The charismatic movement within religious
circles is rapidly growing in popularity. At one time, the claim to possess the
miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, or to speak in tongues, was advanced
almost only by Pentecostalists; today most sects claim to have had similar
experiences. With some religious groups, it is the criterion of truth whether
or not one has had an "experience", and, in the absence of such, it
is reasoned that the Truth itself is absent. Indeed, whereas for many years,
some churches have vigorously rejected, and even ridiculed, the idea that
miracles are being performed, today they have capitulated to the popular trend,
and have joined the ranks of those who claim to have the miraculous and
mystical powers of the Holy Spirit.
We have no doubt that some people have had
experiences of an unusual nature. Nor do we doubt that faith is capable of
effecting some cures. If a person believes a matter sufficiently strongly, it
can have a remarkable effect upon the emotions, and even result in physical
reactions.
And this can be thought and taught to be a
manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit.
That there is such a thing as the
"birth of the Spirit" taught in the Bible is without doubt. Indeed,
the Lord himself declared that unless a person is "born of the
Spirit" he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). But whilst that is
acknowledged, what passes current today for the possession of the Holy Spirit
is not the "birth" to which the Lord referred.
And as personal salvation is bound up in
one's understanding of true Bible teaching (Romans 1:16; Ephesians 4:4-6), it
is important for us to know exactly if what we believe is in accordance
therewith. Has God, in fact, promised to bestow the miraculous powers of the
Spirit in these days?
Why The Spirit Gifts Were Given
On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after
the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, the disciples were gathered "with one
accord," in the city of Jerusalem, and, in fulfillment of the promise of
Christ, they were "anointed with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1-4).
The effect was instantaneous. "They
began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts
2:4). The great concourse of Jews assembled from all parts of the world to
celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, not only heard the Gospel proclaimed, but
proclaimed in the native tongues of those countries from whence they had come.
This was but the beginning of miracles
performed by the disciples. As it was said of Jesus that he was "a man
approved of God by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him"
(Acts 2:22), so now of his followers it was recorded: "God bear them
witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of
the Holy Spirit, according to His own will" (Heb. 2:4). The sick were
healed; the blind had their sight restored; the disciples spoke in foreign
tongues without having first learned them.
These miracles were performed by the
"power of the Holy Spirit." They comprised the seal of God on the
testimony of the Apostles, demonstrating that He was with them, and that the
doctrines they pronounced were true.
Such an attestation was necessary in those
times, for the preaching of the Gospel in the name of Christ Jesus, was
something new. The pagan world opposed it because it challenged its heathen
gods; the Jewish world opposed it because it required belief in the crucified
and resurrected Jesus as Messiah. Some extraordinary Divine sign was necessary
to overcome the prejudices of the age, and demonstrate beyond all doubt that
Christianity is true. The miracles performed by the disciples of the Lord
provided this; they showed that the seal of God was on their teaching.
Christadelphians teach that this power to
perform miracles of healing, and to "speak in tongues" is now
withdrawn. They maintain this because the Bible teaches that the gifts of the
Spirit were only designed as temporary helps; and that when they accomplished
the purpose that God had in bestowing them, they would be withdrawn.
How The Spirit Gifts Were Given
We ask you, Reader, to carefully and
patiently consider the evidence we now advance. It is vitally important that
what we believe concerning God and the Bible is in accordance with the teaching
of Scripture, because personal salvation is dependent upon such. We are told
that "faith cometh by hearing the Word of God" (Romans 10: 17), and
that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).
Our emotions, our beliefs, and even our "experiences" must be
analyzed in the light of Bible teaching, for otherwise it is possible to be led
astray. The Bible speaks of the possibility of some being motivated by "a
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
That being the case, how important it is that we consider everything in the
light of Scripture.
The modern world has become familiar with
so-called evangelists -- men, women, and even children, claiming to possess
miraculous gifts. Their stock-in-trade is usually a magnetic personality,
carefully groomed for the purpose in hand, and highlighted by a well-prepared
background of music and oratory. We have personally seen a ten-year-old child,
claiming to have the gift of God, and the power of miracle, attracting a stream
of deluded people marching forward to be "blessed" by her as she blew
upon her bugle.
Her audience imagined that it was witnessing
the power of the Holy Spirit; but in the cold light of fact, supplemented by
the teaching of the Bible, it was obvious it had been moved by a "strong
delusion" to "believe a lie."
This is evident, when the manner in which
the gifts of the Holy Spirit were bestowed in Apostolic times is considered.
Firstly, the recipient had to possess a
sound knowledge of the Truth; and, secondly, the miraculous gifts were only
bestowed by the imposition of the hands of the Apostles. The Bible narrates:
"Through the laying on of the Apostles' hands, the Holy Spirit was
given" (Acts 8:18).
This evidence is important. It shows that
the Apostles alone had the power of bestowing the gifts of the Holy Spirit on
others. This is clearly revealed in an incident recorded in Acts 8. Philip, the
evangelist, was sent by God to Samaria to preach the Gospel, and this he did,
"preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus
Christ, baptizing men and women" (v. 12). His preaching was accompanied by
"miracles and signs" (v. 13) which he was able to perform. But the
record clearly shows that though he could perform a miracle, he could not
bestow the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon others! The Apostles had to travel
from Jerusalem to Samaria that believers "might receive the Holy
Spirit" (v. 15), for it was only "through the laying on of the
apostles' hands that the Holy Spirit was given" (v. 17-18).
This fact should be very carefully pondered.
Acts 8 clearly shows:
That being the case, what happened when the
last of the apostles died? There being nobody capable of transmitting the gifts
of the Holy Spirit, they gradually ceased, so that it is quite fallacious for
modem preachers to claim they have these gifts.
Other parts of the Bible showing that the
Holy Spirit gifts were imparted by the laying on of the hands of the Apostles,
are as follows:
"When Paul had laid his hands upon
them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied"
(Acts 19:6).
"Stir up the gift of God, which is in
thee, by the putting on of my hands" (Paul to Timothy - 2 Tim. 1:6).
What Of Cornelius?
There was an exception to the rule referred
to above. When Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, was taught the Truth in
Christ, the Holy Spirit was given him direct from God, without the imposition
of the hands of the Apostles (Acts 10:45-48).
Why was the general rule waived in his case?
Because he was a Gentile, and previous to that time, the truth in Christ had been
preached to Jews only. The Apostles did not believe it right to proclaim it to
Gentiles on equal terms with the Jews, and they had to be taught that they
should show no discrimination between the two classes of peoples. Peter made
that abundantly clear when, in his preaching to this Roman Gentile, he
declared:
"Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with Him" (vv. 34-35).
This truth was confirmed beyond all doubt by
God bestowing the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius, as Peter later told his
fellow-brethren in Jerusalem (see Acts 11:13-17).
The case of Cornelius was clearly
exceptional, designed as a witness to show that God had opened the saving power
of the Gospel to Gentiles equally as to Jews. It was, as Paul explained later,
"a witness" that thence after in the preaching of the Gospel,
Gentiles were to be treated on an equal basis with Jews. See Acts 15:7-9.
The example of Cornelius, therefore, cannot
be pressed in support of the bestowal of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the
absence of the Apostles, because, from thence onwards, any baptized were given
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, only when an Apostle "laid his hands upon
them" for that purpose (Acts 19:6).
Withdrawal Of The Spirit-Gifts Predicted
Seeing that the gifts of the spirit were
only imparted by the laying on of the Apostles' hands, it is obvious that with
the death of the last of these Apostles (John), the spirit-gifts would
gradually cease to be manifested.
That is what happened.
The Apostles taught that this would be the
case. Speaking of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit gifts, Peter declared:
"The promise is unto you, and your
children, and to all that are afar off as many as the Lord our God shall
call" (Acts 2:39).
The promise of the spirit-gifts are here
made to three classes of people:
Peter's declaration at Pentecost limited the
bestowal of the Spirit gifts to believers: "as many as the Lord shall
call." Those, today, who claim to possess this power, and yet teach
doctrines opposed to the basic message of the Bible cannot possibly possess
God's power. What influence they assert is that of mind over matter, and not of
God, not miraculous in the Bible meaning of the term.
Moreover, Peter limited the promise to
"you and to your children." That obviously relates to a time period,
for children of believers did not automatically receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Peter's words mean that the promise was limited to his hearers, and the
generation following.
Why should Peter so limit the period during
which the gifts of the Spirit would be given? Because he realized that with the
death of the Apostles the medium appointed of God for the impartation of the
gifts would not be available, and therefore they would cease to be manifested.
Peter's statement was confirmed by Paul. He
wrote at length upon the subject, and devoted three chapters in his 1st Epistle
to the Corinthians to this theme (chaps. 12, 13, 14). In chapter 12 he
enumerated the various gifts, referred to the way in which they were manifested
by the members of the community, spoke of their importance, and concluded by
saying: "Covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew I unto you a more
excellent way."
Those closing words form the preface to one
of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible: Paul's wonderful discourse on
charity, or love (I Corinthians 13). He commenced by declaring that love is the
greatest power f or good, far transcending the gifts of the Spirit. The
manifestation of faith, hope and love by the believer, demonstrates the
in-dwelling of the spirit-word of God in him. On the other hand, the gifts of
the Spirit: the power to perform miracles, to speak in tongues, to heal, and so
forth, were so much "sounding brass, and tinkling cymbal" in the
absence of these virtues (v. 6); whilst of the three, love is the most enduring
virtue of all. Paul contrasted its influence and endurance with the gifts of
the Spirit, which, he declared, were only temporary manifestations of Divine
power, soon to be withdrawn. He wrote:
"Charity (i.e. love) never faileth; but
whether there be prophecies (i.e. the gift of prophecy - see v. 2), they (the
gift, not the prophecy) shall fail; whether there be tongues (the gift of
speaking in tongues - v. 1) they (the gifts) shall cease; whether there be
knowledge it (the gift of knowledge) shall vanish away."
Paul clearly predicted that the gifts of the
Spirit were to be withdrawn, and taught that believers should not overstress
their importance. Instead they should seek to develop faith, hope and charity,
virtues which will gain for them an eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
In accordance with Paul's teaching, the
gifts of the Spirit are no longer available today.
Otherwise, why would Paul have taught that
these gifts would "fail" or "cease"? Is it not obvious
that, as the Bible teaches, these gifts would cease, so that what is claimed
today to be the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not so? Otherwise the Bible is
shown to be false.
The basic purpose of the bestowal of the
Holy Spirit was to guide the Apostles "into all truth," to reveal
"things to come," and bring "to remembrance" that which had
been already accomplished but which had been overlooked (John 15:26; 16:13). By
that means, the revelation of God to man would be completed, as it is in the
Bible. Thus the Bible concludes with a warning against any who should "add
unto the things" recorded therein (Rev. 22:18).
An Objection Answered
In expounding the subject of Spirit gifts,
Paul declared: "We know in part, and we prophesy in part" (1 Cor.
13:9). This can be better translated: "We know partitively (or "in
parts"), and we prophesy partitively." The same Greek word (meros)
is translated as "particular" in 1 Cor. 12:27: "members in
particular," or as it signifies, different "parts" of the one
body. In 1 Cor. 13:9, therefore, the Apostle was referring to the manner in
which different Spirit-gifts were manifested by different members of the one
congregation. Some had the gift of knowledge by the Spirit, and others the gift
of prophecy. The congregation was dependent upon these Spirit-endowed men for
divine guidance and revelation, for, at that time, the Bible had not been
completed. Therefore, each provided a part for the benefit of the whole body,
so that what was done was done "partitively."
Paul predicted that that state of things was
not to continue, and that when the completed revelation of God had been made
known to man through the power of the Holy Spirit, it would be withdrawn. He
wrote:
"When that which is perfect is come,
that which is in part (or in parts) shall be DONE AWAY" (1 Cor. 13:9).
What is meant by "that which is
perfect?" Some claim that this has relation to the perfection of nature,
immortality, which will be bestowed upon the righteous at the return of Christ
(1 Cor. 15:23,53), and therefore the Spirit-gifts would continue until then.
But that would mean that the Holy Spirit would be withdrawn at Christ's coming,
which will not be the case. Instead, it will be manifested in greater power.
The Greek word teleios rendered
"perfect" in this verse, signifies complete," "having
reached its end." The noun of the same word occurs in Luke 1:45, where it
is rendered "performance," or, in the Revised Version,
"fulfillment." It occurs again in 1 Cor. 2:6 where Paul declared that
he taught the deeper things of Divine wisdom to "them that are
perfect" or who were mature in spiritual understanding. In Ephesians 4:11-12,
he wrote:
"He (God) gave some, apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers; for the PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
Weymouth renders the word
"perfect" in this place as "fully equip": "to fully equip
his people for the work of serving." The "perfecting of the
saints" is something that takes place now, and not something that awaits
the future. They are "perfected," "brought to maturity" in
understanding or "fully equipped" for preaching by the complete
revelation of God in the Bible. Until Apostolic times, only the Old Testament
existed, but subsequently, God's revelation was brought to completion or
perfection by the recording of the New Testament. This was accomplished through
the inspired writings of Spirit-endowed men of the first century; apostles like
Paul and John; evangelists like Luke; pastors and teachers like James and Jude.
By the ministry of such men, the final revelation of God was made and
incorporated in the Bible.
The complete or perfect revelation of God
"having come," that which was manifested in parts (Holy Spirit power)
was "done away" (1 Cor. 13:9). The Apostles passed off the scene, and
no one remained capable of transmitting the Spirit-gifts to others.
However, the completed Bible remained, and
is adequate to provide all that is necessary to fully equip God's people for
the work of serving. It is a work of the Holy Spirit moving through the men who
wrote it (Heb. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:21).
God's revelation to man was completed when John,
the last of the Apostles, received The Revelation. He alone remained of
that small company of men (the Apostles) who had the power to transmit the
gifts of the Holy Spirit to others. With his death, some time after A.D. 96,
the gifts of the Spirit as manifested by believers, waned and finally ceased;
for there remained no one to transmit them to the new generation of disciples.
Peter's words at Pentecost had been fulfilled in that the Holy Spirit gifts had
been manifested by those who accepted the Gospel in his day, and by their
children. Now the gifts ceased, as Paul had predicted they would. Believers had
the complete revelation of God in the Bible, and by absorption of its message,
could develop the virtues of faith, hope and love, which Paul taught comprised
"a more excellent way" of pleasing the Father.
Pentecostal Speaking In Tongues
The Apostles were anointed with the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and immediately began to proclaim the Gospel in
the name of Christ. To their amazement, the people gathered from all parts of
the world, heard it proclaimed in the various languages of the countries from
whence they came. In explanation of the miracle, Peter drew attention to the
prophecy of Joel 2:28 where the prophet, in predicting the outpouring of God's
spirit, likened it to the giving of rain.
"For He (God) hath given you the former
rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former
rain, and the latter rain" (v. 23).
In Hebrew, "former rain" can be
rendered "teacher," and thus the margin of the A.V. provides the
following alternative rendition:
"For He hath given you the Teacher of
righteousness, and He shall cause to come down for you the rain; a teacher and
a latter rain..."
The "teacher of righteousness" is
the Lord Jesus. The "rain" that the Prophet predicted would descend,
was the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in Apostolic times, as is shown by
Peter's application of this chapter to the preaching at Pentecost (Acts 2:16).
Now the prophet spoke of a "latter rain" in addition to the former
rain. In other words, he predicted two outpourings of Spirit: one at the first
advent of the Lord, and the second at his second advent. Between these two
outpourings there would exist a period of "drought" as far as the Spirit-gifts
are concerned.
That period of "drought" commenced
with the death of the Apostles and the consequent cessation of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit, and it continues to the present.
At the return of the Lord Jesus to the
earth, the power of the Holy Spirit will again be in evidence, and in greater
measure than in the first century. It will result in the resurrection of the
dead, and a change of nature for those who have lived in accordance with the
precepts of Christ, for "this mortal shall put on immortality, and this
corruptible will put on incorruption" (1 Cor. 15:53). Then will be
fulfilled the words of the Lord Jesus: "Unless a man be born of water and
the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). To be
"born of water" is to be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26); to be
"born of the spirit" is to be granted immortality (see 1 Cor. 15:46;
Phil. 3:2 1; 2 Pet. 1:4).
Thus the "latter day" outpouring
of the Spirit will be greater than that of 1900 years ago, when it was given
moderately" (Joel 2:23). By its means judgments will be poured out upon
the world of the ungodly, and those who are prepared to heed will have
"the everlasting gospel" preached to them (Revelation 14:6-8; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10). The resurrected and immortalized believers of the Lord
will co-operate in that work of judging and preaching (Psalm 149:4-9).
That being the case, Paul's teaching that
the Holy Spirit would be withdrawn (1 Corinthians 13:10) cannot apply to the
future (when it will be outpoured in greater measure than ever before) and so
must apply to the past.
At Least Nine Different Gifts
It appears that the Apostles not only had
the power of transmitting the Spirit-gifts to believers, but also that they
alone manifested all the various gifts, whereas other believers received one
gift (see I Tim. 4:14) In 1st Corinthians 12, Paul enumerated nine different
gifts, including healing, working miracles, speaking in foreign tongues,
interpretation of tongues, and, significantly, the discerning of spirits.
This latter gift suggests that some were
falsely claiming Holy Spirit power, and probably were even supporting their
claim with "miracles" of healing; whereas they were not in possession
of the Spirit. Their claims, however, could be shown to be false by others who possessed
the "gift" that enabled them to detect pseudo-miracles from the
genuine ones.
This prevented men arising and by imitating
the spirit gifts, leading others astray by false doctrine. John warned:
"Test the spirits whether they be of God; for there are many false spirits
in the world" (1 John 4:1). The gift of "discerning the spirits"
guarded against charlatans and fakes arising, claiming powers they did not
possess. It restrained those whose magnetic and hypnotic power exerted an influence
upon others, causing them to imagine that such was a manifestation of Spirit
power. It discriminated between so-called "faith" healing due to mere
excitation of the mind, and genuine miracle such as the Apostles performed
(Acts 3:7-8).
Gifts Of Tongues The Least Important
In discoursing upon the Spirit-gifts, the
Apostle showed that some were esteemed of greater value than others (1
Corinthians 12:31). He taught, "greater is he that prophesieth than he
that speaketh with tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:3), and he interpreted the
former as "speaking unto men to edification, exhortation and comfort"
(v. 3).
The gift of "speaking in tongues"
was given that Christianity might be proclaimed in foreign parts, as it was
(Mark 16:15; Colossians 1:23). The "tongues" they spoke were foreign
languages, for "every man heard them (the Apostles) speak in his own
language" (Acts 2:6). The people who witnessed this miracle were amazed:
"Behold, are not all these which speak
Galileans? And now hear we every man IN OUR OWN TONGUE, wherein we were
born" (vv. 6-7).
Today men claim to "speak with
tongues," and gobble a meaningless jargon as demonstration of this power.
That is not the gift spoken of in the Bible!
But these latter-day claimants for the gift
point to the term "UNKNOWN tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:2) as
explanatory of the gibberish they speak. The term however, denotes a foreign
language, not a tongue that nobody understands. This is shown beyond doubt by
the citation from Acts 2:6 above. [The word "unknown" is rendered in
italics in the Bible to indicate that there is no equivalent word in the
original. Literally it should be rendered "a tongue", but some
translate according to the idiom: "a foreign language" (See
Diaglott).]
There were some, in the early congregations,
who were vaunting this gift to no profit. They were praying and speaking in
foreign tongues merely to demonstrate their ability to do so, though nobody
profited by such talk. The Apostle condemned this practice, stating:
"I had rather speak five words with my
understanding, that I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an
unknown (i.e. foreign) tongue" (2 Corinthians 14:19).
Yet some today, in defiance of Apostolic
precept, and falsely claiming Holy Spirit gifts, emotionally shout out a jargon
unknown and unedifying to anybody.
Paul condemned such a practice, even on the
part of those who did have the gift, because it brought confusion to the
congregation and ridicule on the Truth:
"If therefore the whole congregation be
come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in
those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are
mad?" (1 Corinthians 14:23).
Attend a Revivalist Meeting where it is
claimed that the gifts of the Spirit are in evidence, and observe how true are
Paul's words! Meaningless jargon is uttered on the claim that it is
"speaking in tongues"; uninhibited paroxysms of emotionalism,
intermixed with hysterical shootings of "Hallelujah" are interpreted
as the influence of the Spirit. But the reaction of an unbiased onlooker is
exactly as described by Paul! Where are the sober words and influence of Truth
in such exhibitionism? It is not a manifestation of the Spirit, but the mere
excitation of the flesh.
On the other hand, Paul taught:
"But if all prophesy, and there come in
one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged
of all" (v. 24).
The proclamation of the Truth will convince
an unbeliever, causing him to judicially examine himself; and as the
"secrets of his heart" are revealed, he will be induced to accept the
way of salvation in Christ, and so worship God (v. 25).
In the days of the Apostle, the gift of the
Spirit was required before any could prophesy, for the complete revelation of
God had not been given. Today, however, the gift of the Spirit is not needed
for that purpose, because all can prophesy in the sense of taking from the
Bible that message of "comfort and edification" which it supplies.
The New Testament declares:
"The revelation of the secret kept hid
since the ages began, but now made manifest . . . and made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:25).
Modern "Faith" Healing Is Not
Miraculous
Christadelphians do not deny the fact of
modern, so-called "faith" healing. But this is quite different to the
miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit manifested in the early years of the
Christian era. Most doctors acknowledge the need of "faith" in
effecting cures, for they realize the power of mind over matter. "Faith"
in their vocabulary, however, does not necessarily mean acknowledging God in
truth (Ct. Romans 10:17), but rather manifesting complete confidence in the one
who is to effect the cure, whether he be doctor or so-called
"divine". Given sufficient "faith," and
"miraculous" cures are not impossible; but such "faith
healing" is not a testimony to the power of God, but to the credulity of
the patient.
For example, the religious world presents
the spectacle of differing sects, antagonistic to each other, mutually accusing
one another of being apostate, yet both claiming "miraculous" cures.
It is obvious that God cannot be with both systems; the opposing sects,
themselves, declare that! Who then is responsible for the miracles? The answer
is that they are not genuine miracles at all, but a manifestation of the power
of mind over matter. And let it be understood that for every
"genuine" cure thus recorded, there are many thousands who fail to be
cured, and who are plunged into despair, and often into utter faithlessness and
unbelief as a result.
We do not deny that cures may be affected,
for deep-seated emotion such as fear, pleasure or fright can have a physical
reaction for good or ill. It can cause the hair to turn white, induce
perspiration or palpitation of the heart, drive away pain, or even result in
death. Fear can have such physical reaction, that animals about to be slain for
food must be pacified, otherwise it will adversely affect the quality of the
meat.
Science is still largely ignorant of the
extent of such psychological influences, but it recognizes that they can play a
large part in effecting some cures. Consider hypnotism, as an example. It has
been used with some success in certain nervous disorders; and, as is well
known, people can be induced to do all sorts of strange things, even becoming
insensible to pain, whilst mesmerized.
Similar psychological reactions can be
induced by the dramatic stimulus of an emotional, revivalist meeting in which
mass hysteria is deliberately encouraged. Under the influence of enthusiastic
singing, or roused oratory, the emotions of the audience are whipped up until a
high degree of excitation is developed, and may find themselves en rapport with
the speaker, though often ignorant of the import of his speech. By such means,
inhibitions are released, and the mind can become so excited as to dull pain or
effect minor, temporary "cures." However, the delayed reaction is
frequently bad.
Such meetings, however, are designed to
induce the "feeling" of well-being on the part of the audience.
Members of it "feel" as though they have "received
something," and in explanation they fly to theology, and claim that they
have felt the power of the Holy Spirit.
We deny this, and maintain that such
emotionalism is of the flesh, and not of God, and that the "miracles"
claimed are not genuine ones. We do not call in question the sincerity of those
claiming to have the "gifts of the Spirit," but draw attention to the
teaching of the Bible, which shows that these are not in evidence today.
The Bible Warns Against False Claims
Even in Apostolic times, when miracles were
undoubtedly performed, the Bible warned true followers of Christ to be careful
lest they be led astray by that which was false, though it had the appearance
of miracle.
"Believe not every spirit," wrote
John, "but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false
prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
An example of what is meant is shown in the
Old Testament. Moses was told to go before Pharaoh with a number of miracles as
signs authenticating his God-given message and status as Israel's leader. But
the magicians of Egypt faked those miracles in such a way as to deceive many
that they could perform them as well (Exodus 8:18-21). Paul quoted this
incident to warn true Christians to be on their guard lest they, too, be
similarly taken in by some falsely claiming to have the Spirit gifts. Speaking
of certain ones whom, he declared, would "lead captive silly women,"
and would be found "ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of
the truth," he continued: "Now as Jannes and Jambres (the magicians
of Egypt) withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth . . ." (2
Timothy 3:8).
Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses by
imitating the spirit-gifts he possessed; and Paul warned lest Christians be
similarly led astray to embrace false teaching, on the grounds that the teacher
possessed the Holy Spirit.
A person cannot possess the gifts of the
Holy Spirit whilst failing to correctly understand Bible truth. The first essential
to salvation is a true understanding of the Gospel. Truth is to be established
by the teaching of the Bible, not the claim of some to possess supernatural
powers! The power of the Holy Spirit was only given to those who believed the
truth and embraced it in the correct manner (Acts 2:38-39), and Bible-truth is
not consistent with immortal soulism, Trinitarianism, and heaven-going as the
reward of the righteous. Nowhere in the Bible are these doctrines set forth as
truth [refer to the booklet "The Gospel Explained and Expounded"] but
the very contrary; so that those embracing them, or teaching them, are in
error. These doctrines being false, those endorsing them cannot possibly have
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, no matter what they might claim. There were some,
even in the days of the Apostles, who though they were in error falsely claimed
that they possessed the Holy Spirit, because of certain magnetic powers that
they manifested. Acts 19:13 states:
"Then certain of the vagabond Jews,
exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of
the Lord Jesus, saying: We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth..."
This is still done today by
pseudo-religionists claiming to have the power of the Holy Spirit. They may be
sincere (this we do not doubt), but they are certainly self-deceived!
A case of this was recently brought to our
attention. A prominent TV personality in Australia claimed to have "spoken
in tongues". He did not understand what he said, but another party
interpreted it as being in Cantonese dialect, which, he declared, he did not
know, and could not understand! Would a God of wisdom and order speak thus
through a member of an Australian audience? What the claimant did not realize
was that if he spoke through the Holy Spirit, his utterance was as inspired as
the Bible (see Hebrews 1:1)! Yet he did not know what he said, nor could he
remember what the message proclaimed! This in spite of the fact, that the
bestowal of the Holy Spirit was designed to "bring all things to remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26).
That man appeared to us to be thoroughly
sincere, but he was sadly mistaken. God is "a God of order" not
"of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33), and would speak plainly and
simply to anybody to whom He desired to dictate a message.
A Spirit We Must Manifest
But though the power to perform miracles is
not available to men today, there is that which is called "the
spirit" in the Bible that we must manifest. By its help, we can speak unto
others to "edification, comfort and exhortation," and it will assist
us to walk in the path of the truth and peace. Paul taught:
"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh ... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such
there is no law" (Galatians 5:16,22).
What is that Spirit?
It is not the power to perform miracles.
It is not an effluence from heaven which compels us to act apart from our own
volition.
It is not something which can be obtained without any conscious effort on our
part.
The Bible clearly shows what it is. Jesus
taught: "The words I speak, they are Spirit and they are life" (John
6:63). The Spirit, therefore, comprises the power of the teaching of the Lord
Jesus. If we walk in accordance with this, we shall "not fulfill the lust
of the flesh," and we will manifest its fruit: "love, joy,
peace" and so forth. The Apostles likewise taught that the power of the
truth believed comprises the Spirit available today. They declared:
"The Spirit is Truth" (1 John
5:6).
"The sword of the Spirit is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).
An understanding of the teaching of the
Bible thus comprises the Spirit available today, and it can be the most
powerful influence in our lives. It is termed "the spirit" because it
came to man from God through the Spirit (Hebrews 1:1; Nehemiah 9:20). Through
it man can conquer the power of sin and ultimately death; by it he can develop
faith (Rom. 10:17), and gain the victory over self and the world (1 John 5:4).
God's truth is the medium designed by Him for the sanctification of His
servants (John 17:17; 15:3). It can change a person's outlook, create in him
the mind of Christ, and this, finding expression in his life, will make him
acceptable to Christ at His coming.
To that end, we exhort the reader to give
himself to the study of the Bible, that he might understand and accept its
life-giving message, in anticipation of attaining unto life eternal at the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign on the earth (Acts 1:11; Revelation
5:9-10).