The Holy Spirit And The Word

By Dan C. Bailey

Everyone who is converted to Christ is converted by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, this does not take place directly by the Spirit. The words of the New Testament as well as the Old Testament have been revealed to us by the Spirit of God. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

Upon being convinced that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God, those guilty of sin cried out to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "... Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

"38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:38-41).

The power to convict men of sin was the power of the Spirit by means of the gospel of Christ. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). There is mighty power in the word of God. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus described His words as spirit and life. "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). In the same chapter of John we read where the word was described by some of His disciples as "...an hard saying..." (John 6:60). We then read where many left from following the Lord. "66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:66-69).

The words of Christ are the words of eternal life. The power of life is in the seed or the word of God. May God help us to teach the soul saving gospel to al the world! "15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16).