We now come to consider the Holy Spirit's work in connection with faith. To put it differently, can Scripture and man by themselves bring faith, or is this God’s work? Yes, God the Holy Spirit must take Scripture and illuminate it into and upon the darkened heart. "Without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the Word can do nothing" (Pg., 580). I would add without the Holy Spirit we can not know Jesus Christ.
Here is today’s summary.
1. Blind men can not see the blinding sun unless their eyes are made to see. Sinful men cannot see their sin or the truth of God in Jesus, unless they are allowed by grace to see the truth. [1 Cor. 2:9-11,14,16; Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21; Matt. 16:17; Rom. 11:34; John 6:44,45; John 1:18 and 5:37; Luke 24:27,45; John 16:13]
2. As man cannot initiate faith by himself, so he cannot beam the light of the Scripture upon his mind and heart, so as to love, believe and embrace Jesus Christ and be united to God.
3. Calvin sums it up. "Christ, when he illumines us into faith be the power of his Spirit, at the same time so engrafts us into his body that we become partakers of every good" (Pg., 583).
4. Saving Faith reaches both the mind and heart. To put it another way, the understanding must be illuminated in God's truth to such an extent that truth is grasped, loved, and followed by the heart.
5. The Spirit's illumination and "efficacious winning" of the heart will drive out those deep seated doubts, distrusts and blackness. The Spirit will seal God's truth in the believer's heart, being the guarantee. "The Spirit accordingly serves as a seal, to seal up in our hearts those very promises the certainty of which it has previously impressed upon our minds; and takes the place of a guarantee to confirm and establish them. After Ayou believed" (the apostle declares), "you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance" (Pg., 584). [Eph. 1:13-14. See Calvin’s Commentary on Ephesians]
6. Scripture tells us God's children confidently rejoice and persevere in their faith through the indwelling Holy Spirit. [1 Cor. 2:12; Rom. 8:9,11,14,16; 1 John 3:24, 4:13; Isa. 44:3; cf. Joel 2:28; Rom. 8:38,39]
7. God the Holy Spirit takes Scripture and illumines the mind and heart of his people to see God, but not only to see God…to also be at rest in God.
8. Again as Calvin said, "That the root of faith can never be torn from the godly breast, but clings so fast to the inmost parts that, however faith seems to be shaken or to bend this way or that, its light is never so extinguished or snuffed out that it does not at least lurk as it were beneath the ashes."
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