A STUDY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part Seven)

By Bob Myhan

oel had predicted that, in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh: male and female, young and old, slave and free. That is, there would be no preference shown on the basis of national origin, gender, age or social position. (Joel 2:28-32)

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter said that the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy had begun (Acts 2:14-21). Since all of the apostles were Jews, male, relatively young, and non-servants, Joel must have been speaking, not merely of the events of Pentecost, but of events extending over a period of time, culminating in “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20).

During this period, extending from Pentecost to the destruction of Jerusalem, in A. D. 70 [70 C. E.], the Holy Spirit was given as a miraculous gift, which was manifested in a variety of ways. Some received gifts of intellect [the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits]. Others received gifts of speech [prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues]. Still others received gifts of power [miraculous faith, gifts of healings and the working of miracles].

Gifts of intellect were for the purpose of revealing various portions of the truth to certain individuals, so they could deal with practical matters arising in the absence of the apostles. Gifts of speech served two purposes: (1) convincing unbelievers of the truth of the gospel and (2) edifying, exhorting and comforting those who had already been convinced. Gifts of power served to confirm that which had been proclaimed as a revelation from God (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:1-4). The first century Christians did not have the complete New Testament, for it was being written, and the apostles could not be everywhere at once. The miraculous, spiritual gifts enabled individuals in the congregations to take up the slack, so to speak.

In every case but one, these gifts were bestowed by the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles’ hands. Notice:

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:1-6)

The one exception to this was the reception of the Holy Spirit by those in the home of a man named Cornelius. These received the Holy Spirit without having an apostle’s hands laid on them, in order to show that “God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." (Acts 11:17-18)

The miraculous, spiritual gifts belonged to the infancy of the church, like the scaffolding, wheelbarrows, etc. that belong on a construction site. Once construction is completed, the tools and materials necessary for construction are put away. Just so, the miraculous, spiritual gifts ceased to operate, once the will of God was fully revealed, confirmed and committed to writing (1 Cor. 13:11).

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. (1 Cor. 13:8-10)

Knowledge and prophecy were “in part” because that which was revealed through the operation of these gifts was only part of the truth (1 Cor. 14:29-31). Once the entire truth had been revealed in all its parts for all time (see Jude 3), the various gifts would no longer be needed. “That which is perfect” is in contrast to “that which is in part;” thus, when the complete, or perfect, will of God came, there was no further need for the partial, incomplete or imperfect revelations.

[To be continued]

DIVINE PROVIDENCE (Part Two)

Providence and Nature

By Bob Myhan

ature came into existence by the will of God. One scientist, Herbert Spenser (1820-1903) suggested that there were five "manifestations of the unknowable:" time, force, action, space and matter. Interestingly, Moses, in the first verse of the Bible, explains the origin of the universe thus:

In the beginning ¹ God ² created ³ the heavens ⁴ and the earth. ⁵

¹Time

²Force

³Action

⁴Space

⁵Matter

Nature was put in order by the will of God. In its original condition the earth was formless, empty and dark (Gen. 1:2). God gave it both light and form (Gen. 1:3-10). He then filled the earth with plants and filled earth, sea and sky with living creatures (Gen. 1:11-13, 20-25). He put the sun, moon and stars in space, and set them in motion (Gen. 1:14-19).

Nature is also balanced by the will of God. Consider the logical order in which the several kingdoms of nature were created. The mineral kingdom [consisting of all elements, whether solid, liquid or gas] was created first. The vegetable kingdom [all plant life] was created second. The animal kingdom was created third. This is precisely the order in which they supposedly evolved.

Consider also the process of nourishment. When water enters soil, the minerals and nutrients in the soil are broken down into a soil solution. Plants absorb this solution of water, minerals and nutrients and animals obtain the minerals and nutrients by eating the plants. In this manner, God provides for the growth and physical development of His creatures (Gen. 1:30; Matt. 6:26; Psalm 104:21).

Nature is regulated by the will of God. He regulates the seasons (Gen. 1:14; 8:22; Acts 14:17), the sun and the rain (Job 28:23-27; Zech. 10:1; Matt. 5:45). He arranged the stars into clearly visible patterns called constellations (Job 38:31, 32). Even the lowly sparrows do not go unnoticed by God (Matt. 10:29; Luke 12:6).

Miracles verify God’s control of nature. If He were not in control of nature in the first place, He would not be able to perform miracles in the second place. He has performed miracles; therefore, He is in control of nature.

Man’s ingenuity testifies to God’s control of nature. Even man is able to employ the so-called “laws of nature.” Airplanes, for example, do not violate the law of gravity, but apply principles of aerodynamics. Man did not create these laws and principles; he discovered them. And if man can harness God’s laws, the Great Lawgiver surely can in providing for His creatures! This is general providence.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:25-34)

[To be continued]