Truth Magazine

By 0. C. Birdwell

Several months back two articles by this writer were published in which the Holy Spirit was discussed (See Truth Magazine, Vol. XVII, No. 43 and 44). One article dealt with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the house of Cornelius; and other discussed the Holy Spirit as a pledge. If you have access to this material, please go back and read the latter article in connection with what is to be said here. Should you not have the article maybe enough of the material will be repeated for you to understand what is being discussed.

In the article, “The Holy Spirit as a Pledge,” Ephesians 1:13, 14 was shown as referring to the receiving of the word by the Gentiles and their being “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, unto the praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit was presented as being poured out (Acts 10:44, 45) as a surety or pledge that the Gentiles have also been made a heritage and are heirs of God. The coming of the Holy Spirit, then, upon the Jews (Acts 2) and upon the Gentiles (Acts 10) would be the “earnest,” pledge, or assurance of the salvation of both.

“Earnest”

Since the above mentioned article was published a great deal of favorable comment has been received. Along with this comment some questions have been asked that should be answered and discussed in order to clear up some possible misunderstanding on the subject. Most of the questions center around the word “earnest” or phrases “earnest of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14), “earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22), and “earnest of the Spirit” .(2 Cor. 5:5). According to Young’s Concordance these three places record the only use of the word “earnest” in the New Testament. Receiving the “earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22) seems to be difficult for some to harmonize with the conclusion of the previous article that the Holy Spirit came on the Gentiles (at the house of Cornelius) as an earnest (surety, pledge) of our inheritance and that Paul is not talking about a personal indwelling of the body as commonly believed. So the question, “Do you believe in the earnest of the Spirit in the heart?”

As discussed already, one must understand what the word “earnest” means and also along with this know the meaning of the word “heart.” We have shown that “earnest” means “surety,” or “pledge.” Also, Peter said that God “bare them witness giving them (the Gentiles) the Holy Spirit even as he did unto us (the Jews)” (Acts 15:8). Hence, the word “earnest” must stand for the assurance or witness made by God in sending the Holy Spirit. The word, also, means “down payment” or “partial payment.” But if this meaning is stressed one might conclude, and, I believe, falsely so, that the Holy Spirit is given to personally indwell each individual as a down payment on his inheritance, the rest of which is to be ultimately delivered. One might reason that such an indwelling would be the only possible way the Holy Spirit could be an assurance of our salvation in any way that would be meaningful to us. Such is not the case and a little thought will reveal this. According to the “personal indwelling as an earnest” position, the Spirit is not felt; he does not speak to man; nor does he guide apart from the written word. The only way one could know of the indwelling would be by the written promise. We are right back, therefore, to the testimony of Scripture. There could be no more personal assurance in this position than in the one affirmed above that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles is the pledge of our inheritance.

“in our hearts”

But we still have not seen what is involved in receiving the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. If we properly understand “earnest” as used here to mean assurance, pledge, or witness, our problem is pretty well resolved if we understand the nature of the Bible heart. Many sermons have been preached showing the Bible heart to be the intellect, will, or emotion of man. We have shown that the word “heart” as used in the New Testament does not ordinarily refer to the fleshly lobe. But all of a sudden someone comes along and infers that “heart” in 2 Cor. 1:22 means the fleshly heart, and more than that it is made to stand for the entire physical body. The “heart” here is the same as the one “pricked” in Acts 2:37. It is the intellect or mind of man. The Holy Spirit came as a witness or pledge of our redemption. We hold this in our intellect or heart. It is held through witness and testimony. This is in complete harmony with what Paul said in 2 Cor. 1:22.

Ordinary or Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit?

Another question that has been asked is as follows: “Was the earnest that which is usually referred to as the `ordinary gift of the Spirit,’ or the ‘miraculous gifts of the Spirit’?”

To answer this question it will be needful to restate some of the material already presented. If the usual meaning of “ordinary gift” and “miraculous gifts” be understood, my answer would be “neither.” The coming of the Holy Spirit, or the outpouring of the Spirit from the Father, is in itself, the earnest or assurance of our inheritance (both Jew and Gentile). As shown above, “earnest” means pledge, assurance, or witness (see Vine’s Expository Dictionary). Paul said, “ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:13, 14). The “Ye” are the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit’s coming is the pledge, assurance, or witness. He came on the Gentiles as a witness of their inheritance in keeping with the promise of God (see Acts 15:8).

Let us now turn our attention to another matter that needs to be clear if we are to properly understand this subject. It seems that some material has been used on this subject that has not been made as clear in its meaning as it should have been. The idea of some seems to be that the “miraculous gifts” are made up of Christ’s having the Spirit without measure, the apostles and Cornelius receiving the “baptismal measure,” and the disciples receiving a “measure by the laying on of the apostles’ hands.” Then, the “ordinary gift” is described as the coming of the Holy Spirit into our body to personally indwell in what is called a “non-miraculous” fashion. It is supposed by some that the latter is the meaning of “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

“Measure” of the Spirit

It needs to be understood that when the word “measure” is used to describe the Holy Spirit, the word would have to apply to the extent of the work done by the power of the Spirit and not to the Spirit Himself. The disciple who had only the gift of prophecy by the Spirit had no less of the Holy Spirit in what he did than did the apostles: He simply was not enabled by the Holy Spirit to do anything else. And it was not because he had just received a fragment of the Spirit. It would take the fullness of the Holy Spirit for one to exercise any one of the gifts. So the idea that the Spirit is fragmented and the apostles received one measure by baptism, and the disciples received another measure by the laying on of the apostles’ hands will not stand serious investigation. This is clear in 1 Cor. 12:4 where Paul said, “Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit.” Here the gifts are different but there is no indication that one had the Holy Spirit to a lesser degree, or that the Spirit was possessed in a fragmented or small measure. Consider also the twelve at Ephesus who had received only John’s baptism. After their baptism “into the name of the Lord Jesus, the account says, “When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). These people did not receive a “measure” of the Spirit but rather the Spirit came on them! They obviously were limited in what they could do and this is the only way in which the word “measure” could be intelligently used.

Truth Magazine XIX: 38, pp. 598-599
August 14, 1975

By Larry Ray Hafley

One should always be objective, fair, and tolerant. That is understood and needs no further statement or argument. However, there are calls for fairness and tolerance which are ploys for time and pleas for sympathy. This is true in combat and controversy. “Don’t . be so hard; be more fair and tolerant” is the cry that false teachers wail and whimper in order to bide time and bleed pity: This is especially true in the contentions of the day. The pious, plaintive pleading emanates, not from the opponent of error, but from its exponents and proponents. The tendency of humble and compassionate men is to go the second mile, but one’s mercies must not displace meekness with weakness and allow falsity to usurp the throne, of truth.

Brethren who have had to bear the brunt of the battle against the new versions of Calvinism and the perversions of grace and fellowship have had to endure the rebukes of those who desire a mellow rather than a militant course. But the only language error understands is the offensive kind. You cannot tickle it; you must tackle it. Tackles raise bruises and throw people in the dirt, while tickles cause folks to laugh and slap backs. A tackle is not as enjoyable as a tickle, but no football player ever tickled his opponent and stopped him from scoring. Tackling is the least desirable means, but it has one advantage that tickling does not have-it works.

Paul was well schooled in hand to hand in-fighting. He labeled Hymenaeus, Philetus, Alexander, Demas and tolerated them not, “no, not for an hour.” Then he turned and urged Timothy to do likewise. That sounds like he was saying, “Fight my kind of fight,” and he was! “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering” (2 Tim. 4:2). To certain ones, being fair and tolerant means ceasing to reprove, rebuke and exhort. That is not the definition by the faithful. So, we shall tackle hard and fair, but we will allow no one to run toward the wrong goal line.

Truth Magazine XIX: 38, p. 598
August 7, 1975

By Cecil Willis

Thus far in our discussion of faith we have approached the subject from an objective viewpoint. For the most part, we have been talking solely about the reasons supporting the .Christian’s faith being what it is. We have approached the subject from an apologetical standpoint, that of giving reasons for the faith that is in us. In this lesson we turn the study from an objective to a subjective viewpoint. We want to notice the necessity of the evidence affecting this faith in the heart and mind of every individual. The evidences we have presented for our faith is sufficient to justify one’s believing the propositions about which we have been writing, and these propositions remain just as true whether or not you and I ever believe them. For us to receive the efficacy in them, there must be reproduced in the heart of every person this faith that evidence so well supports.

Faith In God’s Revelation

One can see the imperativeness of faith readily if he will consider the fact that the life of every person must be one of contact with God. It is futile for one to try to live his life without God. But the necessity of having faith is pointed out by the fact that the only way that we can know about God is by faith. It is a necessary connection between man and God. For example, I know that God exists only by my faith that is supported by evidence. Together we have reasoned to the conclusion that the only way that man can know about God is by His revealing Himself to man. Another conclusion is that God did reveal Himself to man and that the Bible is an accurate account of this revelation. These conclusions of former lessons are our premises of the present one. In other words, the only connection that we have with God is through the Bible. God is not coming down to the earth and revealing Himself as He did in days gone by. The only way that we can learn of God is through His Son, Jesus. Christ said, “‘All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father: neither doth any know the Father, save *the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him” (Matt. 11:27). What Christ affirms is that our knowledge of God comes through His Revelation. Our acceptance of this knowledge is dependent upon our faith in Christ and the accuracy of His Revelation. Further it is said: “God, having of old times spoken unto the Fathers in the prophets by divers portions land in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son” (Heb. 1:1, 2). God has revealed Himself “through his Son. Thus, one can see that faith is indispensable to man’s knowledge of God since God has only revealed Himself through his Son. Our knowledge of God is proportionate to our faith in His Son and in His accurate presentation of the truth about God.

Faith and the Forgiveness of Sins

A second reason why faith is so necessary is because throughout Scripture it is .necessary for the forgiveness of past sins. The absolute necessity of faith is emphasized from the beginning to the end of the Bible. It is indispensable to man’s salvation. A refusal to accept faith as a condition of salvation is but a refusal to accept the Bible. The fact of the necessity of faith is the one fact upon which practically every man is agreed. I know of but few people who would teach that a man could be saved from his past sins without faith. This is a fact almost universally accepted.

In this article, we are making a distinction between salvation from past sins and salvation in the world to come. In other words, not all who have obeyed the gospel are going to be saved eternally. After one receives the forgiveness of sins of the past, then his future salvation or his eternal salvation is conditioned upon his faithful life until his death. Jesus says: “Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Suppose at one time those addressed were faithful, but were not faithful until their death. What would happen to them? If Jesus meant that whether you are faithful or not you shall receive the crown of life, then his statement had no meaning.

The passages on the necessity of faith are numerous. Nearly the last remark our Lord made while he was on earth was on this very point. In this statement he placed a premium on belief, and a curse upon unbelief. Hear Him now: “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but He that disbelieveth shall be condemned.” If you believe, you shall be saved; if you disbelieve, condemnation will be yours. Note some other passages re-emphasizing the point. “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins, for except that ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24)., “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’` (Heb. 11:6). Twice the necessity of faith is affirmed in this passage: (1) “But without faith it is impossible to please Him;” (2) “He that cometh to God must believe that He is.”

In Acts 16, we read of a man asking what must he do to be saved, and Paul told him to “Believe on the Lord Jesus, thou and thy house, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:32. Again in Acts 15:9, “And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”

It is not our purpose to discuss the subject of salvation by faith only, but since these passages that we have just cited are prominent passages among a group of like-passages cited by denominationalists as proving the doctrine of justification by faith only, we want to make just one or two observations concerning them. Just what do the passages say? This is a fundamental principle in Bible study. One should argue from what the passages say rather than from what they do not say. Just what is said in the passages under investigation? It is affirmed by these and many other similar -passages that faith is essential to one’s salvation. That is all that is affirmed. It says simply that faith is necessary to one’s salvation. If one can point out a passage that says that this is all that is essential, I would be glad to hear from him and to discuss the issue with him. And yet this is exactly the way that many denominational preachers use these passages. They use them to prove salvation by faith only. The Bible does not teach it and they cannot prove it. They dare not even try. Faith is necessary to receive forgiveness from past sins. I believe this with all of my heart.

In the third place, faith is necessary to guide our lives in our walk from the cradle to the grave. There must be a guiding principle in our lives, a principle by which every action and decision must be measured. That principle is our faith in God and his teaching. Paul says, “We walk by faith, and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). To walk by faith is to live by faith, therefore Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me; and that life which, I now live in the flesh I .live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). By our faith we are able to enjoy as present realities things that were it not for faith would be non-entities to us. Thus, faith is a motivating factor in our lives that prompts us to walk a life of faith looking ever toward the things that are unseen. Paul describes these things like this: “For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17, 18).

We are further instructed to walk according to the spirit, “That the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” (Rom. 8:4). It is further stated: “But I say, walk by the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).. There are but two walks that one might pursue: (1) the life of the flesh; (2) the life of the Spirit. Each of these walks has a consequence which is plainly described by Paul: “For the mind of. the flesh is death; but the mind of the spirit is life and peace.” Rom. 8:6. In Galatians 5, we find what the fruit of the Spirit is: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22, 23). A fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. Paul had just said: “For we through the spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness” (Gal. 5:5). Paul describes our stay here as a waiting. This waiting is not an inactive, passive waiting, but it is a life, a walk of waiting. We are to be doing something while we are waiting, but in this waiting, Paul says it is done by faith and through the Spirit. Here, inseparably, we have connected the life of the Spirit and the life of faith. Our life here has to be of the flesh or of the Spirit, and since the life of the flesh ends in death, then we must walk the life of the Spirit. This life of the Spirit is described as a walking by faith, so they are one and the same. It simply is a walking with faith in the teaching of the Spirit and a fulfillment of those teachings of the Spirit in our lives.

Thus it is that faith is an essential prerequisite to our walking the, life of the Spirit. In Hebrews the eleventh chapter, in what is often called the honor roll of the Bible, we find the great men of old walking according to faith. Hear Paul as he says: “By faith Abel offered unto God . . . By faith Enoch was. translated . . . . By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house . . . . By faith Abraham obeyed to go out, unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance .. . By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age . . . . By faith Abraham offered up Isaac . . . By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter . . . . By faith he (Moses) forsook Egypt . . . .” These passages show the walk of faith. So faith is essential to our walking the life of the Spirit. So since faith is a part of our life; our walk here, we say it is necessary.

Eternal Salvation Depends on Faith

The final reason; that we are suggesting, why faith is essential is that our salvation in the world to come is dependent upon our faith here and our keeping of that faith. Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5). Peter says that this inheritance in heaven is,reserved for those who are kept by faith. So faith is necessary to my receiving my place in heaven. Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept ‘the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me in that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7, 8). Because Paul had kept the faith the crown was to be given to him. Paul further said, “for I know him whom I; have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Paul argues from the premise that the soul which has been committed unto Jesus Christ,’ will be guarded in that day. Faith is going to be so important in that day. Then we will find Christ applying those commandments that He gave while yet on the earth, as he judges our souls. Notice again: “If so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven: where of I Paul was made a minister” (Col. 1:23). Paul says our hope of eternal life is dependent upon our not being’ moved away from the hope of the gospel, and in our continuing in the faith. Jesus says “Be thou faithful unto death, and ye shall receive the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

Conclusion

Thus we see that faith is necessary to an understanding of God’s will and our coming into a living relationship with Him; faith is necessary to our salvation from past sins; faith is necessary to our walking according to the teachings of the Spirit; and finally faith is necessary to our entering into heaven, so we can well say “he that believeth not shall be condemned.” Won’t you submit yourself to Christ, believe in Him and obey his commandments and then walk according to them until death, rather than continue in rebellion again Him until you stand before Him in judgment only to be rejected and denied? On that day, one will truly recognize the necessity of faith.

Truth Magazine XIX: 38, pp. 595-597
August 7, 1975

By William C. Sexton

The last concept to be presented in this series of articles is the most important. All the learning will not help us if we do not GO! We have endeavored to make us conscious of some of the things necessary to be successful in the actual practice of soul winning. However, unless we are moved to go we shall win no one to Christ and be lost ourselves! Psychologically, we condition ourselves by “studying to do personal work.” While we are studying, we are not going; when we stop studying the sense of urgency to “go” subsides. Therefore, we condition ourselves against getting involved! We must break down that wall of hindrance, refuel our motors, and release the brakes and accelerate across that barrier line into the field of opportunity.

There are three forces that should provide us with the fuel to move us, as the Bible teaches we should be moved, in doing personal evangelism. The first force is from above., God wants us to win others to Christ our Savior. He tells us through the apostles, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations …. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). Timothy was told by Paul, “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). So, it is our duty, as well as our privilege, to teach others to become Christians and to grow and develop into teachers themselves (Heb. 5:11-14). Being conscious of the fact that God wants us to be engaged in the activity should supply us with the “get-up-and-go” to move us.

The second force that should move us is from within. Having experienced the peace, joy and satisfaction and excitement of being saved, should create within us a desire to move others. We should desire to share .with others (Rom. 1:14-18; 1 Tim. 1:12-16). Paul felt that he was obligated to tell the story of Jesus’ salvation by grace to the people in Rome and all over the world, regardless of their nationality, social standing, educational background, etc. “All” to him were the object of God’s love and grace, and he was appreciative of his opportunity to declare the message to them. If we are any less desirous of sharing with others, and feel that it is a “burden,” then I am somewhat concerned about our heart’s condition. I am afraid that if we had a spiritual “check-up” by the great Physician, He might declare that out heart “is not right in the sight of God” (Acts 8:21).

A third force that should move us is around us. Seeing man in his sins madly rushing to destruction should arouse our compassion for him (Matt. 9:36-38). The “love” that moved God to send His Son to die for us (Jn. 3:16) and the love of Jesus for us (Rom. 5:8), should trigger that mechanism within us to release that energy to move us, to activate us in this direction! If we have seen the “power” of godliness (2 Tim. 3:5) at work in our lives transforming our lives into the “image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29),, then we ought to be longing for such a change and be willing to make whatever amount of contribution to this end possible. The Master is our “example” (1 Pet. 2:21) and He was not satisfied without making the supreme sacrifice in order that man could be saved; what right do we have to call ourselves His disciples and not be interested in the same thing He was concerned with (cf. Phil. 2:5)? We should be moved by just noticing the activities which we are engaged in which are not only not profitable, but are in fact destructive. These people could be changed from a destructive behavior to a beneficial behavior.

I make the following appeal: Let us go forth together-with faith in our hearts that God’s plan is effective! In addition to faith in God’s plan, we need to have faith in man to listen, if we approach him correctly-honestly cordially, confidently yet in humility. We need to know that a person’ has the right to refuse us an entrance into his home, if he so desires. Also, may we remember that he has probably been approached by people who were more interested in his money than in his spiritual condition. He can thus rightly suspect our aim as being something less than totally for his good; we must be operating on the basis that we are going to get something in return from him for his co-operation. However, may we be what we say we are, and may we demonstrate that unselfishness which characterized our Lord. We must operate on the correct idea-you can not make a person obey the Lord; he must obey of his own free will. Also, we need to be conscious of the same principle in our lives; no one can make us do personal evangelism. However, if we have that inner-drive, no one can keep us from doing it (Phil. 3:13-14). Everybody has some trouble getting started. But the idea of waiting is perhaps the most common excuse for not doing it. In reality this waiting is destructive to the soul-yours and the prospect’s. They are out there. So, beloved, get started!

Truth Magazine XIX: 38, p. 594
August 7, 1975