heart gave ready response to its appeal, and she promptly acted. God accomplished this through his agent, Paul, whom he had chosen for that purpose. THE GREAT COMMISSION.

"Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20). This passage clearly lays the burden of making disciples on the apostles. That they were to accomplish this work by preaching the gospel is plainly set forth in Mark’s record of the Commission: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believethand is baptizedshall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16).

Men can be neither converted nor saved without the power of God."For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). The gospel is God’s power for saving, and no one can be saved without it, unless he can be saved without God’s power. If any other power saves men, then the gospel is not God’s power to save, or else God has two powers by which he saves. The apostles knew nothing of any other power. They preached the gospel, believing it to be God’s power to save. They never mentioned any direct power by which sinners might be saved; neither did they ever pray for the Holy Spirit to come directly into the sinner’s heart to regenerate him. They proceeded on the hypothesis that sinners could hear, understand, believe, and obey the gospel. The Holy Spirit spoke through them, and confirmed the word with miracles and signs (Hebrews 2:3-4). THE FIRST SERMON UNDER THE GREAT COMMISSION (Acts 2:1-47). The apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit, "and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." When the people heard Peter’s words, that is, the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through Peter, "they were pricked to their heart" (Acts 2:37). But they were not yet saved, for they immediately asked, "Brethren, what shall we do?" The answer came to them in no uncertain terms (Acts 2:38), and with that answer an exhortation to save themselves. About three thousand received the word, and were baptized. Noth­ing is said about their receiving any other power.

All the disciples, excepting the apostles, were driven out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-4). They went about preaching the gospel. The fact that they risked their physical lives to preach the gospel shows that a greater life depended on it.

Philip at Samaria. "Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ." But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12). Philip preached the gospel; the people heard, believed, and were baptized. Through Philip the Holy Spirit preached to the people, and confirmed the word with signs. The Eunuch.Acts 8:26-40. (See conversion of the Eunuch in this volume.) Here again the process was preaching, hearing, believing, baptism. The Spirit was present, but he spoke to Philip, and through Philip to the Eunuch.

Saul. (Acts 9:1-18; Acts 22:3-16; Acts 26:2-18.) Saul heard the Lord speaking in an audible voice, saying, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Having heard this, he believed, and inquired what to do. The Lord replied, "Enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." At the command of the Lord, Ananias came to him, and said, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized., and wash away thy sins, calling on his name." Saul heard, believed, and was baptized.

Cornelius. (Acts 10:1-48) Peter was sent to Cornelius to tell him words where he and his house would be saved. Peter preached to him, and he believed and was baptized. The Holy Spirit fell on him, but not to save him, for he was to be saved through words (Acts 11:14); nor was it to give him faith, for words produced faith (Acts 15:7); nor to purify his heart, for that was done by faith (Acts 15:8-9). The Jailer. (Acts 16:19-34.) The jailer heard the preaching, believed, and was baptized. The apostles were active in preaching the gospel, and the book of Acts gives a record of some of their work. Their words were the words of the Holy Spirit, for they spake as the Spirit gave them utterance. In this way the Spirit led men to Christ. The inspired historian records not one case of a conversion by a direct work of the Spirit in the sinner’s heart. And yet some claim that, in all conversions, there is a direct, or super-added, work of the Holy Spirit. Why did Luke not mention such momentous matters, if such were present? He did tell of the preaching, of believing, of repenting, of baptism, and of salvation; but not once does he tell us that a direct work of the Spirit was necessary to convert one soul. Luke was a reliable historian. While he did not tell all the various incidents connected with the various conversions, he did as a reliable historian, record all the important essential matters. Therefore, to contend that the conversion of all these thousands was accomplished by a direct operation of the Spirit in the sinner’s heart, is to cast a serious reflection on Luke as a trustworthy historian. Believe it who can; but we cannot believe that Luke was so remiss in his duties as a historian as to leave out, in every case, the one essential thing. THE DRAWING POWER.

"No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). It is sometimes argued from this verse that God, in some way above our comprehension and aside from the word, draws the sinner to Christ. It is here clearly stated that God draws the sinner; the next verse tells how he does it. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me." The one who is drawn comes, and the one who is taught comes. It is plain therefore that the drawing power is put forth through the teaching. It is in this way that God’s power, the gospel, is brought to bear on people. If people could not come, Jesus would not invite them to do so." See Matthew 11:28-30. THE GOSPEL COMES NOT IN WORD ONLY.

"Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5). This passage is often used by those who argue for a direct work of the Spirit. But they forget that Jesus promised that miraculous powers would accompany the proclamation of the Gospel (Mark 16:15-20). These signs confirmed the word (Hebrews 2:3-4). These powers, conferred by the Holy Spirit, not only gave the preacher assurance that his message was true and that God was with him, but also gave the people "much assurance" of its divine origin. These extraordinary powers and signs were not wrought in the sinner’s heart to convert him, but they were visible manifestations of divine power to show the people that God was with the preacher, and that his message was from God.

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

QUESTIONS.

nor to save him. (Quote passages.)

Spirit on the sinner’s heart?