Yes, we were empty in our sin, buried in the deep abyss of unbelief, living in darkness. But then God took us to the cross, and we saw that Jesus died so we could live, and light and life came into us, and we believed the good news (2 Corinthians 4:3-6) and were raised to new life.
The Spirit and the Word. That is our only solution dear friend: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).
So, what is the role of the Spirit of God? Let’s read what He does in our lives:
John 16:8-11 ESV And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: (9) concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; (10) concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; (11) concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
After His death and resurrection, and ascension to heaven, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to this world, to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment. We can see the Holy Spirit doing this very thing when, after Peter’s sermon was preached at Pentecost, the people were “cut to the heart” (convicted) and cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).
So, we know the Holy Spirit is working on us when we’re convicted of our sin, we know we need righteousness and that we are facing judgment. In desperation, we ask the question, “what should I do?”
Before the work of God’s Spirit in our lives, we don’t accept responsibility for sin; rather we blame others. We make excuses; we look for ways to divert the attention (conviction) from ourselves. We believe the lies of the devil and are content to live in the way the world has taught us rather than how the Word has taught us. Or if we’re caught outright doing something wrong then we minimize it, tell lies about it, or compare ourselves favorably with someone else to try to escape our guilt.
But when the Spirit of God begins to operate on us, as He leads us to the cross, we come to our senses. We acknowledge our guilt because we’ve seen Jesus take our guilt on Himself, and we refuse to blame anyone else for we see that Jesus already took our blame. We don’t minimize our sin because we see Jesus suffering capital punishment for it. The Holy Spirit has convicted us!
Peter tells the crowd at Pentecost after they asked: “what shall we do?”
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Question 3. According to Acts 2:38, what would the people receive when they believed in Jesus (and showed their faith through repentance and baptism)?