SCRIPTURE
STUDIES
VOLUME FIVE - THE
ATONEMENT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
STUDY VIII
THE CHANNEL OF THE ATONEMENT
—THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD
The
Operation of the Holy Spirit — Now and in the Millennium — Various
Descriptive Names of the Holy Spirit, “Spirit of Love,”
“Spirit of Truth,”
etc. — In Contrast, the Unholy Spirit, “Spirit of Error,” “Spirit of Fear,” etc.
— Personal Pronouns Applied — The
Significance of the
Word Spirit — “God is a Spirit” — “The Holy Spirit Was not yet Given” — Gifts of the Spirit — The Transforming Power
of the Holy Spirit — The
Spirit by Measure and Without Measure — “The Spirit of the World,” Antichrist
— The Battle Between this and the Holy
Spirit — Spirit Fightings Without and Within the Saints — The
Spirit that Lusteth to
Envy — Taught of the Spirit — The Parakletos, the Comforter
— He Shall Guide You into all Truth and into Full
Atonement — The Spirit’s Supervision None the Less Since the Miraculous Gifts Were Discontinued.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God ...Ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God.” Rom. 8:14-16
“And it shall come to pass, afterward, that I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh.” Joel 2:28
THE GREAT work of the Atonement could not be properly
considered, nor clearly understood, if the work of the holy Spirit, in
connection therewith, were overlooked or ignored. The holy Spirit has much
to do with the presentation of the Atonement—making manifest to the
believer the divine forgiveness, as well as guiding him into full
reconciliation of heart to God. It
was under the begetting influence of the holy Spirit, received by our Lord
Jesus at his baptism, at the beginning of his ministry, that his
consecrated heart was enabled to see clearly and distinctly the Father’s
will, the proper course, the narrow way of sacrifice, and to appreciate
the exceeding great and precious promises, whose fulfilment lay beyond his
humiliation, ignominy and [page 164] death at Calvary.
By the holy Spirit, therefore, our Redeemer was enabled to perform
his great work, being guided thereby to do that which was pleasing and
acceptable before the Father, and which provided the ransom for all
humanity. Similarly the holy
Spirit is identified with the Church: all who have accepted the merits of
the great sin-offering, and who have come unto the Father through the
merit of the Son’s sacrifice, and who have presented themselves living
sacrifices, in harmony with the high calling to the divine nature held out
to such during the Gospel age, have needed and had the holy Spirit’s
aid. Only in proportion as
any receive the holy Spirit of God are they able to come into proper lines
of fellowship with the Father, and with the Son, so as to be able to
“prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” and
to do it. Only by the holy
Spirit are we guided beyond the mere letter of the divine testimony, into
a true appreciation of “the deep things of God,” and all those things
which God hath in reservation for them that love him, which the human eye
hath not seen, the human ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into the
human heart to understand and appreciate. 1 Cor. 2:9,10
The holy Spirit’s office will be equally important during the
Millennial age, in bringing the world of mankind back into harmony with
God, under the terms of the New Covenant, through the merits of the dear
Redeemer’s sacrifice. Accordingly, through the prophet Joel (2:28,29),
the Lord has drawn attention to this fact, pointing out that while he will
pour his Spirit only upon his servants and handmaidens during this Gospel
age, yet “afterward” his holy
Spirit shall be generally poured upon the world of mankind, “all
flesh.”*
During the Millennial age, then, the world’s progress will be in full harmony with the
holy Spirit; and in proportion as men shall come into full harmony with
that holy Spirit will any of them become eligible to the eternal
conditions of life and joy and blessing which lie beyond the Millennial
age. The fact that the holy
Spirit will cooperate with the glorified Church in the blessing of all the
families of the earth is also testified by our Lord.
After picturing to us the glories of the Millennium and its
abundant supply of truth as a mighty river of the water of life, clear as
crystal, he says, “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!
And whosoever will may come, and take of the water of life
freely.” Rev. 22:17
—————
*The order of this blessing is reversed in
the prophetic statement; quite probably,
in order to obscure the matter until the proper time, and thus
to hide some of the length and breadth and height and depth of the
divine plan, until the due
time for it to be known and appreciated.
[page
165]
But this subject of the holy Spirit, its office and operation, has
been grievously misunderstood by many of the Lord’s people for
centuries: and only in the light of the rising Sun of Righteousness—in
the light of the parousia of the Son of
Man—is this subject becoming thoroughly clear and reasonable, as it
evidently was to the early Church, and in harmony with all the various
Scriptural testimonies pertaining to it.
The doctrine of the Trinity, which, as we have seen, began to rise
in the second century, and reached a large development in the fourth
century, is responsible, in considerable measure, for much of the darkness
which blends with the truth on this subject in many Christian minds, much
to their disadvantage—confusing and mystifying all religious
convictions.
There is consistency in the Scripture teaching that the Father and
Son are in full harmony and oneness of purpose and operation, as we have just seen.
And equally consistent is the Scripture teaching respecting the
holy Spirit—that it is not another God, but the spirit, influence or
power exercised by the one God, our Father, and by his Only Begotten
Son—in absolute oneness, therefore, with both of these, who also are at
one or in full accord. But
how different is this unity of the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit from that held
and taught under the name of Trinitarian doctrine, which [page 166]
in the language of the Catechism (Question 5 and 6)
declares—There are three persons in the One God—the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost: “these three are one
God, the same in substance, equal
in power and glory.” This
view suited well “the dark ages” which it helped to produce. The period in which mysteries
were worshiped instead of unraveled found a most choice one in this
theory, which is as unscriptural as it is unreasonable.
How could the three
be one in person, in substance? And
if only “one in substance” how could they be “equal?”
Does not every intelligent person know that if God is one in person he cannot be three?
and that if three
in person there can be only one sense in which the three could be one,
and that not in person but in purpose, in mind, in will, in cooperation?
Verily, if it were not for the fact that this trinitarian nonsense
was drilled into us from earliest infancy, and the fact that it is soberly
taught in Theological Seminaries by gray-haired professors, in many other
ways apparently wise, nobody would give it a moment’s serious
consideration. How the great
Adversary ever succeeded in foisting it upon the Lord’s people to
bewilder and mystify them, and render much of the Word of God of none
effect, is the real mystery which will probably not be solved until we
“know even as we are known,” in glory.
The careful student of the preceding chapters has found abundant
testimony from the Scriptures, to the effect that there is but one
All-mighty God—Jehovah; and that he has highly exalted his First
Begotten Son, his Only Begotten Son, to his own nature and to his own
throne of the universe; and that next to these in order of rank will be
the glorified Church, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife and
joint-heir—otherwise styled his “brethren.”
These shall be made associates of his glory, as in the present age
they are required to be associates in his sufferings. The students have noticed also, that all scriptures harmonize
and agree in the above testimony; and further, that there are no
scriptures whatever which, either directly or indirectly, actually or
apparently, [page 167]
conflict with these findings.
The question then arises, Who, Where, What, is the holy Spirit?
Let us follow in respect to this question the same course of
investigation followed in the others.
Let us go to the law and to the testimony of God for all our
information. Let us not go to man. Let
us not accept the doubts and speculations of good people who are dead, or
of good people who are living, nor yet our own.
Let us remember the Apostle’s declaration that the Word of the
Lord is given with the intention—“that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:17)
Let us place our reliance wholly upon the Lord, and seek to know
the meaning of what he declares respecting the holy Spirit, bringing every
Scripture testimony into harmony; assured that the truth, and it only,
will stand such a searching examination. So doing, prayerfully and
carefully, our efforts shall be rewarded.
To him that knocketh, the door of knowledge shall be opened; to him
that seeketh, the knowledge of the holy Spirit shall be revealed. Isa.
8:20; Matt. 7:7,8
The holy Spirit is variously defined in the Scriptures, and to
rightly understand the subject these various definitions must be
considered together, and be permitted to throw light upon each other.
Notice that the holy Spirit is variously styled—“The Spirit of
God,” “The Spirit of Christ,” “The Spirit of Holiness,” “The
Spirit of Truth,” “The Spirit of a Sound Mind,” “The Spirit of
Liberty,” “The Spirit of the Father,” “The Holy Spirit of
Promise,” “The Spirit of Meekness,” “The Spirit of
Understanding,” “The Spirit of Wisdom,” “The Spirit of Glory,”
“The Spirit of Counsel,” “The Spirit of Grace,” “The Spirit of
Adoption,” “The Spirit of Prophecy.”
These various titles, repeated many times, and used
interchangeably, give us the full, proper assurance that they all relate
to the same holy Spirit—indeed, frequently the word “holy” is added
in, combined, as for instance, “The holy Spirit of God,” “The holy
Spirit of Promise,” etc. We [page 168] must seek an understanding of the subject which will
reject none of these appellations, but harmonize them all.
It is impossible to harmonize these various statements with the ordinary idea
of a third God; but it is entirely consistent with every one of
them to understand these various expressions as descriptive of the spirit,
disposition and power of one God, our Father; and also the spirit,
disposition and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, because he is at one with the Father—and also to a certain extent it is the
spirit or disposition of all who are truly the Lord’s, angels or men, in
proportion as they have come into oneness or harmony, with him.
It may be helpful to some to notice that there is another spirit
mentioned frequently throughout the Scriptures, and in opposite terms,
namely, “The Spirit of Fear,” “The Spirit of Bondage,” “The
Spirit of the World,” “The Spirit of Error,” “The Spirit of
Divination,” “The Spirit of Antichrist,” “The Spirit of
Slumber.” No one thinks
that these various definitions, if unitedly considered, would justify the
thought that there are two or more Satans. All
naturally and properly enough recognize the meaning of these terms, as
signifying in general the wrong
spirit—the spirit, disposition or power which has its chief
exemplification in Satan; the spirit manifesting itself in all who are in
harmony with sin and Satan. Very properly also, none think of these as personal spirits.
No more should any one consider the various applications of the
word “spirit” in a good sense, as signifying different spirit beings,
nor as signifying unitedly another
God. These terms, considered
unitedly, represent various features of the character, the disposition,
the Spirit of our God, Jehovah, and proportionately the spirit or
disposition of all who have received his Spirit, become partakers of his
disposition and come into harmony with the divine mind.
Certain unscriptural ideas, and therefore false ideas, respecting
the spirit of man, which will be examined in a succeeding [page 169]
chapter, lie close to the foundation of the
unscriptural and false view of the holy Spirit, now so generally
prevalent. And the wrong
thoughts respecting the Spirit of God and the spirit of man have been
intensified and deepened by the fact that the translators of our Common
Version English Bible have ninety-two times used the phrase “Holy
Ghost” without the slightest authority—the original Greek word being pneuma—spirit.
And the word “ghost,” to the uneducated, has a very vague
meaning, which, nevertheless, is very positively identified with the
thought of personality. It is worthy of note that in the Revised Version of
the New Testament twenty-one of these occurrences of the word “Ghost”
were changed so as to read “Spirit,” and that the American Revision
Committee recorded its protest in respect to the use of the word “Ghost” in the
remaining seventy-one occurrences. And
yet both the English and American Committees were composed of strict
Trinitarians.
There is absolutely no ground whatever for thinking of or speaking
of the holy Spirit as another God, distinct in personality from the Father
and the Son. Quite to the
contrary of this, notice the fact that it was the Father’s Spirit that
was communicated to our Lord Jesus, as it is written, “The Spirit
of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach
the Gospel.” (Luke 4:18) Turning
to the prophecy from which this quotation is made, we read there, in the
Hebrew, “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah
is on me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to proclaim good tidings to the
humble.” (Isa. 61:1) And to
the same purport we read again, “And the Spirit
of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might, the spirit of knowledge and of reverence of Jehovah.” (Isa.
11:2,3) Similarly the same
Spirit in Christ is referred to as “The Spirit of Christ,” the mind of
Christ—“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” Phil. 2:5 [page 170]
It is urged by some that our Lord’s reference to the holy Spirit,
recorded in John 14:26, proves that the Spirit is a person, because our
Common Version reads this passage thus: “But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.” But
a glance at the Greek text of this passage shows that the translators were
influenced by their prejudices on the subject, for there is no ground for
the use of the words “whom” and “he.”
The Diaglott
renders this verse thus: “But the helper, the holy Spirit which
the Father will send in my name, shall teach you all things and remind you
of those things which I said to you.”
The same criticism is applicable to the seventeenth verse of the
same chapter, which, in our Common Version, reads: “The Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him,
but ye know him, for he
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Here the expression, “Spirit of truth,” is evidently used in
contrast with the “spirit of error.”
The passage has no reference whatever to a person, but to the
influence of the truth, and the effect of the same upon the Lord’s
people. The Diaglott translation of
this verse reads: “The Spirit of truth, which
the world cannot receive, because it beholds it not, nor knows it;
but ye know it; because it
operates with you and will be in you.”
Take another illustration—“When he
the Spirit of truth is come, he
will guide you into all truth; for he
shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he
speak; and he shall show you things
to come. He will glorify me, for he
shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.” (John 16:13,14) In
this passage the Greek word, heautou,
is translated “himself,” yet the same word is frequently properly
translated “itself.” In
our Common Version this word heautou
is rendered in the masculine, feminine, common, and neuter genders.
For instance, in the above text it is rendered [page 171]
in the masculine;* in
1 Cor. 11:5 it is in the feminine gender—“dishonoreth her head”; similarly in
Rev. 2:20—“which calleth herself
a prophetess”; and again in 1 Cor. 13:5—“Love seeketh not her
own.” In 1 Cor. 11:31 it is rendered in the common
gender—“would judge ourselves”;
likewise in 1 Cor. 16:15—“have addicted themselves”;
again, Luke 22:17—“divide it among yourselves”;
again, John 6:53—“ye have no life in you.” As
illustrations of the translation of the word heautou
in the neuter form, in our Common Version, note the following:
“Let the morrow take thought for the things of itself.”
Matt. 6:34
“If a kingdom be divided against itself.”
Mark 3:24
“If a house be divided against itself.”
Mark 3:25
“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself.”
John 15:4
“There is nothing unclean of itself.”
Rom. 14:14
“The whole body...maketh increase of the body unto the edifying
of itself
in love.” Eph. 4:16
“Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being by
itself.” James 2:17
—————
*The pronoun follows its noun here,
Comforter (Gr. masculine, but arbitrarily
so, regardless of sex—as in the German, which makes stove and
table, masculine; fork, feminine; woman, neuter gender).
Similarly, the word ekinos, rendered “he” in the passage under consideration
might with equal propriety, be rendered “that,” “this,”
“those,” “the same,” “she,” “it”; and in our Common
Version English Bible it is rendered in all these different forms, and more
frequently than as the masculine pronouns, “he,” “his,”
“him.” Anyone skeptical
on this subject can readily convince himself by consulting a Greek-English
Concordance of the New Testament, which shows the various translations of
these words. We will give one
example of each of these translations of the word ekinos:
“It shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.” Luke 10:12
[page 172]
“She,
supposing him to be the gardener, saith.” John 20:15
“But know this,
that if the goodman of the house.” Matt. 24:43
“I do not say that ye shall pray for it.”
1 John 5:16
“On one of those days as he taught.” Luke 20:1
“The
same day was the Sabbath.” John 5:9
“The child was cured from that
very hour.” Matt. 17:18
It is not infrequent, however, to attach to a virtue or quality the
gender of the person or thing to which it belongs; thus, for instance,
because the heavenly Father is designated as masculine, therefore it would
be but proper that his power, his spirit, his every influence and
characteristic should be similarly designated in the masculine form.
Nor is it rare for things which are neuter of themselves to be
designated as masculine or feminine, according as they are strong and
active, or passive and delicate. Thus,
for instance, the sun is universally referred to as “he,” and the moon
as “she.” Hence, if it
were not for the general misconception on the subject, and the prevalent
thought that the holy Spirit is a person (and not merely the divine
spirit, influence or power—the spirit
of the Father), there could be no criticism made of the use of the
masculine pronouns in respect to the holy Spirit; because God is
recognized as masculine, as the Author and source of life and blessing.
So, then, let us not overlook the fact that the use of the personal
pronouns does not prove the holy Spirit of God to be another person from
the Father and the Son—another God. The holy Spirit or influence is the
Father’s spirit or influence, and the Son’s also, for these are one in
purpose and influence.
The
Meaning of the Word “Spirit”
The question, then properly arises, what senses or meanings attach
to the words “holy Spirit” as used in the Scriptures? [page 173]
What qualities or qualifications of the divine
character or power are represented by the word “spirit?” The answer
will best be found by first of all examining the strict meaning of the
word “spirit,” and then examining all the different methods of its use
throughout the Scriptures.
(1) The word “spirit,” in the Old Testament, is the translation
of the Hebrew word ruach,
the primary significance or root-meaning of which is wind.
The word “spirit” in the New Testament comes from the Greek
word pneuma, whose primary significance or root-meaning likewise is wind.
But let no one hastily conclude that we are about to attempt to
prove that the holy Spirit is a holy wind, for nothing could be farther
from our thought. But we
desire to present this obscure subject in such a manner as will be helpful
both to the learned and the unlearned: hence we begin with the
acknowledged root-meaning of these words, that we may ascertain how and why
it was used in this connection.
Because the wind is both invisible and powerful,
these words, ruach
and pneuma,
gradually took on much wider meanings, and came to represent any invisible
power or influence, good or bad. And
since divine power is exercised through channels and by agencies beyond
human sight, therefore this word “spirit” came more and more to be
applied to all of the Lord’s dealings.
Naturally also it came into common use in connection with such
human influences as are invisible; for instance, to represent the breath
of life, the power
by which the man lives, which is invisible,
designated the “spirit,” or “breath of life”; also for the power
of the mind, which is invisible,
called “the spirit of the mind.”
Life itself is a power and is invisible, and hence it also was
called spirit by the ancients. A
few illustrations of these various uses of the Hebrew word ruach
and the Greek word pneuma
may be helpful.
Ruach
in the Old Testament is translated “blast” 4 times, “breath” 28
times, “mind” 6 times, “smell” 8 times, “wind” and “windy”
91 times. In every instance the thought behind [page 174]
the word is an invisible
power or influence.
Samples of these translations of ruach
are as follows:
“With the blast
of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together.” Exod. 15:8
“All flesh wherein is the breath
of life.” Gen. 6:17; 7:15
“In whose hand is the...breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10
“They have all one breath: so that a man hath no pre-eminence.” Eccl. 3:19
“Which was a grief of mind unto Isaac.” Gen. 26:35
“Jehovah smelleth
a sweet savor.” Gen. 8:21
“Noses have they but they smell not.” Psa. 115:6
“God made a wind to pass over the earth.” Gen. 8:1
“Thou didst blow with thy wind.” Exod. 15:10
“Stormy wind
fulfilling his word.” Psa. 148:8
“The trees of the wood are moved with the wind.”
Isa. 7:2
Pneuma
in the New Testament is translated (besides “ghost” and “spirit”)
“life,” “spiritual,” and “wind,” as follows:
“To give life
to the image of the beast.” Rev. 13:15
“Forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual
gifts.” 1 Cor. 14:12
“The wind
bloweth where it listeth and ye hear the sound thereof.” John 3:8
And let us not forget that all of these various translations were
made by Trinitarians. We do
not object to these translations—they are quite proper: but we call
attention to them as proofs that the words ruach and pneuma,
rendered “spirit,” do
not signify personality, but do signify invisible power or
influence.
“God
Is a Spirit”
(2) “God is a Spirit”; that is to say, he is a powerful but
invisible being; likewise the angels are called spirits, because they
also, in their natural condition, are invisible to [page 175]
men, except as revealed by miraculous power.
Our Lord Jesus, while he was a man, was not designated a spirit
being, but since his exaltation it is written of him, “Now the Lord is
that Spirit”—he is now a powerful and invisible being.
The Church of this Gospel Age is promised change of nature, to the
likeness of her Lord, as it is written, “We
shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is.” The
Church is spoken of as being spiritual, inasmuch as she is in harmony with
the Lord and is declared to be begotten again by the Spirit to a new
nature, a spirit
nature, with the assurance that that which is begotten of the
Spirit will, in the resurrection, be born of the Spirit.
This use of the word spirit, it will be perceived, is related to
personality—spirit beings. 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 John 3:2; John 3:6
(3) Another use of the word spirit is in the sense of generative
power or fecundity, as in Gen. 1:2, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters”—that is to say, the power of God, his vehicle of energy,
fecundated waters, or rendered them fruitful, prolific.
Similarly, “Holy men of old spoke and wrote as they were moved
by the holy Spirit,” the holy influence or power of God fecundated their
minds, causing them to bring forth thoughts such as God wished to have
expressed. (2 Pet. 1:21) Similarly,
the skilled workmen whom Moses selected to prepare the paraphernalia of
the Tabernacle were brought under the influence of the divine power, to
the energizing or quickening of their natural faculties, without affecting
them in any moral sense, even as the waters of the great deep were not
affected in a moral sense. Thus
it is written:
“The Lord hath called by name Bezaleel...and hath filled him with
the Spirit
of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, in all manner of
workmanship, and to devise curious works; to work in gold, and in silver,
and in brass; and in covering of stones, to set them; and in carving of
wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart
that he may teach, both he [page 176]
and Aholiab,...them hath he filled with wisdom of
heart to work all manner of work, of the engraver and of the cunning
workman, and of the embroiderer.” Exod. 35:30-35; 28:3; 31:3,4
Likewise, we are informed that Jehovah God put upon Moses and the
elders of Israel his
Spirit, with special power for judging in Israel’s affairs,
preserving order, etc. (Num. 11:17-26) After the same manner God’s
Spirit was with the kings of Israel, so long as they were loyal to him. Notice, for instance, the case of Saul (1 Sam. 11:6); and
that this Spirit of wisdom or judgment pertaining to the government of
Israel departed from Saul, and was conferred upon David, whose
discreetness thereafter is specially noted. (1 Sam. 16:13,14) Thereafter,
instead of the Spirit of wisdom and courage and confidence, as a servant
of the Lord, Saul had an evil spirit, more literally a spirit of sadness,
of dejection, loss of confidence, in the realization that he was no longer
recognized as the Lord’s representative on the throne.
And this spirit of dejection, which brooded on calamities, is said
to have been from the Lord—probably in the sense that it resulted from
the Lord’s dealings, in removing from Saul his recognition and
sustaining power and direction in the affairs of Israel.
“The
Holy Spirit Was not yet Given”
But no manifestation of the Spirit of God, prior to the first
advent of our Lord Jesus, was exactly the same as the manifestation and
operation of the Lord’s Spirit upon our Lord Jesus, from the time of his
baptism until his crucifixion, and upon the Church of Christ from the day
of Pentecost until now—until the very end of this Gospel Age, and the
completion of the Church’s course in the first resurrection. In harmony
with this we read, “The holy Spirit was not yet given [except to our
Lord Jesus], because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:39
The operation
of God’s Spirit during this Gospel Age is [page 177]
widely different from its operation in previous
times; and this difference is expressed in the words “Spirit of
adoption,” “Spirit of sonship,” “Spirit of holiness,” “Spirit
of truth,” and kindred expressions.
As we have already seen, after Adam’s fall none of his posterity
were accepted as sons of God prior to the
first advent: the very highest title given to the father of the faithful,
Abraham, was that of friend: “Abraham was called the friend of God.”
But, as the Apostle John explains, when the Logos
was made flesh, he presented himself to his own people, Israel, and to as
many as received him (then and since) gave
he power (privilege, opportunity) to become the sons of God; and these, he declares, were begotten
of God—begotten of the Spirit, as “that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.” John 1:12,13; 3:3-8
The holy Spirit, in this sense of the word, is guaranteed only to
the house of sons; and the house of sons was unknown until the Beloved Son
was manifested in the flesh and redeemed the world, and granted to those who accept him the
opportunity to receive the adoption of sons. (Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5)
This adoption, as the Apostle informs us, primarily was the
inheritance of Israel, but since there was not a sufficient number in
Israel ready to complete the predestinated number to be adopted,
therefore, after accepting Israel’s remnant, “God did visit the
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name,” to be the sons of
God, joint-heirs with Christ, and this was foreknown and foretold through
the prophets. Rom. 9:4,29-33; Acts 15:14
But in what respects does this manifestation of the divine power,
influence or Spirit, during this Gospel age, differ from the manifestation
of it in previous times? The
Apostle Peter answers this question, assuring us that the ancient
worthies, although highly honored of God, and moved upon by his holy
Spirit, spoke and wrote things which they did not understand.
God used them as his servants to write out things not due to be
understood by them, but which in due time would be revealed to us, the
house of sons, by the operation of the same holy Spirit or holy power of
God [page 178]
upon those begotten of his Spirit.
In the past the Spirit’s operation was chiefly mechanical: to us its operation is chiefly explanatory and
sympathetic, expounding the divine plan through apostles and teachers
specially “set in the Church” from time to time, the object being to
enable the sons “to comprehend with all saints the length and breadth,
the height and the depth” of the divine wisdom and goodness, as
exemplified in the divine plan and its revelation.
Indeed, from the Apostle’s language, it is evident that even the
angels (who were sometimes used of the Lord as his channels in
communicating with the prophets, the mediums of his holy Spirit) were not
permitted to understand the meaning of their communications, any more than
were the prophets who wrote out the revelations for our benefit.
Note the Apostle’s words:
“Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched
diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come unto
you: searching what [time] or what manner of time [literal or
symbolic] the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow. Unto whom it was
revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things
which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto
you with the holy Spirit sent down from heaven: which things also the
angels desire to look into.” 1 Pet. 1:10-12; 2 Pet. 1:21
Gifts
of the Same Spirit, the Same Lord,
the
Same God
“There are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit, as there are differences of administration, but the
same Lord; there are divers operations, but it is the
same God which worketh all in all.
But a manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man [in the
Church] to profit withal. For
to one is given, by the [page 179]
Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge, by the same Spirit; to another faith, by the same Spirit; to
another, the gifts of healing, by the same Spirit; to another, the working
of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to
another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of
tongues; but all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to
every man severally as he will.” 1 Cor. 12:4-11
Here are enumerated some of the gifts
given by the holy Spirit to the Church, but we are to distinguish sharply
between the holy Spirit itself and these gifts or manifestations granted
in the early Church. As they
were not to understand that different spirits were operating in the
different members of the Church, because of the differences of their
gifts, so they were not to understand that it was a different Lord or
Master that gave these gifts, but all were to be identified as of the one
holy influence shed forth by the one Lord, the representative of the one
God over all, Jehovah; and to be explained as “differences
of administration,” or of operation. Not only so, but the Spirit
of God, the holy Spirit, has varied its administration in the Church: so
that, whereas “gifts” of the kind here mentioned were general in the early
Church, the day came, as the Apostle explained it would come, when
prophecy would fail, tongues would cease, and special inspirations of
knowledge would vanish away. (1 Cor. 13:8)
All of these “gifts”
were evidently necessary at the inauguration of the Church, at the start
of the new age, but became unnecessary after the Church had been
established and the canon of the inspired writings had been completed. These, the Apostle declares, are sufficient, “that the man
of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. 3:17
True, not all of these gifts have vanished away or ceased; nor does
the cessation of those which have been discontinued prove that the Lord
has less power today than he had eighteen centuries ago; nor do they prove
that the [page 180]
Lord’s people are less worthy or less favored of
the Lord. On the contrary,
they indicate a “diversity of manifestation,” and imply that God’s
people no longer have need of those cruder methods of instruction and
proofs of their acceptance with the Lord.
Now, instead of having such gifts miraculously bestowed, the
operation of God’s Spirit or power seems to be upon each of his
consecrated people—partly in proportion to their natural qualifications,
and partly in proportion to their zeal for his service.
And hence we find that the apostle, in this connection, and in
later epistles, incites the Church to seek to develop
spiritual gifts, powers, abilities, in and for the service of the Lord and
his people and his Truth.
These personally
developed gifts are to be esteemed more highly than these miraculously
bestowed; and hence the Apostle says, “I show unto you a more
excellent way”; “follow after love and desire [cultivate] spiritual
gifts, especially that ye may prophesy [publicly expound].” (1 Cor.
12:31; 14:1) The Apostle points out that the speaking with tongues was
merely for “a sign,” that the attention of the unbelievers might be
drawn to the Church and her methods. (1 Cor. 14:22)
And this gift, therefore, which was highly esteemed by some of the
Corinthians, he points out as being one of the least spiritual—adapted
less to the development of the spiritual Church, and chiefly useful in
connection with the unregenerate world.
This gift, and others of a somewhat similar class, quickly
disappeared from the Church after she had obtained a footing, and a
recognition in the world.
On the contrary, the “fruits of the Spirit” are to be encouraged, to be cultivated
more and more, that they may yield the full, perfect fruitage of love to
God, to each other, and the love of sympathy toward the world.
These fruits of the Spirit are designated by the Apostle to be
“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance.” (Gal. 5:22,23) The
word “fruit,” it will be noticed, [page 181] conveys a double thought, that it is a gift,
but of gradual development and maturity, and the result of labor.
So with the gifts of the Spirit: “Every good gift and perfect
gift cometh down from our Father,” but such-like fruits are not
miraculous gifts but gradual and indirect gifts, inspired by our
Father’s promises, and by our Lord’s instructions through the apostles
and prophets. They are
wrought out in us in proportion as we come into harmony and obedience of
thought and word and deed with the Spirit of our Father, by which we are
begotten, and by which, if obedient, we are having developed more and more
of the fruits of holiness, or fruits of the holy Spirit or disposition in
likeness of God’s dear Son, our Lord and Redeemer.
Thus, under the ministration of the holy Spirit of the Truth, the
faithful are being fitted to be “born of the Spirit” in the first
resurrection, spirit beings; as they were begotten of the Spirit at the
moment of consecration. Thus perfected as spirit beings, the Church will be heirs of
God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, our Lord, in fulness of unity and
fellowship with the Father and with the Son, complete in him, who is the
head of all principalities and powers, and the Father’s associate in the
Kingdom, and full of the Spirit of the Father and of the Son—the holy
Spirit.
It will be seen from the foregoing general views of the subject
that the same Spirit or power of the heavenly Father, Jehovah, which
operated in the creation of the world, and which operated differently upon
his servants of the past, is, during this Gospel age, operating still
differently, for the development of the Church, in the bringing of the
Church into harmony with God, and in fitting and preparing it as the
“Body of Christ” for a joint share in the Kingdom.
And it will be the same holy Spirit or influence of God that will
operate still differently during the Millennial age, through Christ and
the Church glorified, to bring the world into harmony and unity with the
principles of righteousness, and with the King of kings and Lord of lords.
[page 182] Nothing connected with this work in any sense or
degree makes necessary another God. Quite
the contrary. The fact that
it is the one God who is operating under various circumstances and
conditions, and by various means, for the accomplishment of his one
purpose, gives us all the more assurance that all his good purposes shall
be accomplished, and that, as he declares, “The word that goeth forth
out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void, but shall prosper in
the thing whereto I sent it.” Isa. 55:11
Divine
Will, Influence, Power, Spirit
From the foregoing we perceive that a broad definition of the words
“Spirit of God,” or “holy Spirit,” would be—the divine will,
influence, or power,
exercised any and everywhere, and for any purpose in harmony with the
divine will, which, being a holy will, implies that the steps and
operations of the holy Spirit will be in harmony with holiness. God
exercises his Spirit or energy in many ways, using various agencies in
accomplishing various results. Whatever
is accomplished by the Lord through either mechanical or intelligent
agencies, is as truly his work as though he were the direct actor, since
all those agencies are of his creation.
Just as, amongst men, the contracting builder may not be actually
working on every part of the construction, but every workman is his
representative and under his control: the work, as a whole, is the
contractor’s work, though he may never have lifted a tool upon it.
He does it with his materials and through his representatives and
agents.
Thus, for instance, when we read, “Jehovah God created the
heavens and the earth” (Gen. 2:4), we are not to suppose that he
personally handled the elements. He
used various agencies—“He spake and it was done [he gave orders and
they were promptly executed]; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psa.
33:6,9) Creation did not
spring instantly into order; for we read that time was used—six days or
epochs. And while we are
distinctly informed that “All [page 183]
things are of the Father”—by his energy, his
will, his Spirit, yet that energy, as we have previously seen, was
exercised through his Son, the Logos.
The transforming power of God’s holy Spirit, as it operates
during this Gospel dispensation, to bring his people into full at-one-ment with himself,
is a more abstruse, a less easily understood operation, than the exercise
of his power mentioned in Genesis 1:2.
It deals with a higher subject—with mind and free will instead of
senseless matter.
In the light of the Scriptures we may understand the holy Spirit to
mean:
(a) God’s power exercised in any manner, but always according to
lines of justice and love, and hence always a holy power.
(b) This power may be an energy of life, a physically creative
power, or a power of thought, creating and inspiring thoughts and words,
or a quickening or life-giving power, as it was manifested in the
resurrection of our Lord, and will again be manifested in the resurrection
of the Church, his body.
(c) The begetting or transforming power or influence of the
knowledge of the Truth. In
this aspect it is designated “The Spirit of Truth.”
God rules his own course according to truth and righteousness;
hence, God’s Word, the revelation of his course, is called
Truth—“Thy word is Truth.” Similarly, all who come under the
influence of God’s plan of Truth and righteousness are properly said to
be under the influence of the Spirit or disposition of the Truth: they are
properly described as begotten of the Truth to newness of life.
The Father draws sinners to Christ through a general enlightenment
of the mind, a conviction of sin and of their need of a Redeemer. Those who accept Christ as their Savior and Advocate, and
come to the point of full consecration to God, through Christ, are said to
be begotten
of God, “begotten by the word of truth,” begotten by the [page 184]
Spirit of God to a newness of life.
That is to say, having come into harmony with divine conditions and
regulations, God accepts this consecrated attitude as the proper one, and
passing by or covering the weakness of the flesh with the robe of
Christ’s righteousness—justification by faith, he accepts such as
“new creatures in Christ Jesus,” whose desire is to be guided by his
Spirit into all truth, and to be led by that holy disposition or Spirit
into full obedience to the extent of self-sacrifice, even unto death. Such are said to have received “the Spirit of adoption,”
because from thenceforth God, through Christ, enters into a special
covenant with these as sons. And
the Father, through the Captain of their Salvation, guarantees to such
that if they abide in the
Spirit
of the Truth he will cause that all the affairs and incidents of
life shall work together for good to them — to the development in them of
more and more of the spirit of righteousness, truth, peace, joy; they
shall have more and more of the holy Spirit, as they progress in obedience
to the Spirit of Truth. Hence
the exhortation to such is, “Be ye filled with the Spirit,” “walk in
the Spirit,” “let the Spirit of Christ dwell in you richly and abound,
and it shall make you to be neither barren nor unfruitful.”
This holy Spirit operating in the believer from the time of his
full consecration to the Lord, is the same holy Spirit or disposition of
the Father which operated in our Lord Jesus Christ, and hence it is also
styled “the Spirit of Christ,” and we are assured, “if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9
The
Spirit by “Measure” and
“Without
Measure”
Our Lord Jesus was begotten of the holy Spirit at his baptism, his
consecration; and so likewise the members of his body, his Church, we have
seen, are “begotten” at their “baptism into his death,” at the
moment of their full consecration: but there is a distinction to be always
remembered; [page 185] viz., that our Lord Jesus, the Head of the Church,
received the holy Spirit without
measure, unlimitedly (John 3:34), while his followers receive it
by measure, or limitedly—a measure of the Spirit is given to every man
(in the Church). (1 Cor. 12:7; Rom. 12:3)
The reason for this difference is that our Lord was a perfect man,
while we, his followers, although accepted as reckonedly perfect
(justified by faith), are actually very imperfect.
The perfect man as the very image of God could be in fullest
harmony with God and with his Spirit of holiness, in every and all
particulars; but in proportion to the degradation through the fall, our
harmony with God and with his Spirit of holiness has been impaired, though
it is the duty and privilege of each to thoroughly seek to know and to do
the Lord’s will and to have no will in opposition to his; yet no member
of the fallen race is capable of receiving the Lord’s Spirit to the
full—to be in absolute harmony with God in every particular. And hence,
amongst those who believe, and who consecrate themselves, and who receive
the holy Spirit of adoption, we find it possessed in different measures,
these measures depending upon the degree of our fall from the divine
image, and the degree of grace and faith attained since coming into the
body of Christ. And the rapidity with which we may acquire more and more of
the holy Spirit, coming into fuller and fuller knowledge and accord with
every feature of the divine plan, is dependent largely upon our
realization of our own imperfections, and the degree of our consecration
to the Lord—to the study of his will, in his Word, and to the practice
of the same in the affairs of life.
To the extent that the consecrated believers resign themselves to
the Lord, and, ignoring their own wills and preferences, seek to walk in
his way, they are “led of the Spirit,” “taught of the Spirit,” and
can “serve the Lord in newness
of Spirit.” To
continue under this leading and instruction they must have a “Spirit of
meekness” (Gal. 5:22,23; 6:1), so that the “God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory,” can give unto them the “Spirit
of wisdom and revelation, [page 186] in the knowledge of him; the eyes of their
understanding being enlightened, that they may know what is the hope of
his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints.” Eph. 1:17,18
In these various presentations of the work of the holy Spirit, and
in many others which will come to the attention of Bible students, nothing
can be found to necessitate another God. Quite
the contrary: a proper conception of the one God shows that his omnipotent
power and resources are abundantly sufficient, and that he who said to
Israel, “Hear, O Israel, Jehovah thy God is one,” is not in need of
assistance. Indeed, to be
consistent, those who claim that another God is necessary to attend to
matters referred to as the operation of the holy Spirit of God, might with
equal consistency claim many spirit Gods—a spirit of adoption, spirit of
meekness, spirit of Christ, spirit of the Father, spirit of love, spirit
of justice, spirit of mercy, spirit of holiness, spirit of truth, spirit
of patience, spirit of glory, spirit of knowledge, spirit of grace—a
separate God for each department. But, as the Apostle explains, all these
variations of operation belong to the one Spirit of the one omnipotent
Jehovah.
The
Spirit of the World—
The
Spirit of Antichrist
The spirit of the world is the opposite to the Spirit of God.
Since the whole world is in a fallen condition, and is under the
blinding and seducing influences of the Adversary, its spirit or
disposition necessarily is in constant conflict with the holy, the true,
the just, the loving Spirit or disposition of God: in conflict therefore
with the holy Spirit received by his people through his Word, and all his
holy influences variously exercised upon them. As Satan’s spirit of selfishness, hatred, envy and strife
works in and largely controls the children of this world, so the holy
Spirit of God, [page 187]
the Spirit of love, gentleness, meekness, patience,
goodness, brotherly kindness, works in and largely controls the children
of God. And these two spirits
or dispositions, the one of love and goodness, the other of selfishness
and evil, are in conflict continually, and wholly irreconcilable.
The Scriptures speak of this spirit which is working in the world
in opposition to the holy Spirit, as “the spirit of Antichrist”—the
spirit or disposition which is opposed to Christ.
First, it desires to ignore him entirely, to dispute that he ever
came into the world; then if unsuccessful in this, it will claim that our
Lord Jesus was a mere man, a sinful man; if this position be disproved, it
will still claim that anyway he accomplished nothing, or that he was
merely an example, and not a Redeemer.
Hence we are enjoined by the Scriptures to test, to try, to prove
the spirits (the doctrines that present themselves to us, claiming to be
of the spirit of truth). We
are to test them, not merely by their outward appearance and claims, but
by the Word of God. “Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of
God...and know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John
4:1,6
Holy
and Unholy Influences at Warfare
God’s perfections of character are the standards
for holiness, righteousness and truth for all his creatures.
Every thing and every creature opposed to or not in full accord
with the standards is unholy, untrue, unrighteous.
These adverse influences are sometimes credited to Satan because he
is the arch-enemy of God and was the first conspirator against
righteousness—the originator of error, “the father of lies” and
deceptions. But we are to
distinguish between evil spirit beings and evil spirit influences
just as we do between holy spirit beings and holy spirit influences.
The trend of evolutionary thought among educated people who neglect
the Bible (including so-called Higher Critics), is to ignore [page 188]
the personality
of Satan and his associated wicked spirits in exalted positions (Eph.
6:12), and to claim that there is no evil influence per
se, and that man merely contends with his own ignorance and
misdirection of his own good qualities. Similarly, others, still farther
advanced (in error), still more highly educated (in untruth), and still
further panoplied with philosophies (falsely so called), are reaching the
conclusion that there is no personal God but merely
good influences which they claim inhere in man and are gradually being
evolved to perfection.
But we are giving heed to the oracle of God, his Word, which the
Apostle assures us is able to make wise unto salvation, and which we have
found to contain a fountain of life and light and holy Spirit of truth
with which human theories and lights cannot compare.
It shows us that God is a holy Spirit (being)
and that his holy Spirit (influence)
is always exercised in harmony with righteousness, and that all who are in
harmony with God and in at-one-ment
with him must have his Spirit of holiness—The Only Begotten Son in whom
dwells the fulness of the divine Spirit—the holy angels who have no
other will than the Father’s holy will or Spirit—the Church from among
men who have some measure of the mind or Spirit of their Head (else they
are none of his), and who are seeking to be more and more filled with this
Spirit of holiness and divested of all unholy disposition and influences.
Likewise the Word teaches that Satan is a spirit (being) and has an
unholy spirit, mind, disposition; and exercises an unholy spirit or
influence through various channels and agents.
The fallen angels, also spirit beings, fell by losing their spirit
of holiness and devotion to God and his righteous standards, and are now
of unholy spirit or disposition, and exercise an evil influence or spirit
as they have opportunity.*
And the world of mankind, falling through Adam, have become
servants of sin: some sin voluntarily for the pleasures of sin; some
involuntarily, [page
189] though “feeling after God,” and blinded and
deceived by the Adversary, and controlled by the spirit of error.
—————
*“What Say the Scriptures About Spiritism?”
Address the publishers.
Mankind—the minds or “hearts” of men—is the battle ground
on which the holy spirit of light, love, justice, truth, holiness, the
Spirit of Jehovah and of his Son, man’s Redeemer, contends with the evil
spirit of Satan, sin, darkness, untruth, hatred, envy, malice, etc.
Sold under sin, by our first parent, Adam, his family became
“slaves of sin” “through frailty,” through the weakness of
heredity. (Rom. 5:12,21; 6:16-23; 7:14; 8:20,21)
In this captive condition they have been blinded by the god (ruler)
of the present evil world (condition) who puts evil before their minds as
good, and darkness for light (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:12; Isa. 5:20), and
having thus perverted the vast majority, and made it easy to do evil and
difficult to do good, and having ranged all the advantages of the present
time on the side of evil and made it impossible to attain these except by
conforming to his unholy spirit, which is “the spirit of the world,”
he has general control, first of the masses through ignorance, and
secondly, of the more intelligent through pride, selfishness, etc.
The battle
did not begin until our Lord’s first advent; for the Spirit of Truth
came first upon our Lord Jesus and at Pentecost upon his Church.*
—————
*The battle
of the Law of Righteousness was confined to the one little nation,
Israel, and as God foresaw “The Law made nothing perfect”—none
of the fallen race could or were expected to win in that fight.
It was really to
manifest Christ Jesus, the only Law-keeper, as the channel of
divine mercy; and incidentally to discipline a people and make “a
remnant” of them ready for
the Spirit Dispensation and its conflicts by pointing
them to Christ.
The world was dark when our Lord Jesus appeared in it filled with
the Spirit of God, the light of divine truth, which constituted him “The
Light of the world”; and at once the battle began; the true light, the holy Spirit, since Pentecost,
being represented, not by the nominal churches, but by the true members of
Christ’s [page
190] body, possessors of the holy Spirit of their Head.
The battle could not commence sooner because none of mankind (all
being sinners) could be the channels of God’s holy Spirit, his
representatives, ambassadors for righteousness and truth, soldiers of the
cross. Atonement
for man’s sin must first be made before there would be any
mission for the holy Spirit to perform—before there would be anything to
battle
for. Mankind was sentenced to death—to everlasting destruction,
as enemies of righteousness: why battle for the doomed? why try to
influence them to righteousness, when no hope of reward for their efforts
could be held out? Properly
therefore the ransom
came first; and it was as a result of the acceptance of that ransom by the
Father that the holy Spirit was granted to those adopted into his family
as sons through Christ.
But some one may observe that the battle,
ever since it began, seems to be against the holy Spirit and in favor of
the spirit of evil—since the servants of sin today by natural increase
of population are many times more numerous than they were when the battle
began, and are still increasing much more rapidly than even nominal
Christianity, though the battle has been in
progress for nearly nineteen centuries.
Furthermore the spirit of evil and malice and error triumphed
against the holy Spirit in our Lord to the extent of crucifying him: and
similarly it has triumphed against all the faithful members of the body of
Christ—misrepresenting, slandering and evilly entreating them,
variously, according to time, place and circumstances.
The object of these attacks of the spirit of evil and its servants
upon the Spirit of holiness and its faithful is ever the same—to
undermine the influence of the Spirit of the truth; to make the holy
appear unholy; to cause that the pure and unselfish shall appear selfish
and impure; to put darkness for light.
Nor do the servants of unholiness always realize what they do:
becoming imbued with the spirit of evil, the [page 191]
spirit of hatred, malice, envy, strife, it blinds
them so that they “know not what they do,” and often, evidently,
“verily think that they do God service.”
Why this defeat of the Spirit of holiness?
Will it always be thus?
We answer that this defeat of the Spirit of holiness is merely a
seeming defeat and not an actual one.
Actually the Spirit of holiness has been triumphing ever since the
battle began. Its twofold
mission during this Gospel age has been well accomplished.
(1) It was to be in God’s people according to the degree of their consecration
and zeal toward God and his righteousness, and by reason of the prevalence
and power of the spirit of evil in the world about them was to prove a
test of their characters, present conditions demanding that whosoever
would live
godly in this present time must suffer persecution—must be
willing to have “all manner of evil” falsely spoken against them and
yet take it patiently, as did their Master, continuing, nevertheless,
faithful to the Lord and his cause at any cost—counting not their
earthly lives dear unto them. 2 Tim. 3:12; Matt. 5:11; 1 Pet. 2:23; Acts
20:24
(2) The light of the Spirit of holiness in
God’s people was to so shine forth upon the world that it would attract all not thoroughly blinded
by the perverse spirit of the Adversary. It was to shine into the darkness
of sin reprovingly—witnessing
against all unrighteousness; thus awakening the conscience of even the
blinded to a realization of responsibility to God and a future day of
reckoning. Thus our Lord
instructed his followers that after receiving the holy Spirit they were to
witness to the Truth
amongst all nations—whether the people hear or whether they forbear.
The holy Spirit has triumphed in both the objects for which it was
sent. It has selected a
faithful “little flock” of “overcomers,” followers of the way of
righteousness—Jesus the Captain and his faithful band of soldiers of the
cross, all [page 192]
of whom consecrated “even unto death”; and to
whom the Kingdom reward will soon be given—when the last members have
been fully tested and made perfect through sufferings for righteousness’
sake. It has also triumphed
in respect to witnessing
to the world. Our Lord
foretold that the effect of the witnessing would be to convince the world
of sin, of righteousness and of a coming day of righteous judgment, in
which evil deeds of the present life will have a just retribution,
according to the degree of light enjoyed by the transgressor.
This witness has gone far and near, and today the world as a whole
recognizes these three items which the Spirit of holiness in the Church
has set before it—sin, righteousness and judgment.
True, the world has not clear and correct ideas of righteousness,
nor of sin, nor does it understand the character and object of the coming
judgment—nor that it will be a thousand-year day: nor does the world
understand clearly the Church’s call during this age, to escape judgment
with the world and to become its judges in that judgment day by now voluntarily
sacrificing earthly interests for righteousness’
sake—following in the footsteps of the Redeemer. It is not necessary for
the world to know these particulars—they do not concern it.
These are among “the deep things of God,” which none can
appreciate except as they become heartily obedient to the Lord’s call to
righteousness, and consecrating themselves receive of the Spirit of the
Father, and as sons are thus made acquainted with the minutiae of the
divine plan. 1 Cor. 2:10,11
In reply to the query, Will it always be thus? we answer, No.
As soon as this age has developed the “little flock,” called to
be joint-heirs with Christ, it will cease.
The next operation of Jehovah’s holy Spirit or power will be the
establishment of that Kingdom: and with its establishment the holy
Spirit’s operation will be along the Kingdom lines—establishing
judgment and justice in the earth. It
will lay judgment to the line and justice to the plummet, and falsehood
and deception of every kind will give place to [page 193]
clear knowledge of the Truth.
Instead of longer witnessing to the world a “judgment
to come,” it will witness to it that judgment has commenced and
that every transgression will promptly receive a just recompense of
punishment. Instead of
witnessing to the Church, “Judge nothing before the time,” it will witness to the contrary that they as
God’s instruments have been specially qualified to judge the world with
a righteous judgment. Instead
of those in harmony with God and possessed of his Spirit of righteousness
and truth being required to suffer for righteousness’ sake they will be
crowned kings and priests of righteousness and commissioned to reign over
the earth for its blessing and restitution to perfection, to
righteousness, and the “cutting off from life,” in “everlasting
destruction” of all who wilfully reject the opportunities of the blessed
day of judgment secured by the love of God through the ransom given by our
Lord Jesus. Thus shall the
great Jehovah and his Spirit of holiness and all who ally themselves
thereto finally triumph, and sin and Satan and the spirit of evil shall be
forever extinguished and there shall be no more curse. Isa. 28:17; 1 Cor.
4:5; 6:2; Acts 3:23; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 22:3
Spirit
Fightings Without and Within the Saints
We have considered the battle as a whole: let us glance at some of
its present phases. While it
may be considered as the Church’s conflict it is nevertheless an individual conflict with
sin. While the Church will
come off conqueror, it will be composed only of the individual victors.
And as the victory in the Church is a victory of God’s holy
Spirit, power or influence against the spirit of evil, of unrighteousness,
it is the same in the individual saint.
The majority of Christian people (nominal Christians, even
including so-called “spirit wrestlers,” “sanctificationists,”
etc.) know little about the real spirit battles and victories, because the
majority have never made the proper [page 194]
consecration, and have never received the holy Spirit
of the Truth. Some have
consecrated themselves to a sect, and have received a sectarian spirit of
love for the sect, devotion to the sect, service and sacrifice for the
sect, etc. Others have
recognized one or more moral principles and have consecrated themselves
never to violate those moralities: these receive the spirit of moralities,
a self-satisfied spirit, a self-righteous spirit.
Others have singled out some virtue which they worship and whose
spirit they receive—for instance, patience—and they are fully
satisfied when they have attained a good degree of patience and its
spirit. Others consecrate
themselves to “work” for Jesus and seem satisfied only when they are
in a bustle of exciting activity; it matters little to them what kind the
work is, so that it is not openly serving Satan and so that there is
plenty of it and they have a prominent place: it is not so much results
they seek as work, and hence they are quite content to “beat the air,”
hoping that in the end they will find that they have not done much harm.
For these to take time to study God’s Word and to ascertain the
kind of workmen he seeks, and the kind of work he desires to have done,
would be to them a violation of their covenant of consecration—for they
consecrated themselves to work and are satisfied of heart only when they
are in a fever of excitement. Others
more wise, but not truly wise either, consecrate themselves to a
particular kind of service for God and man—the service which they
think needs them most. If
they consecrate
to “temperance work,” they receive the spirit of that work and have
whatever blessing comes with it. Or
if they consecrate to social
reform work they get the spirit of social reform and its blessings.
All of these consecrations, and the spirits or dispositions
resulting, have both good and evil influences.
Any of them is far better than a consecration to evil and its
spirit of evil. Any of them is far better even than consecration to self
and the spirit of selfishness accompanying it.
Any of them is far better even than an aimless life consecrated to
nothing. But [page 195]
none of these can compare in any sense to the
consecration taught in the Scriptures and exemplified in our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the exemplar of his body, the Church.
This, the true consecration, alone brings to the heart the holy
Spirit, the Spirit of the Truth, which the world cannot receive.
This true proper consecration differs from all others. It has but the one shrine at which it bows: it bows to
Jehovah’s will, surrendering self and self-will a living sacrifice on
the Lord’s altar, a reasonable service.
It makes no stipulations or reservations.
The language of the Chief Priest is that of each member of the
“royal priesthood”: “I came not to do mine own will, but the will of
him that sent me.” “Lo I
come (as in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O
God.” Such are made
partakers of the holy Spirit.
Those who have consecrated their wills, and accepted unreservedly
the Word and will of God, through Christ, are said to be heavenly or spiritually minded.
These are so transformed, so entirely different from what they were
in their former earthly condition, that they are called New Creatures, and
this name would not be inappropriate to them if it signified nothing more
than the radical change of heart or will which they have experienced.
But it does mean more; it means that these who are now being
selected from the world by the holy Spirit of Truth, and who are
approaching God through the new and living way which was opened up by the
great sacrifice for sins, are really embryo new creatures, whose
perfection in the divine nature only waits for the resurrection change, in
the end of this age, conditioned wholly upon their faithfulness as new
creatures to the leadings of the holy Spirit.
However, this new mental creation, or transformed mind, the embryo
of the new creature, which shall come fully into being in the
resurrection, is still identified with a human body, and thus the Apostle
says of this class, “We have this treasure [the new mind, the new
nature] in earthen [page 196] vessels.” (2 Cor. 4:7) Speaking of the same thing, the Apostle assures us that when
the earthly house is dissolved, sacrificed, dead with Christ, we shall,
nevertheless, have a building of God, a new house, a glorious body, in
harmony with and in every way fitted for the indwelling of the new mind
and its Spirit of holiness (2 Cor. 5:1), if we are of the faithful
overcomers who continue to the end of the pilgrimage of the narrow way,
walking in the footsteps of our Captain.
The word holy
is derived from the word whole
and signifies completeness; hence the holy Spirit is a whole or a complete
spirit. And thus we see without surprise that those who have received
the holy Spirit or complete spirit in any good measure are thereby rounded
out on all sides of their characters—better balanced than ever before in
their judgments—they have “the Spirit of a sound mind,” however the
enmitous blinded spirit of the world may declare of them, “Thou hast a
devil and art mad”; because they live for, labor for and enjoy the
things unseen as yet, everlasting in the heavens. 2 Tim. 1:7; John 10:20;
6:27
Individually considered, one of the most serious foes of those who
have been begotten to holiness of spirit through the divine counsels and
promises, is the evil spirit of fear.
It would persuade us that probably there is some mistake: either
that God did not inspire the exceeding great and precious promises, or
that they are not for us, or that for some reason we can never attain
them. All of God’s people
are liable to attack from this wrong spirit of doubt and fear—some more
and some less persistently; and all have need to fight down this evil
spirit courageously and to destroy it, lest it kill the fruits of the holy
Spirit and finally quench it—drive it out of us entirely.
Yet “the spirit of fear” is neither a spirit god nor a spirit
devil that has gotten into our hearts: it is simply a mental influence
natural to every fallen human being of humble mind.
It is begotten of the realization of personal imperfection and
unworthiness of divine favors. The
antidote for [page 197] this spirit of fear is the holy Spirit of Truth, and
its instructions accepted and held in full assurance of faith.
The Spirit of Truth tells us that there were good reasons for our
entertainment of the spirit of fear; but that those reasons no longer
exist since we have come into Christ as new creatures. It points us away
from our unintentional weakness to the great Atonement accomplished by our
Lord Jesus, and cites us to the words of the inspired Apostle:
“If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up [to death] for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things
[needful]? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of those whom God chooses?
It is God that justifieth. Who
could condemn these? It is
Christ that died [paying their penalty—making good all their
deficiencies], yea, rather that [glorified and highly exalted Christ who]
is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.” Rom. 8:31-34
If the “Spirit of faith,” one of the phases or operations of
the “Spirit of holiness,” the “Spirit of the Truth,” thus comes
forward and is accepted and supported by the new creature, the victory
over the spirit of fear is speedily won, and peace and joy in the holy
Spirit of faith and love and confidence in God results.
Nevertheless, these battles must be fought time and again in every
Christian’s experience. And, indeed, the “spirit of fear” may be
made a valuable servant of the new
creature, while it cannot be tolerated as a master, nor as a friend and a
resident of the heart. Make
it the watchdog, and kennel it just outside the door of the heart, and it
may serve a very useful purpose in calling attention to thieves and
robbers who approach stealthily to rob us of our treasures of holiness,
joy, peace, love and fellowship with our Father and with the brethren. As the Apostle urges, “let us fear” attacks from without
after we have gotten all right with God by casting out all opposing
influences and receiving his Spirit into our hearts.
Let us fear lest as those who are ready to go forth with the
Bridegroom [page 198] in the early morning any of us should be overcome
with a spirit of slothfulness, a spirit of carelessness, a spirit of
slumber, and so, like the “foolish virgins,” be unprepared for the
great event—“the marriage”—for which all our preparations have
been made.
Let us remember, then, that however useful as a servant, the spirit
of fear is not of God, and must never be admitted within the castle of the
Christian heart, which must be fully given over to the occupancy of the
various members of the holy Spirit family—love, joy, peace, etc., for
perfect love casteth out fear as well as all the members of the unholy
spirit family—anger, malice, hatred, jealousy, fear, discontent, pride,
worldly ambitions, etc. The
Apostle declares—“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but the
Spirit of superhuman strength, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim.
1:7
Sometimes the attack comes from the rear and not from the
front—fear for friends, fear for the world, etc., an unwillingness to
trust God for others though willing to trust him for one’s self.
This is a serious matter, too; for it largely drives out the spirit
of peace and joy and misdirects the energies.
The “spirit
of fear” says, It is a great mistake to think that Christ died
for all; and it is a great presumption to believe that all must eventually
obtain some blessing of opportunity for life, as a result of the ransom.
Or, if fear fail to win us, its evil companion, the “spirit of error,” may attempt to lead in the opposite
direction, to get us to believe in universal salvation to eternal
life—suggesting pride on God’s part, that would hinder him from
destroying the wilfully wicked.
The “spirit of error” assumes to be wiser than the Word of God,
and suggests to human reason that it should judge God according to its own
standards, rather than correct its own standards by the Word of divine
revelation. Thus, in various
ways, the spirit of error, the spirit of fear, and the spirit of bondage,
which are all elements of the spirit of the Adversary, the unholy Spirit,
give the lie to the statements [page 199] of the Spirit of Truth, which declare that “Christ
Jesus by the grace of God tasted death for every man,” and that the
blessed opportunity of coming into harmony with God, under the conditions
of the New Covenant, shall ultimately be extended to every creature; and
that when each one is brought to a knowledge of the Truth he is judged
thereby, and either approved unto everlasting life, or condemned to
everlasting destruction, the second death.
“Hereby discern we the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of
error.” 1 John 4:5,6; Acts 3:23
The Spirit of God, the Spirit of holiness, is a spirit of joy and
peace in all who receive it, in proportion as they receive it—in
proportion as they come into accord with the heavenly Father and with the
Redeemer, who has the same mind or disposition.
The Spirit of the Lord leads to faith in God’s promises; the
spirit of error leads in the contrary direction, to unbelief in the
promises of God, and to human speculations and credulity and
superstition—to the believing of things which God has not spoken, and
which are unreasonable to those who have the “holy Spirit,” “the
Spirit of a sound mind.” The
Spirit of Truth leads to activity and energy in the divine cause,
appreciating the privilege of being a co-worker together with God to any
extent; the spirit of error, on the contrary, is a “spirit of slumber”
and of carelessness in heavenly things, and of carefulness for earthly
things—of carelessness for the true Church and its bond of love, and of
carefulness for human organizations and their creed-bonds. Rom. 11:8
The
Spirit that Lusteth to Envy
As already noted, God’s consecrated children—spirit-begotten
“new creatures” are at present dual beings; the new not fully developed, not yet “born,”
and having no body suitable, lives in the old body of flesh reckoned
dead—captured by the renewed will for its use and service during the [page 200]
period of its development. (This however does not imply that Christians are of two natures,
for such a thought is contrary to the science of the Bible.)
The new spirit, the mind of Christ, the holy disposition or will,
alone is recognized by God, and should alone be recognized by the “holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling:” nevertheless there is a
continual warfare between this new disposition begotten by the Word of God
and the old will, spirit or disposition of our fallen flesh.
Sometimes in Scripture the contrary will or disposition of our
flesh is spoken of as our spirit, as when we read, “Do ye think that the
scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us [‘In our flesh
dwelleth no perfect thing.’] lusteth to envy?” James 4:5
The new spirit, the new creature, that begotten of the holy Spirit
of love, does not envy; as it is written, “Love envieth not, is not
puffed up, etc.” (1 Cor. 13:4) Whenever,
therefore, we find the spirit of envy, hatred, strife or vainglory in any
degree controlling our actions or words or thoughts, it is a sure sign
that our former evil spirit is gaining a victory over us as new creatures.
And proportionately as we can and do put away all these and are
filled with the elements of the holy Spirit—gentleness, goodness,
meekness, brotherly kindness, love—we are growing in the image of
Christ, who is the image of the Father—in that proportion we are being
filled with the holy Spirit. Not
filled with a spirit person, but filled
with the spirit, influence or will of a person, even of our Father
Jehovah—the same spirit which was and still is in the Only Begotten Son.
The Apostle Paul also writes respecting this same battle between
the spirit, disposition or mind of our flesh and the new spirit,
disposition or mind to which we have been regenerated. But he treats the
subject from the reckoned
standpoint—as though our flesh were no longer we but our enemies, and we
recognized only as new creatures and the holy Spirit our only spirit or
disposition. He says: “This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust [desire]
of the flesh. For the flesh
lusteth [desires] against the [page 201]
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these
are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
[new creatures] would”—the continual opposition and deceitfulness of
the flesh being a hindrance to perfect deeds,
though by God’s grace this does not hinder our acceptance with God as
“new creatures,” whose hearts, spirits, intentions, are holy and
acceptable to the Father in the Beloved One. Gal. 5:16,17
Taught
of God through the Spirit
From what we have learned respecting the Spirit of the Lord, and
its operation upon his people, through its enlightening influence upon
their minds, its removal of errors, and its illumination of the Word
giving the living truth, we are prepared to understand and appreciate the
Apostle’s words: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath
entered into the heart of man [the natural man], the things which God hath
in reservation for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Cor. 2:9,10) That
is to say, having submitted our wills to the Lord, that we might be taught
of him, and walk in his way, we have come into harmony with his will,
mind, Spirit; and we are prepared, from this new standpoint—the
standpoint of a new mind, rightly directed—to see things in a new
light—all things become new to us.
The new mind, the new will, prompts us to search into the deep
things of God, to study the Word of God, that we may know and do his will,
as obedient sons. Having the
mind or Spirit of our Father, we will take heed to his instructions, in
every detail, and seek to walk in harmony with him.
“For what man knoweth the things [mind, will, plan] of a man,
save the spirit [mind] of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
(1 Cor. 2:11) That is to say, as no man can know another man’s mind and
plan, except [page 202]
as they are revealed to him, so no one can understand
the divine mind and plan, except he come into harmony with the divine
mind—receive the holy Spirit.
“Now we have received the Spirit [mind, disposition or will] of
God, that we might know
the things that are freely given unto us of God...but the natural man
receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness unto him,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” They
are understood only by those who have the Spirit or mind of God, the
Spirit of his plan, the Spirit of the Truth. All such must have
dispositions in harmony with righteousness and truth, so far as they
understand these principles, and must daily seek to know more of the mind
of God, the will of God, and to have more of his Spirit, disposition. Such
obedient sons are more and more “filled with the Spirit” of Truth, and
the spirit of obedience to it. But
they do not gain this condition by comparing spiritual things with natural
things, as the natural man is disposed to do, but by following the divine
counsel, and “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Cor.
2:13) “He that is spiritual
[who has received the holy mind or Spirit] judgeth all things [he is able
to understand and to properly estimate both human and spiritual things in
the light of the divine plan], yet he himself is judged of no man.” No natural man can understand or rightly judge the motives
which prompt the spiritually minded “new creature” to willingly
sacrifice things valuable to the natural man, for hopes and prospects
which, to the latter, seem unreal and unreasonable.
Hence, the followers of the Lord are “counted as fools” by the
worldly-minded, by those who have the spirit of the world. 1 Cor. 2:12-16;
4:10
The
Parakletos, the Comforter
Parakletos
is rendered Comforter in John 14:16,26; but the thought usually conveyed
by the word comfort (namely [page 203]
to soothe, to pacify) is not here the correct one.
The correct thought is that of help, encouragement, assistance,
strengthening. Thus our Lord’s promise implied that the holy Spirit which
the Father would send in Jesus’ name and as Jesus’ representative
would be near his followers, a present help in every time of need—the
holy power by which he would guide and direct his people and enable them
to “walk by faith and not by sight.”
Indeed, our Lord gives us to understand that all the ministrations
of the Spirit are his own ministrations, saying, “I will not leave you
orphans, I will come to you” (vs. 18): he thus identifies the holy
Spirit with himself. “If
any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his”—and has not
the parakletos,
the divine aid.
This power of God is with the whole Church, yet each receives his
share of the holy influence personally—by individual connection with
channels of the Spirit. The
Truth itself is the main channel of the Spirit of the Truth; but all who
are closely connected with the Truth and have its Spirit are to that
extent also channels through which the Spirit aids and influences others.
The power or Spirit of God is invisible to men; but its effects are
tangible and visible. This
may be illustrated by the electric current in the copper wire; it is
invisible, but the moment the car, properly supplied with a motor, touches
the wire with its arm or “trolley” the power is manifest in the
movement of the car. The same
current by another arrangement lights the car, and by still another device
furnishes it with heat, and by yet a different device communicates by
telegraph or telephone. All
these are its blessings under favorable arrangements, yet it may so be
arranged as to be a death-dealing influence, as in the electrocution
chair. So the holy Spirit is
the spiritual energy or power of God—it moves, enlightens, warms and
instructs all who, having the proper conditions in themselves, are brought
into connection with it through its proper channels; and it may bring
death—Second Death, to all wilful sinners.
How needful, then, that each of the Lord’s people have the [page 204]
proper equipment
and the proper connections
in order to be filled with the Spirit and made active unto all good works!
Nothing connected with this reference to the holy Spirit as another
comforter or helper or strengthener implies that another God is meant or
another person
of a trinity of Gods. The connections show on the contrary that the
comforting or strengthening holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and
the Spirit of the Son. In
verses 18 and 23 the Father and the Son are referred to as the ones who
strengthen and guide and comfort the Church—through the Spirit.
Thus again our Lord declared, “Lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the age”—by the holy Spirit, not in flesh.
It should be remembered that the words he,
him, himself, used in referring to the parakletos, might with equal propriety be translated she,
her, herself, or it,
itself. Heautou,
rendered himself
in this connection, is rendered itself
nine times in our Common Version Bibles.
Ekinos, rendered he
in this connection, is much oftener rendered that and those.
Ekinos
is rendered it
in 1 John 5:16—“I do not say that ye shall pray for it [the sin unto
death].”
“He
Shall Guide You into All Truth”
Our Lord indicated the channel through which this power of God,
“the Spirit of the Truth,” would come to his people, saying, “The words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit and they are life.”
That is to say, My words express the mind, the will, the Spirit of
God. Hence we have
continually set before us, as necessary to our victory, the study of the
Word of Truth. We hear our
Lord’s injunction, “Search the Scriptures.”
We hear the Apostle Paul commending the Bereans’ noble conduct,
in that “they searched the Scriptures daily.”
We hear him again saying that “we ought to take the more earnest
heed to the words which we have heard”; and we have his exhortation to
Timothy, which assures us that “the Word of God is profitable, that the
man [page 205]
of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good
work.” We hear the Apostle
Peter also urging that “we have a more sure word of prophecy [of divine
revelation], to which we do well that we take heed.” John 5:39; Acts
17:11; Heb. 2:1; 2 Tim. 3:17; 2 Pet. 1:19
The promise of being “filled with the Spirit” or mind of God is
not to those who merely possess the Word of God, nor to those who merely
read the Word of God, but is to those who search it earnestly, seeking to
understand it; and who understanding it are willing, nay, anxious to obey
it. If we would be filled with the Spirit of
God, we must drink deeply of the fountain of Truth—his Word.
And since our earthen vessels are imperfect, leaky, it is easy to
let spiritual things slip (Heb. 2:1); in which case the spirit of the
world, which surrounds us constantly, quickly rushes in to fill the
vacuum. Indeed, there is a
constant pressure
of the spirit of the world upon the Lord’s people, tending to displace
the new spirit, the new mind, the Spirit or disposition of holiness.
Therefore it behooves all of the Lord’s faithful new creatures to live
very close to the fountain of Truth, the Lord, and very close to his Word,
lest the Spirit of God be quenched, and we be filled instead with the
spirit of the world.
It seems expedient to caution some that although a knowledge of the
Truth, a knowledge of the Scriptures, is important, essential to the
possession of the Spirit of the Truth, nevertheless, one might have much knowledge of the Word
of God without having any
of its Spirit. To receive the
Spirit of the Truth is to
come into heart harmony with the Truth, to come into mental accord and
cooperation with the Divine will expressed in the Word.
This condition can be attained in one way only: by first accepting
the Lord Jesus as our Redeemer and Justifier, and secondly, consecrating
ourselves unreservedly to seek to know and to do his will.
But this “Spirit of the Truth” this “holy Spirit” or mind
in harmony with God and his righteousness, should not be [page 206]
confounded with the “gifts of the Spirit,”
nor yet with the “fruits of the Spirit,” though its possession always yields the
latter, “the peaceable fruits of righteousness,” meekness, patience,
gentleness, brotherly kindness, love.
The Spirit of the Truth must be ours before it can produce such
fruits in our daily lives: and in some the period of developing mature
fruits, of good size and flavor, is longer than with others; but each
should remember our Lord’s words, “Herein is my Father glorified, that
ye bear much fruit—so shall ye be my disciples.”
We should remember also his parable of the Vine, in which the
branches represent severally his consecrated disciples.
Of these he declares, “Every branch in me that beareth fruit the Father purgeth
[pruneth] it, that it may bring forth more fruit, and every branch that
beareth not fruit he taketh away.” John 15:2
The Christian is a branch from the moment of his consecration, and
is a partaker of the sap from the root, a partaker of the holy Spirit, and
yet it is not to be expected that he will instantly bear all the fruits of
the Spirit, nor any of them in their perfection.
The first evidences of the relationship to the Church-Vine will be
an association with the other branches, a connection with the root, and
evidences of life. Next there
will be the feelers or tendrils, by which progress will be sought and
attained. Next will come the
leaves, or professions; and next to be looked for should be the flower,
and later the fruit. But the
fruit is extremely small at first, and sour; it requires time to develop
grapes of size and flavor acceptable to the great Husbandman.
Such are “the fruits of the Spirit” of Christ expected in every
“branch” of the Vine—in every member of the body of Christ, the
Church. Unless in due time
these fruits of the Spirit—meekness, gentleness, patience, brotherly
kindness, faith, hope, love—appear, the branch will cease to be
considered a branch, and as a “sucker” will be cut off from further
affiliation and privilege.
We have already seen that “the gifts of the Spirit” granted at the beginning of the
Gospel age, for the establishment of [page 207]
the Church, differed from “the fruits of the
Spirit.” The “gifts”
were conferred by the laying on of the hands of the apostles: they came
spontaneously only in exceptional cases (Acts 2:4; 10:45):
Simon Magus, though baptized and granted a gift for his own use,
was unable to confer the gifts to others and was reproved by Peter for
offering money to obtain this purely apostolic
power. (Acts 8:13-21) And the
same account makes clear that even Philip the Evangelist, though able to
perform “signs and great miracles,” could not confer the gifts of the Spirit, but was obliged to send for the apostles to
do this for his converts. All
this agrees fully with the statement of the Apostle Paul that many of the
gifts would “fail,” “vanish away:” it was necessarily so when, all
the Apostles having died, all those upon whom they had conferred those
“gifts” died also. The gifts
of faith, hope and love which the Apostle declared would abide were not
miraculous gifts but growths—“fruits”
as he elsewhere describes them. 1 Cor. 13:8; John 15:16
Amongst the gifts of the Spirit the Apostle specifies—(1)
apostles, (2) prophets, (3) teachers.
We still have with us the gift of apostles, in that we have their
teachings in the New Testament, so full and complete as to require no
addition; and hence the twelve apostles have no successors, and need none,
since there are but “twelve apostles of the Lamb”; they are “the
twelve stars,” the crown of the Church; they are the “twelve
foundations” of the Church glorified, the New Jerusalem. (John 6:70;
Rev. 12:1; 21:14) We have also still, in the Church, the gifts of prophets
or expounders and teachers, servants of God and his Church speaking
various languages; but no longer does the Spirit supply these instantly
and miraculously without education and talents by the laying on of the
apostolic hands. Such miracles are no longer necessary and no longer
employed—assuredly not to the same extent as formerly.
Instead, the Lord generally makes choice of some who by natural
qualifications and education are fitted to his service: nevertheless we
are to remember that the condition of [page 208]
the heart is far more important in the Lord’s sight
than all other qualifications combined; and that he is fully able to use
those whom he chooses (because full of his Spirit) to be his special
servants and ambassadors: he can providentially supply them with
assistance in any manner he may please; as, for instance, to Moses—his
special servant who was slow of speech—he gave Aaron to be a mouthpiece.
The Lord’s people are not to forget that, although the
administration or method has changed, the same Lord by the agency of the
same holy Spirit is still guiding the affairs of his Church—less
manifestly, less outwardly discernible, but no less really, no less
carefully, and in every detail of its affairs. And all of the Lord’s
flock led of his Spirit, and taught of his Word, are to judge
discriminatingly respecting those who seem to be teachers and evangelists,
presenting themselves as such. The
Lord’s people are not to receive as such all who profess to be teachers
and evangelists, but only those whom they discern to be marked of the Lord
as having these gifts; and one of the tests is in respect to their
fidelity to the Word of God—that they preach not themselves, but Jesus
Christ, and him crucified—the power of God and the wisdom of God to
every one that believeth. If
any man come unto us with any other gospel, we are instructed particularly
that we are not to receive him as a teacher of the Truth, but to consider
him as a servant of error, whether knowingly or ignorantly so.
Thus does the Spirit or influence of God, the holy Spirit or
influence of the Truth, instruct his people, guiding them (directly or
indirectly) into a knowledge of God.
Thus it is the channel of at-one-ment now to the Church, and
somewhat similarly it will be the channel of at-one-ment to the world in
the coming age, when “the Spirit and the Bride [the glorified Church]
shall say, Come, take of the water of life freely.” Rev. 22:17
