The Holy Spirit

Dedication

To my Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Wilson, who sympathize with me in my efforts to do good, this little volume is affectionately dedicated by

THE AUTHOR.

Preface

We offer this little volume to the reading public in the hope and with a prayer that it may do good. While preparing this work, we labored to present the great truths of the subject on which it treats in plain, simple language and quoted from the Revised Version (American Standard Edition) of the Bible. A desire to reach a certain class of readers whom other writers have failed to reach and the earnest solicitation of a great many of our friends who have heard us lecture on some of the subjects discussed in this book, induced us to write this work. Our prayer is that this little book may be blessed to the end that it will be a useful weapon in the hands of the followers of Christ in extending His Kingdom on earth and that our Heavenly Father will save both its readers and its Author.

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The Witness of the Holy Spirit 185

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Introduction

The subject of the Holy Spirit and His mission to earth, is one upon which the religious world is greatly divided. The wrong interpretation of the Scriptures bearing upon this question, by those who would be teachers of the Word, has filled the church with confusion, caused divisions among the people of God, and made ship-wreck the faith of thousands of poor misguided souls who might have been among those who 4 ‘stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,” could some “Aquila and Priscilla, ’ ’ have led them out of their Spiritual darkness and taught them “the way of the Lord more perfectly.” Were people who profess to be the children of God, to unite upon this subject — “all speak the same thing” — the walls of sectarianism would crumble away, and that blessed condition of unity and harmony among the followers of Christ, for which He so ardently prayed, would soon be realized.

This, like all religious questions, has its theorll ists, who, with strong minds and able pens, are offering to earth’s inquiring millions, a solution of its problems. Doubtless in America, where religious liberty is guaranteed to all, the minds of the people have been more active than in any other country. Some pride themselves in quoting that passage of Scripture in which Jesus said, ‘ 4 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.” — John 14:12. Those who advocate divine healing claim that Jesus opened the blind eyes, unstopped the deaf ears, gave speech to the dumb, and raised the dead; and since He said “He that believeth on me, the works that I do, shall he do also.” they argue that they must be able to perform such miracles in order to be His disciples. Others deny the doctrine of divine healing and will stand for hours, making buildings and forests ring with the echoes of their eloquent voices as they summon all the power of their mental skill in trying to refute the claims of those who affirm that the disciples of our Lord have the gift of healing, the same now, as did those who lived during the Apostolic days. They affirm and reaffirm that the divine gifts of healing and prophecy belong only to that age in which the Apostles lived. They turn their piercing eyes upon a sea of faces ; they stamp their feet as if they were crushing the life out of some deadly foe; and, with one fierce gesture of their strong arm, as if to sweep away the very ghost of their opponents ’ slaughtered doctrine^ turn and with all the boldness of a triumphant general, assert that there is not a man living on earth today, who can, by the divine gift, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, or life to the dead.

But before the last word of their bold affirmation dies away upon the ears of their auditors, they will turn and lay down a proposition that forces them to affirm a greater miracle than that which they have denied; they tell the inquiring sinner that he is totally depraved, wholly incompetent to assist, in any way, in securing his own salvation from sin; they tell him that until the Holy Spirit — independent of the written or spoken word — enters his depraved heart, regenerates his soul, and opens his blind eyes that he may behold the Spiritual light, he can never extricate himself from the terrible depths of darkness into which the sin of his soul has plunged him. They will go further and tell him that the Holy Spirit comes like the wind, in a mysterious manner; often in answer to the prayers of the saints, while at other times He comes without any human solicitation whatever. Still there are others, who, while bewildered and blinded by these conflicting theories, assert that the Holy Spirit and His mission are absolutely incomprehensible by the finite mind; and, in proof of their position, they quote a part of the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of First Timothy, where Paul says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” They wrest the Apostle’s words out of their proper connection and put upon them a different meaning than that which he intended to convey. They claim that the mystery is the Holy Spirit and His work; and argue that if the Holy Spirit is a mystery without controversy, all discussion on the subject only tends to intensify man’s inability to grasp its meaning and buries these precious hidden truths still deeper in the sea of profound and insolvable mystery.

We think it useless to stop here and offer our objections to the foregoing theories. We are confident that, under the plain teaching of the Son of God, the prayerful student can see the inconsistencies and unscripturalness of these false claims; and with the open Bible before him, learn of the “more excellent way,” and the means by which

God has promised to emancipate the soul from sin. However, we will state here that we do not believe the mission of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. Surely, it would not be compatible with the wisdom and mercy of our heavenly Father to give us a law wrapped up in an incomprehensible mystery and punish us with eternal death if we fail to keep it. Isaiah says, “And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” If the pathway to heaven is so plain that the wayfaring men, though they be simpletons, shall not err therein, the office work of the Holy Spirit on earth can be no less so, as it is with our salvation that His mission has to do.

We are not vain enough to think that we can answer all of the questions bearing upon this subject, and thus accomplish something that stronger minds, abler pens, and more devoted hearts have failed to do; but we do think we can give a satisfactory answer, at least, to a few of the more practical ones with which our redemption from sin is concerned. Paul says, “But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes,” — ii Tim., 2:23, and Moses says, “The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” — Deut., 29:29. It shall be our purpose to try to ‘ ‘ avoid foolish and ignorant questionings, ’ ’ and thus heed the admonition of the great Apostle, but will call attention to a few of the blessed truths which are revealed.

For the sake of clearness, we will divide our subject into eight divisions, which are: 1st, The Holy Spirit; 2d, The Baptism of the Holy Spirit; 3d, Why Christians Cannot Perform Miracles ; 4th, The Sin Against the Holy Spirit; 5th, The Operation of the Holy Spirit in the Conversion of the Sinner; 6th, The Birth of Water and the Spirit; 7th, The Reception of the Holy Spirit; and 8th, The Witness of the Spirit.

We will take up these divisions separately and discuss them in the order as stated, the first of which is, The Holy Spirit.

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Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged. — John 16:7-11.

Chapter I. The Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches us that there is One God, Our Father; One Lord Jesus Christ, — Our Saviour; One Holy Spirit, Our Comforter. It also teaches us that the Holy Spirit is a person; and, as such, He is separate from the Father and Son but is one with them in nature, purpose, and work. Acting upon the presumption that no one will question our first affirmation, but believing the last two will need to be proved to satisfy the minds of some who may be among our readers, we will take them up in the order stated and offer the following proofs for their substantiation.

2d. Does the Bible teach that the Holy Spirit is a person and that, as such, He is separate from the Father and Son? We believe it does. It is true that when we attempt to understand all of the facts of the divine and ineffable relation of the Deity, we become lost in its sublimity and vastness. Such matters are far beyond the reach of our feeble minds. They are, “the secret things,” and belong not to us; and every effort upon our part to solve their incomprehensible mysteries is but an attempt to grow wise above that which is written. This, however, should not discourage us in trying to understand all God teaches upon the subject, but let us turn to “the law and the testimony,” and learn those “things which are revealed.”

That the Holy Spirit is a person is evident, we think, from the following reasons: (a) Jesus mentions the Holy Spirit as a person and, as such, refers to Him in the masculine gender. He says “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth : for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak; and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.” — John 16:13. (b) All of the essential parts of personality,

together with many personal acts and attributes, not ascribable to any object, save a person, are attributed to him. He hears (John 16:13); He knows the things of God (i Cor., 2:10-11); He speaks (John 16:13); He prays (Rom., 8:26); He guided the Apostles into all truth (John 16:13); He reveals the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (i Cor., 2 :10) ; He reproves of sin (John 16:9); He strove with men (Gen., 6:3); He distributed gifts (i Cor., 12:11); He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30); He set bishops over churches (Acts 20:28); He forbad Paul preaching in Asia (Acts 16:6); and bears witness with the spirits of Christians (Rom., 8:16). (c) Men sustain relations

toward Him such as are possible only toward a person. They grieve Him (Eph., 4:30); they resist Him (Acts 7 :51) ; they sin against Him (Matt., 12:31) ; they invoke His communion (ii Cor., 13:14) ; they rebel against Him (Isa., 63:10); they are baptized into His name (Matt., 28:19) ; and they insult Him (Heb., 10:29.) (d) He is both the Spirit

of God and the Spirit of Christ (Matt., 3:16; Phil., 1:19).

The following proofs, we believe, w T ill show clearly that, in person, the Holy Spirit is separate from the Father and Son: ‘‘And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway from the water ; and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ” — Matt., 3:16-17. From this account of the baptism of our Saviour we learn that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate persons.

There in the river, with the baptismal waters dripping from His garments and the light and innocency of heaven stamped upon His sinless face, stood the blessed Son of God. In the air, descending like a dove to place upon the Lowly One the approval and seal of heaven, was the Spirit of God; while, farther on, the gates of heaven were opened and the voice of the Father was heard saying, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Here the three were manifested as three separate personalities. The Son on earth, the Holy Spirit in the air, and the Father in heaven. Jesus mentioned them separately when He gave the “every creature” commission to His Apostles. Hear His words, “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” — Matt., 28:19-20.

We are confident the foregoing Bible references are sufficient to prove that the Holy Spirit is a person and, as such, is separate from the Father and Son, but in order to satisfy the minds of those who would like to have the opinion of scholars on this subject, we will quote from the following men whose

Bible knowledge has seldom, if ever, been questioned: “ Spirit, Holy. The third person of the Trinity, whose office work it is to sanctify, or make holy, the people of God. The personality of the Holy Spirit is implied in the baptismal formula and the Apostolic benediction. As the Father and the Son are real persons, so must the Holy Spirit be also, thus joined with them in the solemn initiatory rite cf the church.’ ’ — Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Article, “Holy Spirit.” “God — the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, * Strong,’ ‘ Mighty.’ It is expressive of that, omnipotent power ; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it; viz., that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who were engaged in the creative work.” — Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary on Gen., 1:1. In “The Querists’ Drawer,” of the Christian Standard, (June 5th, 1909) appears the following question with its answer: “Do you understand John 15:26, and John 16:7, 8, 13, 14, as implying the Holy Spirit, and would this establish the Trinitarian view of the three persons in the Trinity?” Answer, “We take it that the Holy Spirit is referred to in the passages indicated, but we do not understand that they establish the Trinitarian notion of the three persons in one God who is himself a unit. The idea is absurd and self-contradictory. The Scriptures clearly teach that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate and distinct persons. Christ, one person, was to pray to the Father, another person, and he was to send the Holy Spirit, a third person. The idea that it was the same person acting in three different capacities is absurd.”

Believing the foregoing arguments sufficient to prove that the Holy Spirit is a person, and as such, He is separate from the Father and Son, we pass to our third proposition.

3d. Does the Bible teach us that the Holy Spirit is one with the Father and Son in nature, purpose, and work? We believe it does. In the Fifth Chapter and Seventh verse of First John, (King James’ translation) we find this language, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one.” It is true that this passage is supposed by some critics to be an interpolation; but this, if it be a fact, has never been successfully proved, and even if it were, it shows that our position was, at least, believed by early Christians. In what sense, or how are these three one? Do we understand the Scriptures to teach that there are three persons in one God who is Himself a unit? No. Such a position would be at variance with every passage of Scripture bearing upon this subject. Do we understand the Holy Spirit to be the Spirit of God just in the sense we understand a man’s spirit to be the spirit of man? We think not. God is Spirit and it is not easy to think of the spirit of a spirit. Such a position would force us to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is only a divine influence, and emanation, or manifestation of the divine, a mere impersonal force, instead of a thinking, speaking, and acting person, such as the Bible reveals Him to be. How then, we ask, are they one? Let us turn to the Bible which, to us, is the end of all controversy. In the petition to His Father, Jesus prayed that His disciples may be one as He and His Father are one. Hear His words, “ Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word ; that they may all be one; even as thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me. And the glory w r hich thou hast given me I have given unto them ; that they may be one, even as we are one.” — John

17:20-22. Note the expression, “that they may be one, even as we are one.” From this we learn that God and Christ are one and that, in the sense in which they are one, Jesus prayed that His disciples should be one in them and one with each other. Some one may object here by saying that Jesus did not include the Holy Spirit as being one with His Father and Himself. That is true, but the passage from First John 5:7, which has already been quoted and commented upon, says the three — Father, Word, and Holy Spirit — bear record in heaven and that they are one. This includes the Holy Spirit. How are they one? They are one just in the sense Jesus prayed for His disciples to be one. Not one in person; but one in mind, one in purpose, and one in work.

One may ask, “if the Holy Spirit is a person, separate from the Father and Son, but one with them in mind, purpose, and work, wTiy was He not referred to in the Old Testament as such?” It is true that, in the Old Testament, neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit was clearly revealed as a person, separate from the Father and each other. Then it was God, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God, while in the New Testament the order is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fact that Jesus was not known in the Old Testament as a person separate from the Father and the Holy Spirit is no evidence that He did not exist as such. He has always been with the Father. Truly did the prophet speak when he said, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. ” — Micah 5:2. We can understand this subject much better if we will remember just here that the phrase, “Word of God,” denotes an eternal relation, while the phrase, “Son of God,” denotes a temporal relation. As the “Word of God,” Jesus was, at least, as far as the divine Record informs us, co-eternal with the Father. (In the beginning was the Word) but He became the “Son of God,” when He “became flesh,” or was born of the virgin Mary (wherefore the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.” — Luke 1 :35.) The Holy Spirit, like Christ, is not mentioned in the Old Testament as a person, but has always existed as such and was co-ordinate with the Father and Word in the work of creation, for it was He who “moved upon the face of the waters;” (Gen., 1:2), and it was by Him that God “garnished the heavens.” (Job 26:13.) The Holy Spirit, like Christ, was not known in ancient times as He is known now. Then He was known as the “Spirit of God,” but now He is known as the “Holy Spirit.” Back in the morning of time He brooded over the water and brought the light of heaven to penetrate the abysmal depths of the chaotic darkness and in the days of Noah He strove with men. J. W. McGarvey was asked the following question: “When, according to the Scriptures, did the work and mission of the Holy Spirit in leading men to obedience begin?” “I answer,” he says, “that His present work of leading men to obey Christ, began on the next Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ. His former work began before the flood (Gen., 6:3).” Christian Standard, June 13th, 1908. The Holy Spirit was present in the creation (Job 26:13); He testified against the wicked (Neh., 9:28-30); He inspired the prophets (ii Peter 1:20-21); He guided the Apostles (John 16:13) ; He bears witness with the spirits of Christians (Rom., 8:16) ; and dwells in the hearts of the people of God (i Cor., 3:16).

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THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit. — Mark 1 : 7 - 8 .

Chapter II. The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit

In studying the subject of the baptism of the Ploly Spirit, the reader must bear in mind that, since the beginning of time, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, have each, during a certain period of years, reigned personally (known as persons) upon the earth. These periods we shall, for the sake of clearness and convenience, designate as 1st, The dispensation of the Father; 2d, The dispensation of the Son; and 3d, The dispensation of the Holy Spirit. We would not leave the impression, neither do we believe, that any one of the three either worked alone or independent of the other two in any one of these dispensations. But, on the other hand, we believe the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit have been co-workers with each other, both in creation and redemption. During the first dispensation, the Son and the Holy Spirit worked through the Father ; during the second, the Father and Holy Spirit worked through the Son ; and during the third, the

Father and Son work through the Holy Spirit. The first dispensation lasted from the creation of Adam until the introduction of Christ to the world at His baptism. During this period, man knew no divine person except the Father. He alone was his King, Law-giver, and Object of his worship. Hence, our reason for calling this, the first four thousand years of the world’s history, the dispensation of the Father. The second dispensation lasted from the introduction of Christ to the world at His baptism until the descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost following His resurrection. With the beginning of this short period, Jesus entered upon His ministry with “power on earth to forgive sins.” This is known as Christ’s personal ministry, or the dispensation of the Son. The third and last period commenced with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and continues to the present and will continue until that day when the Angel shall announce that time shall be no more. At the beginning of this, the third period, the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles, guided them into all truth, made known to them the mystery of Christ and, through His appointed medium, is now “reproving the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Hence, our reason for calling this the dispensation

3fl of the Holy Spirit. At the close of the first dispensation, God introduced Christ to the world by saying, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. ,, With this introduction, Jesus entered upon and continued His personal ministry for about three and one-half years, during which time He promised His disciples another Comforter — the Holy Spirit — “and, being assembled together with them, He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me: for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence. ’ ’ — Acts 1 :4-5. This brings us to our present theme — “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit .’ ’ In order that we may make this subject plain and easily understood, we shall ask and try to give Bible answers to the following questions :

1st, By whom was the baptism of the Holy Spirit administered? 2d, To whom was it administered? 3d, What were its effects upon those who received it? 4th, For what purpose was it administered ?

1st, By whom was the baptism of the Holy Spirit administered?

This question need not consume much of our time. John the Baptist said to them who came to him demanding baptism in Jordan, “There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.’ ’ — Mark 1:7-8. From this w r e learn that Jesus was to administer the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as He was the “Mightier One” referred to by John.

2d, To whom was the baptism of the Holy Spirit administered?

That God did, through John the Baptist and Christ, promise the baptism of the Holy Spirit to certain persons, all Bible readers are agreed, but as to whom or how many were to be the recipients of this baptism, they are greatly divided. Some believe it to be general and perpetual and thus to be enjoyed by all Christians of every age, while others believe it was to be special and limited to the day of miracles, or the first century of the Christian era. Those who claim that Christians receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit now, think they can see in the Holy Scriptures sufficient proof to establish their claim. We will now examine some of the passages referred to by them that we may be able to ascertain just what the Bible does teach on this subject.

The first passage to which we call attention is found in Joel 2 :28-30, and reads as follows : “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth : blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.” That this prophecy refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit is claimed by those who advocate the doctrine of present day Holy Spirit baptism, to be evident from the expression, “pour out of my Spirit,” and that it is to be general and perpetual is obvious, they say, from the phrase, “upon all flesh.” Their argument is that the Holy Spirit was to be poured out upon all flesh ; the Christians of the present day constitute a part of “all flesh;” therefore, it follows that all Christians who have lived since that promise was fulfiled have, and those who will yet accept Christ, will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That this prophecy does refer to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we believe to be true, but that it teaches that all Christians of every age are to receive it, we are not prepared to admit. We believe the expression.

‘ 1 all flesh,” is to be limited, otherwise it will prove entirely too much, even for those who rely upon it as a proof text to establish their claim. Paul says, “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fishes.” — i Cor., 15:39. If the phrase, “upon all flesh” is not to be limited, it would prove that the beasts of the fields, fowls of the air, and the fishes of the seas are to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit also. One may object to this by saying, “all flesh,” means all human flesh. Admitting that “all flesh” does not include the flesh of fish, birds, and beasts, but simply all human flesh, still it proves too much. It would include the wicked as well as the righteous and, as it is claimed by those who advocate this theory that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is in order to salvation, it would follow that everybody will be saved; notwithstanding Jesus says, “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby.” Let him who advocates this theory, not only affirm that the cold blooded murderer, who, after painting his hands red with the blood of his innocent and defenseless victim and goes to the scaffold cursing the God who created him, is saved by the baptism of the Holy Spirit ; but let him whet up his theological sword and champion the cause of Universalism, a doctrine which is nowhere taught in God’s Word. But says another, “It means all Christians.” We see from this reasoning that even those who advocate the doctrine of present day Holy Spirit baptism, must admit that the expression, “all flesh,” must be limited to a very small portion of earth’s countless millions. If we are warranted in placing the above restrictions, or limitations upon the declaration, “upon all flesh,” why not make others which will be more consistent and harmonious with Bible teaching? From this prophecy we learn that the sons and daughters of those who were to receive this baptism were to prophesy, their old men were to dream dreams, and their young men were to see visions. Are these prophecies, dreams, and visions to be seen among Christians today? If not, the expression, “all flesh” must be pruned down to a certain age and people when such phenomena were seen.