God knows everything, but this does not eliminate man’s responsibility to confess his sins. Failure to do so forfeits God’s practical forgiveness.
Most people view sin as a private or earthy matter. Yet, every sin is against the Lord. In truth, men can sin against the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Man’s conviction is a work of God that begins within a man, hidden from the view of others. Yet, that work ultimately manifests itself on the outside. As the apostle Paul reasoned with Felix concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, the Spirit of God took the sword of the Spirit (the word of God) and worked within Felix. Though Felix’s conviction did not lead to his immediate conversion, it visibly affected him by causing him to outwardly tremble. The book of Daniel tells us that the Lord interrupted king Belshazzar’s party and caused his knees to smite against each other (Daniel 5:1-6). The Second Book of the Kings tells of Josiah’s conviction that was manifested through his weeping and the rending of his clothes (2 Kings 22:19).
Once confronted by the presence of the Holy One, man’s personal viewpoint always becomes increasingly realistic. By all standards, Job was a good man, yet the presence of God caused him to abhor himself “and repent in dust and ashes.” Conviction always magnifies the greatness of God and reminds man of his own vile nature. Ezra’s conviction was described as heaviness (Ezra 9:5) which caused him to rend his garment. That conviction humbled Ezra to the point where he said, “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens” (Ezra 9:6).
Man cannot be drunk with wine and simultaneously filled with the Spirit. The two elements are completely inconsistent and stand in direct conflict. Man will be either yielded to the control of the Spirit or yielded to the control of alcohol but cannot be yielded simultaneously to both. “[B]e not drunk with wine” is a commandment to avoid sin. “[B]e filled with the Spirit” is a commandment to yield to righteousness. This dichotomy should be an easy choice for each and every believer to identify and formulate. On one hand, the individual can choose to indulge in alcoholic beverages, resulting in a choice to displease the Saviour. On the other hand, he can yield to the Holy Ghost, resulting in a decision pleasing to His Lord. No believer should ever be deceived into believing that he can fill himself with both the world’s drink and God’s Spirit. It does not work, it will not work, and it cannot not work!
A believer should be controlled only by the Lord. At no point should a man be controlled by the cravings of his body, even that of his appetite. No doubt, Paul’s words above covered a much broader scope than simply a man’s appetite, but he too understood the need to control one’s cravings. The Bible records several instances where Paul was hungry and had nothing to eat (2 Corinthians 11:27). Solomon warned his son about the need for controlling one’s appetite when seated before rulers at a meal. He admonished, “When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite” (Proverbs 23:1-2).
