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In the previous discussion of this work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament,1 it was shown that the Holy Spirit undertook to restrain sin throughout the Old Testament period. E. W. Kenyon states that "It is necessary that we understand how the Holy Spirit deals with an unsaved man, so that we can let Him . Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. The wicked generation of Noahs day was opposed in its mad course by the striving of the Spirit (Gen 6:3). While it is not in the purpose of God to deal finally with the world while the Church is in the world, the sovereignty of God overrules the wickedness of men and the power of Satan to make possible the accomplishment of His purpose to call out a people to His name. The gift of giving has in it the thought of being ready to give and being prompt in giving, and it is a work that is especially wrought in some Christians, though all Christians should exercise giving as a method of worship. In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. But test everything; hold fast what is good. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. Proverbs 20:27 - The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. An unspiritual person refuses to accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him such things are foolish. While the restraining hand of the Holy Spirit is little realized by the church at large, His protection and power shield the Christian from the impossible task of living in a world in which sin is unrestrained. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: the Unforgivable Sin. For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean., (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.). THE SPIRIT OF AN UNSAVED MAN IS DEAD AND DESPERATELY WICKED When person is no born again, he has what I call an unsaved spirit. Even his aversion to the good and inclination to the evil, while springing from his fallen nature, has its origin in his utter inability to appreciate the Person of God and the inherent loveliness of righteousness. There is no law against such things ( Galatians 5:22 ). I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? He is incapable of grasping them because they are. The work of the Holy Spirit in revealing the Gospel to the unsaved is peculiarly a ministry of enablement to understand the way of salvation. (Series to be continued in the July-September Number, 1941). This took discernment. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.. Man and beast are distinguished in this way. And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. M Section 2. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? The unsaved must see Christ as judged and executed for them, and their judgment for sin as already past. In this course, you'll get four lessons on the following topics: Being Hospitable to Jesus. He retains ability to understand natural things and may rise in this realm to unusual heights. The answer to the problem, therefore, is not found in any development of the natural man or cultivation of latent abilities, but is disclosed in the power of God as manifested in the work of the Holy Spirit. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. N And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. The Holy Spirit presses upon the heart of the unsaved the fact of God's judgment. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. They will receive the greater condemnation.. The Christian desiring to win souls for Christ should study this subject carefully, for in it lie the principles which God has revealed concerning His methods of dealing with the lost. . They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Salvation is God's gift provided by His grace. Common grace must be sharply distinguished from any work of God which is efficacious in bringing the unsaved to salvation. There is one body and one Spiritjust as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. J Many an unsaved judge has told many a young drug addict standing in his courtroom, "You must change your ways or you will . And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. There are many different ways the Bible describes a non-Christian. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of Gods Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet, Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christthis Jesus whom you crucified., Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?. (Continued from the January-March Number, 1941), [Authors Note: In previous articles the Person of the Holy Spirit, His work in the Old Testament, and His relation to the Person and work of Christ have been considered. Satan, also known as the Devil is sometimes referred to as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), prince of demons (Matthew 9:34), father of lies (John 8:44), "ruler of this world" (John 12:31) and god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. Paul was speaking about Simon who wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:read more.And it shall be in the last days, God says,That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,And your young men shall see visions,And your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,I will in those days pour forth of My SpiritAnd they shall prophesy. 13. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. 12. As the Word is preached, the Holy Spirit attends with power to make it known to those who naturally are blind to the truth and unable to comprehend it. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. It is the sin of unbeliefa refusal to trust in Jesusthat is primary. - Is sanctified; literally, has been sanctified, the status has been rendered (so to speak) theoretically clean. F However, in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says that there will be many who will say to him 'Lord, Lord' to whom Jesus will reply, 'I never knew you.'. he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. The work of the Holy Spirit in restraining sin as found in the Old Testament continues in the present age. So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD , and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. But Peter began and explained it to them in order: I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. The Bible, wherever it has gone, has produced its attendant effect not only on those who believed it but also indirectly has influenced the thought and action of the unsaved world. Less extreme than the deists is the Pelagian viewpoint, holding that man is inherently able to understand the truth and make his own decisions in relation to it. The view partakes of all the errors of false mysticism, going far beyond the relation of false mysticism to the Christian, and attributes even to the unsaved the power to receive special revelation and understand it. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? From preceding discussion it is evident that common grace falls far short of efficacious grace. Paul refers to Satan as the "god of this world." For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken, Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted, You have made known to me the ways of life, You will make me full of gladness with Your presence. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. The Scripture speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit among the unsaved. In this post we will unveil the esoteric meaning. The love, joy, peace, and other fruit of the Spirit are never found in those who have merely experienced common grace. Q. Common grace provides none of the normal experiences of the Christian such as are produced by the unhindered indwelling Holy Spirit. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Psalm 1: The Saved and the Unsaved. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Is there a scripture of God casting our sins in a sea of forgetfulness? In view of the power of Satan and his evident hatred of Christians and the truth, the work of the Holy Spirit in restraining sin is required to explain the relative freedom allowed the Christian in the world and the preservation of those conditions which make possible the preaching of the Gospel and the maintenance of some order in the sinful world. No one comes to the Father except through me. First, the unsaved must understand that salvation depends upon faith in Christ. The striving of the Holy Spirit against sin in Noahs period is definitely stated (Gen 6:3). And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Religious instinct and fear of God are no doubt related to common grace, though they may not be connected definitely with the Scriptures. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation! So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 2 John 1:8 Verse Concepts Lutheran theologians have overemphasized the living character of the Word of God (Heb 4:12) to the point where it is claimed that the Bible has power in itself, and no attendant work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to make it effective. 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Someone living at the merely human level doesnt accept the things of Gods spirit. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. And they had John to assist them. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. They have no ability to worship or serve God. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. By the husband; rather, in the brother. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.. The indwelling Holy Spirit opens to the yielded Christian the storehouses of truth in the Word of God. And again, back of human government is God Who instituted it (Gen 9:5, 6; Rom 13:1-7) and controls it (Ps 75:5-7). For a beastly man perceiveth not those things that be of the Spirit of God; for it is folly to him, and he may not understand, for it is examined ghostly [for it is examined. Q The person without the Spirit doesnt accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. The work of the Holy Spirit in revealing the Gospel to the unsaved is rather a sovereign operation of God, not conditioned upon the receptivity of man. The church corporately has done much to influence the world, even though it has failed to measure up to Biblical standards itself. Seek Ye First. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. He didn't judge and condemn the . After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. Some have advanced another view which contends that Satan himself is restraining sin lest it manifest its true character. The Holy Scriptures We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt. While in the providence of God, Satan is allowed great freedom and power in this age, his end is sure, and those who reject Christ will share his destiny. For David says of Him,I saw the Lord always in my presence;For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Common grace in its broader sense may have the effect of restraining sin, and it is often regarded as including this aspect. We begin now the study of the present work of the Spirit, in this article discussing the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world. While these elements may not be always seen clearly, they form the principles which combine to bring the unsaved into the knowledge necessary to place saving faith in Christ. 1 Blessed is the man. The work of the Holy Spirit in restraining the world from sin is found in every age, except during the period of unprecedented sinfulness during the great tribulation, when it is Gods purpose to demonstrate for the first time what unrestrained sin is. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, We shall hear you again concerning this. So Paul went out of their midst.