No mention of receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion. If one does not have the Holy Spirit, they do not belong to Christ (Romans Chapter 8). Can’t really live out conversion without the Holy Spirit. Any living out of works without the Holy Spirit providing regeneration would all still be in the flesh and thus dead works.Works are not the proof, the indwelling of the Spirit is the proof.
Hi Alan,
The Spirit does indeed indwell the believer from the time of conversion on, but doesn’t the Spirit have outward visible fruit? Are these not listed as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5? Visibly, that fruit would be good works. The book of 1st John also details proof of salvation as being a lifestyle characterized by a departure from sin, which again would visibly appear as good works. What this means is that anyone who truly has the Spirit (those truly saved) will indeed have good works as a natural fruit of their conversion. Anyone who says they have the Spirit, but continues to live in sin, is deceived. That is contrary to the common teaching of our day, which states that people can be truly saved yet continue to hold and treasure their sin.
Thanks for stopping by!
September 13, 2012 at 3:08 pm
No mention of receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion. If one does not have the Holy Spirit, they do not belong to Christ (Romans Chapter 8). Can’t really live out conversion without the Holy Spirit. Any living out of works without the Holy Spirit providing regeneration would all still be in the flesh and thus dead works.Works are not the proof, the indwelling of the Spirit is the proof.
September 13, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Hi Alan,
The Spirit does indeed indwell the believer from the time of conversion on, but doesn’t the Spirit have outward visible fruit? Are these not listed as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5? Visibly, that fruit would be good works. The book of 1st John also details proof of salvation as being a lifestyle characterized by a departure from sin, which again would visibly appear as good works. What this means is that anyone who truly has the Spirit (those truly saved) will indeed have good works as a natural fruit of their conversion. Anyone who says they have the Spirit, but continues to live in sin, is deceived. That is contrary to the common teaching of our day, which states that people can be truly saved yet continue to hold and treasure their sin.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Joe