A STUDY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part Seventeen)

By Bob Myhan

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

The Spirit of God produces the fruit of the Spirit in the children of God but He does not do so apart from the word of God. If He were going to do so, God’s children would not be responsible, at all, for their own spiritual development. But it is obvious that they are responsible in the area of spiritual growth because God commands them to exhibit characteristics that collectively comprise “the fruit of the Spirit.” Consider:

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom. 12:18)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Col. 3:12-13)

For "He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10-11)

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (1 Cor. 4:2)

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. (Titus 3:1-2)

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

It should be obvious to all that the word of God is the instrument of the Spirit of God in producing the fruit of the Spirit in us, thus effecting our spiritual growth. However, we are not left to infer this.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

Thus it is the duty of God’s children to develop the fruit of the Spirit. The more consistently they apply the word of God to their lives, the more they partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-7). And, though they never can be all that God is, they can more or less reflect His character even as the moon can never equal the sun in brightness, though it can and does reflect the light thereof.

This certainly does not require a direct operation of the Holy Spirit or His literal, direct presence within our physical bodies. It is enough that we “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16) and thus be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

[To be continued]

DIVINE PROVIDENCE (Review)

By Bob Myhan

Divine providence is “the foresight and forethought of the infinite God who planned the creation of man and a world in which to place him—a world in which He could control the destiny of the inanimate creation and direct man to the consummation of His purpose” (Homer Hailey, Providence and Prayer, page 123). General providence relates to the support, care and supervision of the material creation from beginning to end; special providence involves the support, care and supervision of the spiritual creation. God is able to provide for His material and spiritual creatures without violating what we sometimes call “laws of nature.”

Nature came into existence by the will of God, was put in order by the will of God, is balanced by the will of God and is regulated by the will of God. Unlike birds, insects, reptiles and other lower creatures, man has the unique ability to make moral choices, including the choice [but not the license] to violate God’s will.

God uses nature in providing for man’s material needs. He uses nature and moral suasion to influence the free decisions of men. But He does not coerce men into sin and then punish them for the sin. He uses both the wicked and the righteous in accomplishing His purposes but in such a way as not to violate their free will.

God ordained civil government, but not any particular form of government; only ancient Israel was given its laws by God directly. He uses governments to accomplish His purposes. For example, He used ancient Israel to broadcast the knowledge of Him and His power and to preserve Abraham’s seed until “the fullness of the times.” He even permitted them decide their own course, but not with impunity. He used the adjoining nations to punish them when they needed it, although He never violated the free will of any ruler.

Ten tribes broke away from the other two and went into idolatry. Although He sent prophet after prophet to king after king, they never came back into His good graces. He finally allowed them to be destroyed by a neighboring nation.

Of course, since God can influence the free decisions of individuals that make up a nation, He can just as easily influence the decisions of the nation itself. But the free decisions of both the individuals and the nations have definite consequences.

[To be continued]

WILL YOU, I OR ANYONE ELSE EVER CEASE TO EXIST?

By Bob Myhan

Does man have an immortal spirit that will survive death? Or does he cease to exist at death? This was one of the key doctrinal differences between the first century Sadducees and Pharisees.

But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both (Acts 23:6-8).

But what does the Bible teach? Either it teaches that humans have an immortal spirit or it teaches that they do not have an immortal spirit or it teaches nothing, at all, on the subject.

When the Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection, He replied,

“...have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matt. 22:31-32; Ex. 3:6)

Moses was born hundreds of years after Abraham, Isaac and Jacob died. Yet they must have been alive in some sense during Moses’ time or God would have been “the God of the dead,” which Jesus said He is not. Thus, these men did not cease to exist when they died physically. Moses himself survived death; he appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration about 2500 years after he died on Mount Nebo (Dt. 34:1-6; Matt. 17:1-3). Samuel also appeared on earth after his death (1 Sam. 28:7-19). Elijah did not experience physical death, at all (2 Kings 2:9-11), but he did not cease to exist at his ascension; he also appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

But all these men were righteous. What about the wicked? Is there any evidence they do not cease to exist at death? According to Jesus, all the dead will one day be resurrected.

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

Either the wicked do not cease to exist at death or the word, resurrection, means something different for the wicked than it means for the righteous. If there is no spirit that survives death, there will be no spirit to resurrect. &