As Dr. Thiessen writes: But who is the one that restraineth? But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. What is the name of the Father? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. The Holy Spirit presses upon the heart of the unsaved the fact of Gods judgment. And again, back of human government is God Who instituted it (Gen 9:5, 6; Rom 13:1-7) and controls it (Ps 75:5-7). Jesus specifies it as unbelief. 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Another extreme in the doctrine of common grace is found in the viewpoint that the Word of God is unnecessary. The work of the Holy Spirit in restraining the world from sin is found in every age, except during the period of unprecedented sinfulness during the great tribulation, when it is Gods purpose to demonstrate for the first time what unrestrained sin is. 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). When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit by virtue of His holy character was conducive to restraint of sin. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. It should therefore be expected that the Holy Spirit should have a special ministry to the unsaved world in every age, particularly in the age of grace during which the Holy Spirit is resident in the world in the Church. Publication date: Mar 2, 2023. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. P Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Further confirmation of His ministry is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way (American Standard Version). 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.. 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. While the restraining hand of the Holy Spirit is little realized by the church at large, His protection and power shield the Christian from the impossible task of living in a world in which sin is unrestrained. Departure means "The act of going away; a moving from or leaving a place". The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. While the unsaved may be led to understand the Gospel sufficiently to act intelligently upon it, common grace does not have any certain effect upon the will and does not issue certainly into salvation. 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. The revelation of common grace can never rise higher than the plane of the natural man even in the realm of salvation truth. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. But Peter began and explained it to them in order: I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 1 Corinthians 8:9. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. An unspiritual person refuses to accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him such things are foolish. Religious instinct and fear of God are no doubt related to common grace, though they may not be connected definitely with the Scriptures. Summary Before a person becomes a Christian, Scripture calls them the natural man. The wicked generation of Noahs day was opposed in its mad course by the striving of the Spirit (Gen 6:3). And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 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. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. He is still accountable and relatively remains a free agent. For less than $5/mo. The character of this work of restraining sin varies slightly in different ages, however. Common grace provides none of the normal experiences of the Christian such as are produced by the unhindered indwelling Holy Spirit. The Gift of Showing Mercy . And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 4 There is one body and one . 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. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. According to Romans 8:7, the natural mind is not capable of being subject to the law of God: because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Christ bore witness to the inability of natural man to come to God when He said, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him (John 6:44). In relating the Word of God to the doctrine of common grace, two extremes in doctrine may be observed. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 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. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. To them the realm of common grace is purely a discovery of the human intelligence proceeding from natural causes. In humiliation His judgment was taken away;Who will relate His generation?For His life is removed from the earth. The eunuch answered Philip and said, Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? For the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God. In this course, you'll get four lessons on the following topics: Being Hospitable to Jesus. It is stated flatly in 1 Corinthians 2:14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him. Again in 1 Corinthians 1:18, the Gospel is declared to be foolishness to the lost, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. The unsaved Gentiles are declared to walk in spiritual darkness, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart (Eph 4:18). You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. To the Holy Spirit, also, is committed the task of making known the way of salvation to a race which has no natural capacity to receive it with understanding. But while human governments may be agencies in the restraining work of the Spirit, we believe that they in turn are influenced by the Church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in relation to the unsaved world falls into two categories which are not necessarily independent. 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. A study of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 indicates that the one who restrains is removed from the scene before the man of sin is revealed. that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we also are His children.. The word rendered "corrupt" expresses not so much pollution as disintegration and decay, much as in 2Corinthians 4:16 ; and so carries out the idea implied in the epithet . Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship. Posted on July 1, 2013 Posted by Chris Poblete. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. But should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. . Paul perceived the matter and told him to quickly repent. For David says of Him,I saw the Lord always in my presence;For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. But the person who is not a Christian does not understand these words from the Holy Spirit. Verse Concepts. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, Cornelius. And he stared at him in terror and said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. Outward profession of faith in Christ and conformity to moral standards without being saved may be a result of common grace. E The fact remains that the Spirit of God brings conviction and understanding to many who never believe, who turn from the Gospel even after the way of salvation is made plain to them. A third revelation is given the unsaved by the Holy Spirit concerning the relation of the cross to judgment and Satan. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.. Everyone will stand before God in judgment. This could hardly be said of Satan. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Two unsaved men may understand the Gospel equally, and yet one never comes to the point of saving faith while the other trusts in Christ and is saved. While it is not in the purpose of God to deal finally with the world while the Church is in the world, the sovereignty of God overrules the wickedness of men and the power of Satan to make possible the accomplishment of His purpose to call out a people to His name. And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:The Lord said to my Lord,Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christthis Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 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. V Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of Gods Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. The view of the mystics is based on speculation rather than Scripture or experience, and must therefore be dismissed. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. He retains ability to understand natural things and may rise in this realm to unusual heights. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:7). But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. What do the terms converted and born again mean? For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. 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. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Some were saying, What would this idle babbler wish to say? Others, He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.read more.And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. The experience of many Christians bears witness to the possibility of understanding the issues of saving faith and at the same time being rebellious against God and unwilling to accept Christ for some time before the decision for Christ is finally made. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.