Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

In spite of the fact that ours is a world of diversified concepts concerning the church, and even though most of us have misapprehensions of what the church is, yet surprisingly, we are agreed that the church belongs to God. Whatever the church is, it is God’s. So we speak of the divine church. All that pertains to God’s part of the church is divine. God definitely had a part in the building of the church.

Importance of Knowing Its Birthdate

We are undertaking to find the day when the church of the Lord Jesus Christ had its beginning. This is a subject of much more importance than most would think. Many are disposed to inquire, “What difference does it make when the church began?” But so far as you and I are concerned, this is a subject of great import. The most of us, at some time or other, decide to affiliate ourselves with some church or other. The very fact that we feel we need to be a part of some religious body is indicative of an inner feeling that we need God. The only way in which I can please God is by doing what He has commanded I do, part of which is to become a member of his church. Knowing the date the church began helps one distinguish between the church provided by God and those created by man. The church is the result of the eternal, divine wisdom and purpose of God. The apostle Paul discusses God’s eternal purpose in building the church in Eph. 3:8-11, to which I invite your attention at this time. “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things; to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The church was not an after-thought in God’s mind. It was no temporary expedient. It was God’s divine, eternal purpose. And we today can share the blessings purposed from eternity by God, in the church of Jesus Christ.

So when God purposed that his church should become a reality, it did. Any church that did not begin when the Lord’s did, is not the church of the Lord. There are some who believe that the church began during the days of Adam, others affirm it began when Abraham was called, others believe John the Baptist started it, and yet many others think it was started during the time when Christ was on earth. These all are false concepts as we shall presently see. Millions must frankly confess that the church of which they are members is of recent origin.

Toward Pentecost

Scriptures are numerous which point toward the time when the church was to begin. We can turn back to the Old Testament and see some references which tell us the church was, at that time, a future organization. The prophet Isaiah said, “And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:2, 3). In this passage you will notice that the prophet is speaking of Jehovah’s house. In I Tim. 3:15, Paul says he hopes to come shortly, but if he tarries long, these following instructions found in the letter will instruct you “that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” The house of Jehovah is the church of God. In the Old Testament passage we just read, we have a prophecy of the coming church.

In Daniel 2:44, in speaking of the future kings of Rome, the prophet says, “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” In this passage, the kingdom is yet future. It will be set up in the days of the Roman kings. Surely these Old Testament prophets did not foretell the establishment of an already existing church. So the very fact that these prophecies are made, indicates that the church of the Lord is not an Old Testament organization. Hence it was not established during the days of Adam or Abraham.

The New Testament virtually begins with an utterance that the kingdom of heaven is “at hand.” This was the substance and purpose of John the Baptist’s message. We read, “And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:1, 2). The expression, “at hand,” does not mean already come. It means the church will soon be established. So the church was not established during the days of John the Baptist.

You will remember that John’s preaching immediately preceded that of the Lord’s. Yet when John finished his work, and Jesus began his, the church had not been established. Early in Christ’s preaching ministry, his disciples came to him, asking Him how to pray. In what man has come to call “The Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus taught the disciples to pray “thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). This indicates that the church had not been set up as yet. For certainly Jesus would not have commanded the disciples to pray for the coming of an already existing institution.

In Mark 1:15, Jesus preached that the “kingdom of God is at hand.” Again, when he sent the disciples on what is called the limited commission, sending them only to the Jews, he told them to preach, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 10:5-7). So during the ministry of Christ, the kingdom was preached “at hand.” It was still future. It seems to me that the meaning of the expression “at hand” can clearly be understood from Paul’s statement in 2 Tim. 4:6, when he speaks of his death as being “at hand.” It was imminent. It was to occur in the immediate future. So was the kingdom. But it was yet in the future.

Later Jesus promised that “upon this rock (namely the confession that Peter had made, that He was the Son of God) I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). Notice Jesus said; “I will build my church.” It was not accomplished as yet. We can read everything the New Testament says that Jesus did while he was on earth. Further you can read of his crucifixion on the cross, and in that very account learn that the church was yet to be established. In fact, Jesus had taught that Hades, or his going into the tomb, would not prevail, or hinder, him in the building of the church. After Jesus had been nailed to the cross, a man named Joseph came inquiring if he could take the body. The executors would not release Christ’s body until they made sure he was dead. The account says: “There came Joseph of Arimathea, a councillor of honorable estate, who also himself was looking (waiting–K.J.V.) for the kingdom of God; and he boldly went in unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mk. 15:43). After Christ’s death, men were still waiting for the kingdom.

He arose from the dead, lived forty days with men, and prepared to go back to the Father, when his disciples asked, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6). They were yet looking for the kingdom when Jesus ascended to the Father. So we see from the days of the prophets of the Old Testament, until Christ ascended to the Father, the kingdom was future.

Pentecost

Jesus had told his disciples that the kingdom of God would come with power (Mk. 9:1), and later he told them when they would receive the power. He said, “But ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you” (Acts 1:8). So the kingdom was to come when the Holy Spirit came upon them. We find in Luke 24:49 that Jesus commanded them to tarry in the city (of Jerusalem) until they be endued with power from on high. Acts 2 begins: “And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy, spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). So we see the kingdom was to come with power (Mk. 9:1); the power was to come when the Spirit came (Acts 1:8); and the Spirit came on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). So we must conclude that the kingdom came on Pentecost. This is the only logical conclusion to draw from these three passages.

Not only is this so, but Peter argues that the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Peter says, “But this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh.” The prophecy said it will be in the last days. Peter said “this is that.” This event fulfills what Joel predicted would happen. But not only had Joel made a prediction as to what would happen, in the last days, but Isaiah had also. Isaiah said the Lord’s house, his church, would be built in the last days. Peter said these are the last days. “This is that,” he says. So Pentecost, fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as to the time when the church was to be built. Of course, it was also during the days of the Roman kings, which fulfills Daniel’s prophecy found in Dan. 2:44.

On this day of Pentecost, when Peter spoke, the Scripture says that there were Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, present. He was laboring to prove that the Jesus, whom they had crucified, was the Son of God with power. He reminds them of the mighty works or miracles that He hrd performed. He says Jesus also fulfills prophecy, and that God raised Him from the dead, after you had killed him, and that He hath shed forth the Spirit which ye now see and hear. He persuaded his audience that the message he spoke was the truth. So they cried out, “what shall we do?” We have murdered God’s Son. Peter answered them, saying “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Verse 41 says, “They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls.” And verse 47 of the same chapter, adds that the “Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved” (K.J.V.). Here for the first time in all the Bible we find the church referred to as an existing organization. People were added to it. Previously they had only been promised it would come, and later that it was “at hand.” But now men and women are permitted to enter the kingdom. The gospel was preached to them. Believing, they were told to repent and be baptized. Three thousand of them did, and they were added to the church. That is the only way to get into the Lord’s church. If the church of which you are a member did not begin on Pentecost, it is not the Lord’s church. And if you did not enter it merely by believing in Christ, repenting of your sins, and being baptized for the remission of sins, you are not in the Lord’s church. Truly the divine church had its beginning at the divinely appointed time: Pentecost!

Truth Magazine XVIII: 5, pp. 67-69
December 5, 1974

By Mike Willis

In as much as there has been some discussion of the meaning of “factious” in Tit. 3:10 (“Reject a factious man after a first and second warning”), a study of hairetikos and its cognate hairesis seems useful. To illustrate how the “unity-in-diversity” movement is attempting to destroy the clear meaning of another passage which commands fellowship to be broken on doctrinal basis, I insert these, sometimes lengthy, quotations:

“Since the factious man (hairdkos) in the KJV is called a `heretic’ — a word subject to misunderstanding-we should look carefully at what this term denotes. The root from which it comes means ‘to choose,’ and a `heretic’ is one who makes a choice. In the Bible a hairesis is a body of people built around the same choice; hence a sect or party. Although the English word heresy is associated with the one who holds an unorthodox doctrine, this meaning is not found in the Bible. Even in 2 Pet. 2:1 (the only passage in which the RSV used the word) it does not seem to denote unorthodox doctrine.

“The heresies (factions) in 1 Cor. 11:19 result from separatists who do not recognize the inherent oneness of the body. The original word is properly rendered ‘party spirit’ in Gal. 5:20. The Biblical usage emphasizes the evil of dividing the body. Therefore the factious’ man in Tit. 3:10 is one who creates division by the manner in which he holds his theological opinions, even though those opinions may not be actually `heretical’ in the modern sense . . . . So the word at this stage had nothing to do with orthodoxy of teaching” (Integrity, Vol. V, No. 11, pp. 164-165).

“Do our errors make us heretics ? A heretic is a trouble-maker, a factious person. He is one who viciously seeks to build his own party to the destruction of the body of Christ. Such a one is described in Titus 3 as perverted and sinful’ and ‘self-condemned'” (Leroy Garrett, Restoration Review, Vol. VII, No. 6, p. 117).

“1. As the Holy Spirit uses the term, heresy does not refer to any opinion whether true or false. A man might hold any opinion regardless of how wrong it is and might even express that opinion to others and still not be a heretic.

“2. Heresy has no relation to doctrine. It is not something preached or taught and is never employed in direct connection with any word translated preaching’ or `teaching.’

“3. A man may be a heretic even though what he teaches is in perfect harmony with the word of God, for heresy does not relate to that which is taught, but to the motive and attitude of the one who teaches.

“4. The definition of heresy as now exemplified by the various groups designated `The Church of Christ’ is not that of the new covenant scriptures. It has been borrowed from Rome where it was developed to enable an apostate church to enforce her dogmas under penalty of physical death.

“5. In the scriptural sense those who are most frequently rejected in these days as heretics are not such at all, but the term can be justly applied to those who reject them” Mission Messenger, Vol. 23, No. 7, p. 5).

One can see from these quotations that an attempt is being made to discredit using Tit. 3:10 to any of the issues which divide us today. One should notice, however, that these brethren would not classify using mechanical instruments of music in worship as false doctrine even if one could prove that hairesis and hairetikos involved doctrinal errors. However, to those who believe the usage of mechanical instruments of music in worship, sponsoring churches, and institutionalism to be sin, the demonstration that hairesis and hairetikos applies to errors in doctrine will prove one can withdraw fellowship from another on the basis of his teaching false doctrine. Let us, therefore, consider the evidence.

Occurrences in the NT

Acts 5:17-which is the sect of the Sadducees

Acts 15:5-certain of the sect of the Pharisees

Acts 24:5-of the sect of the Nazarenes:

Acts 24:14-the way which they call heresy

Acts 26:5-Straitest sect of our religion

Acts 28:22-for as concerning this sect,

1 Cor. 11:19-there must be also heresies

Gal. 5:20-strife, seditions, heresies,

2 Pet. 2:1-shall bring in damnable heresies,

(The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament, p. 17).

You can see that the word is translated by two English words-sect and heresy. Let us now relate the lexicographical information on these words.

Lexicons on “Hairesis”

Arndt and Gingrich: “1. sect, party, school . . . . a. Of the Sadducees Acts 5:17 . . . . Of the Pharisees 15:5 . . . . Of the Christians . . . . b. in the later sense, heretical sect . . . . c. opinion, dogma …. destructive opinions 2 Pet. 2:1. . . .” (p. 23).

Thayer: “1. act of taking, capture . . . . 2. choosing, choice . . . . 3. that which is chosen, a chosen course of thought and action; hence one’s chosen opinion, tenet; acc. to the context, an opinion varying from the true exposition of the Christian faith (heresy): 2 Pet. ii.l. . . . 4. a body of men separating themselves from others and following their own tenets (a sect or party): as the Sadducees, Acts v. 17; the Pharisees, Acts xv. 5; xxvi. 5; the Christians, Acts xxiv. 5, 14. . . . 5. dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims: Gal. v. 20; 1 Cor. xi. 19. . . .” (p. 16).

W. E. Vine: “denotes (a) a choosing, choice (from haireomai, to choose); then, that which is chosen, and hence, an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects, Gal. 5:20 (marg., `parties’); such erroneous opinions are frequently the outcome of personal preference or the prospect of advantage; see 2 Pet. 2:1, where `destructive’ (R.V.) signifies leading to ruin; some assign even this to (b); in the papyri the prevalent meaning is ‘choice’ (Moulton and Milligan, Vocab.); (b) a sect; this secondary meaning, resulting from (a), is the dominating significance in the N.T., Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5,14; 26:5; 28:11 . . . .” (Vol. II, p. 217).

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: ‘Hairesis in Classical Usage and Hellenism

“From this there develops in Hellenism the predominate objective use of the term to denote a. `doctrine’ and especially b. `school.’ . . . It thus comes to be the hairesis (teaching) of a particular hairesis (school).

‘Hairesis in the N.T.

“1. The usage in Acts corresponds exactly to that of Josephus and the earlier Rabbis …. In these passages the term has the neutral flavor of ‘school.’

“2. Against this background, it is impossible to solve the problem of the derivation of the special Christian sense of heresy. For the development of the Christian concept is not wholly analogous to that of the Rabbinic min, as though, in the process of the separation of non-orthodox groups, the heterodox practices came to be designated heresy. On the contrary, the word seems to have been suspect in Christianity from the very first, and when it is used as a Christian technical term in conscious or unconscious connection either with the Greek philosophical schools or the Jewish sects it denotes at once societies outside Christianity and the Christian church . . . . schismata are splits in the community caused by personally motivated disputes . . . . In this respect it (hairesis) is distinguished from schisma, and obviously indicates something more serious. The greater seriousness consists in the fact that haireseis effect the foundation of the church in doctrine (2 Pet. 2:1), and that they do so in such a fundamental way as to give rise to anew society alongside the ekklesia. This the church cannot accept, since as the lawful public assembly of the whole people of God the church embraces this people exclusively and comprehensively. By its very nature, however, hairesis is a private magnitude with a limited validity. It is, in fact, a school or party” (pp. 181-183).

Lexicons on “Hairetikos”

Thayer: “1. fitted or able to take or choose a thing …. 2. schismatic, factious, a follower of false doctrine, Tit. iii. 10” (p. 16).

Arndt and Gingrich: “factious, causing divisions perh. heretical Tit. 3:10” (p. 23).

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: “In Christianity, it seems to have been used technically from the very first, and denotes the ‘adherent of a heresy.’ In the NT it is found in Tit. 3:9f. . . .” (Vol. I, p. 184).

Word Studies

To help us to get even a better grasp of the meaning of this word, although I might be becoming bogged down somewhat, I would like to quote some of the writers who have done some significant word studies.

M. R. Vincent: (This is taken from his comments on 2 Pet. 2:1 because, in his comments on Tit. 3:10, Vincent refers the reader to this comment.) “Damnable heresies (hairesis apoleias), lit., heresies of destruction. Rev., destructive heresies. Heresy is a transcript of hairesis, the primary meaning of which is choice; so that a heresy is, strictly, the choice of an opinion contrary to that usually received; thence transferred to the body of those who profess such opinions, and therefore a sect. So Rev., in margin, sects of perdition. Commonly in this sense in the New Testament (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 28:22), though the Rev. has an odd variety in its marginal renderings. See Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20. The rendering heretical doctrines seems to agree better with the context; false teachers bringing in sects is awkward” (Word Studies in the New Testament, p. 328).

William Barclays Barclay is frequently quoted from his comments on Tit. 3:10 which say that a heretikos is “a man who has decided that he is right and everybody else is wrong. Paul’s warning is a warning against the man who has made his own ideas the test and standard of all truth” (The Letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon, p. 304). However, Barclay commented on the meaning of hairesis in 2 Pet. 2:1, which comment you have yet to see any of the “unity-in-diversity” group quoting. The comment is lengthy but worthwhile. He said: “They insidiously introduce destructive heresies. The Greek word for heresy is hairesis, and it is a word with a very curious and a very interesting history. It comes from the Greek verb haireisthai, which means to choose; and originally it was a perfectly good and honourable word. It simply meant a line of belief and action which a man had chosen for himself. In the New Testament itself we read of the hairesis of the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Nazarenes (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5). It was perfectly possible to speak of the hairesis of Plato, and to mean nothing more than those who were Platonist in their thought and their philosophy. It was perfectly possible to speak of a group of doctors who believed in, and practiced, a certain method of treatment as a hairesis. All that a hairesis meant was a belief which one had personally chosen for oneself, and to which one by choice adhered. But very soon in the Christian Church the word hairesis quite changed its complexion. In Paul’s thought heresies and schisms go together as things to be condemned (1 Corinthians 11:18,19): haireseis (the plural form of the word) are part of the works of the flesh; a man that is a heretic is to be warned, and even given a second chance, and then rejected (Tit. 3:10).

“Why the change? The whole point is that before the coming of Christianity, and before the coming of Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, there was no such thing as definite, God-given truth. A man was presented with a number of alternatives any of which he might choose honestly to believe. But with the coming of Jesus, God’s truth came to men, and men had either to accept or to reject that truth. In other words, with the revelation of God in Christ, it is no longer a question of choosing the particular line of belief which happens to appeal to us; it is a question of accepting, or rejecting, the revealed truth of God. A heretic then becomes a man who believes what he wishes to believe instead of accepting the truth of God which he must believe.

“What was happening in the case of Peter’s people was that certain men, who claimed to be prophets, were insidiously persuading men to believe the things they wished to be true rather than the things which God has revealed as true. (Sounds a little like our “unity-in-diversity” brethren, doesn’t it?-MW). They did not set themselves up as opponents of Christianity. Far from it. Rather they set themselves up as the finest fruits of Christian thinking. Insidiously, unconsciously, imperceptible, so gradually and so subtly that they did not even notice it, people were being lured away from God’s truth to men’s private opinions, for that is what heresy is” (The Letters of James and Peter, pp. 373-374).

The Encyclopedias

I perfectly realize that the main purpose of Bible encyclopedias is not to give a word study, although they are attempts to summarize the Bible evidence on any given subject. Therefore, I have chosen to insert what they have to say on the meaning of “heresy.”

Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: “(hairesis, ‘a selection’) designates in the New Testament a party or school; and the Pharisees (Acts xv. 5, xxvi. 5), the Sadducees (Acts v. 1), and even the Christians (Acts xxiv. 14, xxviii. 22), are called ‘heresies.’ The use of the term, however, in connection with schisms, proves that it did not exclusively designate dissent in the matters of doctrine (1 Cor. xi. 19; Gal. v. 20). At a later period, the term was employed principally in the sense of doctrinal departures from revealed truth, or erroneous views (Tit. iii. 10; 2 Pet. ii.1)” (Vol. II, p. 975).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “Its application, with censure, is found in 1 Cor. 11:19m; Gal. 5:20m, where it is shown to interfere with the unity of faith and community of interests that belongs to Christians. There being but one standard of truth, and one goal for all Christian life, any arbitrary choice varying from what was common to all believers, becomes an inconsistency and a sin to be warned against . . . . The destructive heresies (RVm, ERVm `sects of perdition’) are those guilty of errors both of doctrine and of life very fully described throughout the entire chapter (2 Pet. 2-MW), and who, in such course, separated themselves from the fellowship of the church.

“In the fixed ecclesiastical sense that it ultimately attained, it indicated not merely any doctrinal error, but ‘the open espousal of fundamental error’ (Ellicott on Tit. 3:10), or, more fully, the persistent obstinate maintenance of an error with respect to the central doctrines of Christianity in the face of all better instruction, combined with aggressive attack upon the common faith of the church, and its defenders” (Vol. III, p. 1377).

McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature: “The word hairesis . . . originally meant simply choice (e.g. of a set of opinions; later, it was applied to the opinions themselves; last of all, to the sect maintaining them . . . . In the historical part of the New Testament, the word denotes a sect or party, whether good or bad (Acts v, 17; xv, 15; xxiv, 5; xxvi, 5; xxviii, 22). In 1 Cor. xi, 19 (there must be heresies among you), he uses it apparently to denote schisms or divisions in the church. In Tit. iii, 10 he comes near to the later sense; the ‘heretical person’ appears to be one given over to a self-chosen and divergent form of belief and practice” (Vol. IV, p. 198).

Conclusion

The quotations could be continued; of the eleven commentaries which I have on Titus, only three believed that doctrinal errors were not involved in the problem mentioned in Tit. 3:10. Practically every source which can be quoted admits that doctrinal error is involved in hairesis and hairetikos, although the problem might be compounded by the wrong attitude. Sometimes the attitude seems to be primarily what is condemned (e.g. 1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20, although this is not altogether certain; a schisma possibly might be a division caused by personality clashes and hairesis one which is caused by doctrinal differences). However, although some commentators (namely, William Barclay who is most generally quoted) say that haireikos in Tit. 3:10 refers to the wrong attitude, the overwhelming weight of evidence is that hairetikos has basically the same meaning as our English ward “heretic”-” one who holds to a doctrine or opinion contrary to the fundamental doctrine or creed of any particular church.” You can rest assured that Tit. 3:10, along with many other passages, supports the idea that fellowship can be broken because of doctrinal differences.

Truth Magazine XVIII: 4, pp. 57-59
November 28, 1974

By Morris D. Norman

“Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it for the man that will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored for them. This too is vanity and a great evil. “(Eccl. 2:1821, NASV).

The book of Ecclesiastes is a documentary on the vanities of life. The preacher affirms that it is right for a man to enjoy the fruit of his labors, but it is folly to put his trust in those riches. Man labors that he may furnish the needs of his life and for those that depend on him. If a man can supply the necessities of life he should learn to find happiness therein. We should be as Paul was who “learned in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content” (Phil. 4:11).

But in our day of good 0wages and retirement benefits, of homes with two wage earners and long life expectancy, it is not unusual for a man to accumulate a “nest egg” beyond necessities. With this, a Christian may be able to amass an estate of several thousands of dollars, including property, stocks, life insurance .and savings accounts. While he is able to determine what is to be done with such “wealth” while he is alive, a what will be done with it after he is dead? He is likely to keep some of it where he can use it while he is alive, but he needs to make arrangements that it will be disposed of in a righteous manner after he can no longer, use it or have need of it.

The above passage from Solomon suggests that it is vanity to labor and leave it for another to control, especially when we know not whether that one will be foolish or wise. What will happen to your estate? Will that for which you have labored be left to one who is not a Christian and has no interest in spiritual things? Then will that wealth be used for everything under the sun but the glory of God?

You are a Christian. You should be seeking first the kingdom of God and laying up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:33, 20). Every possession you have is given you of God and should be used with His glory in view. All things should be used in some way that will contribute to the spread of truth and enhancement .of righteousness. Make a WILL! Leave your estate to those of “like precious faith,” and give instructions that the fruit of your labor be used in righteous ways. Do Not leave it to ungodly persons (whether relatives or not) who will not consider the kingdom of God in the use of it. There are too many things that need to be done for the cause of Christ to let even a small portion of what we have been blessed with be used for the “foolishness” of this world.

It would be better to dispose of your “surplus” before death so that a great portion of it would not go to the state or a lawyer for probating your will. Use it now to support the gospel (so many men are crying for support in destitute places), or to put tracts or printed material (magazines, etc.), into hands of people who will read with profit, or to educate our young people in a school operated ‘by our brethren. Put it in the hands of men in whom you have confidence to use it rightly, whether it be elders, preachers, a board, or others. So many good works are needing assistance.

Then make a will for the disposition of what you retain for an emergency or retirement. Be sure that it will be in the hands of those that you are sure will use it in harmony with God’s will. How could it be pleasing to God for your estate to be left in the hands of godless relatives who will only spend it to further the Devil’s cause?

Wouldn’t it be a great feeling to know that after you are no longer among the living that your “wealth” could contribute toward young people getting an education where godly influences can be felt because you made provision for Florida College in your will; or that some young man is able to go there to procure a college education, which would be of immeasurable help to him, if he should decide to preach the gospel, because you left your money in a fund for that purpose; or that a gospel preacher can be supported in a destitute field because you caused your will to read that way; or that a congregation would be able to extend its work because you put your estate in the hands of godly elders?

Heed the advice of the Lord that climaxed the parable of the unjust steward, “So I say unto you, use your worldly wealth to win friends for yourself, so that when money is a thing of the past you may be received into the eternal home.” (Luke 16:9, NASV). The lesson here taught is: use your earthly possessions to please God so that when you can no longer use them, you will be granted eternal wealth. And it might be added that we are responsible for -how we dispose of our estate after death. This is putting the kingdom first, laying up treasures in heaven. Paul said, “I know him whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12).

Jesus also said, “If you have not proved trustworthy with the wealth of this world, who will trust you with the wealth that is real?” (Lk. 16:11, NEB). The point is that if we do not use rightly our earthly possessions, how can we expect God to give us heavenly wealth? Have you made your will??

Truth Magazine XVIII: 5, p. 66
December 5, 1974

By Bruce Edwards, Jr.

Pentecostalism is a real and formidable threat to the steadfast faith of God’s people in these days. The preoccupation with the subjective and “miraculous” which has permeated the denominational world has also made in-roads among New Testament Christians. The imperative is therefore self-evident that the child of God must have a proper perspective regarding the Biblical topic of spiritual gifts. This present series of articles is not intended to be a treatise on modern Pentecostal trends and dogma. Many more abler writers have dealt with these themes in depth, adequately refuting the claims of the “Charismatic movement.”(1) Denominational scholarship has also directed its attention to the alarming Pentecostal progress within its own ranks.(2) Our purpose will be to examine spiritual gifts in their first century and thus New Testament context to determine what they were, their design in the Divine economy, and how they were used by the early brethren. Our primary text for this study will be Paul’s list of gifts in 1 Cor. 12:8-11, although other relevant texts will be consulted when they bear upon the discussion. At this point, it is in order by way of introduction to examine the following items briefly: (1) The meaning of “spiritual gifts”; (2) The Divine purpose in the bestowal of such gifts; (3) How the gifts were bestowed; and (4) The duration of the gifts.

Definitions

The most commonly used word in the New Testament regarding spiritual gifts is charisma. It is found 17 times in the New Testament, only once by another writer (Peter) other than Paul. The basic meaning of charisma is that of “a gift (freely and graciously given), a favor bestowed . . .”(3) It is used of material and spiritual blessings in a general sense but in regard to spiritual gifts in a special way (Cf. Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31). “The plural form is used chiefly in a technical sense to denote the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed on Christians for special service . . . .”(4) The basic idea is thus of a gift freely and graciously given and received without merit which enables the possessor to serve in an extraordinary way.

Another word used for these gifts is pneumatikos. Strictly speaking the word contains no inherent idea of “gift” but rather points out the nature of the gift by metonymy. Paul uses the term pneumatikos (“spirituals” or “spiritual things”) to introduce his discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12:1 and also in 14:1, “gifts” being supplied by the translators. Pneumatikos may have been the most popular designation given the gifts by the Corinthians and possibly used by Paul in an ironic sense in view of their immaturity regarding their use. The terms charisma and pneumatikos are found together only in Rom. 1:11, translated “spiritual gifts.”

One other word used for “gift” in our context is merismos, found in Heb. 2:4. The idea here is that of a “distribution” or “apportionment” by the Holy Spirit and hence a “gift of the Spirit” in which He is the donor.

Purpose of The Gifts

“The basic New Testament purpose of signs, wonders, powers and spiritual gifts was to confirm or substantiate, by an outward manifestation or demonstration, the divine power and authority which had given a new and divine message.”(5) Heb. 2:1-4 is a passage bearing significant evidence concerning the purpose of spiritual gifts. Edward Fudge summarized the teaching of this section thusly:(6)

(1) The Lord spoke. We did not hear Him; the readers of the epistle just read did not hear Him. But some individuals did hear Him.

(2) Those who heard confirmed what He said. The Lord spoke, and those who heard Him gave sound testimony of what they heard. But that is not all.

(3) God also bore witness with those. ear-witnesses through extraordinary-in fact, supernatural-manifestations and attestations. From such corroborating passages as 2 Cor. 12:12 and Acts 2:22, 23 it is evident these “signs” or “powers” accompanied the apostolic proclamation for the precise purpose of confirming the Divine origin of their message.

This underlying rational behind the gifts raises the question of whether the message must be “confirmed” in every subsequent generation by these supernatural manifestations. The experience of the skeptical Thomas provides us with an answer. Thomas would not believe Jesus had been raised from the dead except he “see in His hands the print of the nails” and put his “finger into His side” (Jn. 20:25). Jesus makes another appearance and Thomas does believe (vss. 26-28) but notice Jesus’ evaluation of the episode: “Because thou hast seen me thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29). This mild rebuke by the Lord shows that faith can be based on the testimony of those who have seen the signs. As John adds in the very next verses, “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye may have life in His name.” We do not stand in need of another confirmation, but rather need to turn to the New Testament Scriptures-in the same way that Abraham directed the rich man to the Old Testament Scriptures (Lk. 16)-obeying all that we read that we might have life in the Son.

But there is also a secondary purpose behind the bestowal of spiritual gifts with special application to the church which is an obvious by-product of this grace of God apart from apologetic value. These gifts were given for the edification and establishment of the first century church. The gifts served a necessary, though temporary, function in the infant church. All the gifts enumerated in 1 Cor. 12 (or any others) were for the establishment of those struggling new communities of believers that they might “profit withal” in their fellowship together (1 Cor. 12:7). The gifts were given for the encouragement and growth of all and thus none was ever bestowed for “private devotion” as the Pentecostal claim is sometimes registered. The public assembly (1 Cor. 14) was the Divinely sanctioned occasion for the exercising of such gifts for the edification of all.

Transmission of The Gifts

It is evident from a study of the New Testament that there are only two possible ways one could receive a spiritual gift: (1) The direct outpouring from heaven of the Holy Spirit, administered by Jesus Himself (see Acts 2:33); or (2) The impartation by the laying on of the apostles’ hands.

Concerning the former, there are only two instances of this “outpouring” occurring in the New Testament. The first involved the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, enabling them to speak in foreign languages (Acts 2). The second involved the household of Cornelius, a Gentile, with the same observable effect (Acts 10). In both cases the “outpouring” and the attendant spiritual gift served the same purpose: confirming the Divine origin of the apostolic message. In Acts 2, the supernatural manifestation was necessary to show decisively that the Jewish theocracy was terminated and that the “last days” had been ushered in, in fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32. In Acts 10, the supernatural manifestation was necessary to overcome Jewish prejudice regarding the right of Gentiles to come into the kingdom (See Acts 11:1-18; 15:6-11). These two occasions were an integral part of the Divine economy in establishing the new Messianic order. Neither case came about as a result of being sought or pursued. Both cases were in fulfillment of prophecy and promise and thus neither were designed to be nor could be repeated.(7)

The other manner in which one could receive a spiritual gift was through the laying on of an apostle’s hands. In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist had successfully established a community of believers, baptizing them into Christ (vs. 16). However, none of those new Christians had received a spiritual gift. Though filled “with the Spirit” (Acts 6:5), Philip was apparently unable to bestow such gifts. Hence the apostles, Peter and John, journeyed to Samaria for the express purpose of imparting some gifts (Vss. 14, 15). The action involved in the impartation included prayer (vs. 15) and the laying on of hands (vs. 17). That it was through this manner that the gifts were transmitted is established by Luke’s testimony in vs. 18, “Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money.” If there had been another group of persons capable of bestowing the gifts or another means or manner for reception of the gifts, then Peter and John would not have come to Samaria. The work and writings of Paul (Acts 19:1-7; Rom. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:6) confirm the conclusion that the apostles, that body of men possessing the “keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:19, 18:18), were the only ones capable of imparting the gifts.

Duration of the Gifts

Keeping the foregoing discussion in mind regarding the purpose and transmission of spiritual gifts, one must accept the inescapable conclusion that it is impossible to receive a spiritual gift today. Most refutation of the Pentecostal position over past years has centered upon the text of 1 Cor. 13, involving a word by word and point by point examination of Paul’s oracles in vss. 8-13. Indeed, Paul’s declaration that “prophecies . . . shall be done away . . . tongues . . . shall cease . . . knowledge shall be done away” demonstrates that such gifts were temporary; this writer, however does not believe that this evidence, formidable though it is, is the strongest argument against the continuance of spiritual gifts today. We would suggest that an accurate appreciation of the purpose and means of transmission of these gifts represents a more powerful challenge to the “Charismatic movement.”

It is logical to conclude that if the only two “outpourings” of the Spirit were in specific fulfillment of prophecy and promise, that such could not be possible modes of reception today. Again, it is logical to concluo that if the only other possible manner of obtaining spiritual gifts was through the laying on of the apostles’ hands and there are no living apostles, that also this source of such gifts is defunct. Aligning this data beside the New Testament purpose behind such supernatural manifestations, one has a formidable case for the cessation of those manifestations. Nevertheless, it is certainly in order to use 1 Cor. 13:8-13 as corroborating testimony, demonstrating that the apostle’s end in view is the completion of the inscripturated revelation.

Our conclusion then is that spiritual gifts must not be divorced from their context within God’s whole plan of redemption. When properly understood, one realizes that these gifts were at best temporary measures to confirm the apostolic message as Divine and to establish the primitive church, terminating with the culmination of the apostolic mission.

Endnotes

1.

2. One publication, Present Truth, has been started by a group of conservative Protestants for the express purpose of combating Pentecostal subjectivism arid curtailing its influence.

3. William F. Ardndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1957), p. 887.

4. W. G. Putman, ‘Spiritual Gifts,” New Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1962), p. 1212.

5. Edward Fudge, Speaking In Tongues (Athens: The C. E. I. Pub. Co., 1971), p. 7.

6. Ibid.

7. For a fuller treatment of this theme see James Bales’ The Hub of the Bible and The Case of Cornelius.

Truth Magazine XVIII: 4, pp. 12-13
November 28, 1974