The Holy Spirit and Salvation

     One book I'm currently reading is by Billy Graham called The Holy Spirit-Activating GOD's Power in Your Life. I gave my life to Christ Jesus 32 years ago, but I still struggle with the concept of the Trinity and especially the role of the Holy Spirit in my life. As only Billy Graham can do, he has written this book in a way that makes sense and "shows" with scripture and analogies how the Holy Spirit is both "person" and "God."

     On page 20, Graham writes the following: But more than this, the usual placement of the three    persons of the Trinity in the New Testament has to do with their order and function. Thus we say that we pray to the Father through the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, I have already shown that functionally the Father came first, then the Son became incarnate, died and rose again. Now the Spirit does His work in this age of the Spirit. The order has nothing to do with equality, but only with function and chronology.

     The other topic that Mr. Graham covers quite clearly on page 58 is the idea of being "born again." Here is an interesting excerpt from that section: But the moment you and I received Christ and were regenerated by the Holy Spirit we were given a new nature. Thus, those of us who are born again have two natures. The old nature is from our first birth; the new is from our new birth. By the old birth we are children of the flesh; by the new birth we are children of God. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus that he "must be born again."

      So then referring to being "born again," Graham delineates on page 59, "How to Become Born Again." I will offer a shortened version here of Graham's steps: 

First, realize that you are a sinner in God's eyes...Whatever your background, the Bible tell us "there is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3:10 KJV). We have all broken the Law of God, and we all deserve nothing but God's judgment and wrath...

Second, realize that God loves you and sent His Son to die for you. You deserve to die for your sins, but Christ died in your place. "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18)...

Third, repent of your sins. Repentance comes from a Greek word meaning "a change of mind." It means that I admit I am a sinner, and that I feel sorry for the fact I have sinned. But repentance also means I actually turn my back on my sins--I reject them--and determine by God's grace to live as He wants me to live. Jesus said, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3)...

Fourth, come by faith and trust to Christ. Salvation, the Bible tells us, is a free gift. God has done everything possible to make salvation available to us, but we must respond and make that gift our own. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23)...

How do you accept this gift? By a simple act of faith in which you say "yes" to Christ...Simply tell God you know you are a sinner, and your are sorry for your sins. Tell Him you believe Jesus Christ died for you, and that you want to give your life to Him right now, to follow Him as Lord the rest of your life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16)...you can accept by faith now that you are a new creation in Christ. 

     All that is to say, you were born in the womb of a woman, your first birth being in the flesh. That human birth was of no choice of your own. But later, when you understood that the huge hole in your heart could simply not be filled with anything "fleshly" or of the world; you may have begun asking questions about the hurt or emptiness that was insatiable within you. I can tell you from my past experience, nothing will fill the void, except Jesus Christ. Once you take the steps of faith outlined above, God will give you His Holy Spirit and you will be "born again," but this time of your own will and not of the flesh, but of the Spirit, which now dwells within you. 

     These are life changing steps. Eternal steps. When you are "born again" of the Spirit of God, you now belong to the Royal Family of God. You are considered a Child of the Most High God. I know it sounds like "crazy talk" when you are not filled with the Spirit, but don't worry about any of that initially. Just make the choice to choose Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The rest will unfold supernaturally.