Lesson 7. No one becomes a Christian apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the work of evangelism and witnessing, Jesus promised His disciples, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).
As the first disciples testified regarding their experiences with Jesus and His teachings, the Holy Spirit also testified in Jesus’ behalf. Today, as His disciples, when we testify to what the Bible teaches about Jesus and our own experiences with Jesus as His followers, the Holy Spirit also testifies in behalf of Jesus. For these reasons, and others, Francis Schaeffer taught that no one becomes a Christian apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does a variety of things in the world and in the believer’s life. Jesus also promised His disciples: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned” (John 16:7-11).
The disciples of Jesus throughout the centuries have discovered that as they taught the world about Jesus the Holy Spirit would often work upon the heart and mind of their listeners. The Holy Spirit supported their testimony, brought conviction of sin upon their listeners, and showed sinners the benefits of trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Though Francis Schaeffer did not discuss, as far as I am aware, whether or not the Holy Spirit acted as a cause or as an influence in the life of the unbeliever to lead them to saving faith, certainly all would agree that the Holy Spirit must do His part to lead the unbeliever to give His life to Jesus and begin a new life of walking in the Spirit and the truth.
When the Apostle John wrote his last letter in the New Testament, he declared: “This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. 9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:6-12).
The Holy Spirit is the One who helps people believe in the Son of God. He helps believers have the testimony “in their hearts” that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God has given us eternal life in His Son.
Because no one becomes a Christian apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the Schaeffers believed that in addition to teaching the truth in love and giving honest answers to honest questions they also needed to pray for the people they talked to and they prayed for the Holy Spirit to do His work on the heart and mind of their listeners that they might believe.
You might also like to learn more about Francis Schaeffer from two of his biographies, now online for you to read for free at http://www.labri.net .
Copyright 2009 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.
International Bible Lessons
Prayer Steps to Serenity
Serenity Groups
A Psalm and A Prayer
