liever you have been made aware of your sin and its consequences (vs. 8). Verse 13 shows Christ as the only posible way to find forgiveness. By accepting God’s gift of grace you ex perience the new birth. It marks the beginning of a new life in Christ. John 3:8 declares that at that mo ment you are born of the Holy Spirit. At that moment you also receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9; Eph. 4:30). In this rela tionship you are baptized or placed into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). This is not to be confused with water baptism. Spirit baptism comes at the moment of salvation. Water baptism follows at some time as an outward sign to the world of an inward change of heart. Baptism of the Spirit is not to be confused with the fillings of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). This is the enabling for service as we yield all that we have and are to Him. There is no area in the spectrum of human experiences where the Holy Spirit is not able to come to your help. He lives within you if you have accepted Christ as Saviour. He de sires to glorify the Lord (John 16:14). May this be the realization of each of our lives. Here I Am, But How and Why? It is sad to see that in so many of our schools and colleges today, the false hypothesis of evolution is taught as scientific fact. No wonder our young people are confused. It becomes a stumblingblock to the un believer. Suffice it to say, there has been no discovery of archaeologists or geologists which could disprove the Biblical record that “In the be ginning God created the heaven and die earth.” William Gladstone, many years ago Prime Minister of England declared, “Man himself is the crown ing wonder of creation. The study of his nature is the noblest study that the world can possibly afford.” David of old asked, “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” (Ps.
ministry, work and conviction of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen. When we read in John 16:8 that the Spirit would reprove the world of sin, that word “reprove” means to “convince”. Verse 9 shows us that it is rejecting God’s plan of salvation. So, the Holy Spirit shows men and women that they are guilty of spir itual unbelief in the Lord Jesus Christ. No one can ever become a Christian apart from His inner, con victing ministry. Having turned the searchlight of conviction to expose the sinners’ con dition and his deep-seated need, the Holy Spirit focuses the light upon Jesus Christ, God’s standard of right eousness (John 16:10). The sinner needs righteousness if he is to be accepted by the Lord. This cannot be earned by good works. It is re ceived only by spiritual faith. In Ephesians 1:6 we see that the right eousness of Christ is accredited to the sinner’s account when he accepts Christ as his own personal Saviour. What a blessed reality this is. Then, the Holy Spirit has a work of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. Paul identifies Satan as the prince of the power of the air. He is the one who now works through the children of disobedience (Eph. 2 :2 ). The reason He is able to convince the world of judgment is that the devil has already been judged. Hebrews 2:14 reveals that Christ’s death spelled defeat for the devil. While he is still very much active today, his doom is sure. The same eternal punishment prepared for him and his angels is also re served for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 24:51). If you persist in living apart from Christ one day you will stand in His pres ence. There you will give an account of your life. Beginning with verse 12 to 15 of John 16, the Christian comes into view as far as his relationship to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As a be- Page 36
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