J.C. Ryle on the Necessity of the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

In 1 John 4:13 the Apostle John tells us that God’s gift of His Holy Spirit to us is the evidence or proof that we have truly been reconciled to God through faith in Christ. In v.13 John writes: “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” (ESV)

In some ways this is the primary proof of our abiding in God and He in us – that God has given us of His Holy Spirit. This is much the same thing that John said back in the 1 John 3:24, where he tells us, “And by this we know that he [i.e. God] abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (ESV)

The Apostle Paul says something very similar in Romans 8:9, where he writes: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (ESV, Italics added)

Everyone who belongs to Christ by faith has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. If we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, then we abide in fellowship with God. If we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we are not His. It is that simple. In his book, Old Paths, J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) writes:

“The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is the common mark of all true believers in Christ. It is the Shepherd’s mark on the flock of the Lord Jesus, distinguishing them from the rest of the world. It is the goldsmith’s stamp on the genuine sons of God, which separates them from the dross of false professors. It is the King’s own seal on those who are his peculiar people, proving them to be his own property. It is ‘the earnest’ which the Redeemer gives to his believing disciples while they are in the body, as a pledge of the full and complete ‘redemption’ yet to come in the resurrection morning (Eph. 1:14). This is the case of all believers. They all have the Spirit.” (p.275)

And then (in case that were not clear enough), he adds:

“Let it be distinctly understood that he who has not the Spirit has not Christ. He who has not Christ has no pardon of his sins – no well-grounded hope of being saved.” (Ibid)

The gift of the Holy Spirit and His work within us are in some ways the primary evidence or proof of our salvation. It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are born again and made alive in Christ. In John 3:7–8, our Lord Jesus says,

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (ESV)

Here Jesus clearly teaches us that to be “born again” is to be “born of the Spirit.” And we must be born again.

It is the Holy Spirit who works faith in us so that we believe the gospel of Christ and are saved (Ephesians 2:8; Westminster Confession of Faith 14.1). Likewise it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, so that we are more and more conformed to the likeness of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13). It is the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), and is the seal and guarantee of our inheritance in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). And He “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” through faith in Christ (Romans 8:16).

This is just a sampling of the uniform testimony of Scripture to the necessity of the indwelling & work of the Holy Spirit in everyone who believes. He is (as Ryle puts it above), “the common mark of all true believers in Christ” and “the Shepherd’s mark on the flock of the Lord Jesus, distinguishing them from the rest of the world.” Amen

The Fear of the Lord Defined

Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” That being the case, it behooves us to make sure that we understand just what it means to fear the Lord. There are at least two (2) kinds of fear of the Lord spoken of in Scripture. Sometimes it is used to speak of a kind of terror or dread which often results in fleeing away from God. Of the other kind of fear, Albert Martin writes:

“But there is another kind of fear. The same word is used for this second kind of fear, but is used with an obviously different meaning. It is the fear of veneration and honor, the fear of respect or awe.” (The Forgotten Fear, p.25)

These two kinds of fear are often categorized as slavish fear (i.e. of the nature of a slave or a criminal awaiting punishment) and familial fear (i.e. of the nature of a family relation of a son for his father). The former drives us away from God in dread, while the latter draws us toward God in faith and love.

In their book, A Radical Comprehensive Call to Holiness, co-authored by Joel Beeke and Michael Barrett, Barrett offers a good definition or description of the latter (i.e. the familial fear of the child of God):

“Because the fear of God is such an all-pervasive component of true religion, it relates directly to obeying God’s call to holiness. In essence, to fear God is to live in the conscious awareness of God as He has revealed Himself in holiness, factoring Him into every situation and circumstance of life. Living in the fear of God is living in the reality of God. Recognizing and acknowledging God for who He is demands the response of fearing Him.” (p.54)

In his commentary on the book of Proverbs, Charles Bridges (1794-1869) notes that for the believer, the fear of the Lord (to which the writer of Proverbs enjoins us) “is that affectionate reverence, by which the child of God bends himself humbly and carefully to his Father’s law.” (p.3-4)

For the wicked and the unrepentant, there is a sense in which the fear of God should rightly evoke a sense of terror, not just reverence. In 2 Corinthians 5:10–11 Paul writes,

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.”

The King James Version puts it even more forcefully, rendering it as “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” (Italics added) Is it not all too often the case in much of what passes for evangelistic preaching today that this very element of emphasis on God’s holiness, His law, and the fear of the judgment to come is notably absent?

The knowledge of God’s infinite holiness, omnipresence, omniscience, and the judgment to come ought to stir up in even the most hardened unbeliever a sense of profound unease and dread, even terror. This is just good sense, even if not common. The fact that it often does not do so is testimony to the awful reality of total depravity and hardness of heart outside of the grace of God in Christ.

In his book, Rejoice and Tremble, Michael Reeves notes that sinful, slavish fear toward God “is the motor for both atheism and idolatry, inspiring people to invent alternative “realities” in place of the living God.” (p.31) This explains why (as he notes later in the book) this kind of fear, while it drives people away from God, “does not always drive them away from religion.” (p.34)

What does the writer of the book of Hebrews say? “[L]et us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28–29) The KJV says, “with reverence and godly fear.” This is obviously written to believers.

For the believer in Christ, the fear of God is in no way at odds with love for God, any more than fear of our earthly parents is in any way contrary to love for them as well. For the Christian, who is now a child of God through faith in Christ, we are still to both fear and love God, but this fear is not a servile terror, but rather the godly fear and reverence that a child should have for his father. In his commentary on the book of Proverbs, Charles Bridges puts it this way:

“It [i.e. the fear of the Lord] is the genuine spirit of adoption. The child of God has only one dread – to offend his Father; only one desire – to please and delight in Him.” (p.87)

It is the desire to please our heavenly Father and a healthy fear of displeasing Him in any way, so that we earnestly strive after holiness, without which, as the Scriptures say, “no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Albert Martin sums all these things up well for us when he writes:

“There is a legitimate sense in which the fear of God involves being afraid of God, being gripped with terror and dread. Though this is not the dominant thought in Scripture, it is there nonetheless. The second aspect of fear, which is peculiar to the true children of God, is the fear of veneration, honor, and awe with which we regard our God. It is a fear that leads us not to run from Him but to draw near to Him through Jesus Christ and gladly submit to Him in faith, love, and obedience.” (The Forgotten Fear, p.27)

Do we fear God in such a way that we draw near to Him in veneration and awe, even in “affectionate reverence,” as Charges Bridges puts it above. Or upon examining ourselves regarding these things, do we find that we are still something of a mixed bag, fearing God rightly one moment, and then in some ways falling back into a slavish fear the next? David himself seemed to know something of this same struggle and inner conflict, and so he prayed:

“Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11, ESV)

Is that your prayer? Are you conscious of a need to grow in the fear of God? Then let us make David’s prayer our own, that God might teach us His way and unite our hearts to fear His name!

The Strange Kind of Salvation Never Purchased by the Blood of Christ

Some who profess faith in Christ make much of the forgiveness of sins and the avoiding of the penalty of sin (death, condemnation, and hell), but yet think nothing of being set free from slavery to sin, or of the work of god’s grace in sanctification, which are as much a part of our salvation by the grace of God in Christ as are justification and forgiveness.

Some even dare to preach such a warped view of salvation as this, as if holiness and sanctification were somehow optional for the believer! In effect, they preach only half a Savior, and half a Savior saves no one!

In his classic book, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, English Puritan, Walter Marshall (1628-1680), writes:

“What a strange kind of salvation do they desire, that care not for holiness? They would be saved, and yet be altogether dead in sin, aliens from the life of God, bereft of the image of God, deformed by the image of Satan, his slaves and vassals to their own filthy lusts, utterly unmeet for the enjoyment of God in glory. Such a salvation as that was never purchased by the blood of Christ; and those that seek it abuse the grace of God in Christ, and turn it into lasciviousness.” (p.100)

Of such people as this Marshall goes on to say:

“They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against him, without any fear of punishment. But let them not be deceived, God is not mocked.” (ibid)

Those who seek after such a “strange kind of salvation” as that show that they as yet have no true understanding of sin, of their desperate need for Christ, and certainly no right understanding of the grace and power of God in the gospel of His Son.

The true believer in Christ, however, the one who has been made alive with Christ and born of God, hates his sin and comes to Christ by faith in order to be freed and saved from it. The Lord Jesus came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), not just from the penalty of our sins, and those who believe on Him for salvation receive and rest upon Him as He is offered in the gospel (i.e. as the Savior from sin – not just from its guilt, but from its corruption and enslavement as well)! As the old hymn writer puts it, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

The Fear of God

The fear of the Lord is a very prominent theme in the Scriptures, and yet we rarely hear much about it in our churches today. The Scriptures speak of the fear of the Lord or of fearing God literally dozens of times, including no less than 14 times in the book of Proverbs alone! In his book, The Forgotten Fear, Albert Martin notes that “there are no fewer than 150 to 175 explicit references to the fear of God” in the Bible! (p.1-2)

In his book, Principles of Conduct, John Murray (1898-1975) calls the fear of God “the soul of godliness,” and further states that “If we are thinking of the notes of biblical piety none is more characteristic than the fear of the Lord.” (p.239)

In Psalm 119 the Psalmist twice refers to his fellow believers as “those who fear you [i.e. God].” (v.74, 79) So you could say that in many ways the fear of the Lord is clearly an identifying mark or characteristic of believers in the Lord. Similarly, in Psalm 103 David speaks of the people of God no less than three times³ as “those who fear him” (i.e. the LORD). The promise of God’s everlasting steadfast love, boundless forgiveness, and fatherly compassion in Christ are said to belong specifically to those who fear the Lord.

Likewise the absence of the fear of the Lord is one of the defining characteristics of wickedness and unbelief. For example, in our Lord Jesus’s parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, He describes the unjust judge (in the judge’s own words no less!) as neither fearing God nor regarding man (v.4). That is precisely the reason that he could not be counted on to judge justly except for wanting the poor widow to stop bothering him. And in Romans chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul goes to great lengths to impress upon us the sobering truth and reality of the doctrine of the total depravity of all of mankind in Adam, he essentially caps off his argument there by citing the words of Psalm 36:1, saying, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (v.18) 

As we saw from Dr. Murray’s quote above, the fear of God is in many ways the essence of godliness. At the very end of the book of Ecclesiastes we read the following:

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ESV, Italics added)

Fearing God and its corollary, keeping God’s commandments, are at the very heart of our duty to God, both as our Creator as well as our Redeemer. In fact, Paul tells us that growth in holiness in the fear of God is part of the duty that is required of us in light of the promises of God in the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 7:1 he writes:

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (ESV)

It would seem that a right biblical fear of God is necessary in order that we as believers might grow in holiness. And the Lord promises His blessing to those who fear Him. Psalm 128:1 tells us:

“Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!” (ESV)

May the Lord in His mercy and kindness to His church grant that we might recover, not just the right biblical doctrine of the fear of God, but also the experience, practice, and blessing of it as well!

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Privilege of Being a Pastor

In his commentary on the book of 1 John (published in one volume under the title Life in Christ), Martyn Lloyd-Jones gives us a peak into his mindset as a pastor and preacher when it comes to studying a text of Scripture in preparation for preaching it to his congregation.

Commenting on 1 John 3:2 (which speaks of the great blessing of believers being children of God now and of our being made like Christ when He appears), he writes:

“Furthermore, it is when one confronts a text like this that one realizes what a privilege it is to be a Christian minister. I am rather sorry for anyone who has not had to spend a week with a verse like this! I assure you it is a very enriching experience, a humbling one and an uplifting one. There is nothing surely in this life that can be more wonderful or more glorious than to have to spend a week or so with a word like this, looking at it, listening to it, and considering what others have said about it. It is indeed something for which one humbly thanks God.” p.281-282

No doubt preaching is very hard work, and the vast majority of that work is done beforehand in the pastor’s study. But let everyone who so diligently labors in the study and in the pulpit remember the great privilege that is his in doing so, and (as Lloyd-Jones suggests), humbly thank God for it!

Book Review: Antinomianism, by Mark Jones

Antinomianism, by Mark Jones, is easily one of the most helpful and interesting books that I have read (and re-read) in a long time.

Many seem to view the subject of antinomianism as if it were the theological equivalent of smallpox – something that used to be a serious threat to the health of the church, but has long been extinct (at least in Reformed circles).

Jones’ book could not be more timely, for the reports of antinomianism’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.  In fact, it is alive and well in the 21st century, and has not been safely quarantined or confined to the pages of church history.  As the subtitle of the book suggests, it has even reared its ugly head in some ostensibly Reformed theological circles. That is the bad news.  The good news is that this little book should go a long way toward helping many in the church avoid the toxic influence of antinomianism.

Jones explains what antinomianism actually is (as well as what it is not), which is not always an easy task.  He notes that it cannot be boiled down to the simple etymology of the word itself. (In other words it does not just mean that someone is “anti-law.”) He writes,

“It is far too simplistic and historically naive to suggest that someone is antinomian only if he denies that the moral law has a place in the life of a believer.” (p.12)

In other words, it is not just about being anti-law. If we think of it only in those terms, it is no wonder that we might wrongly assume that antinomianism is not a problem today. So it is not nearly enough (for example) for someone to simply state that he affirms the 3rd use of the law (i.e. that the moral law of God as summarized by the 10 Commandments is the rule of life for believers). Such an affirmation is certainly helpful to some extent, but it really doesn’t do much in the way of safeguarding one’s self from the charge of antinomianism.  Why is that? Simply because just saying something doesn’t make it so.

If one explicitly affirms (to stick with the same example) the 3rd use of the law, he should  also then be expected to demonstrate that same affirmation by actually applying the law that way in his teaching and preaching. (Revolutionary thought, I know.) If not, then one can make explicit statements about this or that until he is blue in the face and it will essentially change nothing. As the saying (sort of) goes, if it teaches like a duck and preaches like a duck, it’s probably a duck (despite its repeated claims to the contrary).

So what makes someone an antinomian in the sense of which Jones speaks in this book? One of the hallmarks of this error is that “antinomians essentially “confound” justification and sanctification and insist that true sanctification is nothing but believing the gospel more and more” (p.27).  This often shows itself in terms of minimizing or even speaking against the usefulness of the law of God in the sanctification of the believer. Another way that it tends to show itself is in the failure to “give appropriate, soul-searching application in the form of commands” (p.38). Jones sums up this point well by noting that,

“To leave off the preaching of commands, as many do today, is to neglect an instrument that God has appointed for the sanctification of his church. We must not be wiser than God!” (p.39).

Jones shows that the problem of antinomianism often stems from a weak Christology, and offers a robust Christology as the solution.  He also shows that while justification (Christ for us) is at the heart of our salvation in Jesus Christ, it is not the sum total of it. Sanctification (Christ in us) is also a very important aspect of our salvation.

Everything that Jones says here is grounded firmly in Scripture, the Westminster Standards, and the writings of the 17th century English Puritans (especially John Owen), who had to deal with antinomianism in their day.

I found this book to be extremely helpful.  It is not long at all (only 130 pages), but it still speaks volumes to the issue at hand. Jones has a knack for making complex theological ideas accessible to the modern reader, and this book is no exception in that regard.

I believe that this book should be required reading for every pastor, elder, and seminary student who is considering pastoral ministry. The subject matter is that important, and Jones’ treatment of the subject is that clear, concise, and helpful. I sincerely hope that this little volume gains a wide readership.

You can order a copy here: Antinomianism 

Warfield on the Fundamental Proof of the Doctrine of the Trinity

Where is the doctrine of the Trinity found in the Bible? Perhaps the better question to ask might be, “Where is it not?”, especially when it comes to the New Testament.

In his book, Biblical Doctrines, Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921) states that the doctrine of the Trinity is not just found in a few texts scattered here or there in the New Testament, but rather that the entire New Testament is “Trinitarian to the core.”

Speaking of the biblical proof of the doctrine of the Trinity, Warfield again writes:

“The fundamental proof that God is a Trinity is supplied thus by the fundamental revelation of the Trinity in fact: that is to say, in the incarnation of God the Son and the outpouring of God the Holy Spirit. In a word, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are the fundamental proof of the doctrine of the Trinity.”

He goes on to summarize this statement as follows:

“When we have said this, we have said in effect that the whole mass of the New Testament is evidence for the Trinity. For the New Testament is saturated with evidence of the Deity of Christ and the Divine personality of the Holy Spirit.”

In other words, the biblical proof of the doctrine of the Trinity is not only to be found in a few select texts (such as Matthew 28:19 or 2 Corinthians 13:14), but primarily in the abundance of texts that testify to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit.

There is no shortage of such texts. Think of John 1:1–3, where we read of the Deity of Christ:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

There can be no doubt that “the Word” there is the Lord Jesus Christ. And what does John say about the Son of God? That He was there “in the beginning.” He had no beginning, but has always been. He was “with God” and yet also “was God.” And “all things [not all other things] were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Who made all things in Genesis chapter one? God. God the Father created all things through the Word, the eternal Son of God. And all things are sustained by the Son of God as well. Hebrews 1:1–3 tells us:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Those things could not be said of anyone but God. To say such things about a created being who is in any way less than God Himself would be nothing short of blasphemous.

And what of the Holy Spirit? There are many passages that teach us His true divine personhood, such as Paul’s benediction found in 2 Corinthians 13:14. There Paul prays that we as believers would enjoy “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” You can’t have “fellowship” with an impersonal force.

Likewise in Acts 5:3–4 we read:

“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Italics added)

Whom (not what) did Ananias lie to? The Holy Spirit, who is God! Who was hovering over the waters at the creation in Genesis 1:2? “The Spirit of God.” These and a multitude of other passages of Scripture can be mustered together as proof of the true divinity of the Son of God and Spirit of God, and so of the Trinity!

The fundamental proof of the doctrine of the Trinity really is found throughout the entirety of the New Testament, for it is throughout the New Testament that we find one passage after another, testifying to the Deity of Christ and the Divine personality of the Holy Spirit.

Thomas Boston on the Trinity

How important is the true doctrine of the Trinity? Scottish Puritan, Thomas Boston (1676-1732) goes so far as to say that it is “a fundamental article, the belief whereof is necessary to salvation.” (The Doctrines of the Christian Religion, Volume 1, p.147)

He notes there the words of 1 John 2:23, which tells us, “No one who denies the Son has the Father.” If you deny Christ by rejecting His true divinity or His true humanity, then you are believing in a Christ of your own imagination, and so you do not have not God.

In saying that a belief in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity is “necessary unto salvation,” he is echoing the clear teaching of the Athanasian Creed (circa 5^th century, AD), which is one of the most thorough statements and defenses of both the doctrines of the Trinity and of the incarnation of Christ found in the early church. The Athanasian Creed opens with these words:

“Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.” 

There is no salvation except by the triune God of Scripture, and no true saving faith except that which is in the triune God. As Boston goes on to tell us:

“The mystery of the Trinity is so interwoven with the whole of religion, that there can neither be any true faith, right worship, or obedience without it.”

The biblical doctrine of the Trinity is an essential truth of the Christian faith. There is no true Christianity without it. And so it would behoove every sincere Christian to study what the Scriptures and the ancient ecumenical creeds teach us about it.

James Buchanan on Total Depravity

In the opening chapter of James Buchanan’s excellent book, The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, he deals with what he calls the “great spiritual change” that is necessary in order for a sinner to be saved and see the kingdom of God. He points us to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 3:3, where He tells Nicodemas, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (ESV)

Buchanan tells us that Christ’s statement to Nicodemas rests on “the supposition of the universally fallen and corrupted state of human nature” (p.7). In other words, the Lord Jesus clearly held to and taught the doctrine of total depravity. What is total depravity? It is the truth of Scripture that in Adam’s fall into sin in the garden of Eden, we too all fell into sin and so lost “original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.2), so that “we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil” (6.4)

He goes on to say that if we really understood and believed this truth of Scripture as we should, and how it applies to us individually, we would never have trouble understanding why the Lord Jesus should say that we must indeed be born again if we are to see the kingdom of heaven. And yet most seem to persist in rejecting both this doctrine and its implications, despite the fact that there is no small amount of testimony to the truth of this doctrine – far from it! Buchanan writes:

“But this doctrine of natural depravity, although uniformly assumed in the Bible, and frequently asserted in express terms, and abundantly verified by the experience of our own hearts, as well as by the universal history of the world, is so offensive and alarming to every unconverted man, that he is prone, if not to deny its general truth, at least to mitigate and soften its meaning, in so far as it applies to his own case; and hence many a one who admits in general terms, because he cannot decently deny, that he is a sinner, shows by his whole spirit and conversation that he has no idea of what is implied in this confession, and no heartfelt conviction that he needs to be born again.”

Ibid

Despite the abundant testimony to the truth of this doctrine in Scripture, history, and personal experience, the unconverted person finds it so utterly offensive that he or she seemingly always tends (as Buchanan puts it) to “at least mitigate and soften its meaning,” at least when it comes to them personally. And so while many will admit in general terms that they are sinners, they show by their attitude and speech that they are in some ways ignorant of and unwilling to accept or admit that they too must be born again by the Spirit of God in order to be saved.

Read the Bible from cover to cover, and you will find throughout its pages an unwavering, uniform testimony to the total depravity of mankind outside of Christ. Read the pages of human history, and there too you will find overwhelming proof of it as well. And if you would take a good, long look in the mirror, so to speak, there too you will find verification that, outside of Christ, you too are “dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.2), so that you are “utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil” (6.4).

As the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1–3,

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (ESV)

Who, then, can be saved? And how? It is only by the sovereign grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ! As Paul goes on to tell us:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:4–10, ESV

God in His great mercy toward spiritually dead sinners, makes us alive together with Christ in such a way that we are a new creation in Him! That is grace! Being born again so that we believe on Christ for salvation is ultimately not our own doing; “it is the gift of God” (v.8). That is what Paul means when he says that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (v.10)! And so there is no room for boasting – all of the glory goes to the Lord alone for our salvation from sin!

Lessons from the Conversion of the Thief on the Cross

In his book, The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, James Buchanan has much to say about the work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners. After dealing at length with the necessity and nature of that work in the first section of the book, he includes a section devoted to what he calls “illustrative cases” or examples from the pages of Scripture of the Holy Spirit bringing various individuals to saving faith in Christ. Among these examples are the Philippian jailer, the Apostle Paul, Cornelius the Centurion, and others. All of these examples are instructive and encouraging in many ways, but of particular note is his treatment of the conversion of the thief on the cross.

Luke 23:32-33 tells us that there were two “criminals” who were led away to be put to death alongside of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they were crucified with Him, “one on his right and one on his left” (ESV). In Luke 23:39-43 it is written:

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” (ESV)

Here we are told of the marvel of the grace and power of God in saving a sinner, even at the 11th hour, so to speak. While one of the criminals was railing at Jesus for not saving Himself and them, the other man rebuked him for it, even going so far as to remind him that both of them were justly “under the same sentence of condemnation” and deserved to die, while the Lord Jesus had “done nothing wrong.”

And then he spoke to Jesus as well, saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (v.42, ESV) What faith! And the Lord Jesus saved him, didn’t He? He told him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). While one of the criminals railed at Jesus for not saving him from the sentence of death that he rightly deserved; the other believed on Jesus and was indeed saved, not from crucifixion, but from his sins!

Buchanan offers no less than five (5) lessons that all sinners may derive from this account of the conversion of the thief on the cross:

First, he says that it “exhibits a remarkable proof of the Savior’s power.” (p.151) The fact that the Lord Jesus was willing and able to save such a one as this thief, who was no doubt in many ways as vile and notorious a sinner as can be found among men, teaches us that the Lord Jesus really is “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25, ESV). Buchanan reminds us that Christ indeed has the power “to subdue the most hardened sinner,” as well as to “cancel the most aggravated guilt,” and even to “open the gate of heaven, and secure our admission there” is all demonstrated and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the conversion of the thief on the cross. Let no sinner, no matter how guilty, corrupt, and even notorious, despair of Christ’s willingness to save any and all who repent of their sin and turn to Him by faith for salvation!

The second lesson that Buchanan points out is that the conversion of the thief “exhibits a precious proof of the perfect freeness of his grace.” (Ibid) What could a sinner like this thief ever hope to do on his own, through his own effort and works, to save himself? Nothing! He had no righteousness of his own to offer, no works, and could not even offer up or promise the reformation of his life henceforth from that day if the Savior were to show mercy. The only thing that could possibly save him (and really any other sinner as well) was the free and unmerited grace of God alone! As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV) Each and every sinner that has been or ever will be saved from the wrath to come, will be saved exactly the same way as that thief on the cross – by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone!

The third lesson we may learn from the conversion of the thief on the cross is that it may well serve to guard us against the twin dangers of presumption and despair. He notes, “It has been remarked, that in the Bible this is a solitary example of a man being converted at the hour of death; there being one such instance that none may despair, and only one, that none may presume.” (p.152) So let no one presume that he or she can continue on in the course of unrepentance and sin, and will always have the opportunity to turn to Christ for salvation later, since one and only one of the thieves was saved at the 11th hour. But at the same time let no one despair of Christ’s power and willingness to save even them at the 11th hour, because the Lord Jesus so wonderfully saved this one thief on the cross, snatching him as a brand from the fire!

Fourth, he says that “[w]e learn from this narrative how little of God’s truth may serve for conversion, if it be suitably improved by the hearer, and savingly applied by the Spirit.” (Ibid) Now this is not to minimize the truths regarding Christ’s person and work that he indeed believed. No one should take the example of the conversion of the thief on the cross as a license to attenuate or minimize the truth of the gospel in any way. But the fact that we cannot always teach sinners everything all at once should not serve to discourage us from sowing the seeds of the gospel at times even in the most brief and simple terms, trusting that the Holy Spirit is more than able to use it unto the conversion of sinners.

Last but not least, he says that here we learn “that on the instant of his conversion, a sinner acquires all the rights and privileges of a child of God, and that if he die immediately thereafter, he will immediately pass into glory.” (Ibid) What a wonderful truth! What a comfort and encouragement even to those who are converted on their deathbeds! The thief on the cross was told simply, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, ESV) No probation, no purgatory, no delay. He was in many wonderful ways as saved as he was ever going to be the moment he believed on Christ for salvation! He was immediately as justified, forgiven and accepted, adopted, and reconciled to God as he would ever be!

Truly the example of the conversion of the thief on the cross has much to teach us about the Lord’s power and willingness to save even the worst of sinners, and even at the 11th hour at that! As the Apostle Paul himself tells us in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (ESV) He not only came to save sinners, but He even saved one particular sinner as He Himself was dying on the cross!