Joh 14:15-17...
(Note: It is right here where a basic rule comes into effect. A spiritual rule that states that NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE will receive the Comforter (i.e. The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth) until and unless they PROVE their love to Jesus by "KEEPING" His commandments (i.e. "His words" - John 14:23) as He says. One does NOT receive the Spirit by keeping other commandments, nor by keeping the commandments, laws or rules of other men or religious organizations) .
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
(Note: NO ONE can know of the Salvation, Peace, Comfort and Joy found in the Holy Spirit; let alone receive Him, without obeying Jesus' words. And that is precisely why the world cannot receive Him.... because they have no faith. IF they had faith they would be found Keeping His words and know the Comforter for themselves. It's really quite as simple as all that!)
Joh 16:8-11...
(Note: To "Reprove" means to convince or convict or prove beyond all doubt)
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
(Note: IF they believed on Him there would be no sin! It is because they say they believe on Him, but don't, that their sin remains! Many "religious persons" merely go through the outward motions of keeping the faith by making some kind of a law out of it to be adheared to, while their heart is far removed from Him! They need to be convinced soundly that they lack faith. Herein is their problem. John 9:41)
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
(Note: The only righteousness there is ("Jesus") has long since returned to the Father and is nowhere to be found on earth. To find that righteousness and acquire it we MUST go to Him at the Father's right hand in order to see Him alive and well there and gain it -- Matt.6:33, 11:28.
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
(Note: To be convinced of the judgement is to TREMBLE and KNOW that to face life without Christ is to face the second death, which is being thrown into the lake of fire. Rev.21:7-8)
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
8 And when he (The Spirit of Truth) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Simply put, a Christian is nothing more than a person who KNOWS their God -- who TREMBLES at His word -- and who OBEYs Him by Coming to Him!
This means that they do not depend upon their "religion", upon their "selves", or upon "their good religious and/or saving works and efforts" to save them, help save them, or keep them saved. Why? Because they are "Saved" already, and they realize that all such attempts at saving themselves are an abomination to God, and spitting upon God's Son, and come under God's curse.
All of the world's "man-made" religions are "Blind because of their Unbelief"! These are the ones attempting to do good works or some religious, justifying feat that might keep them in God's good graces through their own sacrifices and human efforts, in order to boast somewhat through having an "holier-than-thou" attitude (able to boast because THEY do these works, while YOU don't!) - Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
In reality these self-made "works" done by the members of these churches in order to gain, or help gain, or keep gained heaven, are being done by them because of Unbelief in Jesus Christ and/or in His once-for-all finished and already saving work at the cross and by His resurrection.
Some religious organizations (like the RC Church, for one) have even gone so far as to replace the entire once-for-all sacrifice of God's Son; adding to The Grace that comes through faith + nothing, by demanding obedience to their own "Sacraments and Tradition" thus adding to the Gospel other equal and necessary sources for acquiring God's Grace.
What it all boils down to is that a Christian cannot be a Christian until and unless they are, "Born Again" of God, making them "God's children". Here they receive the Holy Spirit who takes and crucifies and buries them with Christ, raises them up to new life IN Him (like a budding leaf is attached to and getting its nutrients from the branch that it's on) and changes them by changing their life from one that was in Adam (the old man/new creation) to being one that is found in Christ (the new man/new creation).
Involved in all of this "Conviction" at the outset is the revelation of Jesus Christ; not only in ones seeing (realizing) that He went to the cross for -- "MY SINS", but also was raised up (as my righteousness) to life for -- "ME" (in order to transform me into a new creation after born God's own heart). Without ones hearing and understanding (i.e. "obeying") The One True Gospel one cannot be saved.
A man becomes convinced that there must be more to life than what he was once led to believe. Right now all of the glitter, ambition, and rewards have gone out of his life, replaced by gloom and doom, by something far more ominous and pressing. He is unable to find rest for He knows there is "More" to life than any of this, but what?
He had heard that he MUST be born again! He begins to wonder why he MUST be and what all of this means. So he begins to explore a little more by opening and up reading his Bible. This time reading it is different to him than before. Before he just read it out of curiosity or like he would a novel, but now he is seeking something from it, something that will solve his problem.
The more he reads the more he begins to see his need of having to be born again, only this time around, he realizes that he needs, somehow, to be born of above, of God.
The more he reads with his understanding the more his eyes, ears and heart become open to the truth, and the more they become open to the truth, the more he becomes convinced that the judgement awaits him just around the corner and that he must somehow escape this dog eat dog rat race where "self" is king and somehow find peace with God and eternal life before it's too late... but where? Where???
Continuing to read soon he arrives at a place (a vision) where he sees the dilemna of his sins and his sin nature for what they are, and that they are going to doom him. Not only does he realize that he must be saved from the penalty of his sins, but also saved from self as well. He sees the futility of this life including all of the good as well as the bad in it, and that none of it can save him! He must find a way of escape! He tries to save himself...
He may even try hard at being "a better person", and trying hard to obeying the Law of Moses for awhile, but soon finds himself incapable of being perfect and of obeying the Law perfectly as he is required to do and soon falls flat on his face.
Time passes, and our example is now soundly convinced he must be saved. Through "Hearing" the Spirit testifying behind the word of God, our example is ready to be - "Saved".
He realizes that all he has and all he owns and all he does apart from Christ is getting him nowhere fast except to the grave. This "vision" greives him greatly, but it also causes reality to set in, as he seriously, even desperately looks around for a way of escape.
He tries everything, even listening to others who "profess" to be Christian ( but who have yet to escape the penalty of their sins themselves) on what to do, and He finds; that except for a few temporary "fixes", no one can help him in his dilemna or they only give out "Temporary Fixes and Cures"!
But he knows better! Why can't they understand his need? Surely "they" understand, don't they!? The more he asks for solutions to his dilemna the greater the vice tightens... until he cries out in urgency and conviction: "LORD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER."
God knows hearts, and He knows who is and who isn't sincere. (He should!) If our man is "Ready" - if his heart has been prepared beforehand to receive the seed of God's word - (being convinced beforehand by the Spirit of Truth) then Help will be forthcoming, God will see to it personally.
Help may come to him in the person of an evangelist, for instance, telling him to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" and your burdens will be lifted", pointing out the one true Saviour and the one true way and encouraging him to follow and go to Him until his burden falls off his back.
That's what everyone misses! Everyone told him to "Believe", just "Believe", that's it! But no one (except the Evangelist that God sent) told him "THE WAY" to believe!!! He told him that Jesus IS The Way. Find Him and you've found The Way! So he sent our example on his way to "FIND" Jesus, and when he did, to sell all he owned and lay hold of Him.
It is because our example has been soundly convinced that He needs Jesus above all is why he believes on and seeks Him/comes to Him with his whole heart.
And so -- as soon as he experiences the unimaginable joy of "Finding Him" he also finds that all of his burdens will fall off his back and he will know Everlasting Peace in the Joy of the Lord.
It's all as simple as that!!!
May every blessing in Christ be yours,
Biff
