Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12
One of the things I remember about our literature books when I was in school is that every one of them had Bible chapters as examples of great literary works. And well they should! The Bible, especially the King James Version, towers far above every other English written work in terms of literary merit alone. The Literature books would contain one or more of the Psalms, and other great portions such as 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 2. The books presented these portions not for what they said but for how they said it. The writers and editors of those books never seemed to get past the literary value of these portions. Actually, that should not be surprising to us, because those writers and editors were operating on the basis of the spirit of the world, lacking the Spirit Who would have revealed to them the truths that those portions of Scripture contained.
Recognizing the Bible for its literary value falls far short of what the Word of God contains. And yet great scholars in this world are unable to grasp the significance of those things that are so readily understood by the most humble of Christians. We wonder why, as we present the Gospel, that so much of it is like a foreign language to the unsaved listeners at the same time that it brings delight to Christians who hear it. It is often frustrating for the preachers as they make the message as simple as they can but see it make no apparent impression of unbelievers even as it draws a hearty Amen from the believers. Our text explains the great difference in comprehension. Those who have the Holy Spirit within are able to appreciate the truths of God, because He brings that understanding to them. Those who have the spirit of the world are simply unable to grasp those truths. Without the Holy Spirit, their minds are barricaded against the Word.
So how are we to get through to those who are unable to grasp the truths of the Gospel? The simple answer is that we can’t. Getting through to people is not our department. All we can do is present the Gospel, whether in preaching or inviting people to meetings or in personal witnessing. And of course we can pray. But the rest is not up to us. The Spirit who works within us cannot do so within the unsaved. But He can, and does work from the outside. He alone can bring sinners to conviction and repentance. He alone can strive with them to draw them to Calvary. After we have done our part, we must leave the rest up to Him.
We are thankful for the measure in which the Holy Spirit unfolds God’s great truths to us. Let us also be thankful for the measure in which He deals with the unsaved, and let us give Him the opportunity to do so. -Jim MacIntosh