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The Scripture speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit among the unsaved. In Mk 3:29 Jesus says that "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin" (cf. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. To the Holy Spirit, also, is committed the task of making known the way of salvation to a race which has no natural capacity to receive it with understanding. There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. In fact it can be said that the whole Bible is evangelistic, because it focuses on the salvation that Christ vicariously provided. They cant understand them. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 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. The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: "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" ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ). He thinks they are foolish. F And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. In relating the Word of God to the doctrine of common grace, two extremes in doctrine may be observed. The trophies of the grace of God which some day will stand complete before God in glory will bear witness to the power of the Spirit in ettectively accomplishing the task given to Him by Christ. Even so no one knows the things of God except [by] the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11 1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? 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. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. 2 Timothy 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.". You have not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. unsaved man walks after the flesh his spirit is dead. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. Christ said the Holy Spirit would convict the world Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:11). This idea is hardly compatible with the revelation of Satan found in the Scriptures. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. Water! But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. The presence of the individual Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, constitutes a force to hinder the world in its sin. Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? While common grace is greatly limited in its character and its results, it cannot be said to be without certain phenomena. This article was taken from the Theological Journal Library CD and posted with permission of Galaxie Software. Some were saying, What would this idle babbler wish to say? Others, He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 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. The importance of this doctrine, therefore, justifies a careful study. It is possible that many only understand vaguely that God through Christ cares for their unrighteousness without realizing all the wonders of justification. So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.read more.Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go up and join this chariot. Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, Well, how could I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 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. 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. M Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 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. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 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. Searching all the innermost parts of his being. The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. In this course, you'll get four lessons on the following topics: Being Hospitable to Jesus. The degeneracy of the period of the Judges had its Samson who was empowered by the Holy Spirit. What prevents me from being baptized?, [And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.]. A study of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 indicates that the one who restrains is removed from the scene before the man of sin is revealed. Of himself or of someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Parallel verses in 1 John 4:2-3 say the same. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. The reasoning would remove any scruples which Jewish Christians might derive from Deuteronomy 7:3, etc. C I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. The importance of this ministry of the Spirit must be recognized before the necessity of prayer for the lost can be realized. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. . Abstain from every form of evil. The Bible says that the human spirit is the very breath of Almighty God and was breathed into man at the beginning of God's creation: "Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" ( Genesis 2:7 ). (Eph- esians 2:1) A Christian has both the fleshly and the spiritual natures. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. The Holy Spirit is given the ministry of resisting evil and restraining the world in its manifestation. What do the terms converted and born again mean? But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 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. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. But a natural person does not receive the things of the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem, for they are narrishkait (foolishness 1:21-24) to him, and he is not able to have personal saving daas of them, because they are discerned in the Ruach Hakodesh. But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men. Common grace also falls far short of the Christians experience of illumination. and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? T A popular view of this passage is that human government is this restraining force. The spirit of an unsaved man is aware and knows about the things of man (man's thoughts and interests and activities) but he is totally insensitive and blind when it comes to the things of God (God's thoughts and ways and works)--see 1 Corinthians 2:11,14,16 and Isaiah 55:8-9. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. There is no law against such things ( Galatians 5:22 ). The ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world falls into two categories which are not necessarily independent. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. The work of the Holy Spirit for the unsaved world constitutes another proof that God is a God of infinite grace and condescension, working in those who are the objects of His righteous judgment, striving to bring them to the knowledge of Christ as Savior. Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know. The person who does not have the Spirit does not receive the blessings of the Spirit of God. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org, How will they preach unless they are sent? And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. The chaos of the primeval earth as described in Genesis 1:2 was not without His presence. So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. But test everything; hold fast what is good. Inability on the part of man has its rise in ignorance of God and His grace due to corruption of mans whole being, perversion of his sensations, feelings, and tastes, and blinding of his understanding. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. July 2, 2020 By Joshua Tilghman 21 Comments. Matthew's account adds that even blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit ( Mt 12:31-32 ). Someone living at the merely human level doesnt accept the things of Gods spirit. Verse 14. While the ministry of the Holy Spirit is ever primarily directed toward the Christian, it is evident that He is working in the world as well, bringing to pass the will of the Father and the Son. 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. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. 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. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.. Paul perceived the matter and told him to quickly repent. In humiliation His judgment was taken away;Who will relate His generation?For His life is removed from the earth. The eunuch answered Philip and said, Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? He may be, and is, in the language of Scripture, identified with either, according to the line of truth being revealed. Charles Hodge writes, for instance, Unrenewed men in the Bible are said to repent, to believe, to be partakers of the Holy Ghost, and to taste the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come.5 There are no doubt stages in the work of common grace from religious instinct and a fear of God which is almost universal to the experience of those who understand clearly the condition of salvation. It would seem a preferable interpretation to view all restraint of sin, regardless of means, as proceeding from God as a ministry of the Holy Spirit. But people who arent spiritual cant receive these truths from Gods Spirit. A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. But the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God. The unsaved need to know that sin was judged in the cross, and for those who trust in Christ there is deliverance from judgment upon sin and deliverance from condemnation. The word rendered "corrupt" expresses not so much pollution as disintegration and decay, much as in 2Corinthians 4:16 ; and so carries out the idea implied in the epithet . For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. In this post we will unveil the esoteric meaning. Another extreme in the doctrine of common grace is found in the viewpoint that the Word of God is unnecessary. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? 12. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? The act of God whereby He makes us alive from spiritual death is called regeneration. 1 Blessed is the man. 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.. For by grace you have been saved through faith. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Lutherans explain this by conditioning its power on their faith, but it is difficult to see how they can believe what they do not know and understand. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And I answered, O Lord GOD , thou knowest. Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. It is antecedent to the effectual call of God to the elect. 4 There is one body and one . Missionaries entering unevangelized fields never come upon a Christian community, or even an individual Christian. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; How will they preach unless they are sent? And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Ephesians 2:8-9 serves as a wonderful summary of this dynamic, stating, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. To them the realm of common grace is purely a discovery of the human intelligence proceeding from natural causes. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. What Does the Bible Say About the Prince of Darkness? And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Am I not an apostle? He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon More. 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. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. In Luke chapter twelve, it is recorded that Jesus said he came, not to bring peace on earth, but division; even in one's own household, two against three and three against two. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: the Unforgivable Sin. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. The indwelling Holy Spirit opens to the yielded Christian the storehouses of truth in the Word of God. He is unable to understand them because they can be discerned only in a spiritual way. This is the second death, the lake of fire. While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. The experience of many Christians bears witness to the possibility of understanding the issues of saving faith and at the same time being rebellious against God and unwilling to accept Christ for some time before the decision for Christ is finally made. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. So in the end, 1 Corinthians 2:14 is not about an unbeliever's inability to understand the things of God, but about the incapacity of reason and emotions to understand the things of God on their own. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. The period of tribulation on the contrary is one in which Satans work is most evident. 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. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. The Bible gives an illustration of the spirit of man. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. What is the name of the Father? Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 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. V Apart from this work of the Holy Spirit, God would continue to be unrevealed to a lost race; the death of Christ would be inapplicable to men; and the purpose of God to save the elect would be impossible of fulfillment. Young's Literal Translation If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. Verse Concepts. So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. The revelation of common grace can never rise higher than the plane of the natural man even in the realm of salvation truth. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. For the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God. Job 32:8 - But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Some have advanced another view which contends that Satan himself is restraining sin lest it manifest its true character. It is designed to articulate the preaching of the Gospel and the plan of God to give a universal call to faith in Christ. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. While these many factors in themselves are not the work of the Holy Spirit in restraining, they are means used by the Holy Spirit in accomplishing His purpose. 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. Many an unsaved judge has told many a young drug addict standing in his courtroom, "You must change your ways or you will . And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. While all forces of law and order tend to restrain sin, they are not such in their own character, but rather as they are used and empowered to accomplish this end by God. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Summary Before a person becomes a Christian, Scripture calls them the natural man. 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. He cannot understand them because only people who have the Spirit of God can test them. Because death is departure not cessation, not annihilation. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. It is closely parallel to the idea of moral and intellectual persuasion, constituting an influence, but in itself not resulting in decision. L New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Again he said unto me . Death is a moving out from one place to another. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:He was led as a sheep to slaughter;And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,So He does not open His mouth.