The Third Article.
Without The Holy Ghost I Cannot Believe In Jesus Or Come To Him.
Which is the Third Article?
_I believe in the Holy Ghost._
What does this mean?
_I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus
Christ, my Lord, or come to Him._
1. We confess that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in
Jesus Christ or come to Him. Whoever would be saved must believe in
Jesus Christ and so come to Him _"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved."_ Acts 16,31. Christ, our Lord, it is true, has
done everything that was necessary for our salvation. He redeemed us, He
paid the penalty for all our sins, by His sufferings and death He gained
for us the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins. He has done
everything that we might be His own and live under Him as our Lord. All
things are made ready for our salvation.
2. _The only thing that we need do now is to come to Christ and accept
from Him all He has gained for us._ Take an example. You are in great
want and distress. A rich and charitably inclined man offers you a sum
of money sufficient to help you out of your trouble. The money is yours,
for the rich man has given it to you. If you take it, your want will be
at an end. But suppose you do not take it. Perhaps you do not believe
that the rich man really means what he says, or you do not want to
accept it from him, or, if you have taken it, you are not making use of
it. The help has then been offered to you in vain. Your sad condition
remains as it was. So it is with what Christ, our Savior, has merited
for us. He has gained full salvation for us, and He offers it to us in
His Word. If we do not accept it, His work is in vain as far as we are
concerned; we remain in our sins.
3. How do we accept what Christ has gained for us? _By believing in Him
as our Savior._ He believes in Christ who from his whole heart
confesses: I know from the Word of God that Christ is _my_ Lord, that He
has redeemed me from all _my_ sins, from death, and from the power of
the devil. I know from the Word of God that _I_ am Christ's own, His
child, that He is really _my_ Lord. For His sake all _my_ sins are
forgiven. Through His suffering and death _I_ am free from death and
damnation and have everlasting life. _What Christ has done He has done
for me, a lost and condemned sinner._ In Him is my only hope. By faith
we come to Christ. Faith is, as it were, the _hand_ with which we take
everything that Christ has gained for us.
4. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, that is the only way
to heaven and everlasting life. But we confess that _we cannot by our
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him._ Alas!
also this is most certainly true. We are lost and condemned sinners. The
Scriptures tell us that all men are by nature _blind_ in these things.
We do not understand the glorious message that in Christ alone is our
salvation. We always try to save ourselves by our good works. If we are
told about this salvation, we think it _foolishness._ "The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto Him." 1 Cor. 2,14.--We have not the _strength_ to come to Jesus,
our Savior. We are _dead_ in the sight of God. _"Ye were dead in
trespasses and sins."_ Eph. 2,1. A dead person cannot do anything to
bring himself to life again. Lazarus could not raise himself from the
grave. So we cannot do anything to raise ourselves from our death in
sins. _"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord_ [that is, believe in Him]
_but by the Holy Ghost."_ 1 Cor. 12,3. And even if we could, we would
not come to Jesus and believe in Him. We are by nature God's enemies. We
do not want to be saved by Him. We cannot by our own reason or strength
believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him. _As far as we are concerned, we
are lost._
5. But God has had pity on us. He sent His Holy Ghost. The _Holy Ghost_
does what we cannot do. He brings us to Christ, He works in us true
faith. True faith is God's work in us, the work of the Holy Ghost, _His
work alone._ Not our works, but His _grace alone_ moves Him to do this
work. _"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."_
Eph. 2,8.9.