The Work of the Holy Spirit Pneumatology The Work of the Holy Spirit

Conviction In some ways conviction is the foundation for all the other work of the Spirit in the lives of men. The word conviction means "to persuade, to convince of the reality of an assertion." The Spirit of God persuades or convinces in irrefutable terms the reality of essential truths about God, about man, and about God's dealings with man through Jesus Christ. There are three areas of conviction with which the Holy Spirit is concerned. (John 16:8-11)  

The Definition of Sin in Concrete Terms – Dealing with sin is negative the side of conviction. The Delineation of Righteousness in Character Terms – Christ is the sum total of all that is right and good and pleasing to God. By looking at Him who was righteousness incarnate, men are brought to the positive side of conviction.

The Determination of Judgment in Careful Terms – Once a man has come to the realization that there is a difference between right and wrong, he must be equally convinced that there are consequences of both. The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring men under the condemnation of sin and the realization of the impending doom of sinners.

How does the Holy Spirit convict men of "sin, and of righteousness and of judgment?" (John 16:8) His method is quite simple and very effective. The Application of the Word of God Directly – Notice that the Holy Spirit is called the "Spirit of truth." (John 16:12,13) He bears this title because He is the author of Holy Scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21)

What He has heard in the counsels of the Triune God, He has recorded in the Bible and then utilizes the written Word of God to convict (convince and persuade) the human heart of the reality of who God is, who and what man is, and how sinful man can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Why does the Holy Spirit bring conviction to bear upon the human soul? The Holy Spirit of God consistently draws attention to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) In drawing attention to Christ, the need of man is met.

The Holy Spirit would:   Bring the Lost Man to Christ in Conversion –Christ alone is the Savior. (Acts 4:12) Bring the Saved Man to Christ for Consecration – (Romans 12:1) Bring the Saved Man to Christ for Cultivation – He convinces us of the fact that we need to "go on" (Hebrews 6:1) in our spiritual maturity.

Regeneration Regeneration is that miracle whereby God imparts spiritual life into the spirit of men who previously were dominated by spiritual death. (Ephesians 2:1-5) By what means does God perform the miracle of regeneration? The key is found in John 3. Our Lord indicated to Nicodemus that he needed a new birth if he entertained any hopes of ever seeing the kingdom of God. (verse 3)

Verse 5 outlines the method by which God performs the miracle of regeneration. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. It is the renewing of the Holy Ghost. (Tit. 3:5)

Immersion John the Baptist foretold the immediately forthcoming ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only was Christ to come, but Christ would also baptize with the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3;16; John 1:33) This promise was never fulfilled during the earthly ministry of our Lord and John 16:7 tells us why.

Spirit baptism places the believer into the body of Christ. (1 Cor Spirit baptism places the believer into the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26,27) The word "baptize" means very simply "to immerse, to place into." By an act of sovereign power, the Holy Spirit at conversion places the newborn babe into the body of Christ. As He does so, the new saint quite literally becomes irrevocably part and parcel of that body. Indeed this is the whole argument of 1 Corinthians 12; though we be many members we are still only one body, one organism. This is precisely the teaching of Romans 6:1-11.

Numerous privileges and wondrous prospects are afforded the individual who is "in Christ" simply because he is "in Christ." The blessings of God are not a matter of merit but of grace and grace is experienced only "in Christ."