The Holy Spirit and Salvation

The Holy Spirit and Salvation

(The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing lost people to Jesus)

During a Billy Graham crusade in London, England, a Russian official came to one of the services. He spoke no English. When Billy Graham gave the invitation this Russian official came forward to receive Christ as his savior. The trained Russian speaking counselor for Billy Graham asked him how, knowing no English, he had understood enough of the message to respond. The Russian said, "When I entered this place, I was overwhelmed with a longing for God. Tell me, how can I find Him?"

That is nothing less than the work of the Holy Spirit bringing lost men and women to Jesus Christ. Many think that the Holy Spirit does nothing in our lives until after we're saved. Yet, if it were not for the holy spirit working in our lives before we accepted Christ, we would have never accepted Christ.

What then is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of an unbeliever?

I.        HE BRINGS CONVICTION

Let me break this into 2 simple parts so that we all can understand it

          1.       He tells us of our sin

John 16:8-11… “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;  of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The word "conviction" or "reprove" in KJV means to reveal, to bring to light, to expose.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says that the devil has blinded the spiritual eyes of an unbeliever. One of the primary things the devil does is to blind us about our sin. It's the Holy Spirit that opens our spiritual eyes, he brings to light our sin.

Notice vs8..."in regard to sin." Do you see that the word "sin" singular, one? What one sin does the Holy Spirit expose in our life as he leads us to salvation?  Is it your worst sin? Is it adultery, drunkenness, which one? The one sin is the sin of unbelief. (vs10) The Holy Spirit exposes our sin, the sin of unbelief.

But that’s not all the Holy Spirit does in the life of a lost person

          2.       He tells us what we need to do

See when the Holy Spirit brings conviction, he brings to light our sin of unbelief and summons us to repentance. He reveals to us our sin and then points us towards Jesus, towards repentance and faith.

What I mean by all that is this. That desire in your heart to be saved was put there by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like a giant magnet that draws you to Christ. The desire in that Russian's heart to know God was put there by the Holy Spirit.

Let me illustrate that by my own salvation. I was going to church as a teenager where most of the youth group was lost or those that were saved didn't act like it. At that time in my life I knew I needed to get saved, I was under conviction. The Holy Spirit had exposed my sin of unbelief. One Sunday night, I went to my uncle's church where he was serving as youth minister. There I saw a group of young people that were alive in Christ, excited about Jesus. I wanted what they had, which was Jesus. Before that night I knew I needed to get saved, but now I wanted to get saved. That's how the Holy Spirit brings conviction. He exposes our sin and then points us towards the Savior.

I must warn you that you can resist the Holy Spirit. That desire in your heart will not always be there. The more you say no the more your heart hardens. Your heart can become so hard and calloused that it no longer desires to be saved. That is why the Bible says that "today is the day of salvation."

But not only does the Holy Spirit bring conviction but also,

II.      HE REGENERATES OUR SPIRIT

Consider several passages:

          1.       Our Problem

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins

We all, before meeting Jesus were dead in our sins. Spiritually dead, possessing no spiritual life, no connection with God.

          2.       Our Need

That’s why Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 that he “must be born again.” We're spiritually dead and we need to be "born again"

          3.       Our Solution

Titus 3:5… “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” The word "renewing" means regeneration and it is actually a compound word that literally means "birth again" or as Jesus would say, "born again"

It is the Holy Spirit that cleanses and causes the new birth. It is the Holy Spirit that renews, regenerates that which is spiritually dead. A spiritually dead person does not need to walk an isle and rededicate their life nor do they need to reform and turn over a new leaf. A spiritually dead person needs to repent and allow the spirit of the living God to give them new birth! It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and only through the power of the Holy Spirit that makes the spiritually dead come alive.

What does the Holy Spirit do in bringing unbelievers to Christ? First, he convicts, then he regenerates, and next,

III.     HE SEALS OUR SALVATION

Ephesians 1:13 … “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise

This one verse gives the entire process of salvation.  You heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and then were sealed by the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to be sealed with the Holy Spirit?  Think of how a seal was used in the bible.  In Jeremiah 32, we find Jeremiah buying a piece of property.  The deed was signed and then sealed, making Jeremiah the new owner of that property.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, his body was placed in a tomb and the opening covered with a rock.  A seal was placed over the rock.  The only way to get into the tomb was to break the seal.  Under Roman law, if you broke that seal it would cost you your life.

A seal was used in Bible times as proof of ownership and to provide security.  The Holy Spirit operates in the same fashion.  The Holy Spirit living in your life is proof that you belong to God.  With the blood of Christ he has bought you.  He now owns you.  The Holy Spirit living in your life also provides protection and security.  It is impossible for you to ever lose your salvation because no one has the power to break God’s seal.

IV.     HE GUARANTEES OUR SALVATION

Ephesians 1:14… “who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory”

The Holy Spirit in your life is God's down payment on your salvation.  The word guarantee or deposit is an interesting word.  In Paul’s day it meant engagement ring.  A fitting illustration, don't you think?  Christ is the Bridegroom and His church is the Bride.  We know he will come and claim His bride because he has given us his Spirit as the engagement ring.

It also means earnest, as in earnest money, like a down payment on a house. When you want to put an offer in on a house you are asked for some earnest money. It proves you are serious about your offer. What happens if you back out on your offer and no longer want to buy the house? You lose your down payment, your earnest money.

It’s the same way with salvation. If the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is God’s earnest money, what would happen if God were to back out on your salvation? If you were to lose your salvation then God would lose His down payment, He would lose the Holy Spirit.

Wait a minute, the Holy Spirit is God, God can’t lose God. Exactly! The presence of the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of salvation!