The Holy Spirit initiates salvation by convicting the sinner of his need, and then seals and fills the believer the moment he believes.
Les Feldick teaches that because every person is born a son of Adam with a dead spirit, no one can come to God by his own energy. The Holy Spirit must first "light a spark" within the individual, convincing him that he is a sinner and that the gospel is the only remedy. After the person believes, God instantly performs the entire work of salvation, including sealing him with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 3:23 — This verse is used by Les to show that the Holy Spirit's first convicting work is making a person aware that he is a sinner.
Ezekiel 18:4 — This verse states the Law's requirement that the soul that sins must die, which the Spirit uses to show the sinner his need of a substitute.
Romans 8:11 — This verse shows the Spirit's life-giving work, which Les connects to the full plan of redemption.
According to Scripture, every person has sinned: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Bible also declares the penalty for that sin: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). And Scripture promises that the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead will also make alive the believer's mortal body: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11). These verses show both the need for a work of the Spirit and the Spirit's power to give life.
Les Feldick consistently explains that salvation begins with God's Spirit, not with human effort. He pictures the unsaved person as a body and soul with only a sin nature and a dead spirit; dead people, he says, cannot even believe anything. Therefore the Holy Spirit must begin a work within the heart, making the person aware of what Scripture says about him: that he is a sinner because he is a son of Adam and that he has broken the Law which requires death. The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner and shows that the gospel is the only remedy. Les prefers the term "born from above" rather than "born again" because the world has misused the latter phrase. He also stresses that the Spirit can woo and convict, but God never forces the issue; the individual must make the final decision. The moment a person believes, God instantly forgives, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies, and seals him with the Holy Spirit.
Les teaches that after Adam's fall, every baby is born with a sin-bent personality and a dead spirit. He says dead people cannot even believe anything, so no one has the natural ability or energy to approach God. The first step of faith, he says, is believing what the Bible says about you: that you are a sinner. Since fallen people resist that verdict, God must do something; the Holy Spirit has to begin the work.
Les says the Holy Spirit makes entrance into the sinner's thought processes. He convicts him that he is a sinner, that he is a son of Adam, and that the gospel is the only remedy. The Spirit also shows the sinner that he has broken the Law which requires death, but that God provided Someone to die in his place. Les describes this as a tremendous loophole in the Law's requirement.
No. Les compares salvation to Rebekah's decision to go with Abraham's servant; she says, "I will go." He says the Holy Spirit can woo and convict, but God will never take someone by the nap of the neck and force the issue. For that reason, Les says he is against arm-twisting, because that falls into the energy of the flesh. Salvation has to be entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, yet the individual still makes the final decision.
Les says salvation is the all-inclusive work of God done instantly the moment we believe. God forgives us, justifies us, sanctifies us, glorifies us, baptizes us into the body, seals us with the Holy Spirit, and fills us with the Holy Spirit. He says we do not necessarily feel any of these things; we know they happened because the Book says so, and that is where faith comes in.
Born from Above and the Sinner's Condition
Les explains that a person born of Adam has no concept of God or communication with Him, so God must do something before the sinner can believe.
The Spirit's First Convicting Work
Les says the Holy Spirit makes a person aware that he is a sinner, using Romans 3:23 as the first step of faith.
The Spirit Makes Entrance into Thought Processes
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sonship to Adam and that the gospel is the only remedy.
The Spirit Moving on the Population
Les says the Holy Spirit moves upon the population, convicting people of their need because they cannot do it on their own.
Convicting of Sin and Providing a Substitute
The Spirit works on the dead spirit, convicting the sinner that he broke the Law and pointing him to the substitute who died in his place.
Lighting a Spark Within the Individual
Because dead people cannot believe anything, God the Holy Spirit must light a spark within the individual before he can come to real faith.
Wooing Without Forcing
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit can woo and convict, but God never forces salvation on anyone; the individual makes the final decision.
Sealing and Filling at the Moment of Belief
At the moment of belief, God instantly forgives, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies, and seals the believer with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This is the verse Les uses to show the Holy Spirit's first convicting work in the sinner.
Ezekiel 18:4: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
This verse underlies Les's point that the sinner has broken the Law and needs a substitute to die in his place.
Romans 8:11: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Les uses this verse to show the Spirit's life-giving work in the complete plan of redemption.
Les says the first step of faith is believing that the Bible says, "I'm a sinner." He says it is the first thing people rebel at, because they think they are pretty good. But the Bible says all are sinners, not because of what they have done but because they are sons of Adam.
No. Les says the Holy Spirit can woo and convict, but God will never take someone by the nap of the neck and force the issue. The individual must make the final decision, as Rebekah did when she said, "I will go."
Because the world has picked up the term "born-again" and applied it to everything, such as corporations and sports teams. Les prefers to use what he says the Scripture should have said in the first place: "born from above."
Les says the moment we believe, God instantly forgives, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies, baptizes into the body, seals us with the Holy Spirit, and fills us with the Holy Spirit. We do not feel these things; we believe them because the Book says so.
Watch the Teaching: What Happened When Adam Sinned? Genesis 3:14-24 Explained