January
14, 2003
HOW
CAN THESE THINGS BE?
"Nicodemus
answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?' "
(John 3:9, NKJV).
"Nicodemus
was still perplexed, and Jesus used the wind to illustrate
His meaning: 'The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear
the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where
it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit' (John 3:8).
"The
wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the
leaves and flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows
whence it comes or where it goes. So with the work of the
Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than
can the movements of the wind. A person may not be able to
tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances
in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him
to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ
is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps
unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend
to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through
meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through
hearing the word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the
Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders
itself to Jesus. By many this is called sudden conversion;
but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God,--
a patient, protracted process.
"While
the wind is itself invisible, it produces effects that are
seen and felt. So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will
reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its saving
power. When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart,
it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil
deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place
of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness,
and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. No one sees
the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend
from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the
soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human
eye can see creates a new being in the image of God.
"It
is impossible for finite minds to comprehend the work of redemption.
Its mystery exceeds human knowledge; yet he who passes from
death to life realizes that it is a divine reality. The beginning
of redemption we may know here through a personal experience.
Its results reach through the eternal ages."-- The
Desire of Ages, pp. 172, 173. (to be continued)
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