THE HOLY SPIRIT
If the Holy Spirit must exercise some power directly on the human heart for
men to be saved, what difference does it make?
Objections to the direct
operation of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of man in conviction and conversion
1. Based on the false concept of total depravity (Calvinism, T-U-L-I-P).
2. Destroys free moral agency and therefore human responsibility.
3. Denies God’s desire to save ALL men.
a. God is omnipotent. No one can resist his direct power. No Bible example of
any one ever resisting the direct power of God. E.g., Balaam and his ass, Num.
22:28,30; King Saul, 1Sam. 19:18-24.
b. Note: One can resist God’s power of moral suasion, because God has
given man free moral agency, but this does not militate against the omnipotency
of God. Compare to a parent reasoning with a child.
c. Since no one can resist God’s direct power, ALL men would believe if
He exercised direct power on the human heart. But, since all men do NOT believe,
if this doctrine is true, it follows that God does NOT desire ALL men to be
saved. This is exactly what Calvinism teaches, i.e., “Unconditional Election”
or Predestination of certain individuals to eternal torment and others to salvation.
4. God has NEVER used His direct power to change character. E.g...
a. Pharaoh, Exodus 4:21; 7:3,13,14,22; etc.8:15,19,32; 9:7,12,34,35; 10:1,20,2711:10;
13:15; 14:4,5,8,17
b. Balaam and his ass, Num. 22-24
c. King Saul, 1Sam. 19:18-24
d. Caiaphas, Jn. 11:47-53
e. Apostles, Ac. 1:8...1Co. 9:27; Gal. 2:11-13
5. When God has wanted to influence the heart of men by the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Spirit came upon selected servants who delivered God’s message. When
he wanted to teach and warn his people of old, the Holy Spirit empowered selected
men and women as prophets and prophetesses. When He wanted to send the message
of salvation to the ends of the earth, again the Holy Spirit worked through
the apostles and prophets of the New Covenant. When He wanted to provide edification
through teaching in the early church, certain Christians were given spiritual
gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and prophecy. The Spirit came upon one so he or
she could be used as a servant of God to others. “But to each one is given
the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1Co. 12:7). Where
is one example in the entire Bible of the Holy Spirit operating directly on
the heart of anyone for their own conviction, conversion, or sanctification?
6. No one was ever brought to faith and salvation apart from the Word. E.g...
a. Ninevites, Mt. 12:41
b. Ethiopian, Ac. 8:35,36
c. Saul, Ac. 9:5-6; 22:6-10, 14-16
d. Cornelius, Ac. 11:14, 15:7
7. When the same action is attributed to both the Holy Spirit and the Word of
God, the conclusion implied is that the action is or was performed by the Holy
Spirit by means of the Word.
8. Makes preaching the gospel useless
a. If preaching the word will not convict the sinner and produce faith in his
heart, why preach?
b. Compare Psa. 19:7-11; 119:9,105,130; Jer. 23:28-30; 26:2-3; Mt. 3:1; 4:17;
Mk. 16:15,16; 2Tim. 3:16-4:2.
9. The Bible furnishes not one record of any sinner being encouraged to pray
for or expect the Holy Spirit to change his heart immediately (without means).
10. The Bible furnishes no command to the church to pray for the sinner to receive
the Holy Spirit.
11. If the doctrine of unconditional election is true (Calvinism), it would
do no good for ANYONE to pray for ANYONE to receive the Holy Spirit, for if
he is one of the elect he will be saved regardless of our prayers, and if he
is one of those consigned to torment, all of the prayers in the world will not
change God’s eternal decree.
12. If the Holy Spirit works independently of the words of God on the hearts
of sinners, why are there no believers where preachers or the Bible have not
gone?
13. In every case of conversion recorded in the book of Acts, the gospel had
been heard.
14. Faith is clearly attributed to hearing the word of God, Rom. 10:17, not
by miraculous and mysterious impact on the soul. The fact that the apostles
were to preach the gospel that men might believe underscores this fact.
Quick Quiz
Choose all correct answers in the following.
1. The Holy Spirit uses His
omnipotent power directly on the heart to change the character of
a. All men
b. No one
c. Some men
d. Satan
2. The following came to
believe and find salvation before and without hearing words to instruct, warn,
and guide them
a. Ethiopian
b. Cornelius
c. Saul (Paul)
d. No one
3. Men lost in sin were told
a. Pray to receive the Holy Spirit to be saved
b. Expect the Holy Spirit to do something supernatural to them to bring them
to faith and salvation
c. Believe and obey the gospel
d. Only those individuals predestined from eternity to be saved would be able
to believe and be saved by God’s grace
4. Some of the problems with
the doctrine of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit on the heart of man
to convict and convert him are
a. The Scriptures teach faith comes through hearing the Word of God
b. It denies God’s desire to save all men
c. It makes preaching the gospel useless
d. It destroys free moral agency and with it human responsibility
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