The Holy Spirit's Work in Salvation.

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In Acts 19 we learn that when the apostle Paul came to Ephesus he asked some disciples of John the Baptist Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" (v. 2) And we are told "They said unto him, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Sad to say, history has repeated itself. Without doubt, were the members of hundreds of so-called "churches" (in which modernism and worldliness rule) asked the same question—they would be obliged to return an identical answer. The reason why those disciples at Ephesus knew nothing about the Holy Spirit was, most probably, because they had been baptized in Judea by the forerunner of Christ and then had returned to Ephesus where they remained in ignorance of what had taken place on the day of Pentecost. But the reason why the members of the average "church" know nothing about the third Person of the Godhead, is because the preachers they sit under, are silent concerning Him.

Nor is it very much better, with many of the churches still counted as orthodox. Though the Person of the Spirit may not be repudiated and though His name may occasionally be mentioned—yet, with only rare exceptions is there any definite scriptural teaching given out concerning the offices andoperations of the divine Comforter. As to His work in salvation, this is very little understood even by professing Christians. In the majority of the places where the Lord Jesus is still formally acknowledged to be the only Savior for sinners, the current teaching of the day is that Christ has made it possible for men to be saved—but that they themselves must decide whether they shall be saved. The idea now so widely prevailing, is that Christ is offered to man's acceptance, and that he must "accept Christ as his personal Savior," "give his heart to Jesus," "take his stand for Christ," etc., if the blood of the Cross is to avail for his sins. Thus, according to this conception, the finished work of Christ, the greatest work of all time and in all the universe, is left contingent on the fickle will of man as to whether it shall be a success or a failure!

Entering now a much narrower circle in Christendom, in places where it is yet owned that the Holy Spirit has a mission and ministry in connection with the preaching of the Gospel, the general idea prevails even there, that when the Gospel of Christ is faithfully preached, the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin and reveals to them their need of a Savior. But beyond this very few are prepared to go. The theory prevailing in these places is that the sinner has to cooperate with the Spirit, that he himself must yield to the Spirit's "striving", or he will not and cannot be saved. But this pernicious and God-insulting theory denies two things: to argue that the natural man is capable of cooperating with the Spirit, is to deny that he is "dead in trespasses and sins" for a dead man is incapable of doing anything. And, to say that the operations of the Spirit in a man's heart and conscience may be resisted and withstood—is to deny His omnipotence!

Before proceeding further, and in order to clear the way for what is to follow, a few words need to be said on "My Spirit shall not always strive with man," (Gen. 6:3) and "you always resist the Holy Spirit." (Acts 7:51) Now these passages refer to the external work of the Spirit, that is, to His testimony through the preached Word. 1 Peter 3:18-20 shows that it was the Spirit of Christ in Noah who "strove" with the antediluvians as the patriarch preached to them. (2 Peter 2:5) So in Acts 7 the very next words explain v. 51, "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" As Nehemiah said, "In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who, through the prophets, warned them about their sins. But still they would not listen!" (Neh. 9:30)

The external work of the Spirit, His testimony through the Scriptures as it falls on the outward ear of the natural man, is always "resisted" and rejected, which only affords solemn and full demonstration of the solemn fact that "the carnal mind is enmity against God." (Romans 8:7) But what we would now point out, is that Scripture reveals another work of the Holy Spirit, a work that is internal, imperceptible, and invisible. This work is always EFFICACIOUS. It is the Spirit's work in salvation, begun in the heart at the new birth, continued or sustained throughout the entire course of the Christian's life on earth, and concluded and consummated in Heaven. This is what is referred to in Phil. 1:6: "He who has begun a good work in you—will finish it." This is what is in view in Psalm 138:8: "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me." This work is wrought by the Spirit in each of "God's elect," and in them alone.

It has been well said that "The part and office of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of God's elect, consists in renewing them. He quickens the heirs of glory with a spiritual life, enlightens their minds to know Christ, reveals Him to them, forms Him in their hearts, and brings them to build all their hopes of eternal glory on Him alone. He sheds abroad the Father's love in their hearts, and gives them a real sense of it. In which experience of His gracious and effectual work in their souls, they are made to say with the Psalmist, "Blessed is the man whom You chose, and cause to approach unto You, that he may dwell in Your courts" (Psalm 65:4)."

One of the delusions of the day, is that an evangelical believing in Christ lies within the power of the unrenewed man, so that by performing what is naively called "a simple act of faith" he becomes a renewed man. In other words, it is supposed that man is the beginner of his own salvation. He takes the first step, and God does the rest; he "believes" and then God comes in and saves him. This is nothing but a bald and blank denial of the Spirit's work altogether. If there is one time more than another when the sinner lies in need of the Spirit's power—it is at the beginning. "He who denies the need of the Spirit at the beginning, cannot believe in His work at the after stages—nay, cannot believe in the need of the Spirit's work at all. The mightiest and most insuperable difficulty lies at the beginning. If the sinner can get over that without the Spirit, he can easily get over the rest. If he does not need the Spirit to enable him to believe, he will not need Him to enable him to love." (H. Bonar)

They err greatly, who think that after the Spirit has done His work in the conscience it still remains for man to say whether he shall be regenerated or not, whether he shall believe or not. The Spirit of God does not wait for the sinner to exercise his will to believe; instead He works in the "elect" "both to will and to do." (Phil. 2:13) Therefore does Jehovah declare, "I am found by those who sought Me NOT." (Isaiah 65:1. Quoted by Paul in Rom.10:20). To "believe" in Christ savingly, is a supernatural act—the product of supernatural grace. There is no more power in fallen man to believe to the saving of his soul—than he has any merits of his own entitling him to the favor of God; thus, he is as dependent on the Spirit for power—as on Christ for worthiness. The Spirit's work is to apply the redemption which the Lord Jesus purchased for His people—and the children of God owe their salvation to the One, equally as much as to the Other.

In Titus 3:5 the salvation of the redeemed is expressly attributed to God the Spirit: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done—but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit." "If it is asked—in what sense men can be said to be "saved" by the renewing of the Spirit, the answer is obvious: There is a series of truths to which no link can be lacking. We are saved by thedivine purpose, for God has chosen us to salvation; we are saved by the atonement, as the meritorious ground of all; we are saved by faith, as the bond of union to Christ; we are saved by grace as contrasted with works done; we are saved by the truth as conveying God's testimony; and, as here, we are saved by the renewing of the Holy Spirit, as producing faith in the heart." (Smeaton)

REGENERATION is by the Spirit

"And you has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2:1) The quickening of those who are dead in trespasses, is the work of the third Person of the Trinity: "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6) The natural man is spiritually dead. He is alive sinward and worldward—but dead Godward, "alienated from the life of God." (Eph. 4:18) If this solemn truth were really believed, there would be an end to controversy on our present subject. A dead man cannot "cooperate" with the Spirit, nor can he "accept Christ." In 2 Cor. 3:5 we read, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything." That is said of Christians. If the regenerate have no capacity to "think" spiritually, still less are the unregenerate able to.

"The natural man receives 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 Cor. 2:14) What could be plainer? The "natural man" is fallen in his unregenerate state. Unless he is born from above, he is completely devoid of spiritual discernment. Our Lord expressly declared, "Except a man is born again—he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) The "natural man" cannot see himself, his ruin, his depravity, the filthiness of his own righteousness. No matter how plainly God's Truth is presented to him, being blind, he cannot discern either its meaning, spiritually—or suitedness to his need. A spiritual understanding of the Gospel is as truly due to the operation of the Holy Spirit—as that He is the Author of the divine Revelation. Spiritual life must precede spiritual sight, and the Spirit Himself must enter the heart before there is life. "I shall put My Spirit in you—and you shall live." (Ezek. 37:14)

The work of the Spirit in regeneration is a divine miracle which is the result of His forthputting of supernatural power. It is quickening of a spiritual corpse; it is the bringing of a dead soul to life. The sinner himself can no more accomplish it by an act of his own will—than he can create a universe. This miracle of grace is spoken of in Scripture as "the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead." (Eph. 1:19, 29) "The same power which was put forth to raise Christ from the dead—is put forth in regeneration. Christ's resurrection is the exemplary pattern of our spiritual resurrection, according to which, as the Spirit wrought in Him, so He works in us a work conformed to His resurrection. As Christ's resurrection is the first step to His eternal kingdom and glory, so regeneration is the first open introduction to all the blessings of that state of grace into which the child of God is now introduced." (S.E. Pierce)

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