By TONY HOSS
Question: Does the Holy Spirit play a role in my conversion?
Answer: First, we should consider that conversion is the process by which man turns from sin to God. The act of conversion begins in our minds and culminates in a physical “change” from the old life of sin to a new life in Christ. When our conversion is complete, forgiveness is extended from God. In the conversion process there is no mystical sense or special powers that are physically evident.
The Bible reveals that conversions begin and are completed by the power of the Holy Spirit. This fact cannot be denied. The question is how the Holy Spirit affects conversion; is it through a direct operation of the Holy Spirit or by some other agency?
Many today declare a “direct operation” of the Spirit. This thought is derived from a doctrine which states that man is totally depraved in his heart and soul and thus must have a miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit to turn him from sin and to God. However, this cannot be true if we are to believe the Holy Scriptures. The Bible plainly teaches that the Holy Spirit works through the agency of the revealed Word of God! Even though the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God (Bible), this does not minimize the Holy Spirit’s involvement in our conversion. Consider the following:
In John 15:26-27, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would testify of Jesus. In John 16:8-13, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin and that He would speak revealing the truth and of things to come. The Holy Spirit completed this task through the inspired writers of the New Testament.
Therefore, we see the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It is that Word which causes us to reflect on our own lives and the sin which destroys us. That same Word is the sword of the Spirit according to Ephesians 6:14. We are reminded in 1 John 2:3-5, that we know Jesus if we keep His commandments. This was what Paul had reference to when he stated that the gospel is the power of God to save (Romans 1:1.6). So we can see there is no mystical power separate and apart from the Word of God that is involved in our conversion. The truth is irrefutable: The Holy Spirit converts men through the revealed and written Word of God in the New Testament.
We must ask ourselves, If the Holy Spirit operates in a direct way, apart from the Word, why are there no Christians in some countries? If the Holy Spirit operates directly on some, and not on others, wouldn’t this make God a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35)? We should remember that no one in the New Testament ever prayed for a direct, miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit in connection to their salvation. If men are converted without the Word of God today, how can we judge between the claims of the contradictory doctrines from various groups who claim to have the Spirit? (See 1 John 2:3-4). If the Holy Spirit operates and converts separate from the Word of God, why would there be a judgment in the last day (John 12:48)? Also a direct operation of the Holy Spirit would violate man’s free will to obey or deny God. What some men see as an action of the Holy Spirit is rather their own emotional response to the evidence that they are in sin, coupled with a desire for salvation. Many people follow their feelings and disregard the teachings of the Holy Spirit in the Bible; this results in some people being without understanding of the scriptures or being misled by another. Finally, a direct operation takes away personal responsibility and accountability while denying passages in the Bible which tell us the gospel is the power to save (Romans 1:16).
The Holy Spirit is promised only to sons of God, to those who obey him, but never to alien sinners (Galatians 4:6; Acts 5:32). It is evident that the Holy Spirit reveals the conditions by which we can be saved. If one obeys the commands recorded by The Holy Spirit of God they can receive salvation. All men must submit to the will of the father in believing in Jesus as the Son, repenting of their sins, confessing Jesus is the living Son of God, being immersed in water and living a faithful life. It is then that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit, but not to it.
(Tony Hoss is minister at Centerview Church of Christ, Elizabethton. He can be contacted at 737-2287 or by email at: CenterviewCOC@comcast.net)