"Don't think you'll get away, no one ever has. Don't think He'll turn His back. It doesn't work like that. You're caught just like me, but it's not really all that bad."
-Scott Stiletta of Plankeye
"Twas blind but now I see"
-John Newton
The regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.
That is our subject today.
When we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit in our pre-christian existence we usually believe one of two things.
1. That the Holy Spirit tugs our heart strings in an effort to convince us we want Jesus.
2. That the Holy Spirit renews our heart and mind making us alive and finally able to actually see and believe that God is good and that Christ is our savior.
I'll go ahead and say from the get-go that I'm in favor of the latter of the two.
The Westminster Confession of Faith says,
" All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace."
When some folks discuss God's sovereignty in salvation, they talk about "free will", and they think God would never encroach upon our will and things like this. I guess my issue with that is that the Bible does not teach that man's will is absolutely free. It does, however, talk about man's will being slave to sin and Satan. This is because of the curse of sin.If I'm born with a will that is slave to sin, I want nothing to do with God. Sure is nice that He changed my mind.
Regeneration allows us to to love God. Without it we are hopelessly lost.
I've spent quite a bit of time during these discussions in the Gospel of John. It's served me so well, I'm going there today as well. I quoted some verses in John 6 a couple weeks ago. This is a great place to start. Jesus said,
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." (Italics mine)
Christ is making a point here. The point that God the Father must draw sinners unto Christ. Jesus says no one can freely choose Salvation.
Often I get asked (as often as I discuss this with people who don't agree with me), "If a person can't choose God and God chooses the person, why do you pray for anybody? Isn't God going to do whatever He's going to do anyway?"
This is an excellent question. It's actually two questions. I'll answer the second one first.
Yes.
God is going to do whatever He wills to do. We can be absolutely sure of this.
Job said,
"I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted."
God purposes are the surest bet you can make. He created the universe with a word. He destroyed Pharaoh's entire army in one fell swoop of the biggest wave they ever surfed. He's coming back for His church and He's not going to miss a single person. Jesus said,
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
It has been said that "The Mountie always gets his man".
Well, maybe the RCMP will get his man. Maybe.
But I assure you, God will ALWAYS get His man.
The first questions asks "Why would you pray for anybody if God has already chosen?"
Well I ask you, Mr. Freewill Chooser, If God has limited His power in such a way as to never bend the will of man, what then, is the point of praying? Why would we pray that anybody be saved? God can't save them. At best He could influence their decision, but He can't do something to them they don't want Him to do.
That is not a biblical idea.
We pray because we're instructed to pray. We need no other reason. You can "logic" you way out of anything.
God MUST do a work that we don't ask for.
He MUST make us alive.
In my last post, I said that we are not saved because of our faith, we have faith because we are saved. If you have faith in Jesus Christ and believe that God has shown you grace on Christ's behalf, you have this faith because it was granted to you. Paul said,
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
It was a gift.
You don't deserve it.
You're not special.
But God, in His infinite Wisdom, has exercised His free will to save you. He has lavished his grace upon you. He gave you faith to believe and having believed you received grace. He did it just to make His power known and to show His great love for you.
One of the most dramatic examples of the irresistible call of the Holy Spirit is the story of Paul the Apostle.
Paul used to be called Saul. Saul was a very smart man. He was learned in Old Testament law and he counted himself a believer in god. His thing was that he didn't believe Jesus was anything special. In fact, he persecuted Christians for a living. It is generally agreed that Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen. Saul was happy to see him die. Saul hated Christ and all Christ's followers.And this is how Saul lived.
Most of us (on the outside) were never this bad. We may have hated Jesus, but we weren't really going about killing people who do love Jesus.
Then as Saul is traveling toward Damascus, walking along, (probably keeping an eye out for any Christians he could kill or put in jail) Saul is met by the risen Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus spoke to him, asking him why he is persecuting the church. It was a pretty big deal. Saul was blinded by a crushing light, led by the hand to Damascus, met up with a dude named Ananias who touched Saul's eyes and Saul could see again. It's a great story, if you haven't read it in a while you really should. The point is that only after literal scales fell off his eyes did he get his vision back. And at the same time spiritual scales fell off his heart and he believed.
This is the regenerative work that the Holy Spirit does in every true Christian's heart.
When this work is done, your heart is no longer blinded, you are no longer dead in you sins.
You can see.
And you'll never be blind again.
It's science really.
What I mean to say, is that when the Holy Spirit calls you, melts the ice on your heart, and opens your eyes to the goodness of God...
You believe.
Coming Soon: Part 5. Perseverance Of The Saints.
