many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reign- eth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me. Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me. These are the true sayings of God" (Rev. 19:6-9).
3. The Holy Spirit indwells the believing sinner. In other words, he not only joins us to the Savior (through the baptism), but he joins himself to us. Jesus, prior to his crucifixion, predicted both of these ministries. He said:
"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me [the baptizing], and I in you [the indwelling]" (Jn. 14:20).
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2 : 12 ).
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3.T6).
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (Jn. 14:16).
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (Jn. 7:37-39).
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9).
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 Jn. 3:24).
The purpose of this indwelling ministry is to control the newly created nature.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
"This I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the 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 would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" (Gal. 5:16-18).
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16).
4. The Holy Spirit seals the believing sinner.
"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1 : 22 ).
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13).
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30).
The presence of the Holy Spirit himself seems to be the seal here, who is given by the Father to assure the believer of his eternal salvation. This seal is also referred to as an earnest.
"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1 : 22 ).
"Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5).
"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14).
5. The Holy Spirit fills the believing sinner.
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
A great deal of controversy and misunderstanding throughout church history has come into existence concerning this ministry of the Holy Spirit. For example, what is the difference between the indwelling and the filling of the Holy Spirit? To aid in understanding this vital distinction, consider the following illustration.
A guest is invited into a home. But upon entering that home he is immediately confined to a small room somewhere near the front door. For awhile, he may even be forgotten by his host. Finally, however, the owner of the house is convicted concerning his shabby treatment of the house guest. He thereupon gives his guest free access to every room in the house.
In this illustration the Holy Spirit is, of course, the invited guest. The host is the believing sinner, and the house stands for his life. The difference then between the indwelling and the filling is the difference between being confined in a small room somewhere and being given free access to all the rooms.
The filling, therefore, does not mean the believer gets more of the Holy Spirit, but
rather the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.
In the light of these five ministries we may observe that:
6. All five of these ministries happen instantaneously to the believing sinner. They all occur by faith and are not in the least dependent upon one's personal emotional feelings at the time.
7. The first four ministries can never be lost, and therefore need not be and should not be asked for again. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to ask God to baptize us by his Spirit, or to seal us with his Spirit, or to regenerate and indwell us. If a man has accepted Christ, he has for all eternity been regenerated, indwelled, baptized, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
8. The fifth ministry, however, can be lost, and therefore should be asked for as many times as needed. The following passages bring this out:
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).
"This I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
Believers in the book of Acts experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit often in their lives.
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them. Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel" (Acts 4:8).
"Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:3).
"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55).
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said. Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17).
"For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord" (Acts 11:24).
"Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him" (Acts 13:9)
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 13:52).
9. The first four ministries give us peace with God.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
But the fifth ministry assures us the peace of God.
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7).
Thus, all Christians, regardless of how backslidden they might be, enjoy peace with God, but only Spirit-controlled believers can know that blessed peace of God.
10. In Acts 2:13 and in Ephesians 5:18 a comparison is made between being filled with the Spirit and being filled with wine.
"Others mocking said. These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13).
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).
In all fairness, a comparison can be made between these two:
a. Both control the user and give him a new boldness, one in the good sense and the other in the bad sense of the word.
b. Both produce a desire for more.
11. The fifth ministry is lost whenever disobedience is found in the life of the believer. This disobedience may manifest itself in either (or both) of the following ways:
a. The sin of quenching the Holy Spirit.
"Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19).
This sin involves not doing that which the Holy Spirit would have us do. It is negative in nature. The same word is used elsewhere in reference to the putting out of a fire.
"A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment into victory" (Mt. 12:20).
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16).
"Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Heb. 11:34).
b. The sin of grieving the Holy Spirit.
"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30).
This sin involves doing that which the Holy Spirit would not have us do. It is positive in nature.
To illustrate: A believer boards a plane in Chicago for Los Angeles and finds himself seated next to an unsaved man. In flight the Holy Spirit attempts to witness to the unsaved man through the testimony of the Christian, but he remains silent and fails to witness. At this point, the believer has quenched the Holy Spirit. He has not done that which the Spirit of God wanted him to do.
As the flight continues, however, the two men introduce themselves and begin
~ THE doctrine of the holy spirit ~
talking, but not about spiritual things. In fact, to the shame of the Christian, several off-color stories are passed between the two men. Now the saved man has gone the second step and grieved the Holy Spirit—he has done that which the Holy Spirit did not want him to do.
These two sins, if left unchecked for a long period of time, can eventually lead to that "sin unto death" as described in the following passages:
"To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5).
The sin unto death in this case was immorality on the part of a totally carnal believer in Corinth.
"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:30).
In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, gross dishonesty and blatant hypocrisy led to the sin unto death (Acts 5:1-11). That Ananias was indeed a believer is proven by the question Peter asked him: "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost .. .7" (Acts 5:3). The sin unto death does not mean one loses salvation, but it does imply the possibility that God will remove him from the scene down here earlier than originally planned. This seemed to have been in the thoughts of Paul when he wrote: "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:26, 27).
12. The fifth ministry may (and should be) instantly regained. This can be accomplished:
a. By knowing God's means of forgiveness and cleansing—the blood of Christ.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7).
b. By knowing God's method of forgiveness and cleansing—the confession of the Christian.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9).
This confession is absolutely vital, for while Christ's blood will cleanse us from all sins, it will not cleanse us from a single excuse.
God does not demand golden vessels, nor does he require silver ones, but he must have clean ones. Thus the union with the Spirit is so strong that nothing can break it, but the communion with
the Spirit is so fragile that the smallest sin can shatter it.
Consider another illustration: A family leaves California to visit friends in New York. The first half of their trip is rather uneventful, but while they are in the Chicago area, their automobile breaks down. After some difficulty, the services of a mechanic are secured and the car is repaired. What action does the family take now? Does the driver head back for California and take another run for New York? All would agree that this, of course, would be sheer stupidity. What does this family do? They simply continue on from the spot where they first broke down.
This little travel story has a direct application to the Spirit-filled life. When God saves a man, he puts him on the road to heaven. For a while the trip may go smoothly for the new convert. But there will come a time when he will break down somewhere along the line. Perhaps the spiritual motor trouble will be caused by some angry words, or a wicked deed, or some careless act. The Spirit has been quenched and grieved and all forward progress ceases immediately. There the man sits.
What should he do? He should immediately secure the services of that divine mechanic, the Holy Spirit. If he confesses his sins and depends upon Christ's blood, his broken testimony will once again be restored. Then what should the believer do? The answer is obvious, of course; but there is a false concept among Christians today that once a child of God sins (particularly if it is a serious sin) he automatically loses all previous progress and must start all over. This simply is not the case! The secret of the Spirit-filled life is the knowledge that broken fellowship can be instantly restored by confession and by Christ's blood.
13. The fifth ministry assures the believer of the following blessings: a. The Holy Spirit will pray for him.
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom 8:26).
In the original text, the word "infirmities" is in the singular. Thus the one infirmity in mind here is our inability to pray as we ought to pray. It is for this reason that the Spirit comes to our aid. However, it should be kept in mind that the Bible says he "helpeth" us, which simply means he desires the Christian to do his part also. Therefore, to be effectively prayed for, we ourselves must pray.
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20).
"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Bather" (Eph. 2:18).
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18).
b. The Holy Spirit will guide him.
"Howbeit 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 will show you things to come" (Jn. 16:13).
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
c. The Holy Spirit will teach him.
"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 Jn. 2:27).
d. The Holy Spirit will empower him for witnessing.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
e. The Holy Spirit will impart the love of Christ to him and through him.
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).
f. The Holy Spirit will conform him to the image of Christ.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
The ultimate goal and stated intention of the Father is to conform the believer throughout eternity into the image of Christ. This is made clear in such passages as Philippians 3:21 and 1 John 3:2. But God the Spirit desires to start this glorious work in each child of God at the moment of salvation. (See Phil. 3:10.)
g. The Holy Spirit will strengthen his new nature.
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16).
This he does through Bible study (1 Pet. 2:2) and prayer (Jude 1:20).
h. The Holy Spirit will reveal biblical truth to 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. 2:10).
i. The Holy Spirit will assure him concerning salvation and service.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16).
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 Jn. 3:24).
j. The Holy Spirit will give him liberty.
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17).
k. The Holy Spirit will fill his mouth with appropriate things.
"But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 13:11). Several instances come to mind in the book of Acts where this blessed prophecy was fulfilled. See Acts 4:8-22; 5:29-33; 7:55.
J. His ministry concerning the gifts of Christ.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Eph. 4:4-8).
In the Bible the entire Trinity is often described in the act of giving. God loves to give. It was the Father who gave his dearly beloved Son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16).
It was the Son who freely gave his precious blood.
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me" (Lk. 22:19).
Finally, after his arrival at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began his ministry of gift-giving to the church, and will continue it until the rapture.
1. The definition of a spiritual gift.
A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability given by Christ through the Holy Spirit to the believer at the moment of his salvation. At this point two distinctives should be made.
a. The distinction between the gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The gift occurred at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in answer to the promise of Christ. The gifts occur today.
b. The distinction between gifts and talents. A talent is a human and natural ability given at birth. It may be in the area of music, speech, organization, etc. But no natural talent, however great it might be, can be used by its owner to glorify God until it is sanctioned by the Holy Spirit. When this occurs, the talent then may become a gift.
To illustrate this, let's consider an individual who is a brilliant and talented musician. His ability is acclaimed by millions. But the performer is not a Christian and thus his talent can never be used by the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. But let us assume the man hears the gospel and accepts Christ as Savior. Now the Holy Spirit may determine to transform the man's natural talent into a supernatural gift. As there is no specific gift of music as such, the musician's new efforts for Christ would probably fall under that of exhortation, which is a listed gift.
2. The extent of the spiritual gifts.
a. Each believer possesses at least one spiritual gift.
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10).
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7).
"For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that" (1 Cor. 7:7).
"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Cor. 12:7).
"But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Cor. 12 : 11 ).
b. No believer possesses all the gifts.
"Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (1 Cor. 12:29, 30).
3. The purpose of the spiritual gifts.
a. To glorify the Father.
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).
b. To edify the church.
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edi- I
fying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).
4. The abuse of the spiritual gifts.
a. Not using those gifts imparted to us.
"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6).
"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. 4:14).
b. Attempting to use those gifts not imparted to us.
c. Not using the gifts in love.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor. 13:1).
How often are those blessed gifts abused. Only eternity will reveal the number of men in the ministry who should never have been there. On the other hand (and just as tragic) there has doubtless been a great company of men who were called into God's service, but never answered it. But perhaps the greatest abuse of all is the use of gifts without love.
If one rightly comprehends the material given thus far on gifts, he can understand why God sometimes seems to use a carnal Christian in a great way in spite of the glaring (or often secret) sins in his life. However, in such cases God is only blessing the gift and not the man personally. At the judgment seat of Christ (see 1 Cor. 3) there will doubtless be many surprises as perhaps a number of world- famous Christian leaders receive so little actual personal reward from Christ because of their sins and carnality.
5. The number of the spiritual gifts. In three main passages, the Apostle Paul lists eighteen separate spiritual gifts for us. These passages are: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Ephesians 4:11.
6. The nature of the spiritual gifts. It would seem that these eighteen gifts can be placed into two basic categories, the permanent stationary gifts and the temporary sign gifts.
7. The description of the spiritual gifts.
a. The seven temporary sign gifts. These would include the gifts of apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and knowledge.
At this point it is relevant to ask by what right do we designate the sign gifts as temporary in duration. The answer is found in the miraculous nature of the gift itself. Imagine yourself to be a spokesman sent from God some twenty centu-
ries ago, before most of the New Testament was written. You have a message from the Lord. But how can your listeners be sure you are not one more false prophet among the many of the day? One dramatic indication of your genuineness would be the ability to perform miraculous signs. Note the following verses which bring this out:
"The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him. Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (Jn. 3:2).
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book" Qn. 20:30).
"For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed" (Rom. 15:18).
"Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" (2 Cor. 12:12).
"God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" (Heb. 2:4).
The sign gifts were given primarily to validate the authority of the Savior and his apostles prior to the writing of the New Testament. Afterward, this miraculous proof was no longer needed, for the Scriptures themselves reveal the true from the false.
(1) The gift of apostleship. A reference to certain men called by Christ himself and endued with special power to function as the official "charter members" of the newly organized church.
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11).
"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28).
(a) Apostolic requirements. One must have seen the resurrected Christ.
"Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection" (Acts 1 : 22 ).
"Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?" (1 Cor. 9:1).
(b) Apostolic number. The total number of the early apostles was not limited to twelve. (See Lk. 6:13; Acts 1:26; 14:14; Rom. 1:1; 11:13; Gal. 1:19; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:7; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:12.)
(2) The gift of prophecy.
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith" (Rom. 12:6).
"To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:10).
(See also 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-6; Eph. 4:11.)
Prophecy is the supernatural ability to see into the future. The Bible itself was written in this manner. (See Mt. 13:14; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21.) "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3).
"And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar" (Acts 11:27, 28).
"And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said. Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles" (Acts 21:10, 11).
(3) The gift of miracles. A supernatural ability to perform those events outside and beyond the realm of nature; the ability to set aside for a time the regular laws of nature. "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28).