The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 336

— REGENERATION

296

dead but

ing, not to the

proceeds from the

facuity,

but faith

itself

are gifts of grace.

to the living, altho still slumbering.

Word and

i.e., X\iq

The

It

the Spirit, because not only the faith-

pmver and

faculty—

exercise of the

faith-faculty can not exercise faith of

it-

us no more than the faculty of breathing when air and the power to breathe are withheld. Hence the preaching of It avails

self.

Word and

the

Holy Spirit are divine, Under the preaching of the Word the energizes the i^x'Ca-facuity, and thus the call becomes effecthe inward working of the

correspondent operations. Spirit

tual, for

the sleeper arises.

This

4.

two acts

God produces conviction of sin and Justification, same exercise of faith. In this, God's work may be

call of

of the

represented again either subjectively or objectively. it

seems

came

first,

Objectively, this

faith.

Subjectively,

and heart-brokenness and that then he obtained the sense of being justified by

to the saint that conviction of sin

is

not

so.

The

realization of his lost con-

was already a bold act of faith. And by every subsequent act of faith he becomes more deeply convinced of his misery and receives more abundantly from the fulness which is in Christ, his dition

Surety.

Concerning the question, whether conviction of sin must not faith, there need be no difference. Both representations amount to the same thing. When a man can say for the first time in his life " I believe," he is at the same moment completely lost and completely saved, being justified in his Lord. 5. This exercise of faith results in conversion; at this stage in precede

the

way

of grace the child of

implanted not recall

When

life. it,

but

a

man

God confirms

God becomes

clearly conscious of the " I

says and feels it,

faith is at

believe,"

and does

once followed by con-

The implanting of the new life precedes the first act of but conversion follows it. Conversion does not become a fact

version. faith,

so long as the sinner only sees his lost condition, but

upon

man

this principle; for then the old

begins to

rise,

man

when he

begins to die and the

and these are the two parts

acts

new

of all real conver-

sion.

In principle

man is converted

ing himself to Immanuel.

but

once, viz.,

the

moment

After that he converts himself

of yield-

daily, i.e.,

as often as he discovers conflict between his will and that of the

Holy

God

Spirit.

in him.

And "

ven this is not man's work, but the work of Turn Thou me, O Lord, and I shall be turned."

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen