Title: TRANSFORMED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Focus: The Holy Spirit applies Christ’s intentional atonement to God’s elect by bringing about rebirth, conversion, and spiritual formation.

Function: To emphasize that the Holy Spirit transforms people with the gospel into following Christ.

Text: I Corinthians 2:1-16

I invite you to put on your thinking hat and try to answer the following questions: How does a fallen human being—dead in sins and trespasses—become a Christian? How does an infant or child born into a Christian family become a follower of Christ? Is such a child a Christian by virtue of being born into a Christian family? Or must such children, too, be born again?

Here are some more questions: What must happen for an adult to become a Christian? What must happen to a child or adolescent or adult who grows up under the umbrella of God’s covenant love? Must they be born again? Must they be converted and transformed? If so, what must take place? And is it possible for a person to resist the saving, transforming power of God’s Spirit?

Now with these questions in mind, take note of the following: In Acts chapters 7 and 8 we meet a man by the name of Saul. He is a covenant child—a Jew who loves God; and Saul lives with the Law of God and wants to obey the Scriptures. Saul is very zealous to protect the name of God and the religious faith of his people. Thus Saul approves of the stoning of a Christian by the name of Stephen. And Saul becomes a persecutor of Christians in Jerusalem and beyond.

In Acts chapter 9, we learn of Saul’s dramatic conversion. The voice of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ calls Saul to task and redirects Saul’s life, giving him a task to proclaim the good news to the Gentile world. Saul becomes Paul. His conversion or transformation was radical, to put it mildly.

The inner circle of Jesus’ disciples did not have such a dramatic conversion and transformation experience. They were called by Jesus to follow him, and by spending time with him they gradually came to believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God, the Savior of the world. It took, however, the gift of the Holy Spirit for the disciples to see the truth about Jesus, and to become devoted witnesses of the gospel of Christ. Their conversion or transformation as followers of Christ was slow and gradual.

In his book, Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis relates his conversion from unbelief. Lewis’ conversion was very gradual. His story shows us the invisible hand or Spirit of God, drawing a kicking and screaming and protesting Lewis into the sphere of influence of Christ, whereby Lewis came to see himself slowly as being converted and transformed into a Christian, a follower of Christ.

These examples of people becoming Christians clearly demonstrate that the Holy Spirit does not have a cookie-cutter, uniform method of transforming people into followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this much is clear: it takes the workings of the Holy Spirit to transform unbelievers into disciples of Christ.

When you consider the language of faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, you’ll discover that the historic, universal Christian Church declares unequivocally that salvation of people and of the entire creation itself is truly the work of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At Calvary Church and in the Reformed tradition or segment of the Christian church we speak that language of faith with an accent that rings bells with Scripture and gives us a specific identity, which we value. We want to emphasize the grace of our triune God.

For example, the love of God the Father extends to all humanity and creation; and Scripture teaches that God the Father has elected those whom he calls to be saved. The death and resurrection of God the Son is all-sufficient to save a lost humanity and world. The saving work of Christ, however, is limited to the elect whom the Father has given to the Son.

Today we emphasize that God the Holy Spirit applies the Father’s work of election and the Son’s work of atonement in the lives of people.

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In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul reminds us of the need for the Holy Spirit. For example, in chapter 2:1-2 the Apostle emphasizes that his preaching and teaching centered on the Lord Jesus Christ: “When I came to you…I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” You see? It is not Paul’s looks, his eloquence, persona, charm or charisma that bring about transformation in the lives of people. Rather, it is Christ’s work of salvation that is foundational to spiritual formation.

Thus Paul emphasizes that the Holy Spirit drives or permeates his preaching. Listen (vs. 3-5): “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might rest not on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” In other words, transformation from a life of unbelief to a life of faith depends on the Holy Spirit’s power as the Word of God is taught and proclaimed. If the Spirit of God is absent when the Word of God is preached, there can be no transformation.

Why is that? Paul gives us some insight when he underscores that the Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God. For the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God; and once God grants us the gift of the Holy Spirit, we may come to an understanding of what God has freely given us—namely forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Again, so that we do not miss the point, the Apostle Paul stresses the need for the Holy Spirit. Listen: (vs. 10-16) “…God has revealed (God’s secret wisdom or work of salvation) to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God…We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us….The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of the God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” In other words, apart from God’s Holy Spirit, people remain dead in their sins and blind in their understanding of the gospel. But when the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and transforms our mind, we become alive in Christ and are being shaped gradually in the life of faith.

Now many Christians believe that their conversion and commitment to Christ and his church depend entirely on their own response of faith. Some also believe that it is possible to resist the regenerating or conversion power of the Holy Spirit. So, they will emphasize that we must not only bring an unbelieving person or the “horse” to the waters of the gospel, but we must also cajole it into drinking those waters.

Never mind that the “horse” may not realize its thirst, or may be so blind that it does not see the waters or sense the power of the water of the gospel to lessen its thirst. If only the witless “horse” would stop resisting the waters and drink from it!

Believers from the Reformed segment of the Christian Church tend to have a different accent or approach. Yes, we too invite the unbelieving person or “horse” to drink from the waters of Jesus’ salvation. We too declare the power of Jesus’ work, and we too pray for conversion and transformation to take place in the unbeliever. But we do so with a deep realization that the Holy Spirit must bring about rebirth or regeneration. And when the Holy Spirit touches your heart and mind, no one can resist his life-giving power. For the Holy Spirit applies Christ’s work of salvation to those whom God has chosen and given to Christ.

Ask yourself, why is it that some unbelievers, listening to a sermon of Billy Graham, for example, become transformed Christians and disciples of Jesus for a life-time, while other unbelievers (who hear the same sermon) walk away and continue their life of unbelief?

Some Christians would answer: because the one resists the Holy Spirit and the other surrenders to the Holy Spirit. The Bible, however, leads us to frame the answer slightly differently—in such a way that it becomes clear that salvation is entirely a matter of God’s electing grace in Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit.

Let me give you a helpful distinction that will open up the Bible’s teaching on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. Through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit issues a call to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That call to faith takes place whenever and wherever the gospel is preached. The whole world may hear this call to faith. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” said Jesus. That call comes to whoever hears the gospel. It’s coming to you right now, in this place.

Now it is quite possible for anyone here to say, “No thanks! I don’t need Jesus. I don’t believe in him.” Or some may say, “Well, I’ll think about it.” And thus you may hold Christ at a distance. Some may sleep through the sermon and wake up at the end of the service and go home: unchanged, unmoved, and unsettled. Thus it is quite common and possible to resist the general, outward call that God’s Spirit issues to you today.

But some will respond with faith; some will find a strange, new sensation, a dawning hope, perhaps; a warm sense of encouragement, and an inexplicable yet clearly definable sense of comfort or strength. Something is happening inside of you that you did not experience before. A strange inward pull is moving your spirit; you become aware of your sins, or of your need to find forgiveness; you are drawn inexplicably, yet without a doubt, to this Jesus and his offer of salvation. That’s the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, applying Christ’s salvation to God’s elect, to those whom God has predestined to eternal life.

You can’t resist this inward call or drawing, you can’t run away anymore; you don’t want to, for you find yourself yielding to God’s mercy and God’s claim on you. And sometimes there are tears in your eyes; there is an overflowing sense of peace, and a new way of seeing yourself. When the Spirit of God extends to you this inward, special call to find rest in Jesus, you cannot resist his transforming work.

Here are some Bible passages that underscore the irresistible transforming work of the Holy Spirit: (Titus 3:5) “…(God) saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:17,18) (I pray) “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you….”

Listen to these texts: (I Corinthians 1:1,2,9) “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ, called to be saints…God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord…but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Clearly, when the Holy Spirit calls us inwardly, no one can resist such calling or drawing by God.

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So why is it important to speak with this accent on the Holy Spirit’s transformative power in the conversion of unbelievers and their spiritual formation as disciples of Jesus?

I will give you three reasons:

No. 1: Christians do well to know their place before God. God is sovereign, not a puppet who can be manipulated. Our place before God is one of humility, where we recognize that apart from God’s saving grace and electing love, we would be still spiritually dead as a doornail.

It is God who makes us alive; who grants us his Holy Spirit; who reveals to us the treasures of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus. It is God who gives us hope instead of eternal condemnation that we all justly deserve. Salvation is by grace. We must learn to signify that we know our place before God.

No. 2: As God has given Christians the task of witnessing to the gospel of Christ, and the task of preaching and teaching the nations of the world to come to Christ and to obey his holy Word, we must always be aware that our own efforts cannot make other people spiritually alive. We are instruments in God’s hand: We live and preach and teach the gospel; thus we call people to come to Christ.

They hear our voices; they take note of what we say. But they come to faith and find transformation only because God’s Spirit is doing his work of regeneration in them. Christians do their share of being instruments in God’s hand: we water, we plant, but it is God’s Spirit who brings life: As Paul tells us in I Cor. 3 (We are)”Only servants through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” In other words, we are servants in the hand of God; we are not miracle workers who can make people alive in Christ. Transformation is the work of God’s Spirit.

No. 3: The work of evangelism and mission must be done with a spirit of prayer. The foundation of Christian living, teaching and preaching calls for the posture of bended knees and expectant prayers. Christians are not called to determine who may be the elect and who is not. We are not called to sit in judgment over others.

Rather, we are called to offer the waters of the gospel to anyone who is willing to listen to us; we are called to plant the Word of God in the lives of people and to see to it that faith nurture takes place. We are to encourage each other to turn to Christ at all times, and to look for spiritual fruit in our own lives as well as the lives of our children and fellow believers.

And as we live under the umbrella of God’s covenant love and care, and as our children receive the sign of baptism—the sign of God’s promise of salvation—we do not take for granted that our children too, just as grown ups, must be born again, must be made alive in Christ, must be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. For it is the Holy Spirit who applies Christ’s intentional atonement to God’s elect by bringing about rebirth, conversion and spiritual formation in the lives of people.

Hear the Word of the Lord. And respond to it in faith. Now and always, Amen.