Bible Studies

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We continue this verse-by-verse study of John chapters 13-17 here in Part 4. We are starting with the second paragraph of a three paragraph footnote under John 14:15.

God, who knows the heart, requires repentance and faith of all converts before He imparts the life-giving, sanctifying (making holy), gift-dispensing Spirit to them (cf., e.g., Matt. 4:17; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 2:38; 3:19; and 26:20). There is, of course, a limit to how much repentance God requires before we become born-again Christians (the Spirit comes to dwell in us to enable us to get our lives in divine order), but He requires us to turn from sin and begin to cooperate with His saving grace and make righteousness and holiness top priority as part of our conversion to becoming Christians. Very often in our day prospective converts are not even informed of the need to repent and to make living in the righteousness and holiness of God by grace through faith a top priority. Saving faith includes a commitment from the heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father, which includes a commitment to love Him and to live in line with His word and commandments by His grace/Spirit.

It must be understood, of course, that the Spirit was active among the people of God in the days of the old covenant, before the promised new-covenant Spirit was given, starting on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit was much more active in the transitional period when the Lord Jesus Christ (who was anointed with the Spirit without measure [John 3:34]) ministered on the earth than He was in the days of the old covenant. So too it must be understood that the Spirit works with prospective Christian converts before they receive the Spirit (before they are born again/from above): He draws, convicts, reveals, teaches, etc. We are totally dependent on the grace of God in Christ, but we must respond to, appropriate, and cooperate with that grace.))]] (16) ["And

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