Holy Spirit of promise." That is something to the
point. They "heard the word of truth," the gospel of their salvation.
Then, _after they believed_, they "were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise." There is nothing in the passage to warrant the teaching of a
special operation to enable them to believe.
4. "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of
Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened
to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul" (Acts 16:14).
This is relied upon to prove a direct work of the Spirit upon Lydia that
she might _hear_ and _believe_. The very thing to be proved is again
assumed. True, the Lord opened Lydia's heart, but he didn't do so that
she might "receive the word," for Paul had already preached it to her.
Her heart was opened that "she gave heed to the things spoken by Paul."
Before she heard Paul she had a narrow, bigoted Jewish heart. After she
heard the preaching, her heart was opened to attend to the things she
had heard. That is, she obeyed the gospel. Nothing about the Holy Spirit
in the entire history.
5. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the
world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye
know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16,
17). As I have elsewhere shown, this passage has a private and peculiar
application to the apostles, and not to the world of mankind. It
specifically states that "the world cannot receive" this Comforter. That
kills it as a proof-text that the world "must receive it" before it can
believe. Those who affirm a direct operation of the Spirit on "the
world" make a clear-cut issue with the Saviour.
6. "I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Cor. 3:6).
Those who use this to prove a special operation of the Spirit make it
mean, "I have planted _the word_ and Apollos has watered it, but God by
a special work of the Holy Spirit makes the increase of the word." This
is a false interpretation, as the apostle was not speaking of "the word"
at all. How could Apollos "_water the word_"? The apostle was speaking
of the _congregation_ at Corinth, which he had planted and Apollos had
tended, and which, under the care of God, had made increase. There is
nothing in the passage about the Holy Spirit.
7. "While Peter yet spake these words, the
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