Holy Spirit in Conversion
By Timothy Glover
The question that concerns us in this article is what is the Holy Spirit's role in a person's turning (conversion)? Remember that, when studying the nature of God, we are not questioning what he can do. We should never take a position that limits God's power. Nor are we interested in what some have claimed from personal experience. We are concerned with what the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit does in conversion.
The Bible affirms that the Holy Spirit is a teacher. "But the comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you" (John 14:26). Again, "But, when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak; and he will disclose to your what is to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you" (John 16:13-14). And, again, "I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter (helper) shall not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged" (John 16:7-11).
These passages tell us that the apostles, to whom Jesus was speaking, would be guided by the Holy Spirit. The way the Spirit would guide them is described with such verb phrases as "he will speak, teach, and bring to your remembrance." The last passage quoted explains what would be accomplished in guiding and teaching the apostles into all truth. He would convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.
Again, how does the Spirit convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment? Answer: through the guided words of the apostles. 1 Cor. 2 and verse 10 informs us that God revealed the mystery of the gospel to the apostles; not through his Son, but through his Spirit. Verse 12 reads, "Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." The Spirit taught them; guided them into all truth.
Now, read the following verse, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches." Paul adds in Ephesians 3:3 that by revelation he knew the "mystery (as he wrote in few words), by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." Verse 5 again tells us that the mystery has been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. Therefore, the word of God is the product of the Holy Spirit.
Paul describes the word of God as the "sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17). Can we not see the connection between the Holy Spirit and his role as the revelator of truth, which contains the power to save the sinner? That this is the only way the sinner is saved is clear from such passages as 1 Peter 1:3 and 2 Tim. 3:16-17. "His divine power has granted unto us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us." The Spirit guided the apostles into all truth; the divine power has granted all things that pertain to life and godliness; and the scriptures furnish the man of God completely unto every good work. (Incidentally, some talk of their calling by the Spirit. I find no problem with that expression. But, Paul explains that the calling is through the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
Now, look at some particular passages with me. For example, we learn that by the Spirit, the sinner is (1) born or begotten (Jn. 3:5,6,8); (2) quickened (Jn 6:63); (3) saved (Tit.3: 5); (4) sanctified (1 Cor. 6:11); (5) washed (1 Cor. 5:11); and (6) convicted (Jn. 16:18). In explaining how he does this, some want to attribute some unexplainable power ("enabling power of the H.S."). While trying to explain this "better felt than told" experience, some overlook the fact that the same things assigned to the Spirit in conversion are also assigned to the word. For example, the sinner is (1) born or begotten by the word (1 Peter 1:23-25; James 1:18); (2) quickened by the word (Psa 119:50, 93); (3) saved by the word (James 1:21); (4) sanctified by the word (Jn. 17:17); (5) and washed by the word (Ephesians 5:26) and (6) convicted by the word (Tit. 1:9).
The Spirit does the work but he does it through the "guided" word revealed to the apostles. To illustrate: suppose I explained that John Doe was killed by a pistol and then later added that John Doe was killed by John Smith. Both are true. John Smith killed John Doe by means of a pistol. In the same way the Spirit convicts us of sin by means of the word.
The importance of the word in converting sinners is emphasized in the following statements, "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15). On the day of Pentecost, the audience said, "we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11). Following the sermon Peter spoke, verse 37 states, "When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart." The conviction followed the preaching of the word; not the Spirit's personal presence in their hearts.
Saul was told to go to Damascus where there he would be told what he must do. The only thing he was told to do was to get up and be baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 9:22). That was said after he had been praying for three days. Cornelius had to "hear words whereby he and his household could be saved" (Acts 10:6; 11:14).
There is not one example where one received a direct operation of the Holy Spirit in conversion. Is it not possible that these "religious experiences" that are filled with emotional hype are used as "testimony" that the Holy Spirit has saved them and has given them a sense of sins forgiven? The "feeling" that one is saved without responding in obedience to the written word is wrong because it attributes such a feeling to the work of the Holy Spirit. It contradicts what the Spirit teaches and what New Testament examples testify.
We are not denying that such feelings exist, only that it must be attributed to some other source. Where the gospel has never gone the Holy Spirit never operates. Where sinners have never heard the gospel they do not receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit uses the word as his instrument of operation. After hearing the word (Rom. 10:17), the heart is changed by faith in it (Acts 15:9), the life is changed by repentance (2 Cor. 7:10; Acts 17:30), and the relationship is changed by baptism. One is baptized INTO Christ (Rom. 6:3,4, Gal. 3:27). "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17). When the sinner hears the gospel, believes, repents of his sins, and is baptized into Christ, he is converted and God promises to pardon his sins. How is he converted? Answer: By obeying the word of God or by obeying the words of the Spirit.
I implore you not to wait for the miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit, but yield yourself to his power as you read his words that have been revealed, believe his message, and obey his requirements. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says" (Rev.2: 7).
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