Tolerance and Truth

Dr. Couch, tolerance seems to be the word for today. No one can speak the truth with strong conviction as the apostle Paul in the NT. What do you say? ANSWER:  Paul comes out swinging with strong words in his epistles against sin and its consequences. For example, in 1 Timothy 1, he makes it clear that evil is thoroughly evil and must be addressed. He says that the law was righteous but it was given for those who were unrighteous and rebellious (1:9). He adds, the law was "for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."    Paul is saying that the gospel, and its indictment against the sins he has just listed, is to be applied to the culture and the society, not just for the acceptance within the church. These are sins that the gospel and the Word of God speaks against. Whether the culture likes it or not, these are sins that must be spoken against first by the Bible, and then by believers who are living in this world.    We presently have congressmen and judges in high places who are homosexuals and we should be able to speak out against them with the authority of the law of Scripture, that seems to be what Paul is saying in these passages.    We have been far too silent and passive. And I believe that we are all too afraid to address head-on the sinful state of our society. We have become quiet and do not have the ability to be vocal when the time arises.    Because of this silence, we will pay the price of seeing our nation sink deeper and deeper into the abyss of evil. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (11/10)

Does the Holy Spirit Only Convict Believers?

Dr. Couch, someone told me recently that the Holy Spirit does not work in conviction except through a believer. Is this biblically accurate?

ANSWER:  I do not know of a passage of Scripture that would verify that view. I did a run through the NT and could not find a passage that would confirm that. Many passages simply mention the work of the Spirit but do not refer to a believer standing by who becomes a kind of "agent" for His convicting work.

   I personally think that such a view is an overstatement. There is no doubt that the Spirit of God uses means such as the Bible, and of course often the witness of a believer. But to say that He never works without a child of God present cannot be confirmed by Scripture.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch