“…And you will open their eyes to their true condition, so that they may turn from darkness to the Light and from the power of Satan to the power of God. By placing their faith in me they will receive the total forgiveness of sins and be made holy, taking hold of the inheritance that I give to my children!…”
(Acts 26:18)
As I was reading Paul’s “defense” to king Agrippa in Acts 26, I was grabbed by two footnotes in my Bible. Starting in verse 1&2, Paul asked “I now ask for your patience as I state my case…”
An alternative reading of the passage in Aramaic is “The [Holy] Spirit issued from his mouth – Passion Translation notes
Then, in verse 28, when Paul challenges the king, Agrippa responds “in such a short time you are nearly persuading me to become a Christian.”
Which let my mind float around with regards to conviction, conversion and evangelism. “Winning” people for the kingdom.
Paul was an evangelist, one that “wins” souls for the Kingdom of Heaven. But I think our modern day understanding and use of language is doing us a disservice. It makes it sound like we actually have something to do with it.
An Evangelist was not one that convinced someone of the truth about Jesus Christ and God. The Evangelist was only the one the shared the Good News. He (or she) simply told the story… there was no debate, and no convincing… just sharing. We may speak the words, but the Holy Spirit softens the heart so that they can listen.
In the same way, and unbeliever is someone that doesn’t believe the evangelist’s story. Somehow we get confused between unbeliever and sinner. We are all sinners, the difference is that I am simply a believer that knows my sins have been forgiven. I believe that Christ can forgive my sins, and more so WANTS TO FORGIVE MY SINS!
However, for some reason, we started believing that the Holy Spirit will convict a person and shame them because of their sinful nature to the point where they feel so bad and guilty that they will reach out to God to save them. Almost forcing us to repentance through shame. But this is not in the bible… at least… I don’t think it is.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t Judge. It doesn’t convict, it doesn’t cause shame. True, It is a light that shines on our sins, but the Holy Spirit is a persuader. The One that softens a hard heart, so that a person can listen, hear and believe. Not convicted about how bad we are but convinced that The Way is the truth and that it is the path that we want to follow.
Our Salvation is God’s business from beginning to end. From creation, through Christ’s death and resurrection right up to the point where you are confronted with the Truth and decide to believe or remain an unbeliever. As believers, we have only a very small role to play…
And in this is the big moment of understanding.
I can not convince anybody to believe, because it is not my job. If I convince you to believe, someone else can convince you to “un”-believe. (Seen any good courtroom dramas on TV lately?)
But not the Holy Spirit.
It is not a case of the Holy Spirit pointing out your sins. It is simply that He softens your heart to the reality of your life. To every part you are holding on to, hiding from the light, and even from yourself. The Holy Spirit doesn’t say “you are so rotten, dirty, and broken… the only thing that can save you from the fires of hell is Jesus”
No… the Holy Spirit is soft and gentle. Light (in Him there is no darkness) and Love. He asks… “This broken piece of you. May I touch it and help you heal?” Its at that point that you become a believer, because it is then that you see the brokenness for what it truly is… or … stay as you are, convinced that God wants nothing to do with you… an unbeliever.
No amount of bible verses in three languages or historical writings from ten centuries and six kingdoms will rekindle the relationship between a Father and a child. Only a personal choice to believe, can do the job.
We tell the story. We live the life (as best we can). And the Holy Spirit reveals the truth in both.
“…18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts…” (Eph 4:18 – NIV)
“… 18 Their corrupted logic has been clouded because their hearts are so far from God—their blinded understanding and deep-seated moral darkness keeps them from the true knowledge of God…” (Eph 4:18 – TPT)
