An Introduction to Paul's Teaching on the Holy Spirit (concluded)

AS A Christian - Christ's child - I may have an essential, vital relation with the Holy Spirit. I must be fully cognizant of that relation in spiritual matters in order that He may control me in a sanctified life. To enable me to understand that personal relation, there are some 400 references in the New Testament to the Holy Spirit. In a study of these texts the believer must at least understand and appreciate two funda­mental truths, namely, the two separate operations of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit:

1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs when the believer experiences justification. This is a punctiliar, point operation, oc­curring at that identical point of time when the sinner surrenders to Christ for personal salvation from sin.

2. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a durative, linear action, a continuous proc­ess, seen in the moral and ethical activities of the believer's spiritual life. It is a vital part of the believer's daily sanctification and spiritual growth.

3. A person's position is effected by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Before faith came he was outside Christ, but now he is in Christ, justified, accepted. The Christian's daily experience is effected by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is the Christian's sanctification in process and progress, a linear, continuous day-by-day experience that molds him more and more into the pattern of the perfect man in Jesus Christ. There can be no eternal sal­vation without both these spiritual experi­ences, the second the effect that stems from the first.

4. The baptism effects, brings about, our status, our standing with God. The infill­ing affects, influences, our condition as Christians who are already in good stand­ing with God, and are obeying His Word, living His truth.

5. The baptism of the Holy Spirit re­creates a man into Christ, making of him a Christian, the new, third kind of man, truly the product of a spiritually creative act. The infilling of the Holy Spirit vital­izes the daily life of the man who is already a Christian; it is a process in the life of the accepted believer that does not terminate this side of eternity.

6. The baptism of the Holy Spirit adds new converts to the membership of the church (Acts 2:47). The infilling of the Spirit energizes and activates the life of the established members, and portrays spiritual manifestations and powers in and through them. Ellen G. White shows the close con­nection between the baptism and the in­dwelling of the Holy Spirit:

Those who at Pentecost were endued with power from on high, were not thereby freed from further temptation and trial. As they witnessed for truth and righteousness, they were repeatedly assailed by the enemy of all truth, who sought to rob them of their Christian experience. They were compelled to strive with all their God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. Daily they prayed for fresh supplies of grace, that they might reach higher and still higher toward perfection. Under the Holy Spirit's working, even the weakest, by exercising faith in God, learned to improve their entrusted powers, and to become sanctified, refined, and ennobled. As in humility they submitted to the moulding influence of the Holy Spirit, they received of the fulness of the Godhead, and were fashioned in the likeness of the divine.¹

The experience of the early believers is one of deep significance for us today. The Saviour was anxious that His disciples should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He knew that with His ascension He must leave His followers. They knew from per­sonal experience that the only hope for the believer to live a victorious life was to remain near the person of Jesus. It must have been a frightful shock to them to hear Him say that He was going away where they could not follow: "It is expedient for you that I go away."² These words must have appeared to the disciples as a shock­ingly bewildering and disconcerting saying. They had been under His personal super­vision and training. What better education could they get? To whom could they go if He left them? They would be hopelessly stranded without the Master's personal su­pervision.

A visit to a South England seaside village illustrated the situation the believers then faced. I saw a stretch of shore line, just mud, unsightly, quite displeasing to view. High and dry on their sides were a number of pleasure boats, beautiful of outline, graceful in every contour. Should the owner of each yacht hoist sail, and heave with all his strength, the little vessel would not budge. The anchor of each one was deeply embedded in the mud. If it were hauled aboard, still no purpose would be accomplished. What, then, was the remedy? It was plain to see as the forces set in motion by God came into play, and the tide, a veritable flood of waters, swept in. It overflowed the repulsive mud, and brought cleansing, life, and activity. Fully alive, and with grace in every movement, the little vessels became free from the en­cumbering mud and prepared to journey and work. Such was the experience of the disciples. With Jesus absent, they could only visualize themselves as hopelessly stranded in all the detaining and restrain­ing complexities of human life. They did not then realize the tremendous flood tide of pure energy that would sweep over them with the coming of the Holy Spirit—a tide that would cleanse, give power, vitalize, make fruitful in evangelizing effort, and give grace and beauty in Christian living.

Jesus was aware of the need of a braver discipline for His believers. He knew that up to this point He had personally trained them for service. He had gently promoted and tenderly directed their spiritual devel­opment by teaching and visible example. He was always with them in the flesh. With the departure of the Master they must have that braver compulsion when sight had given way to faith. This dauntless and more gallant discipline could only come by faith, scarcely by sight alone. Their ex­perience with Jesus in person may be illus­trated by the little girl who wished to cross one of London's streets. Carefully in­structed by her mother, she looked intently at each person waiting on the street corner and watched the lines of hansome cabs, drays, and carts streaming past. Then the little lady addressed one of the men, as she put her hand in his, and said, "Sir, will you please take me across the street?" The man whom she addressed was John Winston Spencer-Churchill, a prominent church­man, the seventh duke of Marlborough, descended from the Ley family that had held the earldom of Marlborough since A.D., 1500. The duke used to relate this inci­dent as one of the happiest of his life, be­cause a child, walking by sight, had seen in him that which solicited her confidence.

With the ascension of Jesus to His Father, the disciples could not thus walk by sight, but must exercise faith and trust, supported by love. This is illustrated by the child, blind from birth, who had been so carefully cherished by her father; for not only was she blind but her mother was dead. A visitor came to the home one day, and unthinkingly picked up the child and placed her on his shoulder. He was a stranger to her, but she showed no fear. In his anxiety her father asked: 'Aren't you afraid, dear?" She replied, "No, Daddy, I'm not afraid." He then said, "But you don't know who is holding you." To which she replied, "No, Daddy, but you do." An incident of brave discipline by faith and trust. So the disciples also had to learn to walk by faith.

We have entered into the dispensation of the Holy Spirit after the disciples, for we, too, must walk by faith. A messenger of God said: The dispensation in which we are now living is to be, to those that ask, the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Ask for His blessing. It is time vve were more intense in our devotion. To us is com­mitted the arduous, but happy, glorious work of revealing Christ to those who are in darkness. We are called to proclaim the special truths for this time. For all this the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is essential. We should pray for it. The Lord ex­pects us to ask Him. We have not been whole­hearted in this work.³

The Paraclete would witness of Jesus. He would vindicate the Saviour to the world; He would also help, defend, and support Christ's witnesses. In effect He says, "When they lead you into judgment be not anxious what you shall speak, for it is not you that speaks but the Holy spirit."⁴  Not only will the Holy Spirit defend the wit­nesses of the Saviour, but He will also con­vict the accuser and the opponent. Both in defense and in attack the Holy Spirit is the invisible, constant Champion:

Under the training of Christ, the disciples had been led to feel their need of the Spirit. Under the Spirit's teaching, they received the final qualifica­tion, and went forth to their life-work. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were they a collection of independent units or discordant, conflicting elements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of "one ac­cord," "of one heart and of one soul." Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of His kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their Master, and men "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."⁵

The Master had taken particular care to train His disciples so they would feel their need of the Holy Spirit. It was under the Spirit's teaching that they would receive their final qualifications. Therefore the words of Christ: "For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."⁶

The Master had preceded this statement with the words: "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth." A little word translated never­theless, is an exhortation to them to raise themselves above the sorrow of Christ's going, if only for the reason for the future ministry of the Spirit. It doesn't seem pos­sible, yet it is true, that the reception of the Holy Spirit is more than a compensation for the absence of the person of Jesus Christ. This serves to add emphasis to our need of the Spirit.

Here is the rich positive: "I will send him unto you." Matthew and Mark give only passing references to the work of the Holy Spirit. Luke has a fuller picture; he traces directly the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ. The apostle John gives us in addition a full account of the utterances of Christ that describe the work of the Spirit. The Spirit must com­plete the work the Master began; and such a volume of power He will unleash!

Now the Saviour's eye penetrates the future; He beholds the broader fields in which, after His death, the disciples are to be witnesses for Him. His prophetic glance takes in the experience of His servants through all the ages till He shall come the second time. He shows His followers the conflicts they must meet; He reveals the character and plan of the battle. He lays open before them the perils they must encounter, the self-denial that will be required. He desires them to count the cost, that they may not be taken unawares by the enemy. Their warfare is not to be waged against flesh and blood, but "against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12, R.V.). They are to contend with supernatural forces, but they are assured of supernatural help. All the intelligences of heaven are in this army. And more than angels are in the ranks. The Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord's host, comes down to direct the battle. Our infirmities may be many, our sins and mistakes grievous; but the grace of God is for all who seek it with contrition. The power of Omnipotence is enlisted in behalf of those who trust in God.⁷

In respect to the number of converts, the greatest aggregate we read of collectively at one time during the life of Christ in the flesh is that of 500 brethren mentioned by Paul who saw Christ after His resurrection from the dead. Undoubtedly there were other companies. Yet the Lord knew the necessity of the Spirit's taking hold of His work, and by means of the gospel to spread its saving power to the ends of the earth by utilizing the consecrated capabilities and powers of men and women. The apostles were not more effective preachers than Christ. But the tremendous increase in ac­cession of believers, the growth and forma­tion of the Christian church, its great mis­sionary program carried out, these are a testimony of the difference the baptism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit made. We share in all this. Every promise made by Christ in person to His disciples of the Holy Spirit is made to us:

With the consecrated worker for God, in what­ever place he may be, the Holy Spirit abides. The words spoken to the disciples are spoken also to us. The Comforter is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wres­tling souls in every emergency, amidst the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own fail­ures and mistakes. In sorrow and affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone,—these are the times when, in answer to the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart.⁸

The promise of the Spirit is not appreciated as it should be. Its fulfillment is not realized as it might be. It is the absence of the Spirit that makes the gospel ministry so powerless. Learning, talents, eloquence, every natural or acquired endowment, may be possessed; but without the presence of the Spirit of God, no heart will be touched, no sinner he won to Christ. On the other hand, if they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs, the poorest and most ignorant of His dis­ciples will have a power that will tell upon hearts. God makes them the channel for the outworking of the highest influence in the universe.

¹ Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 49. 50.

² John 16:7.

³ White, Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 511, 512.

⁴ See Mark 13:11; Matt. 10:19.

⁵ White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 45.

⁶ John 16:7.

⁷ White, The Desire of Ages, p. 352.

⁸ White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 51.

⁹ White. Christ's Object Lessons, p. 328.universe.