|
"The
Spirit is one of the Persons of the Godhead and
as
such
is coequal with the Father and the Son" |
CHAPTER XIII.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: HIS PERSONALITY
The Godhead subsists in three Persons -- the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having in previous chapters
considered the Bible teaching concerning both the Father and
the Son, it yet remains for us to consider the Bible
teaching concerning the Holy Spirit. This and the four
following chapters are assigned to this subject. In teaching
the fundamental truths relative to the Holy Spirit, special
emphasis is always required on the fact of His personality.
This is due, no doubt, to the effect produced through the
divine arrangement by which the Spirit does not now speak
from Himself or of Himself; He rather speaks whatsoever He
hears (John 16:13. Comp. Acts 13:2 with Eph. 4:7), and He is
said to have come into the world to glorify Christ (John
16:14). In contrast to this, the Scriptures represent both,
the Father and the Son as speaking from themselves and of
themselves, not only with final authority and by the use of
the personal I, but they are presented as being in immediate
communion, cooperation, and conversation -- the One with the
Other. All this tends to make less real the personality of
the One who does not speak either from or of Himself. This
reserve on the part of the Spirit may account in a measure
for the fact that some creeds have slighted the Person and
work of the Spirit; treating Him as though He were a mere
influence or emanation from God. The corrective for this
error and the preventive against it is the due consideration
of all that the Bible teaches and implies relative to the
Person and work of the Spirit.
I. THE SPIRIT'S PERSONALITY IS INDICATED IN THE SCRIPTURES
1. Since the Spirit is said to do that which is possible
only for a person to do:
(1) He reproves the world, "And when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment" (John 16:8).
(2) He teaches, "He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26;
Neh. 9:20; Note, also, John 16:13-15; 1 John 2:27).
(3) The Spirit speaks, "And because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying,
Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6).
(4) The Spirit maketh intercession, "But the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered" (Rom. 8:26).
(5) The Spirit leads, "led of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:18. Comp.
Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:2; 16:6, 7; 20:23; Rom. 8:14).
(6) The Spirit appoints the service of men, "The Holy Ghost
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I
have called them" (Acts 13:2. Comp. Acts 20:28).
(7) The Spirit is Himself subject to appointment (John
15:26).
(8) The Spirit ministers: He regenerates (John 3:6), He
seals (Eph. 4:30), He baptizes (1 Cor. 12:13), He fills (Eph.
5:18).
2. He is affected as a person by other beings:
(1) The Father sends Him into the world (John 14:16, 26),
and the Son sends Him into the world (John 16:7).
(2) Men may vex the Spirit (Isa. 63:10), they may grieve Him
(Eph. 4:30), they may quench (resist) Him (1 Thess. 5:19),
they may blaspheme against Him (Matt. 12:31), they may lie
to Him (Acts 5:3), they may do despite unto Him (Heb.
10:29), they may speak against Him (Matt. 12:32).
3. All Bible terms related to the Spirit imply His
personality:
(1) He is called "Another Comforter" (Advocate), which
indicates that He is as much a person as Christ (John 14:16,
17, 26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1, 2).
(2) He is called a Spirit and in the same personal sense as
God is called a Spirit (John 4:24).
(3) The pronouns used of the Spirit imply His personality.
In the Greek language, the word spirit is a neuter noun
which would naturally call for a neuter pronoun and in a few
instances the neuter pronoun is used (Rom. 8:16, 26); but
more often the masculine form of the pronoun is used thus
emphasizing the fact of the personality of the Spirit (John
14:16, 17; 16:7-15).
II. THE SPIRIT IS ONE OF THE PERSONS OF THE GODHEAD AND AS
SUCH
IS COEQUAL WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON
1. He is called God. This fact will be seen by comparing
Isaiah 6:8, 9 with Acts 28:25, 26; Jeremiah 31:31-34 with
Hebrews 10:15-17 (Note, also, 2 Cor. 3:18, R.V., and Acts
5:3, 4 -- "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghost? ... thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God").
Though the judgments of God have fallen so drastically on
some who have lied against the Spirit (Acts 5:3) and though
men are evidently not permitted to swear in the name of the
Holy Spirit and though He is called The Holy Spirit, it is
certain that He is not more holy than the Father or the Son;
absolute holiness being the primary attribute of the Triune
God.
2. He has the attributes of God (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; 1 Cor.
2:9-11; Heb. 9:14).
3. The Holy Spirit performs the works of God (Job 33:4; Psa.
104:30; Luke 12:11, 12; Acts 1:5; 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:11;
12:8-11; 2 Pet. 1:21).
III. APPEAL
Through meditation on the Word of God and through the
experience gained by trusting the Spirit for His power, His
guidance, and His instruction, the believer may come to
realize the personality and sufficiency of the Holy Spirit,
the importance and value of which is beyond all estimation.
QUESTIONS
1. What has tended to discredit the personality of the Holy
Spirit?
2. What is the corrective against all false theories
concerning the person and work of the Spirit?
3. Name eight activities predicated to the Spirit which
prove that He is a person.
4. Name the proofs that He is a person which are based on
His relation to other beings.
5. What are some of the titles by which the Spirit is
designated which prove His personality?
6. Is it any discredit to the personality of God that He is
called a spirit?
7. What are the proper pronouns to be used in speaking of
the Spirit?
8. a. What is the gender of the word Spirit in the Greek
language?
b. How has this affected translations?
9. Indicate important passages which assign absolute deity
to the Holy Spirit.
10. Who was punished for lying against the Spirit?
11. a. Is the Spirit more holy than the Father or the Son?
b. Are men permitted to swear in His name?
c. Do they swear in His name?
12. Indicate the Scriptures wherein the attributes of God
are assigned to the Spirit.
13. Indicate the Scriptures wherein the Spirit is said to
perform the works of God.
14. How may the Spirit become more real to the child of God?
CHAPTER XIV.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: HIS ADVENT
The Spirit's advent into the world, like His predicted
departure from the world, can be understood only as it is
seen in relation to the various dispensations and revealed
purposes of God. In ages past, the Holy Spirit was in the
world as the Omnipresent One; yet He is said to have come
into the world on the Day of Pentecost. Beginning with the
Day of Pentecost, He is to remain in the world for a
divinely determined and unrevealed time. When He shall have
departed out of the world, He, as the Omnipresent One, will
still be in the world. In arriving at the understanding of
the order and harmony of these facts consideration should be
given to four aspects of the Spirit's relation to the world:
I. IN THE AGES PRECEDING THE FIRST ADVENT OF CHRIST
Throughout the extended period before the first advent of
Christ, the Spirit was present in the world in the same
sense in which He is present everywhere, and He wrought in
and through the people of God according to the divine will
(Gen. 41:38; Ex. 31:3; 35:31; Num. 27:18; Job 33:4; Psa.
139:7; Hag. 2:4, 5; Zech. 4:6).
II. DURING THE THREE-YEAR PUBLIC MINISTRY OF CHRIST ON EARTH
It is reasonable to suppose that the incarnate, active
presence of the Second Person of the Trinity in the world
would affect the ministries of the Spirit, and this we find
to be true.
1. In relation to Christ, the Spirit first wrought as the
generating power by which the God-man was formed in the
virgin's womb. The Spirit is also seen descending in the
form of a dove upon Christ at the time of His baptism. And
again, it is revealed that it was only through the Eternal
Spirit that Christ offered Himself to God (Heb. 9:14).
2. The relation of the Spirit to men during the earth
ministry of Christ was progressive. We first read of
the assurance which Christ gave to His disciples that they
might receive the Spirit by asking (Luke 11:13). Though the
Spirit had previously come upon men according to the
sovereign will of God, His presence in the human heart had
never before been conditioned upon asking, and this
privilege, being so new, was, so far as is revealed, never
claimed at that time by any one. At the close of His
ministry and just before His death, Christ said: "And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of
truth" (John 14:16, 17). Likewise, after His resurrection
the Lord breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost" (John 20:22); but in spite of this reception of the
Spirit they were to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be
endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4)
III. DURING THE PRESENT AGE OF THE CHURCH
As promised by the Father (John 14:16, 17, 26) and by the
Son (John 16:7), the Spirit, who as the Omnipresent One, had
always been in the world, came into the world on the Day of
Pentecost. The force of this seeming repetition of ideas is
seen when it is understood that His coming on the Day of
Pentecost was that He might make His abode in the world. "We
are led to believe that God the Father, though omnipresent
(Eph. 4:6), is, as to His abode, "Our Father which art in
heaven" (Matt. 6:9). Likewise, we know that God the Son,
though omnipresent (Matt. 18:20; Col. 1:27), as to His abode
now, is seated at the right hand of God (Heb. 1:3; 10:12).
In like manner, the Spirit, though omnipresent, is now, as
to His abode, tabernacling here on the earth. The taking up
of His abode on the earth was the sense in which the Spirit
came on the Day of Pentecost. His dwelling place was changed
from Heaven to earth. It was for this coming of the Spirit
into the world that the disciples were told to wait. The new
ministry of this grace-age could not begin apart from the
coming of the Spirit.
Two revelations are given concerning the Spirit's abode in
the world:
1. He is said to indwell each and every child of God (1 Cor.
6:19). This fact, which is age- characterizing, is to be the
theme of a succeeding chapter.
2. He is said to be tabernacling in a structure of living
stones -- the habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph.
2:18-22). This temple of living stones is now "growing" and
is none other than the whole company of the saved ones of
this age. By the salvation of souls through the power of the
Spirit this tabernacle is growing to its completion.
The redeemed who form the Church are mentioned in the
Scriptures under various figures -- the sheep, the branches,
the stones of the building, the new generation, a kingdom of
priests, the body, and the bride. Of these figures, the body
and the building lend themselves to the thought of growth or
gradual increase unto completion, and are so used in the
Word of God (Eph. 2:18-22; 4:13-16).
When the elect number of this heavenly company of redeemed
ones shall have been saved, the Spirit will have
accomplished the purpose of His advent into the world and
will then depart from the world as definitely as He came. He
will, however, continue His ministry and presence as the
Omnipresent One with His abode changed from earth to Heaven.
Though His name is not revealed, His departure is indicated
in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. He is most evidently the Restrainer
who continues to restrain the evil of the world so long as
He remains in the world. It should be observed that though
the Spirit may remove His abode from the earth, as He will,
He cannot depart without taking the saved ones with Him; for
they cannot be separated from Him (John 14:16, 17).
IV. DURING THE KINGDOM AGE
As the Omnipresent One, the Spirit will have a peculiar
ministry in the world during the Kingdom age, which period
will immediately follow the present age of the out-calling
of the Church (Isa. 11:1-3; Joel 2:28-32).
QUESTIONS
1. In what sense was the Spirit present in the world before
the first advent of Christ?
2. a. What was the ministry of the Spirit in connection with
the birth of Christ?
b. What was His ministry at the beginning of Christ's public
service?
c. What was His ministry in connection with the cross?
3. Why, may we believe, did the disciples fail to pray for
the Spirit?
4. a. What is the petition concerning the advent of the
Spirit in Christ's prayer as recorded in John 14:16, 17?
b. Could any prayer of Christ be unanswered?
5. In what sense did the Spirit, who is always omnipresent,
come into the world on Pentecost?
6. Where is the home of the Father, and of the Son?
7. Where is the home of the Spirit during this age of grace?
8. Were the disciples appointed to wait for their own filling
by the Spirit, or for the advent of the Spirit into the
world?
9. What two aspects of the Spirit's present abode are
mentioned in the Scriptures?
10. What Scripture indicates each?
11. By what process is the Spirit's temple growing?
12. What will be the consummation of the development?
13. a. When will the Spirit depart from this world?
b. Can He go without the Church?
14. What is said of the Spirit's ministry in the coming age?
CHAPTER XV.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: HIS ANOINTING
In His relation to the believer, the Holy Spirit is three
times spoken of in the Scriptures as the Anointing (2 Cor.
1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27 R.V.); however, as the Presence
indwelling each child of God, which is the equivalent of the
Anointing, He is many times mentioned. Since every Christian
has received the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), every Christian has
received the Anointing. This is clearly indicated in the
three passages in which the word appears:
1. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath
anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given us
the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:21, 22).
Four immediate results of the Spirit's indwelling are here
suggested: (1) The baptism with the Spirit places the
believer "in Christ"; thus each child of God is said to be
established ... "in Christ" (1 Cor. 12:13; 6:17; Gal. 3:27).
(2) Likewise, by giving us the Spirit, God hath anointed us.
(3) Again, God through the Spirit hath sealed us (Eph.
4:30), and the Spirit Himself is the seal. (4) So, also, God
is here said to have given us the Spirit as an "earnest,"
and since an earnest is a part of the purchase money, or
property, given in advance as security for the remainder,
the Spirit is seen to be the earnest of the whole heavenly
inheritance which belongs to every believer through infinite
grace (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:4).
2. "And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know
all things" (1 John 2:20 R.V.). Here, again, it is implied
that every Christian, being anointed, is indwelt by the
Spirit and therefore is in the way of knowing those "deep
things" of God which are alone imparted by the indwelling
Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10, 12, 15; John 16:12-15).
3. "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and
is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him" (1 John 2:27). In this passage, the important truth
disclosed is that the Anointing abides. He may be grieved
(Eph. 4:30), but He is never grieved away. He may be
quenched, or resisted (1 Thess. 5:19), but He never departs
(John 14:16).
In view of the prevalence of the unscriptural teachings
which assert that the Holy Spirit does not indwell every
believer and that He is secured in the heart as a second
work of grace, or second blessing, which is to be sought by
the Christian after he is saved, it is important that the
Bible teaching on this subject should be considered
carefully. There is a "filling with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18)
which is conditioned upon the adjustment of the life of the
believer to the Spirit of God, and this filling has to do
with the believer's experience of power and blessing (Acts
1:8; 2:4; Eph. 5:18-20). The filling with the Spirit, which
is often repeated, should not be confused with the
once-for-all indwelling, or anointing, of the Spirit. It is
only those who are indwelt by the Spirit who can be filled
with the Spirit. The fact that the Spirit is present in
every believer is stated in the following Scriptures:
John 7:37-39. -- "But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive" (compare Acts
11:17; Gal. 3:2).
Romans 5:5. -- "The Holy Spirit which is given unto us."
This passage, like many more (note, Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 2:12;
12:3; 2 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 4:6; 1 John 3:24; 4:13; 2:20, 27), is
inclusive of all believers, and not of some class of
especially sanctified individuals.
1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. -- "What? know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye
have of God, and ye are not your own?" This, again, is not a
reference to some class of holy Christians; the text shows
that those addressed are guilty of the most serious sin
(5:1; 6:1, 2, 7, 8). They are not told that they will
receive the Spirit if they are holy; rather, they are told
that having the Spirit which is a gift of divine grace to
all believers alike, they should live holy lives.
Careful study will disclose the fact that Luke 11:13; Acts
5:32; 8:12-17; 19:1-7 and Ephesians 1:13, when rightly
translated, and when given their dispensational application,
or when rightly understood, do not contradict the positive
doctrine of the indwelling Spirit.
The fact that the Spirit is given to every believer when he
is saved and as a vital part of his salvation, is not only
Scriptural, but it is reasonable. The superhuman manner of
life which the Christian must live if he honors his Lord is
impossible apart from the enabling Spirit, and, since God
has addressed this superhuman requirement to all believers,
it is evident that He has provided the sufficiency for all.
The fact of the Spirit's indwelling or anointing is a
characterizing feature of this age (Rom. 7:6; 2:29; 2 Cor.
3:6).
By the indwelling of the Spirit, the individual is sanctified
or set apart for God. In the Old Testament the anointing oil
typifies the present anointing by the Spirit; oil being one
of the seven symbols of the Spirit.
1. Anything touched with the anointing oil was thereby
sanctified (Exod. 40:9-15). In like manner, the Spirit now
sanctifies (1 Cor. 6:11; Rom. 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet.
1:2).
2. The prophet was sanctified with oil (1 Kings 19:16),
likewise Christ was a prophet by the Spirit (Isa. 61:1; Luke
4:18), and the believer is a witness by the Spirit (Acts
1:8).
3. The priest was sanctified with oil (Exod. 40:15), likewise
Christ in His sacrifice by the Spirit (Heb. 9:14), and the
believer by the Spirit (Rom. 12:1; 8:26; Eph. 5:18-20).
4. The king was sanctified with oil (1 Sam. 16:12, 13),
likewise Christ by the Spirit (Psa. 45:7), and by the Spirit
the believer is to reign.
5. The anointing oil was for healing (Luke 10:34),
suggesting the healing of the soul in salvation by the
Spirit.
6. The oil made the face to shine, which was as the oil of
gladness (Psa. 45:7), and fresh oil was required (Psa.
92:10). The fruit of the Spirit is joy (Gal. 5:22).
7. In the fittings for the tabernacle, oil for the lights is
specified (Exod. 25:6). The oil suggests the Spirit, the wick
the believer as a channel, and the light the outshining of
Christ. The wick must rest in the oil; so the believer must
walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). The wick must be free from
obstruction; so the believer must not resist the Spirit (1
Thess. 5:19). The wick must be snuffed; so the believer must
be cleansed by the confession of sin (1 John 1:9).
The holy anointing oil (Exod. 30:22-23) was composed of four
spices added to oil as a base. These spices represent
peculiar virtues found in Christ. This compound thus
symbolizes the Spirit taking up the very life and character
of Christ and applying it to the believer. This oil could in
no case be applied to human flesh (John 3:6; Gal. 5:17). It
could not be imitated, which indicates that God cannot
accept anything but the manifestation of the life which is
Christ (Phil. 1:21). Every article of furnishing in the
tabernacle must be anointed and thus set apart unto God,
which suggests that the believer's dedication is to be
complete (Rom. 12:1, 2).
QUESTIONS
1. Name five ministries of the Spirit which are mentioned in
2 Corinthians 1:21, 22.
2. What is the value to the believer of each of these
ministries?
3. Name three passages in which there is reference to the
Spirit's anointing.
4. Indicate the Scriptures which teach that the Spirit
indwells every child of God.
5. What are the contrasts between this ministry and that of
His filling?
6. What motive is appealed to in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 for
a God-honoring life?
7. Why is it reasonable as well as scriptural to believe
that the Spirit is given to every child of God?
8. What Scripture presents the fact of the indwelling Spirit
as a characteristic of this age?
9. Name the various meanings of oil as a symbol of the
indwelling Spirit.
10. What three truths are taught by the figure of the light
in the tabernacle?
11. What is suggested by the compounding of the four spices
in the anointing oil?
12. What is suggested by the law that this oil should not be
imitated?
13. What is suggested by the anointing of every article of
furnishing in the tabernacle?
14. When, and on what condition, is the Spirit given to the
believer?
CHAPTER XVI.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: HIS MINISTRY
The law dispensation continued to the very hour of the death
of Christ (John 1:17; Gal. 3:14), and since the present
peculiar and varied ministries of the Spirit could not have
begun until the Pentecostal advent, there is imperative need
that the relationships belonging to the past age shall in no
wise be made the basis of doctrine which is applicable to
this age. The experience of the disciples and the
relationships which obtained before the death of Christ
contribute little to the precise form of "present truth" (2
Pet. 1:12). It is therefore obvious that no other believers
of this dispensation are called to the same progressive
experience as that of the disciples; but, on the contrary,
the experience of all other believers will, of necessity, be
wholly within the limits of that which characterizes the
present age. The present ministries of the Spirit, taken
together, form a perfect system, or whole, which is
wonderfully adjusted to the peculiar facts of salvation by
grace and the believer's life under grace. The day of
Pentecost with all its provisions for this age has "fully
come" (Acts 2:1), and that day marks the new
grace-ministries of the Spirit. These are seven:
I. AS THE ONE WHO RESTRAINS THE WORLD
The fact and force of this ministry rests upon but one
passage of Scripture, in which the Spirit is said to be
restraining the lawlessness of the world until He (the
Restrainer) be taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:7). It is
believed that the Spirit is the Restrainer since the
restraining work is evidently undertaken by one of the
Persons of the Godhead and the Spirit is the active power of
God in the world during this age. The context indicates that
Satan's supreme manifestations which are to be permitted in
the Great Tribulation are now restrained by the Spirit until
the Spirit shall have finished His work in the world and is
taken out of the way.
II. AS THE ONE WHO REPROVES THE WORLD
Again the scope of an important ministry of the Spirit is
limited to the statement of one passage (John 16:7-11). This
ministry likewise is to the whole world. The reproving of
the world is more than a mere deepening of personal sorrow
for sin; it is an indivisible threefold enlightenment of the
Satan-blinded mind (2 Cor. 4:3, 4) in respect to sin,
righteousness, and judgment. The sin is that of unbelief in
the Saviour, the righteousness is that righteousness which
is from God and is upon all who believe (Rom. 1:16, 17;
3:22; 4:5), the judgment is that finished work of Christ
which is past, whereby He suffered in our place. By His
reproving ministry, the Spirit causes the unsaved individual
who is blinded by Satan to comprehend these three vital
facts in the Gospel relative to the divine provisions for
the lost.
III. AS THE ONE WHO REGENERATES
By the regenerating power of the Spirit, the one who
exercises saving faith in Christ passes immediately from
spiritual death to spiritual life, is made a partaker of the
divine nature, Christ is
begotten in him the hope of glory, God legitimately becomes
his Father, and he becomes the legitimate child of God, an
heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ.
IV. AS THE ONE WHO INDWELLS
This ministry of the Spirit, which was the theme of the last
chapter, is one of the most vital facts concerning the
Christian (John 7:37-39; Rom. 5:5; 8:9; 1 Cor. 2:12; 6:17;
Gal. 4:6).
V. AS THE ONE WHO BAPTIZES
Not only is the divine life in the believer through the
indwelling Spirit, but the believer is so vitally joined to
the Lord by the baptism with the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; 6:17;
Gal. 3:27) that he is said to be "in Christ." To be in
Christ is to have been taken out of the old creation in Adam
and placed eternally in the new Creation in Christ (2 Cor.
5:17). Christ becomes the new Federal Head and all that
Christ is or has done is imputed to the believer. As a
branch is grafted into the vine, or a member might be joined
to a body, so the believer is vitally joined to Christ by
the baptism with the Spirit. According to Scripture usage,
that which has power to receive into itself, to impart its
own qualities, or to exercise a controlling influence, has
power to baptize, and such baptism is never a "dipping
into," but rather secures an abiding position and union. The
believer is brought eternally under the limitless influence
of Christ by the baptism with the Spirit, and the baptism
with the Spirit being a part of salvation is common to all
believers. The baptism with the Spirit is the theme of the
following chapter.
VI. AS THE ONE WHO SEALS
Every child of God has been sealed by the Spirit unto the
day of redemption (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). The Spirit
Himself is the Seal and His presence speaks of divine
ownership and of eternal security.
It may be concluded that the Spirit's ministries in
regenerating, indwelling, baptizing, and sealing are
Śwrought for the Christian when he believes, and form the
very structure of his salvation, and since these blessings
are never abrogated they are never wrought a second time.
VII. AS THE ONE WHO FILLS
The filling with the Spirit is unto Christian experience,
power, and service. In contrast to the once-for-all
regenerating, indwelling, baptizing, and sealing, there are
many fillings (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24; 13:9).
According to the one great command (Eph. 5:18), the believer
is to be "getting filled" continuously. To be filled with the
Spirit is to have the Spirit fulfilling in the heart and life
all that He came into that life to do. It is not to acquire
more of the Spirit, but, rather, that the Spirit acquires
more of the believer. To be filled with the Spirit is to be a
normal, if not a usual, Christian. The Spirit came to do all
that He does in filling, hence He needs not to be implored;
He is imploring the unadjusted believer to the end that
every hindrance may be removed.
The Spirit's filling results in certain manifestations: (1)
Christ-like character -- the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22,
23); (2) Christian service -- the exercise of a gift (1 Cor.
12:4-31; Rom. 12:3-8;
Eph. 4:7-11; 2 Tim. 1:6); (3) the Spirit's teaching (John
16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9, 10; 1 John 2:27); (4) true praise and
thanksgiving (Eph. 5:18-20; (5) the Spirit's leading (Rom.
8:14; Acts 13:2; Gal. 5:18); (6) the Spirit actualizing the
unseen (John 16:13-15; Rom. 8:16); and (7) the Spirit
interceding (Rom. 8:26, 27).
Spirituality does not consist in negatives only. We are not
spiritual because we do not do worldly things. Spirituality
is a vital output or accomplishment in and through the
believer from the indwelling Spirit.
In order to be filled with the Spirit, it is required that
all sin shall be confessed (1 John 1:9; Eph. 4:30); the
whole life shall be surrendered to him (Rom. 6:13; 12:1; 1
Thess. 5:19); and that there shall be moment-by-moment
reliance upon the Spirit (Gal. 5:16).
QUESTIONS
1. Is the experience of the disciples who lived in two
dispensations and through the transition from one to the
other a safe guide for the Christian now?
2. Name the seven present ministries of the Spirit.
3. Who is the Restrainer and what is His undertaking as such
according to 2 Thessalonians 2:7?
4. Describe the reproving work of the Spirit.
5. What is the result of regeneration by the Spirit?
6. a. In whom, according to the Scriptures, does the Spirit
dwell?
b. By what other term is this ministry indicated? (see
preceding chapter)
7. a. Into what is the believer baptized by the Spirit?
b. What New Testament figures illustrate this vital union to
Christ?
c. Is the Spirit's baptism unto an abiding result?
d. Who is baptized with the Spirit?
8. What does the sealing of the Spirit indicate?
9. a. What is the filling with the Spirit?
b. In what particulars is this ministry different than His
regenerating, His indwelling, His baptizing, and His
sealing?
c. What is the precise command of Ephesians 5:18?
10. What are the seven manifestations of the Spirit which
together form the Spirit-filled life?
11. Does spirituality consist only in the things a Christian
does not do?
12. What is the first condition of a Spirit-filled life?
13. What is the second condition of a Spirit-filled life?
14. What is the third condition of a Spirit-filled life?
CHAPTER XVII.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: HIS BAPTISM
Since all the positions and possessions of the believer are
his on the sole ground of his place in Christ through the
baptism with the Spirit, misunderstanding of this doctrine
is fraught with serious results. The safeguard here, as
always, is in adhering strictly to the Word of God. In all
the Scriptures, there are not more than eleven direct
references to the baptism with the Spirit. In taking them up
in order we discover:
1. A plain prediction by John the Baptist, mentioned once in
each of the four Gospels, that there would be a baptism with
the Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
This four-fold prediction is important; but there is no
light from these Scriptures as to what constitutes that
baptism with the Spirit.
2. In Acts 1:4-5 we read: "And, being assembled together
with them, commanded them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with
water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many
days hence." Revelation here advances only to the point of
assurance that this ministry of the Spirit would be "not
many days hence." This we believe anticipates the Day of
Pentecost; but no light is yet shed on the exact meaning of
this work of the Spirit.
3. In Acts 11:15-18, we have Peter's defense concerning his
unjewish action in going to the house of Cornelius the
Gentile. Peter states: "And as I began to speak, the Holy
Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then
remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like
gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" Particular
attention should be given to this passage, for here, more
than anywhere else in the Scriptures, false interpretations
as to the meaning of the baptism with the Spirit are
founded.
It should be noted that in this passage Peter makes three
references to the Spirit: He states that (1) the Spirit fell
on them; (2) Peter was reminded of the promise of the
baptism with the Spirit (Acts 1:4, 5.); And (3) the Spirit
was given to the Gentiles as He had been given at Pentecost
to the Jews. The error concerning this passage arises from
supposing that the Spirit "falling on them" is identical
with the baptism with the Spirit.
Turning back to Acts 10:44-48, where the first account is
given of Peter's experience in Cornelius' house, we find that
no reference is made to the baptism with the Spirit; but the
Spirit, it is written, "fell on them," and as a direct
result they "spake with tongues." "While Peter yet spake
these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the
word. And they of the
circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came
with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with
tongues, and magnify God."
It is equally important to read the account of the advent of
the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as stated in Acts 2:1-4.
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance." It should be observed that they spake with
tongues on the Day of Pentecost as a direct result of the
Spirit's filling, and that, according to Acts 10:44-48, they
spake with tongues as a direct result of the Spirit falling
on them. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the
Spirit falling upon them and the Spirit filling them are one
and the same thing. In each case the result was identical;
but if this be true, it is evidently unscriptural to relate
any outward manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking
with tongues, to the baptism with the Spirit. Not discerning
this error, multitudes today are "seeking the baptism of the
Spirit," and are assured that if "it" can be gained, they,
too, will speak with tongues.
4. Of five remaining passages which by any interpretation
give direct teaching concerning the baptism with the Spirit
(Rom. 6:1-4; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:12; 1 Cor. 12:13),
1 Corinthians 12:13 alone gives any revelation as to the
meaning and purpose of this ministry. The passage is as
follows: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
Every great theme of Scripture will be found to be taken up
exhaustively in one central passage, and 1 Corinthians 12:13
is evidently the one clear revelation as to the meaning of
the phrase, "the baptism with the Spirit." This passage
clearly indicates that the baptism with the Spirit is the
divine operation by which believers are made members in the
Body of Christ, and are vitally united to Christ by
partaking of one Spirit.
The unsaved sustain no living relation to Christ; but the
saved are all said to be "in Christ." There was a time when
they were not in Christ, but now they are "in Him." If we
inquire as to how and when they became thus related to
Christ, the answer from God's Word would be that they were
placed "in Christ" by the baptism with the Spirit, and that
it occurred at the moment they believed and were saved. "For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body ... and have
been all made to drink into the Spirit."
In considering this great passage, certain crucial
revelations which are contained in it should be noted in
particular:
1. The pronoun "we," as used here, and throughout the
Epistles, is an accurate classification of all saved people,
in contrast with the unsaved. The word "we" excludes every
unregenerate person and, as certainly, includes every
regenerate person. No greater violence could be done to this
Scripture than to interpret this word "we" as though it
represented some inner group or favored class of Christians.
And to give the strongest possible emphasis to the fact that
every saved person is included, the word "all" is also
employed.
2. When members are added to the body of Christ it is
accomplished by the ministry of the Spirit, and this
ministry is none other than the baptism with the Spirit. By
that operation those who believe on Christ are vitally
placed "in Him." As a living union is formed by the process
of grafting, and the branch thus united is organically in
the vine, and the vine by all its vitality and life is in
the branch, so the believer thus united to Christ by the
baptism with the Spirit is "in Christ" and Christ is "in
him." Again, as a member might be vitally joined to a human
body and thus be in that body as to position and
relationship, and the life of the head flowing into that new
member be imparting its life-giving energy and vital force,
so, we being "in Christ," by the baptism with the Spirit,
are vitally joined to Christ, and are in Christ as to
position and relationship, and He is in us as the supply of
our eternal life and every vital force.
Whatever the former position or relationship was of either
the branch before it was grafted in, or the human member
before it was newly joined to the human body, such
relationship forever ceases, and the branch when grafted in,
becomes a living part of the vine, and the member if joined
to the human body, becomes a vital part of the very
personality of the one to whom it might be joined.
It is important to note the unvarying fact that all that the
believer is and all that he has depends on his place "in
Christ" through the baptism with the Spirit (2 Cor. 5:21;
Eph. 1:6; 2:18).
Thus we may conclude that the baptism with the Spirit is in
no way related to the outward manifestations of power in the
life of the believer, which manifestations follow the
Spirit's filling; it is rather the placing of the believer in
that vital union with Christ wherein it may be said of him
that he is "in Christ" and Christ is "in him" (John 14:20).
There are upwards of one hundred passages which emphasize
the fact that the believer is "in Christ." Being in Christ
is the essential fact of the believer's position in the New
Creation. Therefore, the baptism with the Spirit is the
divinely ordained method whereby he enters that marvelous
sphere of relationship wherein Christ is the new Federal
Head -- the Last Adam.
QUESTIONS
1. How many direct references to the Baptism with the Spirit
are found in the Scriptures?
2. State the information on this theme presented in the four
Gospels and Acts 1:4, 5.
3. State the information on this theme and use of terms in
Acts 11:15-18; 10:44-48; and Acts 2:1-4.
4. Do any of these passages define the thing accomplished by
the Spirit's baptism?
5. Name the remaining passages bearing on this theme and
indicate the one which presents a definition.
6. What is accomplished by the baptism with the Spirit?
7. What class is included in this baptism?
8. When is this ministry undertaken by the Spirit?
9. What relation do the unsaved sustain to it?
10. State why you believe this ministry is not limited to
some, or a portion of the believers.
11. What two illustrations are employed in the Scriptures in
setting forth the joining of the believer to Christ?
12. Do all former relationships cease when one is baptized
into Christ's body?
13. Are those thus placed in Christ ever taken out?
14. a. How is the New Creation formed?
b. Who is its Federal Head?
c. Will the Head of the New Creation ever fall?
