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. They have no ability to worship or serve God. To them the realm of common grace is purely a discovery of the human intelligence proceeding from natural causes. 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. An unspiritual person refuses to accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him such things are foolish. Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Nor can he perceive them, because they are spiritually examined. 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. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. The indwelling Holy Spirit opens to the yielded Christian the storehouses of truth in the Word of God. Through the Bible, the Holy Spirit describes the redemptive work of Christ. He is still accountable and relatively remains a free agent. 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. The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 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. The doctrines of providence and of the sovereignty of God demand that the power of God be effective not only in the saved but also in the unsaved world. A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit is at work in the world "because they believe not in [Christ]." Once a person responds to the Spirit's conviction and turns to faith in Christ, the other sins he practiced will be taken care of. Plus, you'll also get some beautiful graphic goodies to go along with the lessons, the new scripture writing plan, and the monthly scripture writing questions. Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Everyone will stand before God in judgment. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 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. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. The wicked generation of Noahs day was opposed in its mad course by the striving of the Spirit (Gen 6:3). Blog, A 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.. Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. 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. 1 Bibliotheca Sacra, 1940, pp. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. D The extreme position which makes the Word of God unnecessary to common grace is supported by two opposite schools of theology, the rational and the mystic. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 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. Christ said the Holy Spirit would convict the world "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged" (John 16:11). It all sounds foolish to them and they cant understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.. Because death is departure not cessation, not annihilation. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit by virtue of His holy character was conducive to restraint of sin. Death is a moving out from one place to another. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. 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. 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. Rationalism approaches the problem from many angles. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 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. To him the gatekeeper opens. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, Look! By the wife; literally, in the wife.The bond is still holy; its holiness rests in the believing wife or husband. You have made known to me the ways of life;You will make me full of gladness with Your presence. Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. The degeneracy of the period of the Judges had its Samson who was empowered by the Holy Spirit. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Posted on July 1, 2013 Posted by Chris Poblete. TopicalBible The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. They cant understand them. He thinks they are foolish. The Scriptures do not enlarge upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit in restraining sin. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers. 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 spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Christ said the Holy Spirit would convict the world Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:11). Departure means "The act of going away; a moving from or leaving a place". Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. Ephesians 2:8-9 serves as a wonderful summary of this dynamic, stating, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. 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. Regeneration is accomplished only by the Holy Spirit, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 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. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 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.read more.And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? He asks, " First Corinthians 12:3 says that 'no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.'. And I will grant wonders in the sky aboveAnd signs on the earth below,Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. C 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 . Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. Water! Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.. Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? 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. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!. Certainly, the Holy Spirit can use the words of an unbeliever as part of His work of convicting an individual of his sin and need of salvation. This article was taken from the Theological Journal Library CD and posted with permission of Galaxie Software. Y Common grace in its broader sense may have the effect of restraining sin, and it is often regarded as including this aspect. What do the terms converted and born again mean? The ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved follows three specific lines, then. But while human governments may be agencies in the restraining work of the Spirit, we believe that they in turn are influenced by the Church. Human government, however, continues during the period of tribulation in which the man of sin is revealed. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 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 ). Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Then shall the dust . Ecclesiastes 12:7 speaks of the time of death as the time when the "spirit shall return unto God who gave it." God gave the spirit and the spirit will return to God. In this regard, the spirit of man is the part of man that comes from God, relates directly to God, and returns to God. A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. The phrase "the old man" (found also in Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9) is here illustrated by the description following: which is being marred in virtue of the lusts of deceit. B The revelation of common grace can never rise higher than the plane of the natural man even in the realm of salvation truth. 12 Bible Verses about Ministering To The Unsaved. Human governments, ordained of God, are a means to divine ends. 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. 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. 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. 3 He shall be like a tree. 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. Without this ministry, the world would be an impossible situation for the Christian, and Gospel preaching would be fruitless. 1 Corinthians 8:9. 4 There is one body and one . That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. Of himself or of someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. J Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 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. Further confirmation of His ministry is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way (American Standard Version). There is no law against such things ( Galatians 5:22 ). Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. The person who does not have the Spirit does not receive the blessings of the Spirit of God. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The Scriptures represent him as being cast into the earth and venting his fury during those tragic days (Rev 12:9). Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Attitudes While Waiting For Second Coming. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. 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. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 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. Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. P I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. . O In the cross Satan met his defeat. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 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 ). And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. Because of it, sin was imputed to the race; men are spiritually dead apart from Christ; men possess a fallen nature which issues in manifestation; and, important to our present study, men are unable to comprehend the truth of God. And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. 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. The fact remains that the Spirit of God brings conviction and understanding to many who never believe, who turn from the Gospel even after the way of salvation is made plain to them. They will receive the greater condemnation.. 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. For by grace you have been saved through faith. Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. 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. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. What is the name of the Father? The will of man, however, in itself has no power to transcend its natural ability as found after the fall any more than it had power to transcend its natural ability before the fall. So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. S Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? Paul referred to his impending death as "departure". The Holy Spirit presses upon the heart of the unsaved the fact of God's judgment. I So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. and the natural man doth not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for to him they are foolishness, and he is not able to know [them], because spiritually they are discerned; Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Geocoding W The present age enjoys the ministry of this restrainer whose presence and ministry make impossible the manifestation of the man of sin. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. The chaos of the primeval earth as described in Genesis 1:2 was not without His presence. Now to the crux of this commentary. T 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. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Q The ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world falls into two categories which are not necessarily independent. Someone living at the merely human level doesnt accept the things of Gods spirit. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 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?. It is essential to intelligent faith, however, that the unsaved understand that through Christ it is possible for God to deal with them as those who are righteous. OpenBible.info 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. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. The view of the mystics, of course, is quite the opposite of the rationalist.
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