Lesson 37. How does the Holy Spirit bring people to faith?

Lesson 37

How does the Holy Spirit bring people to faith?

How do we know that the Holy Spirit is God?

Matthew 28:19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit…

the third person of the

triune God

is


Acts 5:3-4Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so

filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have

kept for yourself some of the money you received for the

land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at

your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but

to God.” calls him God

We know this because…

The Bible


Psalm 139:7-8

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make

my bed in the depths, you are there.



Hebrews 9:14

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal

Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!



1 Corinthians 2:10-11

…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit

searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who

among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except

the Spirit of God.

he has divine characteristics



Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty,

darkness was over the surface of the deep, and

the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.



Titus 3:5

…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his

mercy. He saved us through the washing

of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit…

he performs divine actions


Key Point #1We know that the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son because he is called God, he has divine characteristics, and he

does things that only God can do.

Why wouldn’t we agree with this statement: “Since the Holy

Spirit didn’t heal the sick or raise people from the dead the way that Jesus did, he can’t be

true God exactly like Jesus.

Why is the Holy Spirit’s work called sanctification?

1 Corinthians 6:11

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the

name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by

the Spirit of our God.

washes my sins away by working

faith in me

His divine actions (sanctification)


1 Corinthians 1:2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ

Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours…



1 Peter 2:9,11But you are a chosen people,

a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare

the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his

wonderful light. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens

and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires,

which war against your soul.

through faith, he calls me away from the sinful world to be holy along with all other believers


Key Point #2

The Holy Spirit’s work is called sanctification because, by bringing us to faith, he washes away all our

sins and turns us away from the sinful world to live holy lives along

with all other believers.

Mary says to you, “Sometimes I’m still attracted to the treasures and pleasures of the world, so I wonder whether the Holy Spirit has really sanctified me.” How

would you respond?

What means does the Holy Spirit use to bring us to faith and sanctify us?

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from

the beginning God chose you to be saved through the

sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the

truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of

our Lord Jesus Christ.through the

gospel

How he brings us to faith and sanctifies us


Romans 10:17

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the

message, and the message is heard through the word

of Christ.



John 17:17

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

in God’s Word



Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “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.”



Matthew 26:26-28While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his

disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and

offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This

is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many

for the forgiveness of sins.

in the sacraments (Baptism /

Lord’s Supper)


Key Point #3The means the Holy Spirit uses to bring us to faith and sanctify us is the gospel, specifically, in his Word and the sacraments.

(means of grace)

Evaluate…

Since the Holy Spirit brings people to faith only by the gospel in his Word and the

sacraments, then that means the Holy Spirit’s work is limited to how much mission work we do.

Lesson 37

The Holy Spirit uses his divine power to turn people away from the sinful

world to faith in Jesus through God’s Word and the sacraments.

Vocabulary…

“Sanctify”

To set apart as holy

Vocabulary…

“Sanctification” (broad sense)

the Holy Spirit’s work of making believers

Vocabulary…

“Means of Grace”

the gospel in Word and sacrament

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Lesson 37. How does the Holy Spirit bring people to faith?