Table of Contents
Pink-Holy Spirit Work in Salvation is an excerpt I believe from one of his other works. This is a single chapter module of Pink’s thoughts on the Holy Spirit’s part in Salvation.
The Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation
by Arthur W. Pink
Since this is a one chapter work, I am putting an excerpt below so you can see part of the work.
In Acts 19 we learn that when the apostle Paul came to Ephesus he asked some disciples of John the Baptist “Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?” (v. 2) And we are told “They said unto him, We have not so much is heard whether there be any Holy Spirit.” Sad to say, history has repeated itself. Without doubt, were the members of hundreds of so-called “churches” (in which modernism and worldliness rule) asked the same question, they would be obliged to return an identical answer. The reason why those disciples at Ephesus knew not about the Holy Spirit was, most probably, because they had been baptized in Judea by the forerunner of Christ and then had returned to Ephesus where they remained in ignorance of what had taken place on the day of Pentecost. But the reason why the members of the average “church” know nothing about the third Person of the Godhead is because the preachers they sit under are silent concerning Him.
Nor is it very much better with many of the churches still counted as orthodox. Though the Person of the Spirit may not be reputiated and though His name may occasionally be mentioned, yet, with only rare exceptions is there any definite scriptural teaching given out concerning the offices and operations of the divine Comforter. As to His work in salvation, this is very little understood even by professing Christians. In the majority of the places where the Lord Jesus is still formally acknowledged to be the only Savior for sinners, the current teaching of the day is that Christ has made it possible for men to be saved, but that they themselves must decide whether they shall be saved. The idea now so widely prevailing is that Christ is offered to man’s acceptance, and that he must “accept Christ as his personal Savior,” “give his heart to Jesus,” “take his stand for Christ,” etc., if the blood of the Cross is to avail for his sins. Thus, according to this conception, the finished work of Christ, the greatest work of all time and in all the universe is left contingent on the fickle will of man as to whether it shall be a success or a failure!
Entering now a much narrower circle in Christendom, in places where it is yet owned that the Holy Spirit has a mission and ministry in connection with the preaching of the Gospel, the general idea prevails even there that when the Gospel of Christ is faithfully preached, the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin and reveals to them their need of a Savior. But beyond this very few are prepared to go. The theory prevailing in these places is that the sinner has to cooperate with the Spirit, that he himself must yield to the Spirit’s “striving” or he will not and cannot be saved. But this pernicious and God-insulting theory denies two things: to argue that the natural man is capable of cooperating with the Spirit is to deny that he is “dead in trespasses and sins” for a dead man is incapable of doing anything. And, to say that the operations of the Spirit in a man’s heart and conscience may be resisted, withstood, is to deny His omnipotence!
Notes on the Holy Spirit - His Works
We see a focus on the biblical material about the Holy Spirit in the following general areas:
- The Works of the Holy Spirit
- The Person of the Holy Spirit
- The Deity of the Holy Spirit
- The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit's Works
- The Holy Spirit participated in Creation.
- The Holy Spirit convinces of sin, justice, and judgment.
- Calling of the Believer
- Regeneration of the Believer (Bavinck)
- Indwelling (Murray)
- The Spirit of Christ (Murray)
- Making Believer Holy
- Convincing of Sin
Note by Editor: David Cox
When speaking of the works of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is active in the salvation of a person's soul. His activity comes in the form of a general conviction of sin which goes on constantly between every human and his Lord God. But in the "coming of a soul to Christ", the reformed/Presbyterian view is that a person does not do anything within his own self to get saved, yea, it is impossible for him to do anything such as faith, repentance, remorse, etc.
The reformed view is that the Holy Spirit regenerates that person's soul "with irresistible grace" to make him have at a later point, saving faith. The order is very distinctive of Calvinism, regeneration has to happen by the Holy Spirit BEFORE a person is saved, not after.
More works on Works of the Holy Spirit
- Anonymous – The Fire Within
- Anthology on the Holy Spirit
- Austin-Sparks Crisis of Pentecost and & Significance of Holy Spirit’s Coming
- Austin-Sparks Dispensation of the Holy Spirit
- Austin-Sparks Holy Spirit
- Austin-Sparks Holy Spirit the Church and the Nations
- Austin-Sparks Life of the Spirit
- Bonar Works of the Holy Spirit
- Bonar Works of the Holy Spirit
- Buchanan Office and Work of the Holy Spirit
- Cambron – Bible Doctrines that Matter
- Cone – Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Understanding of Scripture (art.)
- Greenfield – Power from on High (Revival)
- Hills Aaron Pentecost Rejected
- Lin How the Holy Spirit Works in Believers’ Lives Today
Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs is an article by David Cox (veteran missionary) to help pastors and missionaries understand missionary needs.
Excerpt: When a pastor "takes in a missionary on deputation or furlough", he ministers to that missionary.... Pastors also need this encouragement as much as missionaries need it. When they get together to fellowship, they are able to encourage one another. But every pastor ministering to a returning missionary should encourage them along these lines of faithfulness and reward in eternity.
Topics: Introduction | Unfit Missionaries that should not be missionaries at all | Stop the Merry-go-round, I want to get off | Some Tips for Pastors Encouraging Missionaries | 1. Do not undermine their way of leading or doing the ministry | 2. The two essential elements are talk and prayer. | 3. Get more than just the pastor involved in praying for the missionary. | Remind your missionary by asking for an update if it has been a while. | Effectively disseminate prayer requests.
Read the Article: Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs.