The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities by Murillo, c. 1677

Just prior to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, He told His disciples that after He departed earth and returned to heaven, He would send the Holy Spirit to live inside every believer. Jesus said that once the Spirit comes to reside inside the believer, He will never leave us. Jesus told these men that it will be the Spirit living in them that will enable these men to remember all that He said and did, so that they will be able to write an accurate narrative about what they saw and heard (John 14:26).

The Spirit would not dictate word for word what these men would write, but simply remind them of each event, and allow the individual personality of each man to include the details he wanted to include. Jesus wanted the testimony of each man to be voluntary and genuine.  We see this reality in the four Gospels. The Synoptic Gospels include many of the same events, but different details; John’s focus was to reveal Jesus as the Son of God and highlight His miracles and other events that prove He is God.

When people say that the Gospels are contradictory, what they are asserting is the inclusion of different details within the same event. If you and I and two other people are at the same event, we will describe this event, but each of us will include different details that we remember. These differences are not contradictions, but merely forensic evidence that the four narratives are true.

Is The Bible Filled With Contradictions?

The Holy Spirit Is A Gift Given Only To True Believers In Jesus

In Acts chapter 2 Peter is standing before a great crowd of people from many nations. He begins to tell them that the Messiah God had promised through all the prophets, they crucified, but God raised Him from the dead. In response to these words, the people ask Peter what they must do. In verse 36-38, Peter states that everyone who will believe and be saved, must first repent from their sins (cease them), and then be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. When true repentance takes place and genuine faith in Jesus begins, God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to every true believer.

Jesus told Nicodemus that we must all be born again by the Spirit, and after a person is born again they are given the “gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” ~John 3:3

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 2:36-38

The Holy Spirit is only given to people who are genuinely sorry for their sins, and end them. It is repentance from sin that demonstrates we are sincere in our desire to be saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Without sincere repentance, there is no salvation.

“Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” ~2 Corinthians 7:9-10

There is No Salvation, Without Repentance

Today in the Progressive Christian Movement, there is a false doctrine which states that a person does not need to end the practice of certain sins, in order for God to grant them eternal life. These churches teach that God will accept anyone in a same-sex relationship, or a relationship that exists when two people are engaged in a sexual relationship outside marriage.

The following statement from the Progressive Christian website, Forefront, illustrates the Progressive view that the Bible must change with the changing attitudes and moral views of society:

“Today’s United States Supreme Court is evenly divided between “originalists” and “non-originalists.” The “originalists” believe the Constitution should be interpreted strictly according to the understanding of its adopters at the time it was written. The “non-originalists” believe it is a living, breathing document that will change as our understanding changes. A lot has changed in 250 years…The same is true of scripture. And the truth is that the church has acknowledged this for centuries.“

The framers of the Constitution, like the Bible, believed that truth that comes from God, never changes. If truth can be changed depending on the views of each new society, then it is not truth, it is the opinions of people. God declared in His word that He does not change, and neither does His word:

“I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” ~Malachi 3:6

The body of law in the Constitution was based upon the Law of God in the Bible. The Framers understood that just as God’s law does not change, the laws in the Constitution should never change:

The Scriptures are the laws of the God who created Nature.

Upon these two foundations The law of nature and the law of revelation, of natures God, depend all human laws. That is to say, no human laws can be allowed to contradict these” ~Blackstone’s Commentary on the Law

This means that those who framed the Constitution and signed the Declaration of Independence, believed that all of the laws of the United States of America originated from God and from His word as found in the Bible. The Founders of the United States believed that man does not have the right, nor the capacity, to institute any other laws outside the immutable laws of God.

The Bible As The Basis For All Human Laws

One of the primary issues of the Progressive Christian Movement, is the inclusion of same-sex persons into the Christian church, and acceptance of this lifestyle as acceptable by God in our modern age. This is accomplished by changing the laws of God to include the LGBTQ community.

The Laws of God Did Not Change In The New Testament

Jesus died for all sins, and the issue of same-sex relationships are classified as sin that must be ended, as well as relationships of fornication and adultery. God will not give approval to anyone who refuses to end their sins. Human society may accept same-sex person, and people who are not married living together, but God has not changed His law regarding these sins.

When the early Christian church met in the book of Acts to determine which Old Testament laws a Christian must maintain, the laws regarding sexual sin from the Hebrew Scriptures were preserved for the Christian church:

Acts 15:1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Acts 15:5-6 But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.

The question of whether the Christian church was required to keep all the laws of Moses as they believed upon Jesus, was address in the Book of Acts, chapter 15. A determination was made by all the Apostles that under the New Covenant of Salvation that was made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Laws of Moses were no longer applicable to those who believe in Jesus, with the exception of four:

1. Do not eat meat sacrificed to idols.
2. Do not commit sexual sin
3. Do not eat meat where the blood has not been bled out.
4. Do not drink blood.

Acts 15:11-21 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus… And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them to 1. abstain from eating food offered to idols, 2. from sexual immorality, 3. from eating the meat of strangled animals, and 4. from consuming blood. For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.

Old Testament Law: A Lesson In God’s Nature Not Understood Today

Paul confirmed this doctrine in his letter to the church at Corinth:

“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” ~1 Corinthians 6:18-20

I make an emphasis regarding this issue of sexual purity in the Christian church, because the Progressive Christian Movement teaches that a person can be a true Christian, and continue in these lifestyles of sin. According to the Bible, a person must end all sexual relationships between same-sex persons, and those in heterosexual relationships must cease their sexual sins, outside marriage, if they will be seen as true believers in Jesus and a part of the eternal life that God offers.

What Did Jesus Say About Same-Sex Relationships?

One of the assertions made by people in the Progressive Christian Movement is that Jesus never condemned same-sex relationships in the New Testament. The reason this statement is made is due to a lack of knowledge in who Jesus is. The Lord Jesus of the New Testament, is the Lord-Yahweh of the Old Testament, who brought judgment to Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual sin. When we examine the texts of Genesis 19:24, it is the preincarnate Jesus coming as Lord (Yahweh), to Sodom and Gomorrah, and destroyed everyone who lived in these two cities. See the essay: It Was Jesus Who Destroyed Sodom And Gomorrah

Persons who claim to be a true Christian while continuing in sexual sin as defined by the Bible, are not born again, they do not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They are false believers, designated by Paul as, ψευδάδελφος “pseudadelphos;” false or pretend Christians, and by Jesus, as zizanion, pretend believers planted in the Christian church by satan. There is No Salvation, Without Repentance

Pseudadelphos: Pretend Christians; so-called, but false

“Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really (ψευδάδελφος pseudadelphos)—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations.” ~Galatians 2:4

Zizanion: Pretend Christians; like the wheat, but weeds, planted by satan

“Another parable Jesus put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (ζιζάνιον zizanion) among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” ~Matthew 13:24-28

The pretend Christian does not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit because they did not sincerely repent of their sins and continue to trust in Jesus for all of their life.

Jesus said the true Christian, the person who has genuinely turned from their sins and has believed upon Jesus with all of their heart—continues to follow Jesus for the duration of their life. These are the persons God knew before He created the universe, and chose for eternal life.

God’s Choices In Salvation Is Based Upon What He Knew About The Saved

Everyone who God saves, was chosen by God, based upon what He knew about these people from an eternal perspective—seeing ahead of time—these people fully repent from their sins and completely trusting in Jesus before they were born. This caused God to choose these people for eternal life.

God’s choices before we were born neither deprives us of our choice, nor forces His will upon us. We have a choice, and God knew our choice. As a fact of His sovereignty, He chose people who would choose Jesus. This is neither Calvinism nor Arminianism. It is the principle revealed by the entirely of scripture.

In John chapter 17:6, Jesus says that people who are really saved and are the true Christians—were “known by God,” before He created anything, and they were, “always His.” If a person is described by God as, always His, there never could be a time when they were not His. In this statement we see the importance of understanding when God choose people for salvation: before He created anything.

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” ~Romans 8:29

A person who makes an initial confession of Christ and begins to follow Him, only to give up sometime later—this false confession was also known by God, before these persons were born. He did not choose these persons, who He knew would fall away from Jesus, for eternal life; He did not give them the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This brings us to the next principle of the truly saved:

The Holy Spirit Never Leaves The True Believer

In John Chapter 14, Jesus tells His disciples that after He departs earth for heaven, He will send, “another Advocate (Gr. Paraclete) an intercessor who will never leave us:

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” ~John 14:15-17

Jesus said that everyone who does turn from their sins and are born again by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit will never leave them. A person who later leaves Jesus after an initial confession that they believe, is defined as a false believer. These persons often say that they never felt the Holy Spirit in them, and this is due to the fact that He did not come to live in them because they were not born again.

I have read many posts on social media from atheists who claim they were once a Christian, but now an atheist—mocking the idea that the Holy Spirit exists, because they never experienced Him.

Notice in the comments by these two atheists (to the left) who claim to be former Christians, that they never experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This should have been evidence to these persons that they never were born again by the Spirit.

Jesus said that everyone who truly turns from their sins and is born again—receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter reinforced what Jesus said with his own words: ““Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 2:36-38

This is why the unbeliever does not know who the Holy Spirit is, or the power He gives to those who have been born again.

The Holy Spirit Enables Unqualified And Uneducated Persons To Do Extraordinary Things

Atheists often assert that Peter was illiterate and therefore not capable of writing the elegant Koine-Greek texts we find in the New Testament.

In Acts chapter 4 where Peter and John are standing before the religious leaders of Israel, Peter delivered an incredible expository teaching at the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, proving from the Hebrew scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah and the fulfillment of all the prophets wrote concerning Him.

As Peter has concluded his teaching, he is summoned by the leaders of Israel to answer their questions regarding why he is teaching in the name of Jesus. Notice that these men ask Peter, “by what power are you doing this?” They recognized that Peter had exhibited incredible ability to deliver, perhaps the most incredible sermon that exists in the New Testament. These highly educated leaders of Israel didn’t understand how a simple fisherman could accomplish this.

And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ~Acts 4:5-13

In Acts chapter 2, Peter begins to preach with such fervor and scholarly knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, that the leaders of Israel were completely flabbergasted at how an uneducated fisherman was able to navigate over 25 of the Hebrew texts and apply them to Jesus.[1]

It is the power of the Holy Spirit living inside every true believer in Jesus, that enables them to do extraordinary things. The world does not know the Holy Spirit, and it does not believe He exists.

Jesus said: “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” ~John 14:17

No One Can Correctly Teach The Bible, Who Has Not Been Born Again By The Spirit Of God

According to the requirements described in the Bible, there are seven facts that prove whether or not a person is genuinely qualified to teach the Bible:

1. They must believe God Exists (Hebrews 11:6).
2. They must seek to know God with all of their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
3. They must first repent from all sin (Matthew 4:17).
4. They must be born again by faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 16:31).
5. They must be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
6. They must diligently study the entire Bible for a lifetime (Daniel 2:21).
7. They must continue to believe in Jesus for all their life (Matthew 24:13).

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a truth that many in the world do not know or understand. A person cannot simply state they are a Christian, and be a genuine Christian, according to Jesus, unless a person has been born again, and they have the Holy Spirit living inside them. An atheist scholar, or any other scholar who has not been born again, and has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, can never be a genuine biblical scholar, regardless their academic credential obtained in this world. This is according to Jesus and the New Testament scriptures.

The founder of Calvary Chapel and one of the world’s great biblical expositors, Chuck Smith, said that no person can accurately teach the Bible, who has not been born again by the Spirit of God: [2]

Jesus Said That Those Who Are Not Born Again, He Prohibits These Persons From Understanding The Deep Principles Of The Bible

One of the interesting, but often overlooked facts of the New Testament, is that Jesus and the other writers of these texts, made it clear that any person who has not exercised faith in Jesus as their Savior, which causes the Holy Spirit to come to take up residence within them, can properly understand the genuine hermeneutics of these narratives and how to conduct a proper exegesis of these texts.

The correct form of New Testament Criticism that should be conducted, is to study, learn, and “rightly divide the word of truth.” God claims that the 66 books of the Bible are from Him, and they retain a certain supernatural origin, construction, purpose, and method for understanding them. The “natural man,” the person who has not been born again by the Spirit of God, does not have the capacity to understand the texts of the Bible because they are, “spiritually discerned.” 

The Bible describes the natural man—the person who has yet to be Born Again by the Spirit of God—as unable to receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” ~1 Corinthians 2:14

The person who has come into a new relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is able to understand the things of the Spirit of God. This person will be looking for the seemingly insignificant parts of the word of God to discover what the Lord might reveal.

The intellectual who does not have the Spirit of the Living God residing within them cannot understand any of these things, because they are spiritually discerned. I am not surprised that highly-intelligent men and women think that Jesus, the Bible, and Prophecy are foolishness. This is what the Lord said would happen when those who “think themselves wise” are confronted with spiritual truth; they will not understand it.

“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” ~1 Corinthians 1:21

The New Testament Describes Three Terms That Define All Human Beings:

1. Natural – Gr. “Psuchikos” meaning senses, or sensual. This is a person who is naturally born into the world and is guided primarily by their feelings. (James 3:15 and Jude 19)
2. Carnal – Gr. “Sarkikos” meaning fleshly. This person is “born again” by the Spirit of God but lives and walks to please their flesh. They are described as “Babes in Christ” who have not yet grown into spiritual maturity. (Romans 8:4; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4)
3. Spiritual – Gr. “Pneumatikos” meaning spiritual. This is the person who has been “born again” by the Spirit of God and is directed by and controlled by the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18-20)

The natural man may be highly educated, may possess great ability, and may be endowed with considerable knowledge. He may be personable, well spoken, and may possess the ability to captivate those who listen to his lectures, read his books, or see his programs by visual media. Though wise, the natural man is not able to discern spiritual principles; they are foreign to him. The meaning of scripture is hidden from those who have not yet been born again, as well as the carnal Christian, who can only understand the most basic and simple of Biblical truths.

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” ~1 Corinthians 2:14

Atheist scholars think that this idea is preposterous, and see the 27 letters of the New Testament as nothing more than literature from antiquity to be analyzed as any other ancient texts. 

This is the fatal error and the reason why so many atheists are not capable of understanding what they are attempting to study. A premise of the New Testament is that a person must first believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of anyone who diligently seeks Him.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” `~Hebrews 11:6

The type of genuine scholarship that is needed today regarding the New Testament is to learn what it says and how all of the texts of these 66 books work together for one common goal: to reveal who Jesus is to the world.

The view of atheist scholars is that the 27 books of the New Testament are not the Word of God, but merely ancient literature that resembles many other secular works of history.

With the advent of atheist New Testament scholars, the world has embraced the opinions of persons who don’t believe God exists, while trusting their authoritative ability to impeach the texts simply by their opinions.

Upon examination of the comments made by atheist scholars, we find that they provide us with no evidence to support their assertions, but rely solely on their opinions as scholars. 

The question is, how can a person truly be an expert concerning the Bible, when he doesn’t believe God exists? The scriptures of the New Testament state that these texts cannot be interpreted or understood by anyone who has not been born again by the Spirit of God.

Jesus: John 3:3 “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see (gr. opaw, perceive, understand) the Kingdom of God.” 

To the unsaved, the texts of the New Testament are foolishness, and lack credibility; to the saved, they are the wisdom of God, and wiser than the wisdom of men.

Paul addressed this issue in his first letter to the Christians at Corinth:

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.” ~1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Jesus told His disciples that people who have not entered into a relationship with Him by faith and believed in what He has accomplished, they cannot understand the principles and precepts of the scriptures. God hides these things from unbelievers:

Jesus replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” ~Matthew 13:11-16

Paul made it clear that the texts of the New Testament are for the sincere seekers of truth and those who already believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be. An atheist scholar is not capable of conducting a scholarly exegesis of these texts, because the God who is the source of these scriptures prevents the unbeliever and critic from understanding them or having the capacity to give accurate interpretation of these texts:

“But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.” ~1 Corinthians 2:10-15

Jesus: John 3:3 “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see (gr. opaw, perceive, understand) the Kingdom of God.”

Paul: 1 Corinthians 2:2-4: “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.  And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

“When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t born again of the Spirit can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

Paul made a point of clarifying the preeminent need of the Holy Spirit inside anyone seeking to be a biblical scholar, as the only method, whereby, God imparts knowledge of Himself:

“But it was to us (who love Him) that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” ~1 Corinthians 2:10-12

This is the reason that some people begin following Jesus, but they are never born again. Without the Holy Spirit living us us, we are just ordinary citizens of earth. It is possible to imitate being a Christian. A person can use the correct words, attend church, become a pastor, go into the mission field, and continue for decades, without ever being born again. It is only when we turn from our sins and determine to live for Jesus for the rest of our life, that God accepts our request for salvation, and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.“ ~Acts 2:38

The only proof that anyone is genuinely born again—has the Holy Spirit, has received eternal life—is if they continue to believe in Jesus and trust Him for the rest of their life. God knew who would truly in Jesus and be born again,  believe before He created anything. We can only know who the truly saved are by their continued trust in Jesus for all of their life.

Jesus said: “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” ~Matthew 24:12-13

The Fulness of the Holy Spirit: The Power of God Within Jesus

[1] Peter cites 25 texts from the Old Testament in Act 2-3, proving that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Messianic Prophecies:

1. Acts 2:17-21~Joel 2:28-32
2. Acts 2:18~Numbers 11:29
3. Acts 2:25-28~Psalms 16:8-11
4. Acts 2:29~1 Kings 2:10
5. Acts 2:30~2 Samuel 7:12-14
6. Acts 2:30~Psalms 89:4
7. Acts 2:30~Psalms 132:11
8. Acts 2:31~Psalms 16:10
9. Acts 2:34-35~Psalms 110:1
10. Acts 2:39~Isaiah 43:3
11. Acts 2:39~Isaiah 57:19
12. Acts 2:40~Deuteronomy 32:5
13. Acts 3:13~Exodus 3:6, 15
14. Acts 3:18~Psalms 22;
15. Acts 3:18~Psalms 41:v9
16. Acts 3:18~Psalms 69:4, 21
17. Acts 3:18~Isaiah 50:6
18. Acts 3:18~Isaiah 53:4-11
19. Acts 3:18~Zechariah 12:10
20. Acts 3:18~Zechariah 13:7
21. Acts 3:22~Deuteronomy 18:15, 18
22. Acts 3:23~Leviticus 23:29
23. Acts 3:23~Deuteronomy 18:19
24. Acts 3:25~Genesis 22:18
25. Acts 3:25~Genesis 26:4

[2] Chuck Smith’s extensive expository teaching

Categories: Robert Clifton Robinson