said that the curse was once again to bestride the earth (Malachi 4:5-6). This was forestalled by the preaching of John the Baptist among the Jewish people (Luke 1: 17). The establishment of the church by Christ Himself soon after this suggests that the influence of the Holy Spirit upon the world had, begun to be effected in a new way — for how could it be otherwise after the Son of God had entered into the world to shed His blood for the establishment of the new covenant? True, the tes timony of the Holy Spirit continued to influence the cultural codes of men through Roman law. It must be noticed, however, that this legalizing of the moral tra dition was itself a radical change from previous religious and mythical expressions. What had once been a sense of awe about the necessary balance of the universe be came simply a background for legal and political theory. This transition coincided with the beginnings of the Gospel as we know it. It would seem that by the atoning work and resurrection power of Christ, the world not only received a new lease on life by escaping a curse that was due, but also was invigorated by a new work of the Holy Spirit. Ever since Christ was received up into heaven and H E G I V E T H M O R E G R A C E He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added affliction He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endur ance; When our strength has failed ere the day is half done; When we reach the end of our hoarded re sources— Our Father's full giving is only begun. His love has no -limit, His grace has no measure, . His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth and giveth, and giveth again. -—Annie Johnson Flint sent forth the Comforter, the Spirit has been convicting the world “ in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8 ASV). This was not true previous ly and could not have been, because Jesus Christ “ was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). The reference just cited re fers specifically to the giving of the Holy Spirit to believ ers (cf. Acts 2:33). Still, the new way of dealing with the world is closely related to the new types of ministry in th.e Church. This new ministry suppplants and over shadows any previous judicial .witness upon the sons of men. If the Biblical language is to be taken in its full ness, men in the present age are living under a spiritual ministry of even greater intensity and specificity than those who lived in Noah’s time. The Holy Spirit imparts to all men a special sense of guilt, because they believe not on Christ (John 16: 8-9). This was not true previous to the resurrection. The persistent sin of all men is that of rejecting the Saviour when He has come to remedy the soul’s dire need. He also convicts the world o f righteousness which is available. Even unsaved men cannot be allowed a justified atti tude of despair when Christ is at the right hand of the Father. He also sets in every man’s heart a knowledge that there has been a judgment (John 16:8, 10). It could not be otherwise after Satan, the prince of this age, has been conquered at the cross. Satan’s doom is sealed; THE KING'S BUSINESS
The Holy Spirit (continued) Christian heart. Still, it was direct, powerful and of the same type as has existed in all subsequent times. The judicial nature of that ministry suggests His later re straining and convicting activity.5 II. DURING THE NATIONAL ERA A national arrangement of men which began immed iately after the deluge (Genesis 10:32) and has persisted until today may be expected to persist until the final catastrophe when the Lord returns (Revelation 5:9). Throughout this period, the Holy Spirit has been en gaged in a restraining ministry (II Thessalonians 2:6-7 A.S.V.). He has kept the forces of lawlessness in check. There is reason to believe that the very existence of na tional life was in part a means used by God in holding down, lawlessness. This is evident from the description given in the account of the scattering of the nations in the eleventh chapter of Genesis. Scattered mankind could not conveniently exalt itself against God. However, the language of Paul goes far beyond this expedient. There is a mysterious, inherent work of the Spirit of God throughout human history by which individual and cor porate man has been restrained from evil. This has been abundantly evident in the religious, legal, philosophical and literary traditions. For example, in the leading religious and mythical traditions of mankind, there was always an element of order or law which could not be broken without penalty by either the gods or by men. While, of course, this tradition was completely objectionable as to accuracy from the Biblical standpoint, it seems that even in their dark ness, men were constrained to include an element of order in their pagan thoughts. The leading carriers of the tradition of this order, however, have been philosophy and jurisprudence. It was the philosophy of the Stoics more than any other which emphasized a natural order. The Roman jurists incorporated this element of Stoic philosophy into the Roman concept of the law of the nations. Subsequently it became part of the ideational structure of the Western world. It is not surprising then that many Bible expositors have considered that Roman leaders or Roman law was the restraining power exercised against lawlessness. In the history of Western thought, undoubtedly these have been the chief vehicles of the/tradition of law or restraint. However, philosophy and social institutions generally re flect the spirit of the age, and this tradition of order is only one manifestation of the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. Because He is the person of the Godhead who immediately touches the innermost recesses o f tjie cre ated universe, He also influences the very recesses of the hearts of men in giving them a natural testimony against evil (Romans 2:14-16). He has not worked merely through the social tradition but in a direct and powerful way. All of this, of course, was in addition to His effecting the divine program of redemption. At those points where the supernatural‘ redemptive power of the Holy Spirit touched the world through the testimony of men like Joseph and Moses in Pharaoh’s court, David among the Philistines, Jonah to the Ninevites and Daniel to the Babylonians, there was an additional work of the Holy Spirit upon-the world scene. However, since God concen trated His redemptive plan on the nation of Israel, this added impact could not be conceived as being central. A time came, just before the advent of Christ, when the power of the Holy Spirit was either firmly quenched by men or it subsided by divine initiative. It could be
5 See Bernard Ramm, The Witness Of The Spirit , p. 72, for a discussion of the legal coloring of Biblical language about the Holy Spirit.
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