Turning to John's Gospel, chapter 3, let us read the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus about conversion. Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews in Jerusalem. Nicodemus came to Him with a confession of faith. He told the Lord in a private, flattering way that he believed in Him, that he had confidence in Him and in His teachings. Nicodemus seems to have felt that Christ was a promising character, and wished to let Him know that, notwithstanding the prejudice and hatred of other leaders and priests, he himself had faith in Him. What would be the usual reaction of the human heart to that expression of approval? Would it not be natural to be pleased and flattered? But Christ turned to this man with a very strange answer. He did not say, "I thank you," or, "I appreciate your kind words," as we might be tempted to say. After that confession by Nicodemus, Jesus said:
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.
This reply greatly surprised Nicodemus. He was irritated by the close application to himself. He said to Christ, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" He knew that to be a physical impossibility, but he did not wish to accept the spiritual lesson Christ sought to teach. Now listen to the answer of Christ:
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5.
Its plain-that-the-new birth not-only em braces water baptism, but also includes birth by the Spirit of God. Being born of the Spirit of God is identical, I think, with the Holy Spirit's entering into a man's life; and every Christian in the world, as I understand it, is entitled to claim, when he has been baptized by water and has put on Christ by confession of faith, that God gives to him the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Going a little farther, we read, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." That is, when we are born in this life, we are all carnal and fleshly, and not at all under the influence of the Holy Spirit. But when a man is born again, as far as the Bible goes, he is entitled to receive the Holy Spirit. I do not say that he receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Mark that. But he is a very weak Christian if he receives baptism by water, and fails to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He will find many difficulties in his path. Temptations will beset him, and he will be very weak to cope with evil, unless he goes beyond the water baptism and experiences the reception of the Holy Spirit in his individual heart.
I want to notice a few other scriptures which show that when a man is born again he is promised the Holy Spirit. And I greatly desire that this truth may be so impressed upon your mind and heart that none will say, "I do not understand." In the Gospel of John we read:
"I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him: for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:16, 17.
This promises something in addition to Himself. It is His way of completing what He has begun, God's plan of ministering to His people in the gospel age. He will "give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." I know that some say the Holy Spirit was limited in time to the early church; but if so, then we shall have to limit the term "forever" to the short period of the first century following Christ. I believe what Christ said as recorded by Matthew,—that this third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, is to remain in the church through all time until the work of God is finished in the earth.
Christ has not been visibly present to is church since His ascension; but He has sent on earth the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, who ministers to His people. And it is the intent and teaching of the word of God that the Holy Spirit is to abide in the church until the work of God is finished.
Again we read:
"The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26.
"When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." John 15:26.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you [it is better for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." John 16:7-11,
Why was it better for the church that Christ go away than for Him to stay on this earth? We would all like to look in the face of Christ. We would love to hear His voice, and listen to His gracious words; but He said, "It is better for you that I go away," and that in-eludes the church and takes in each one of us. Why?—Because, "if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;" that is, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. And the church of God is built on that foundation and teaching of Christ Jesus.
Why is it better that Christ go away and we have the Holy Spirit, than for Christ to stay here and we not have the Holy Spirit? I suggest this: Christ entered into man's estate; He had a physical body. Every physical thing has to have location; and if Christ were here on earth, and had His physical body, we should all have to go where He was, or He would have to come where we were, in order for us to see Him. We could not all go to Jerusalem, or to London, or to some other distant part of the world where He might be; and countless multitudes in the world could never hope to meet Him. Many people are poor, many have no means of transportation. Said Christ: "It is better for you that I go away;" and if I go back to My Father, I will send the Holy Spirit to you. Why the Holy Spirit?—Because He is the third person of the Godhead, who will come to every man and woman in the world. He did not take man's form; He is a spiritual being, and He comes and dwells in every soul who accepts Christ by faith, if as a child of faith he will believe and will seek for this indwelling. As Christians, we may have the third person of the Godhead as our constant companion, if we believe in the Holy Spirit. Wherever we go, He can go. He dwells in the hearts of God's people, ministering to their needs, reproving sin, teaching them, affording comfort and peace.
"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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6:19, 20.
So, said Christ, "it is better for you that I go away." It is all-essential that every Christian receive the Holy Spirit. We know that a man may be baptized with water, and yet not receive the Holy Spirit. We read that in the Acts of the Apostles:
"It came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6.
It is clear from this scripture that these brethren had been baptized, but had not received the Holy Spirit. There may be some people in this church, and there have always been people baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and doing their very best to be Christians, who have not understood the work of the Holy Spirit. No one taught them that they were to receive the Holy Spirit. I am sorry to say that when I myself was baptized, sixty-two years ago, I did not even know that the Holy Spirit was a person. I was a child, to be sure, but I did not understand about the Holy Spirit and His work. I was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, but I did not receive the fullness of the knowledge. I had to grow into that. I even went out preaching without a knowledge of the personality and working of the Holy Spirit. I preached a good many years before I received an imparting of the consciousness of the indwelling experience of the Holy Spirit.
One winter when Elder E. W. Farnsworth and I were holding meetings in Michigan, though we were having good meetings, there came to us a sense of a great lack on our part in helping the people. We were about to open a meeting in Charlotte, only a few miles from Battle Creek. We had just closed a good meeting at Potterville, and as we had one day—Monday—before we held our first meeting in Charlotte, we went to Battle Creek to talk with Elder A. T. Jones, who then was preaching strongly on righteousness by faith.
In that brief interview there came to each of us a special blessing, which we both recognized, as did Elder Jones. We were all blessed, and from that day our ministry led the people to a fuller experience in Christ than before. Previously our desires were good and right, but we lacked power to do the work we tried to do. We needed this promised anointing.
I believe it is a lack of knowledge on the part of many newborn souls that keeps them from receiving the Holy Spirit. The minister who taught them the truth may have failed to teach about the Holy Spirit; but this does not excuse their lack, nor supply the strength they need.
We should all strive to receive this gift in our own hearts now, this very day, if we have not already received Him. If we do not receive this gift, if we do not have the Holy Spirit in our lives, we shall have a difficult time in our Christian experience.
The Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts is a wonderful Comforter, as well as a revealer of sin and a protector from sinning. He is a present help in temptation, to deliver us and to keep us from falling; when we sin, He gives us repentance and heals our wounded hearts. But He will never dwell in our hearts, and allow us to continue in known sin. When the Holy Ghost has entire possession of our hearts, and all that there is of us, we shall be filled with the divine power of God to overcome temptation, to live the life of Christ, and to do the work that He has called us to do. When the Holy Spirit takes possession of a man, he will know it. I do not think any man ever receives the Holy Spirit in his heart without a consciousness of having received Him. Saul knew when the Holy Spirit came upon him. Cornelius recognized it, and so did Paul. So it will be in your life. I have known men who have actually struggled for years against a temptation in the flesh, and even after they gained a temporary victory, they could not hold it; yet they did not give up the truth. But when God sends the Holy Spirit to such a man, just as long as he cherishes that Spirit, and allows that Spirit to control his life, he can claim the victory over sin. Tens of thousands of Christians can bear witness to this glorious fact. Nor does this mean that a man may not be victorious in his Christian life, and later lose it all and relapse into a sinful life. He may even have been used of the Holy Spirit in winning souls, and yet later depart from God and be lost. There is no such thing as "holy flesh." The Christian's life is a life of watchful prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit and the written word of God. "He that endureth to the end shall be saved."
