The Holy Spirit in Conversion No. 1
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION NO. 1
Ladies and gentlemen, there is much misunderstanding concerning the operation of the Holy Spirit in conversions. Many honest souls have been led to believe that the Holy Spirit operates directly from heaven upon the heart of the sinner to bring about his conversion. Some have gone to their graves, lost for eternity, waiting for the intervention of the Holy Spirit to bring to them salvation. Others claim conversion by the direct power of the Holy Spirit and re-late their experiences as evidences of their salvation. Their experiences, usually very emotional, varied, and unusual , are relied on as evidence of salvation more so than the positive teaching of God's word. A false conception of the Holy Spirit as a mysterious, unknown power likely to descend from heaven anywhere, any time, and take pos-session of the soul of man is, no doubt, responsible for much of the misunderstanding of operation of the Holy Spirit in conversion.
When we speak of conversion, we speak of a person being born again, regenerated, redeemed by the blood of Christ; one who has been reconciled unto God. A meaning of the term convert is, "To change into another state, form or substance; transform."
The Holy Spirit and Knowledge The knowledge of God revealed to man in the Scriptures is sufficient to meet our needs. When man does not have knowledge of God he becomes alienated from God. In the beginning, man was alienated from God through ignorance. "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness , to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19).
When man gives up his knowledge of God, God gives up man. Hear the apostle: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (Romans 1:28). Ignorance and alienation are close companions. Knowledge is the first step toward reconciliation. God has revealed by the Holy Spirit, through the written and con-firmed word, all things that pertain to life and godliness.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:2-4). Revelation, in all ages from Moses, the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, until the end of time, is executed on the bases of man's ability and accountability; ability to obtain knowledge of God and accountability for believing and obey-ing God, or disbelieving God.
The Holy Spirit is an essential agent in conversion because he speaks, through the word of God, in an understand-able language to every responsible person on earth. No theory of the operation of the Holy Spirit in conversion that eliminates language, as a means of communication from God to man, can be true. Likewise, any theory that elimi-nates human beings, as a medium of communication from God to man, is false! By direction of the Holy Spirit the apostles, as Christ's ambassadors, were to perform two great responsibilities; something never done before or since by any human being.
One: To bind upon all men certain conditions of salvation , to be ratified in heaven, and to last until the end of time.
Two: To cause the release of man's sins from his soul, dic-tated by the authority of Christ, upon the irrefutable terms of pardon expressed in His will (Matthew 16:19). The Holy Spirit had a three-fold responsibility in conversions, namely: to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judg-ment. (John 16:8-11). The great task of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of the word by the apostles, is expressed in the great commission, when He commanded: "Go ye therefore , and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Also, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:15-16). The Holy Spirit at no time, under any circumstance, directly or indirectly, modified, supplemented, or eliminated any part of the Great Commission given by our Lord. The Holy Spirit directed the execution of the Great Commission through the apostles.
A popular theory of the work of the Holy Spirit in con-version is the affirmation that the Spirit operates on the sinner's conscience, heart, and life independent of the gospel and any human cooperating agency. By miraculous power the Holy Spirit is said to direct the mind of God to the sinner's heart, over-ruling and ignoring all the laws of the human mind. This is a false theory. Jesus himself declared that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit "because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him" (John 14:17). There is no direct visible, or invisible, over-whelming power of the Holy Spirit in conversion.
Direct Operation Dispense With Church The false theory of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit in conversion would dispense with the church, for which Christ shed his blood, whose mission in the world is to preach the gospel and make known the manifold wisdom of God.
"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God" (Ephesians 4:9-10).
Christ died for the church, purchased it with His own blood (Ephesians 5:25-27; Acts 20:28). Who would accuse God of being guilty of a tragedy of all tragedies, that is, allow-ing his Son to be crucified, to die for the church, all in vain? Such would be the inevitable conclusion, if the Holy Spirit operated directly upon the sinner's heart independent of the gospel, which was divinely ordained to be proclaimed by the Lord's Church.
The work of the Holy Spirit in conversion does not in any way modify, abridge, or abolish the fact that all responsible human beings have the ability and responsibility to choose, to use, or abuse, their faculties and privileges, as a free moral agent, created by Jehovah, God.
These responsibilities and capabilities of the human heart include: "Hearing," “thinking," "willing," "believing ," "choosing," "reasoning," "judging," "remembering," "con-sidering," "knowing," "obeying," "refusing," "yielding ," "resisting," "disobeying," "hardening the heart," and "re-belling" all expressed in the Bible.
The direct intervention of the Holy Spirit in conversion would completely ignore the individuality and integrity of man, as God's creation, and make him a mere puppet or machine.
The Natural Man
Many people have misunderstood the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment because they have not been able to distinguish between the "natural man" and the "inward man." The Holy Spirit, through Paul declared: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). There is a "natural body" and the "inward man," the apostle affirmed.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Romans 7:22). Also, in Romans 7:25 the apostle said: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God: but with the flesh the law of sin."
There can be no doubt about it, the soul, the mind, the heart, the person himself, is the "inward man," who lives in the house of the "natural man," and has charge and responsibility of that house. It is the "inward man" who "hears." "believes," "obeys," or disobeys. The Holy Spirit, therefore , appeals, through the teaching of the gospel, to the "inner man" and not the "natural man."
The Holy Spirit And Remission of Sins The direct operation of the Holy Spirit theory has caused many honest and sincere souls to reject the Holy Spirit in the offering of remission of sins. By this theory it is concluded that remission of sins is an inward experience and man should look within himself for evidence of salvation. Because of this misconception of the operation of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the misconception of remission of sins, the conditions of pardon, or remission of sins, offered by the Holy Spirit, through the gospel of Christ, is often rejected, causing souls to be lost. Such misguided souls, therefore, consider our Lord's command of baptism, as a condition of salvation (remission of sins), as absurd and un-necessary. Remission of sins is not the change of heart in conversion, rather, it is a state of pardon as a result of a changed, obedient, heart.
The change of heart, or inward experience, is repentance which is the result of the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. At no time did God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit ever even imply that repentance is re-mission of sins. Repentance is the condition of the heart of the sinner and belongs to man. Remission of sins is a state of forgiveness, subsequent to repentance, and belongs to God. It is God, through Christ, His Son, and the Holy Spirit who offers remission of sins upon certain conditions of pardon. The "inward experience," which may be repentance, must not be confused with remission of sins, for remission of sins is consequent upon repentance, not a part of it.
Such expressions as, "repentance and remission of sins" (Luke 24:47), "baptism of repentance unto remission of sins" (Mark 1:4), and "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38), can leave no doubt as to the distinction between repentance, the inward experience, which belongs to man, and remission of sins, the state of pardon , which belongs to God.
The Holy Spirit does not operate upon the heart of the sinner, independent of the word of God, causing him to re-pent; neither does He offer remission of sins without obedience to the gospel.
Word of God In Conversion
All responsible men on earth are sinners by reason of transgression. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Man has become alienated from God by reason of his own sins. To be saved from his lost state he must become converted, changed to another state, become reconciled unto God. He must be trans-formed. He must become a new creature.
The apostle Paul stated most conclusively, that one is to become a new creature in Christ in order to become reconciled unto God. But the power of this transformation, conversion, or reconciliation is within the word of God (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). He affirmed that God gave to the apostles the ministry of reconciliation, having committed unto them "the word of reconciliation." The same apostle declared that the gospel of Christ is the "power of God unto salvation unto everyone that believeth" (Romans 1:16). If the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation, then the Holy Spirit does not have some separate or additional power to save.
Ladies and gentlemen, hear me! Are you listening? If the gospel of Christ is not the power of God unto salvation and the Holy Spirit has additional or separate power , then who is responsible for the heathens in lands where the word of God has not gone? In lands where the Bible, the word of God, has not gone, there are thousands and mil-lions who have never heard of Christ, or the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit operates upon the heart, directly from heaven, independent of the gospel of Christ, then why does he not go to the millions in lands where the Bible has not gone and convert them to Christ? Don't you know that it is necessary that we take the gospel to all men on earth, in order for them to be converted, to be saved! Re-member, Jesus commanded, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark:15, 16). It should also be remem-bered that the apostle declared that "it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21).
We have pointed out in these addresses that the Holy Spirit is the person who revealed the gospel of salvation to the apostles, whom our Lord chose as His ambassadors. So inseparable is this operation that the Spirit is said to be the "truth." The truth is the word of God, the seed of the kingdom, which receives life from the Spirit by which one is born again, or converted unto Christ. (Read carefully 1 John 5:7; John 17:17; Luke 8:11; John 6:63; 1 Peter 1:22-23).
When Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles to do his work in conversion, He said, ". . . I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. . ." (John 16:7-8). Without question, this work is to be accomplished through the word, the gospel, revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. There is positively no case of direct intervention of the Holy Spirit in any conversion recorded in the New Testament. To ascertain how the Holy Spirit operates in conversion, we give brief attention to some conversions recorded in the New Testament.
CONVERSION OF LYDIA AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
If any recorded case of conversion in New Testament times, during the days of miraculous works of the Holy Spirit, should bear evidence of direct intervention of the Holy Spirit in conversion the case of Lydia surely would be that one. There was not a gospel preacher on the continent of Europe where she lived. From Sabbath to Sabbath, she was attending a prayer meeting on the river bank, although she was some three hundred miles away from her home. She was a Jewess business woman of Thyatira , or she was a most devout woman who had been converted to the Jewish faith. She worshipped God, according to the dictates of her conscience, but, obviously, was not a Christian.
Since there was not a minister of the gospel within hundreds of miles, why could not the Holy Spirit have con-verted her, directly from heaven, independent of the gospel of Christ? The simple answer is, the Holy Spirit does not and never has operated upon the heart, independent of the gospel of Christ which is the power of God to save the believer. It was necessary for a preacher of the gospel, in this case, Paul, to present the word of the Lord, by which this God-fearing woman and her associates might be begot-ten unto a new and living hope.
To accomplish this purpose God overruled the course of travel of Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke who might have gone to Ephesus in Asia, or Bithynia. God directed Paul to go to Macedonia, through the voice which beckoned: "come over into Macedonia and help us." Paul concluded , "the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (Acts 16:10).
All of these circumstances were incidental to the opening of Lydia's heart; the most essential circumstances be-ing the necessity of a gospel preacher, using the instrument of God's power, the gospel of Christ, to convert the soul of Lydia, "whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul."
HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION OF THREE THOUSAND The Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, opened Lydia's heart and she became a Christian (Acts 16:14-15). The important question is, however, how did the Lord open Lydia's heart? "Lydia . . . heard us: whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul and she was baptized . . ."
The gospel, which is the power of God to save the believer (Romans 1:16), was the instrument which the Lord used to open Lydia's heart. She heard the things which were spoken by Paul. She understood she believed; she was baptized into Christ. She became a Christian only. The Holy Spirit did not in any way affect her heart, in-dependent of the gospel preached by Paul, before her con-version, nor in the process of her conversion.
HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION OF THREE THOUSAND The Holy Spirit has a very distinct part in the conversion of every soul to Christ. No man is born into the kingdom of Christ without having been begotten by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. From the divine truth already quoted, we have learned that the "Spirit" is the "truth," the "truth" is "word ," and the "word" is the "seed" of the kingdom. Christ pro-claimed, "Ye must be born again." The inspired apostle Peter declared of the elect children of God that they purified their souls in their "obedience to the truth . . . having been begotten again, not of corrupt-ible seed, but of incorruptible through the word of God." There can be but one conclusion: they were begotten by the Spirit, through the word, the incorruptible seed. Man is, therefore, begotten by the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, when he is converted to the Lord, or born into the kingdom of Christ.
Circumstances Not Conditions The record of the conversion of the 3, 000 souls on Pentecost is found in Acts 2nd chapter. We must not mistake the circumstances attending the conversion of these people for the conditions of conversion dictated by the Holy Spirit to the apostles. The apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as had been promised by the Lord (Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:26; Acts 2:1-4).
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was no part of the conditions for remission of sins obtained by the 3, 000 converts. They received the "gift of the Holy Spirit," or the Holy Spirit as a gift.
The miraculous gift of the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak with "other tongues," which astonished the multitude, for "every man heard them speak in his own language" wherein he was born. Speaking in tongues was no part of the conditions of their salvation, but it was a miraculous demonstration that caused the people to give attention and to hear the gospel proclaimed in their own language, although spoken by men who did not speak their language. Incidentally, there are people today who claim to speak in "tongues," by the power of the Holy Spirit, as did the apostles, but it is very obvious that they do not speak in "tongues" so that people of different nationalities can understand them in their own native tongue. There is not a man on earth today who can speak in "tongues," as did the apostles!
The conditions of conversion, or remission of sins, revealed by the inspired men of God on Pentecost, were in no way related to the peculiar circumstances which attended their conversion. Having heard the gospel proclaimed by the special chosen apostles, this gospel being directed by the Holy Spirit, they were "pricked in their heart" and, as believers, they were told what to do to obtain remission of sins.
We must not mistake attendant circumstances of the conversions, recorded in the New Testament, with the con-ditions of salvation. According to Acts 16:22-34, the jailor and they that were in his house were converted by the gospel proclaimed by Paul, directed by the Holy Spirit. They believed and were baptized into Christ. Those were conditions of salvation. The circumstances were different. Paul and Silas were beaten and placed in prison and at mid-night a "great earthquake" occurred. If one could make the attendant circumstances conditions of salvation, then every time there would be a conversion there would be an earth-quake! Paul preached the gospel, God's power to save, to the jailor (Acts 16:32) but Christ, by the Holy Spirit, re-vealed the message of salvation to the apostle (Galatians 1:12).
Begotten By Spirit, Born of Water
Peter identified those who were "begotten again" (be-gotten by the "seed," the "word," the "truth," the "Spirit") in 1 Peter 1:1, as the same people referred to in the second chapter of Acts, who heard the first gospel sermon, offering remission of sins in the name of Christ, which was preached in the city of Jerusalem on the first Pentecost, after the Lord's resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:5-11).
Peter proclaimed unto them the truth, the word. He planted the seed of the kingdom in their hearts. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall re-ceive the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls . . . And the Lord added to the church daily those that were saved" (Acts 2:37-38; Acts 2:41; Acts 2:47).
To Peter, Christ had declared: "I will build my church . . . And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . ." (Matthew 16:18-19). By the Holy Spirit, Peter used the keys of the kingdom by preaching the word, commanding faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:4; Acts 2:14; Acts 2:36-38). The divine record reveals that "they that gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41), and the Lord "added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). Later, the apostle wrote the epistle of First Peter to them declaring that they had been begotten again by the incor-ruptible seed, the word of God. They were begotten by the Holy Spirit through the "truth," the "word," the "seed ," and were baptized unto the remission of sins, born of water, into the kingdom of Christ.
Christ had declared to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). The three thousand were born of water and the Spirit, born into the kingdom of Christ. "They that gladly received his word were baptized," it was affirmed (Acts 2:41). Peter declared that they were "begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). John proclaimed that the "Spirit is the truth" and Christ de-clared that the "truth" is the "word" and the "word" is the "seed," therefore, it must be concluded, beyond question, that the three thousand were, begotten by the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, and born of water (baptized for the remission of sins) into the kingdom of Christ!
It must, furthermore, be concluded that at no time did the Holy Spirit act independently of the word, proclaimed by the apostles, in the conversion of the Pentecostians. The apostles were divinely guided by the Holy Spirit in pro-claiming the gospel. The Holy Spirit brought conviction to the hearts of the sinners, who were converted only through the preaching of the gospel.
The mission of the Holy Spirit, through the apostles, was to "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The medium of that God-given mission of the Holy Spirit, through the word, has not changed and will never change
HOLY SPIRIT AND CONVERSION OF SAMARITANS The divine record of the conversion of the people of Sa-maria is found in Acts 8:5-25. As in every case of conver-sion, the Holy Spirit performed his God-arranged part: "And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and pro-claimed unto them the Christ . . . and the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip . . . But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized into Christ."
Philip, the evangelist, preached the word, "proclaimed unto them the Christ." They that heard and believed "Philip's preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, were baptized, both men and women." The Samaritans were begotten by the Spirit, through the word, and born of water when they were baptized into the kingdom, as were the three thousand on Pentecost of Acts Chapter 2. The Holy Spirit did not reveal one word unto them about Christ and His kingdom, except by mouth of the man of God with the inspired message. Philip "proclaimed unto them Christ. The multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip . . . when they believed Philip . . . they were baptized . . ."
Beloved, hear me! Are you listening? The Holy Spirit, at no time, revealed himself directly from Heaven with a message to the sinner. Sinners who were begotten by the Holy Spirit and 'saved from their sins were they who heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and obeyed the gospel by repenting and being baptized into Christ.
Laying On of Hands No Part of Conversion
Someone may inquire, "did not the Samaritans receive the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit?" Yes, beloved , but this was a special administration of the Holy Spirit which could be performed only by the apostles. Although Philip was a minister of Christ and could perform miracles , as was done in the apostolic age of the church, to confirm the word when preached, he could not confer this miraculous work of the Spirit to others. The apostles at Jerusalem came to Samaria and "laid their hands on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:1447). It was necessary for the apostles to come and confer the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. Only the apostles had this power.
Simon was informed, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter" when he sinned by offering to obtain this gift of God with money (Acts 8:18-21). The Samaritans, like all Christians, received the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, when they obeyed the gospel, when they be-lieved and were baptized. God gives the Holy Spirit to them that "obey him" (Acts 5:32). The miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, however, was through the imposition of the hands of the apostles and could not be accomplished except through the apostles. When the last apostle died , therefore, the laying on of hands, imparting the miraculous works of the Spirit, ceased!
When the people of Samaria were converted, they were begotten by the Spirit, through the word of God, and born of water into the kingdom of Christ!
Regenerating life is within the seed. The regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is inseparable with the gospel of Christ, the truth, the word, the seed of the kingdom!
The Holy Spirit does not operate on the soul of man, in-dependently of the word of God, in converting the soul. When men talk about conversion by direct operation of the Holy Spirit, they are presuming that conversion may be experienced without the Spirit, without life, and without the word of God. Such. "conversion," therefore, of necessity would be Christless, Godless, Spiritless, and lifeless.
In the last day, men of earth will be judged, not by some peculiar experience presumed to have been caused by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, but by the word of God, revealed by the Spirit. Jesus said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).
QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATION 1. Does the Holy Spirit operate directly from heaven in converting the sinner?
2. What is the power of God to save the believer?
3. Did the Holy Spirit come directly upon the 3, 000 con-verts, or the apostles, on Pentecost?
4. Did the Holy Spirit operate upon Lydia's heart inde-pendent of the gospel?
5. Were the miraculous circumstances attending the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit the same as conditions of salvation?
6. Were the Samaritans saved before they received the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit?
7. Were the apostles the only persons who could impart miraculous power of the Holy Spirit?
8. How is one begotten or born of the Spirit?