The Holy Spirit Must Draw Men to Christ

For the next few days, we will be looking at what eh Holy Spirit does.  Today we will start with his role in people being saved.  John 6:44 tells us, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”  Literally the person cannot be saved unless God causes him to turn to Lord.  Understanding that the Holy Spirit is God, and he is the part of the trinity that works in people’, mind and attitudes, the Father draws them through the Holy Spirit’s actions. 

In John 16:7-11, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will make people understand their need of a savior by convicting them in their heart for their sin in not accepting Christ.  “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.   And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit uses the Old Testament Law, to enable people to understand what sin is and what would required to escape the penalty for sin.  As Romans 3:19-20 tells us, however the Law could never take away the sin.  í”Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  The Holy Spirit makes us understand that without Christ we could never have our sins taken away.  Without his working we will never understand what is required completely. 

I Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”   Our natural instinct is to try to save ourselves by keeping the law or some other moral standard, not understanding that we are by nature sinners.  It is the same mistake the Jews made as Paul explains in Romans 10:1-4.  “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”  Without the Holy Spirit to make us understand our inability to save ourselves and that Christ has made the sacrifice for us, we will find ourselves depending on our own efforts rather than what God has done.  Unfortunately, as Romans 3:19 tells us “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:”

Unfortunately we can hinder the Holy Spirit’s working.  In I Corinthians 2:1-5, Paus wrote, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”  He was concerned that people might be distracted by eloquent sermons, carefully designed sales scripts (soul-winning plans), or psychological appeals and ignore the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.  As a result people make professions of faith based on Human logic and emotion, rather than on the Holy Spirit’s teaching. 

Many have taught that we should use those human techniques in order to get as many as possible saved, and hoping that any who didn’t really get saved will do so later.  We need to remember Jesus said,   “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him...”  Even worse, Hebrews 6:4-6 warns, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” 

When we elicit a profession that is not the result of the Holy spirit’s working, we actually make it more likely the person will never be saved, either because he he thinks he already is, or because he is convinced that something more is required than just what Jesus already did for them.  To prevent that, we need to follow Paul’s example in our preaching and witnessing, as he describes in I Corinthians 2:13.  “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”