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Office
Of The Holy Spirit-- Conviction
The
first work wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit is
conviction. "And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come,
he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment." John 16:8. True Bible conviction is
a blessing to any one. While for the present it seems far
from joyous, yet if given treed to, afterwards it yields
the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Who has not felt the
gentle reproof of the Holy Spirit knocking at the heart's
door and pointing to the better way? So long as man is in
the reach of the Holy Spirit, he will ever be reproved for
the slightest wrong; but if the reproof is not heeded,
each call will grow fainter. How very careful we should be
when reproved by the Spirit, for without His gentle wooing
man could never find God. The Spirit does not always
operate upon the heart independent of means.
"Afflictions,
though severe they seem,
Are oft in mercy sent:
They
stopped the prodigal's career
And caused him to repent."
David said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray:
but now have I kept thy word." Psa. 119:67. While it
is far from the right way to neglect God until afflictions
overtake us, yet there are many who never think of God in
health, who when affliction cometh will call on Him for
help. It is true however, that a great many who seek God
in trouble, forsake Him in prosperity. The surest and best
way is to seek God while in the bloom of health, under the
direct conviction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit often convicts people through the healing of
the sick, as was the case at Lydda and Saron. "And it
came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all
quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt
at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named
Eneas which had kept his bed eight years and was sick
of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, ÒEneas, Jesus
Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed.Ó
And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and
Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord." Acts 9:32-35.
At midnight when Paul and Silas lay bound in the stocks of
the prison an angel of God came to them, loosed their
bands and set them free, causing a great earthquake,
through which the jailer and all his house were converted.
Many argue that the day of healing and miracles is past,
from the fact that it was only needed to establish the
gospel when it was first preached: but we ask, If it was
needed then, how much more is it needed now, since
"wicked men and seducers" have waxed worse? As
long as suffering mortals need deliverance from sickness
and disease; and as long as sinful mortals need
conviction, God will continue to heal the sick, and do
wonders in the name of Jesus for those who will "have
faith in God."
The gospel is the principal agent in the hands of the
Spirit to convict the lost, and compared with it all other
means are very small. Without the gospel no man can be
saved, "for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth." Rom. 1:16. The first Holy
Spirit sermon preached after the crucifixion of Christ was
attended with great conviction, which was due to the fact
that Christ and Him crucified was the theme. "Now
when they heard this (Christ crucified) they were pricked
in their hearts, and said unto Peter and to the rest of
the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
Acts 2:37. At the present age of the world men have
ceased, to a great extent, to preach the gospel with the
power of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; and Bible
conviction has ceased accordingly. This is due, first, to
the fact that many do not possess the Holy Spirit. Second,
popular preachers have ceased to preach "Christ
crucified," and preach instead the doctrines and
commandments of men, topics of society, political issues,
death bed scenes, sympathetic stories, etc. Those who
profess salvation under such preaching are void of Bible
conviction; hence void of salvation. The gospel alone is
the power of God unto salvation.
There are three spirits by which men are moved to action,
and which stand out more prominently than all others;
viz., the spirit of anger, the spirit of sympathy, and the
Spirit of God. Each of these spirits may be said to be
contagious; i. e., if one person becomes imbued with
either of them, it is most likely to affect some one else.
For illustration, a man in a saloon becomes angry; in a
short time all his friends are at his side and ready to
take his part.
The spirit of sympathy is equally contagious, and many
preachers and sentimental revivalists knowing this, and
being void of the power of God resort to the spirit of
sympathy to draw men, as they suppose, to Christ. They
will paint a deeply shaded word picture of how the infant
feet of some mother's child is pressing the golden shore,
and how its lily white hands are beckoning her to come.
Thus by many words and fair speech some mother's heart is
broken, not because Jesus died, but because her child had
died. Then in turn he will bring up father, mother,
brother, sister, friend, and neighbor, until his
congregation is wrapt in a flame of human sympathy, under
which many profess Christ, only to forsake and disgrace
Him as soon as they forget their sorrow for the dead.
Professions of Christianity under the influence of the
spirit of sympathy, void of Bible conviction, is cursing
professed Christendom. "Godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the
sorrow of the world worketh death." 2 Cor. 7:10. The
sorrow of the world, or a sorrow for the dead, works only
a momentary reformation, which cannot stand the trying
hours of persecution and temptation: but the sorrow
effected by the Spirit of God, through the preaching of
Christ, brings Bible Conviction, Bible repentance, and
Bible salvation, which brings the unfailing grace of God
whereby we prove true to God through all the trying scenes
of life. How vastly different is the experience fed by
sympathy and emotion and the one grounded on the eternal
word and Spirit of God!
It is true that men should be stirred to action and
brought weeping to the cross, but nothing can possibly do
this so effectually as the goodness and love of God
presented by the gospel in the Spirit and power of God.
Tell men of the goodness of God and of Christ Jesus
crucified and they will be melted to tears and a holy
flame will burn from heart to heart, not to be subdued by
the petty storms of life. And the Spirit of God will also
be contagious, for when one man's "cup runs
over" some one else will drink and be satisfied. A
heart too hard to be melted by the crucifixion scene, or a
conscience too seared to be touched by the love and
goodness of God, is certainly far beyond the reach of
human efforts. A soul which cannot be reached by the power
of the Holy Spirit or awakened by the thunder tones of the
gospel is irretrievably lost, and human sympathy can never
accomplish that which the Holy Spirit fails to do.
"The goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance." Rom. 2:4.
Without Bible conviction it is impossible to find God, for
Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father
which sent me draw him." John 6:44. O minister of
God, gird up the loins of your mind with the girdle of
eternal truth and go out to tell how Jesus died, and great
will be your reward in heaven. You may not get so many
followers, but the gold you do gain will stand the
judgment fire. First teach people how to repent, and then
fill their minds with thoughts of Jesus' dying, the
goodness and love of God, till the heart is broken beneath
the load. Persons thus convicted will come weeping their
way to the cross and obtain "salvation not to be
repented of," and
They
will not soon forget the day,
When Jesus washed their sins away.
Oh, the boundless love of God! there is nothing like it.
How many souls today grope on in sin not knowing that the
"goodness of God leadeth them to repentance."
Rom. 2:4. Before a man can see the goodness of God his
eyes must be opened. Paul said he was sent to the Gentiles
to "open their eyes and turn them from darkness to
light; from the power of Satan unto God." What means
did he use to accomplish this? "That I should be the
minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the
gospel of God." Rom. 15:16. "To the end I might
be a public minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,
doing priestly service with the joyful message of
God."—Rotherham. Paul was a minister of Christ and
ministered the gospel, the joyful message of God; and the
effect was men's eyes were opened and many were turned
from the power of Satan unto God, realizing that the
goodness of God led them to repent.
We may teach men the principles of repentance, but unless
their eyes are opened to see the goodness of God they will
never get genuine conviction, without which no man can
find God. The paramount object of a man turning to God
should always be that he had a deep realization that he
has grieved a loving God, whose mercy endureth forever,
and not alone on account of the fears of hell. Hell is a
real place, but "love is stronger than death."
"The heart that is so hard in sin That this great
love can never win, Is surely fit for nothing less Than
endless hell and wretchedness."
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