I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza. (This is a desert road.) The sun will be turned into darknessAnd the moon into blood,Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. 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 Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men. 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. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift of giving has in it the thought of being ready to give and being prompt in giving, and it is a work that is especially wrought in some Christians, though all Christians should exercise giving as a method of worship. Who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. While common grace is greatly limited in its character and its results, it cannot be said to be without certain phenomena. The person without the Spirit doesnt accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. The natural man is an unsaved man, who views excess indulgence in the desires of the flesh to be a good thing. What Does the Bible Say About the Prince of Darkness? In addition to natural inability is the work of Satan blinding the hearts of the lost to the light of the Gospel (2 Cor 4:4). Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Human governments, ordained of God, are a means to divine ends. And I will grant wonders in the sky aboveAnd signs on the earth below,Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. Just as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!. The unbeliever does not welcome the Word of God. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. While in the providence of God, Satan is allowed great freedom and power in this age, his end is sure, and those who reject Christ will share his destiny. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 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. Water! 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. Needless to say, the subjects included in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved should constitute an important part of effective Gospel preaching. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, 1st Corinthians 12:3. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, Look! In fact it can be said that the whole Bible is evangelistic, because it focuses on the salvation that Christ vicariously provided. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. And they had John to assist them. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. By the wife; literally, in the wife.The bond is still holy; its holiness rests in the believing wife or husband. We are reminded in the New Testament that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). Because death is departure not cessation, not annihilation. Psalm 1: The Saved and the Unsaved. Matthew 18:11 Verse Concepts [For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.] 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. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. The mystic assumes that God gives direct revelation to all who will receive it, and that truth so given can be understood properly by the recipient. Common grace also falls far short of the Christians experience of illumination. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. American King James Version ). 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. II, p. 667. Someone living at the merely human level doesnt accept the things of Gods spirit. Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Man's triunity . First, the unsaved must understand that salvation depends upon faith in Christ. He didn't judge and condemn the . The unspiritual man rejects the things of the Spirit of God, and cannot attain to the knowledge of them, because they are spiritually judged. even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 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. Genuine salvation is never found except among those who have heard the Word of God. 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. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 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. World English Bible Now the natural man doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned. They are foolishness to such people, you see, and they cant understand them because they need to be discerned spiritually. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. Summary Before a person becomes a Christian, Scripture calls them the natural man. Paul perceived the matter and told him to quickly repent. Common grace must be sharply distinguished from any work of God which is efficacious in bringing the unsaved to salvation. 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. So Paul went out of their midst. 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. That is where your battle comes in. 3 Systematic Theology, Vol. In the previous discussion of this work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament,1 it was shown that the Holy Spirit undertook to restrain sin throughout the Old Testament period. 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. The unsaved must see Christ as judged and executed for them, and their judgment for sin as already past. Christ said the Holy Spirit would convict the world Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged (John 16:11). The character of this work of restraining sin varies slightly in different ages, however. It is designed to articulate the preaching of the Gospel and the plan of God to give a universal call to faith in Christ. While the Lutheran church has fully supported the immanence and power of the Holy Spirit, they regard His work as being limited in some sense to the Word itself. 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. If it be conceded that the Holy Spirit undertook to strive with men to restrain sin in the Old Testament, it is even more evident that a similar ministry will be found in the present age in which the Spirit is present in the Church. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Even his aversion to the good and inclination to the evil, while springing from his fallen nature, has its origin in his utter inability to appreciate the Person of God and the inherent loveliness of righteousness. Section 2. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. In this post we will unveil the esoteric meaning. And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. It is antecedent to the effectual call of God to the elect. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 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 ). He cannot understand them because he does not have the Holy Spirit to help him understand. 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. Christ said the Holy Spirit would convict the world "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged" (John 16:11). Interpreters of Scripture have not all agreed on the identity of the one restraining lawlessness. We begin now the study of the present work of the Spirit, in this article discussing the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world. The theory that Satan is the great restrainer of lawlessness is, accordingly, untenable. Attitudes While Waiting For Second Coming. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Without this preliminary ministry, the work of efficacious grace would be impossible. He asks, " First Corinthians 12:3 says that 'no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.'. For less than $5/mo. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The present age enjoys the ministry of this restrainer whose presence and ministry make impossible the manifestation of the man of sin. Of himself or of someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 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. But people who arent spiritual cant receive these truths from Gods Spirit. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. M The Bible call him an unbeliever, a sinner and an unregenerate person. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 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. 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. Second, the unsaved must understand the righteousness of God as belonging to the Person of God and as made available for the sinner through Christ. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. 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. Abstain from every form of evil. 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. The presence of the individual Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, constitutes a force to hinder the world in its sin. 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. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 5:18; John 16:12-13). The indwelling Holy Spirit opens to the yielded Christian the storehouses of truth in the Word of God. The importance of this doctrine, therefore, justifies a careful study. While the Word of God is not necessarily related to the general works of God in restraining sin, in providence, and in acts of sovereignty, the revelation of the truth of the Gospel comes only through the Word of God. 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? It is important that we understand what the Spirit seeks to accomplish in the lives of unbelievers so that we can cooperate with His agenda and thus be used by Him in the lives of non-Christians. In the cross Satan met his defeat. The condition of man is hopeless apart from divine intervention. I am the good shepherd. 9. 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 very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 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.. 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. Seek Ye First. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. To them the realm of common grace is purely a discovery of the human intelligence proceeding from natural causes. 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. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. As a token of this, Satan, as the prince of this world, is mentioned as already condemned. Man, as created by God, and living on earth in mortal flesh, is a triune being, composed of "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess. As Charles Hodge summarizes the Lutheran position, This divine efficacy is inherent in, and inseparable from the Word.4 The chief difficulty with this view is the obvious fact that many unsaved men are completely unaffected by hearing or reading the Bible. D Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.