The Role of the Holy Spirit in a Believer's Life

• Two Types of Spirits - As we study the Bible we see that the Bible speaks of two spiritual kingdoms – the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. These kingdoms are ruled by two distinct spirits – the Spirit of Truth (God and true believers) and the spirit of error (Satan and unbelievers). Eph 2:2 describes the natural state into which we are all born and in which the vast majority of mankind dies as they travel the broad road that leads to destruction.

1 John 4:6 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

John 14:17 “... the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Eph 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

• The Spirit and the Word at Work in Salvation - The Holy Spirit works through the words of Scripture. This is the means whereby a person receives the gift of salvation, or eternal life. This is what is in view in Luke 4:18 when Jesus spoke of being empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish the awesome task of saving His people from their sins. God vividly depicts the problem that man has brought upon himself, and the solution that only God can provide in Eze 36.

Rom 10:17 “... faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”

John 3:5 “… Except a man be born of water [typifying the Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [make alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Eze 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

• He Works Repentance unto Salvation - Unless God directly intercedes in an individuals’ life, he can never repent and become saved. One might repent from some outward sins but never can repent inside out, from his sinful nature, which is genuine repentance. “Repentance” is metanoeo (G3340), signifying a “change of mind or understanding or a renewed mind”. One can demonstrate remorse at what he had done (based on the “sorrow of the world”), but not repentance (based on “godly sorrow”), which is a gift from God and has everything to do with salvation. God utilizes His divine words of the Bible to give people spiritual life in their souls. As one reads the Bible, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, as we find in John 16:8. As God opens our spiritual eyes and ears to comprehend our spiritually dead condition, we realize that we are sinners by birth and by nature, and that we have violated God’s Word, the Bible. 

2 Cor 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

2 Tim 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Rom 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

• He Indwells the New (Resurrected) Soul - What actually takes place in salvation? God uses many analogies in the Bible to describe how and where one is born from above, or becomes saved. One such picture is circumcision. God informs us that physical circumcision could accomplish nothing in and of itself, but was merely a sign pointing to a far greater spiritual reality of circumcision of  “heart”. When God refers to the “heart” and the “spirit” (as we read in Eze 36:26), He is speaking metaphorically of our soul, the invisible part of our personality that will exist forever. God often speaks of circumcision in terms that can only be properly understood to mean spiritual circumcision. That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” mentioned in Col 2:11. And what “instrument” is used to perform this type of “surgery” on one’s heart (or soul)? It can only be the “Sword of the Spirit” – the Word of God, the Bible – as Heb 4:12 indicates.

Rom 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Php 3:3 “For we [believers] are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Col 2:10-11 “And ye are complete in him [Christ], which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

Eph 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [or living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Tit 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

• He Causes the Christian to Believe and to be Sanctified - “Belief”, or “faith”, is indeed a gift that God bestows on all of His children in mercy, since the recipients of this wonderful gift are totally undeserving of it. We learn that in order to enter Heaven we must be “holy”; and the only way we can become holy is by being clothed with the holiness, or righteousness, of God Himself. The Greek word for “holiness” is translated as “sanctification”. It is vital to understand than man is born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, and this deadness prevents him from doing anything in order to become saved. Thus, salvation is an impossibility for man – except by the wonderful grace of God alone.

Rom 10:17 “... faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Heb 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

2 The 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

• He Will Open Believer's Spiritual Eyes and Ears to Scriptures - Lord Jesus declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth. The Greek word for “guide” “hod” is also translated into English as “lead”. The Holy Spirit guides every true Christian into all truth from the Scriptures as they learn more and more about their blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He not only teaches us the truth from the Bible, but also causes us to remember it.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

John 14:26“ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

1 Cor 2:13 “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

• He Moves the Child of God to Obedience - When someone becomes saved he is a “new creature” (creation) in Christ, and God works in his life “to will and to do of his good pleasure” according to Php 2:13. This means that he will increasingly have a genuine motivation to obey the Bible. This means that when God redeems somebody, he acquires a new set of thoughts, words, and actions, which could be compared to learning a new language in a different culture. Tit 3:5 informs us that this renewing has to do with salvation and is the work of God the Holy Spirit.

Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Tit 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

• He Gives Us Access to the Father - In fact, the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in the Christian’s prayer life. Only He can help us pray “according to the will of God”. This gracious fellowship with the Father by means of prayer is such a wonderful comfort, since quite often we find ourselves worried and beset by our own sin as well as the problems we face on a daily basis.

Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

1 Cor 2:11 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

Rom 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Php 4:6-7 “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

• He is the Down Payment and Seal of Our Salvation - Last, but certainly not least, each “born-again” Christian has the incomparable awareness that his body is now the temple of God. As incredible as that may seem, a true believer has become the dwelling-place of the living God. The true believer has also been given the Holy Spirit as the “earnest”, or down payment, of their salvation. Our physical bodies are merely “tabernacles”, or tents that are used briefly during our earthly pilgrimage; but our eternal home is God Himself: May God give us a greater sensitivity to the Sword of the Spirit – God’s Word – as we strive for greater obedience and humility in our lives.

Rom 5:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

2 Cor 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

2 Cor 5:1-5 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.”

The Role of Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity

• Reproving the World of Sin - In John 16:9, what is the connection between “sin” and “believe not on me”? We must always remember that whenever we study the Bible we must let the Bible teach us. With this principle in mind, in this verse we find that belief is equated with not abiding in darkness. This particular passage helps us to understand that spiritual light, or belief, is associated with spiritual life. This means that a person whom God draws to salvation will not remain in spiritual darkness because God will give him the faith of Christ as a gift. Spiritual darkness is intimately identified with spiritual death and eternal condemnation.

John 16:8-11“And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me [Jesus Christ]; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

John 12:46 “I [Jesus Christ] am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 3:19-20 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

• Reproving the World of Righteousness - The Lord Jesus is actually called “Righteous” in 1 John 2:1, and the Old Testament also makes this point. I want to highlight two aspects of why Jesus speaks of going to His Father. Firstly, He could only re-enter Heaven if He had successfully paid for the sins of His people, which He most certainly did. God goes to great lengths to emphasize the “joy” that He would ultimately experience after enduring the wrath of God. This same joy would also be the precious possession of every child of God, as these verses in John 16 so vividly point out. Secondly, Christians, as recipients of the Holy Spirit, would be qualified to be ambassadors for Christ in accordance with God’s plan to evangelize the world.

John 16:10 “... Of righteousness, because I [Jesus Christ] go to my Father, and ye see me no more…”

Jer 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch [Lord Jesus Christ], and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely [Judah and Israel typify Elect of God, circumcised in heart]: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Heb 12:2 “… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 Pet 1:8 “... ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do [greater work is evangelizing the world]; because I go unto my Father.”

• Reproving the World of Judgment - Well, who is “the prince of this world” in John 16:11? The prince, or ruler, of this world is Satan himself. The Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven and will not appear again physically until Judgment Day. May God be pleased to convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment as we ponder on these verses.

John 16:11 “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged”.

John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”

Eph 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

Acts 17:31 “Because he [God the Father] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained; whereof he [God the Father] hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him [Jesus Christ] from the dead.”

Psa 96:13 “… for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”

• He Will Guide You into All Truth - Also, the Lord Jesus declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth. The Greek word for “guide” “hod” is also translated into English as “lead”. It is used to refer to many of the religious leaders, whom Jesus characterized as being “blind leaders of the blind” in Mat 15:14 because they were not saved and were leading others away from salvation with their erroneous teaching. God gives us more information concerning the Holy Spirit’s wonderful ministry to every single Christian through the use of the word “guide”. Just as Phillip helped the Ethiopian understand the Gospel (which is a role of all believers), the Holy Spirit guides every true Christian into all truth from the Scriptures as they learn more and more about their blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

1 John 5:6 “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Acts 8:30-37 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

• He Will Show You Things to Come - What does that phrase mean? Actually, the same word “shew” is found in all three verses of John 16:13-15. The Greek word for shew “anaggell” is also found as “declare”. Paul is declaring what every Christian is supposed to teach – all of the Bible and only the Bible. The Holy Spirit not only teaches us the truth from the Bible, but also causes us to remember it. Bear in mind that the “all things” here mean all “spiritual things” in the Scriptures.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Acts 20:27 “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

John 14:26“ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

1 Cor 2:13 “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

John 12:16 “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.”

• He Shall Glorify Jesus Christ - This section concerns the work of God the Holy Spirit in glorifying God the Son, even as the Son glorifies God the Father. We read in John 14:26 above that God the Father sent the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. How does the Holy Spirit testify and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? The same Greek word is used in these two verses and is translated as both “testify” and “beareth witness”. God and His Word are “truth”. The Holy Spirit testifies and bears witness through every word in the entire Bible. I realize that we have been speaking of the Holy Spirit’s particular role within the Godhead today, but we must never forget that no Member of the Triune Godhead operates independently of the other Two.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

John 17:1 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee…”

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me…”

1 John 5:6 “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record [or bear witness, or testify] in heaven, the Father, the Word [Word in flesh, Lord Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” 

• He is the Author of the Bible - It is important to understand that God the Holy Spirit is the Divine Author of the Word of God, the Bible. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Why would God use the illustration of a “sword”, the only offensive weapon in the list of the Christian’s armor? Indeed, God’s double-edged Sword has the power to either cause spiritual death [judge] or spiritual life.

2 Pet 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Eph 6:17 “... And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Difference Between Religion & Salvation

• Most People are “Religious” - There is, however, a big difference between religion and salvation. Most people are religious – including many who say they are “Christians” – and are very sincere and devoted to the ways of their religions; but they have never become saved. Jesus Christ is the Only Way to escape the “second death” of God’s eternal wrath because He is God’s Way. Only a true believer – that is, one in whom the Holy Spirit “dwells” – has been adopted into God’s eternal family as one of His children and has become a “joint heir” of heavenly glory with Christ.

Pro14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Rom 8:15-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself [Himself - the indwelling Holy Spirit] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

• Only a True Believer has Eternal Life and his Religion is “Pure” - A true believer is one who has entered into a personal, intimate and eternal relationship with God through salvation. Therefore, a true believer is no longer under God’s condemnation and wrath because the penalty for all of his or her sins – past, present and future – have been fully paid by Jesus Christ. How can a religion be “pure and undefiled”? The word “undefiled” in Jam 1:27 means to be unsullied or unstained by sin. How can one be sinless and “unspotted from the world” in the eyes of God? This word “undefiled”, for example, describes both the Author of salvation (Jesus Christ): “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens…(Heb 7:26)”, as well as salvation itself: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Pet 1:4)”, which God has so lovingly given to His people: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21)”. God the Son, Who is perfectly holy, harmless [innocent], and undefiled, became unholy, guilty, and defiled in paying for the sins of each born-again Christian. Only a true believer has a “pure” religion – that is, the only religion that has eternal spiritual value because it is “clean”, or “undefiled”.

John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I [Jesus Christ] say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him [God the Father] that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Rom 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith [i.e., Christ’s faith], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Jam 1:26-27 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27Pure religion and undefiled [uncontaminated] before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Matt 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart [saved heart with indwelling Holy Spirit]: for they shall see God.”

1 Tim 1:5-7 “Now the end of the commandment is charity[love] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [without hypocrisy]: 6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”

Tit 1:15-16 “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled [contaminated] and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

Psa 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.”

• Unsaved Man’s Religious Ideas are Based on Superstition - God allows those who are perishing to obtain some measure of psychological satisfaction from their vain (empty) and defiled (unclean) religious practices in a manner typified by the physical satisfaction derived from drinking physical wine and strong drink. Sadly, their religious efforts are totally useless for obtaining a right standing with God. Therefore, they will remain spiritually impoverished without repentance unto salvation because the unsaved are “spiritually” dead (Eph 2:1-5). Pagan religions and false gospels are based on “superstitious” doctrines that involve a fear of the supernatural but not a reverential “fear” of the True and “Living God” based on the sound doctrines of the Bible.

Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

Acts 25:19 “But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.”

Psa 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Psa 147:11 “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

Ecc 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

Pro 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

• Unsaved (natural) Man has No Spiritual Understanding of Truth - His superstitious religious beliefs are based on man’s “wisdom” – not God’s as set forth in His Word, the Bible. Consequently, God considers him to be spiritually drunk. “The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty” – where the meaning of “poverty” is to become “dispossessed” or “disinherited” (i.e., to be spiritually unsaved). 1 Cor 2:13 declares God's wisdom is revealed by Holy Spirit: “not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing scripture with scripture]”.

1 Cor 2:12-16 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing Scripture with Scripture]. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we [saved] have the mind of Christ.”

Isa 55:7-9 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Pro 23:19-21 “Hear thou, my son, and be wise [with God's wisdom], and guide thine heart in the way[God's way]. 20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21For the drunkard [with false Gospels and Pagan religions] and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags [filthy rags].”

• Doctrines of Works - Man’s Works of Righteousness are as Filthy Rags - One common aspect of all the pagan religions and false gospels of the world is the notion that man must do something to gain favor with whomever or whatever they worship. That idea is perfectly “logical” from a human perspective because we are self-centered beings. God, however, has stated very clearly that salvation is by His grace alone, through the faith of Christ and not by man’s “works” (efforts) in any way, shape, or form. God describes the spiritual covering of unbelievers by the word “rags” and says that all of “unclean” man’s attempts at being “righteous” are like “filthy rags” in His sight. God must cover us with the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness to be acceptable to God. “we [believers] are His workmanship” – that is, salvation is the result of God’s work in the hearts of His children. Once God saves someone, He puts a sincere desire in that person’s heart to obey His commandments and to serve Him by performing “good works” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the only works of man that have any spiritual value are those performed after he becomes saved. There is nothing a man can do to make himself right with God before salvation takes place. The complex aspects of the True Gospel are incomprehensible and illogical to the natural (or unsaved) man – in fact, they are “foolishness” to those who “perish”, as we read in the following passages:

Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Rom 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

1 Cor 1:18-21 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,* I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” [* Isa 29:14]

• Unsaved Man Hates the Doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace - The doctrines of God’s sovereign grace are repugnant to man. His natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His own salvation program. An unsaved person cannot bring himself to admit that salvation is totally God’s work for His glory. Throughout the history of the world mankind has invented many kinds of religions and “do-it-yourself” salvation plans in order to get right with God, but the verses below relate to the fact that it is only God’s actions that produce salvation from eternal damnation.

Eze 36:22 “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel [typifying the Elect of God], but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.”

Rom 9:13-16 “As it is written, Jacob [typifying elect] have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, andI will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Isa 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 6:65 “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

• Mans’ Works – Physical Circumcision - Physical circumcision is an example of a perfectly “logical” works-type salvation doctrine that was being taught by some in the early NT church who tried to hold to the OT ceremonial laws, which were fulfilled and rescinded by Christ at the cross: Actually, God’s Law regarding physical circumcision was never a requirement for salvation. It was to be obeyed merely as a “token”, or a physical sign representing the spiritual reality of salvation (Gen 17:11). Ancient Israel “stumbled” over God’s salvation plan because they thought that religiously keeping the Law would make them “righteous” instead of trusting in God's Mercy for salvation.

Acts 15:1-2 “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.”

Acts 15:24 “For as much as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”

Rom 9:31-33 “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

1 Cor 1:23 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”

Deu 10:15-17 “Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:”

• God’s Work – Spiritual Circumcision - When God said, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” in Deu 10:16 and “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart” in Jer 4:4, He obviously had spiritual circumcision in view. By these statements God emphasized the fact that man cannot save himself by his own efforts (i.e., cut off his own sins) any more than he can circumcise the “foreskin” of his heart (i.e., his spirit essence). However, because mankind in general cannot possibly carry out those commands, neither can man keep God’s Law, so, the next logical question is, “Why then the Law?” God answers that question for us in these verses leading up to Gal 3:29. We see that God’s Law is intended to be a “schoolmaster” to teach us about our sin and our desperate need for a Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law is a representation of God’s righteousness and an indication of His very nature. “Circumcision” of the heart means spiritual circumcision – that is, the spiritual reality of salvation by the cutting away of sin and the shedding of Christ’s blood in the Atonement. Of course, no one can perform that operation on his own heart – only God can do it. That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” in Col 2:11.

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Col 2:10-11 “And ye are complete in him [Christ], which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

Gal 3:19-29 “Wherefore [Why] then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore [Therefore] the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

• God’s Work – Spiritual Baptism - Man must be “baptized” (i.e., have his sins washed away) by the Holy Spirit in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life. God replaced the Old Testament sign of “physical circumcision” with the New Testament sign of “water baptism”, and many today stumble on the spiritual significance of baptism in the same way the Israelites stumbled on the spiritual significance of circumcision. They do not understand that God referred to spiritual baptism in verses such as the following, and they erroneously believe that water baptism is necessary for salvation. Many pervasive and spiritually dangerous doctrines of man’s “works” being taught all over the world today insist that man must somehow participate in his salvation. These perfectly “logical” – but erroneous – doctrines have been taught and disputed throughout the NT period, but only the doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace are true.

Matt 3:11 “I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me [Jesus Christ] is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [the Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Eph 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it [Church] with the washing of water by the word,”

Rom 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Acts 8:13,23 “Then Simon [the sorcerer] himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.[language pointing to the condition of unsaved]”

Rom 6:3-5 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”