Bible Commentaries

Jeremiah 13:23

I. Conversion is wholly the work of God, man himself being incapable of effecting it, by any means, or through any instrumentality. What is the judgment of Scripture with respect to the condition of man as a fallen creature? (1) "He cannot please God." The Divine Spirit puts forth His power when men are born again; and until He thus puts forth His power, they are in the flesh, and cannot please God however much their actions may seem to resemble those which His word enjoins. (2) Man in his natural state cannot love and serve God. He is described as being without God, and as being alienated from Him. (3) Man cannot of himself do good either in the way of thinking or acting. (4) Man cannot of himself believe God's word. (5) Man in his natural state is represented in the Scripture as dead in sin. As the ear of the dead is sealed up against every sound, so are men while unrenewed insensible to the calls of God addressed to them in His word. As the dead hand cannot grasp, so the spiritually dead cannot lay hold of God's gracious offers.

II. While we say that nothing which men can do can qualify them for conversion, or merit conversion, or be the cause of conversion, we say at the same time, that there are certain things which they may do, and which they are bound to do, towards their conversion. (1) As the Word of God is the common instrument of conversion, men may do something toward their conversion and are bound to do so, by the way in which they read it, and the improvement they make of what they read. (2) Men may do something towards their conversion in the improvement they make of the ordinary means of grace, especially the preaching of the gospel. (3) Men can do something toward their conversion through the instrumentality of prayer. (4) They can avoid occasions to sin, by which they have been led away; they can serve God more faithfully, up to the light they have received; they can choose the company of the godly. All these are helps onward in the right path to Christ's believing people.

A. D. Davidson, Lectures and Sermons, p. 259.

References: Jeremiah 13:23.—Preacher's Monthly, vol. x., p. 108; Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes to Malachi, p. 276; H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiii., p. 220; J. Keble, Sermons on Various Occasions, p. 374. Jeremiah 14:7-9.—A. Maclaren, Christian World Pulpit, vol. iv., p. 337; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxviii., No. 1661. Jer 14—J. Keble, Sermons from Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday, p. 313; S. Baring-Gould, One Hundred Sermon Sketches, p. 12. Jeremiah 15:1.—H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2112. Jeremiah 15:12.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xvii., No. 993. Jeremiah 15:15.—S. Greg, A Layman's Legacy, p. 160. Jeremiah 15:16.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xvii., No. 980, and vol. xviii., No. 1079. Jeremiah 15:20.—I. Taylor, Saturday Evening, p. 178. Jeremiah 15:21.—Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 286. Jeremiah 16:16.—J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes, 1st series, p. 86. Jeremiah 16:20.— Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 125. Jeremiah 17:1.—Ibid., Sermons, vol. xiv., No. 812. Jeremiah 17:5, Jeremiah 17:8.—G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 181. Jeremiah 17:9.—Ibid., p. 23; W. H. Murray, American Pulpit of the Day, p. 295; W. Wilkinson, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. iii., p. 151. Jeremiah 17:10.—S. Cox, Expositions, 1st series, p. 103.