Chapter Two

THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are some doctrines on which the Churches of Christ have not budged one iota, but we can be thankful that many of them are changing their views concerning the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some Church of Christ people are not aware of the changes that are taking place. For this reason I will divide this chapter into two parts:

First, changes and development concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and second some important truths concerning the Holy Spirit.


A Historical Perspective


Thomas Campbell, his son, Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone and Walter Scott are usually recognized as being the leading spirits in The Reformation Movement. All of these men believed in and taught the person and work of the Holy Spirit. However, as the Churches of Christ began to develop distinctive doctrines it overreacted against some of the false practices of some of the churches about it, and for many years most Church of Christ ministers either ignored, belittled or taught against the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Let me give you some examples.

B. B. Crim, an old-fashioned Baptist preacher, tells this story (Please do not jump at the conclusion I am trying to get you into the Baptist fold!):

In years gone by many rural communities did not have a separate building for each church, but often the Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Presbyterian and others would use the school house for their meeting place. Crim tells of preaching on the Holy Spirit to a Baptist congregation in a country school house. When his meeting was over, the Church of Christ people came in for their service.

To the consternation of every one, the Church of Christ minister went about the building saying, "Shoo, Shoo, " and waving his arms as if shooing chickens out of the building. Someone asked him what he was doing. He said, "I am shooing the Holy Ghost out of this place. "
In the 1930's Foy Wallace was voracious in his attacks on those who taught the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In his book, The Mission and Medium of The Holy Spirit, he wrote, "God and Christ never personally occu- pied anyone; and for the same reason the Holy Spirit cannot personally occupy anyone" (p. 7).

"Neither demon nor deity can personally enter the human heart" (p. 12). "The Holy Spirit operates upon and within the heart of man only through the Word" (p. 12).

In seeking to honor the Word, Wallace dishonors the Holy Spirit. He stands sorely in need of the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, which ministry he denies. Even as late as the 1950's some Church of Christ ministers ridiculed the Holy Spirit, and taught that the Spirit of God and the Word of God were the same, basing their doctrine on John 6:63, "...the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. "

In his book, Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ, Leroy Brownlow states he is a member of the Church of Christ because it teaches that the miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit have ceased (p. 159). He says, "To claim supernatural power today is the equivalent of saying that the Bible is not complete" (p. 159).

Dr. Furman Kearley writes:
"Most all commentators are agreed on the fact of the indwelling of the Spirit. Restoration leaders comment in unison on this point, but they are reluctant to discuss how. They uniformly agree that he does not dwell miraculously but are divided as to whether he dwells personally or representatively." He further states, "In this author's opinion the most predominant view of Restoration leaders is that the Spirit dwells representatively in the Christians by the medium of the word" (p.33).

"It is the conclusion of this author" Dr. Kearley continues, "that although the Holy Spirit never leads one in any way contrary to the word or in a way contrary to free moral agency, nevertheless, the Spirit leads and aids the Christian in his efforts to righteousness. It is a further conclusion that gospel preachers and teachers have been driven to the extreme view that the Spirit leads only through the word because of arguments in debates with religious groups which stress the direct operation of the Holy Spirit. "

Dr. Kearley did not discuss the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

In his book, The Holy Spirit and The Christian, James D. Bales breaks away from the traditional view of the Church of Christ, as advocated by Foy Wallace, and teaches a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. Bales recognizes that the Spirit, Himself, indwells the Christian. However, it is to be regretted that he regresses to the traditional Church of Christ doctrine, and teaches the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit was limited to the Apostles and that it is not for believers today.

Richard Rogers has written a good book entitled The Holy Spirit of God. He writes, "The time-honored position among the brethren has been that this promise ('Ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit') was made to, and for, only the twelve apostles. That this is not true can be shown conclusively from the Scriptures."

Many Church of Christ ministers still hold that John 14:26; 15:26, 16:7-14, were promises Christ gave to the Apostles, and that present-day believers have no right to claim these promises.

Jimmy Jividen, Evangelist, has written a tract titled Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He writes, "The Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian's body. This makes it a holy temple.

"The thing one must deny is that the Holy Spirit works through the word of God only.

"Such passages as Romans 8:26 can have no meaning at all, if the Holy Spirit works only through the word of God. How can the Holy Spirit make intercession for the saints by the word only?"

As late as 1975 the disagreement continued among the brethren concerning "the direct operation of the Holy Spirit." I am told that at the present time (1993) most enlightened Church of Christ ministers recognize a "direct operation of the Holy Spirit." This is a radical development. As these brethren learn to be taught by the Spirit of God, they will understand the Bible in a new way.

Several years ago, a good brother wrote to me, "I wanted to inform you that as a member of the Church of Christ denomination I agree with the ideas expressed in your letter. You are absolutely accurate in saying we do not understand nor accept (generally) the work of the Holy Spirit." Other Church of Christ ministers have written to me assuring me that they do believe in the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. I praise God for this.



SOME VITAL TRUTHS
CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT


Eight Things Every Christian Should Know
About the Holy Spirit


  1. His Great work is to glorify Christ (John 16:14).
  2. He wants to make Christ real to us (Eph. 1:17).
  3. He wants to give us power to live for God every day (Acts 1:8).
  4. He is our helper (paraclete). Without Him we can do nothing. (Rom. 8:26; John 15:5).
  5. He wants to be our teacher (I Cor. 2:12).
  6. He wants to produce His wonderful fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22,23).
  7. Every believer has at least one gift of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:7).
  8. He wants to change us (2 Cor. 3:18).


Three Basic Principles

  1. The Holy Spirit always works according to the teachings of the Bible. He never leads contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.

  2. The Holy Spirit does, at times, operate directly through the child of God apart from the Word of God. There is a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. For example, He can lead by the Word of God, but he can also lead apart from the Word.

  3. If you do not know something of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will be devoid of the power of the Spirit in your life. I praise God many Church of Christ ministers recognize and teach the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, but this is not enough. We need to experience His power in our lives. Many Church of Christ ministers are still lagging behind because of the years when the Holy Spirit was denied and belittled. It is hard to play "catch-up."


We need to recognize the differences between revelation, inspiration, illumination and interpretation. Such a study will clear up a number of problems. When I emphasize the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, some brothers think I am claiming a new revelation. I am not talking about revelation, however, but about illumination. Every student of the Word should constantly be illuminated by the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to understand the Bible apart from the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit. Illumination is simply the fulfillment of David's prayer in Psalms 119:18, "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law. "



The Teaching Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit wants to take the things of Christ and show them unto us (John 16:13). We grieve Him when we fail to let Him do this.
The Book of First Corinthians was written twenty years after Pentecost to the carnal believers of Corinth:

"But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him" (I Cor. 2:9).

All of us often use this wonderful verse at funerals, and it is proper that we should do so, but this verse is not speaking primarily about the future glories of heaven. It is talking about what God has for us now. How do I know this is the correct interpretation? The next verse says so:

"But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:10).

Prayerfully study this entire section on the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

What is one of the major reasons why the Holy Spirit has been given to us at the present time?

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (I Cor. 2:12).

Salvation by grace and justification by faith are principles that are contrary to the thinking of unregenerate men. None of us can understand salvation by grace and justification by faith until we are taught by the Spirit of God:

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor. 2:14).


The Promised Power of Pentecost
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). These words, which Jesus spoke just before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, are for every believer today. What folly to teach that this promise was limited to the Apostles. I emphasize the promised power of Pentecost is for every believer.



Learn to Drive


I have had the privilege of ministering the Word of God in India on four trips. Most people in India do not own an automobile and they are delighted with the following illustration:

Let's suppose you have a nice new car: I say to you, "How do you like your car?"

You say, "I like it fine. It has beautiful green paint, nice black upholstery on the seats, a rear-view mirror, and all sorts of gadgets and buttons on the dashboard. It runs just fine as long as I am going downhill, but I do have trouble pushing it uphill."

Then I tell my Indian friends, "You are not supposed to push the car, you are supposed to drive it! "

If you do not have the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, you are like a car without gasoline. I give a demonstration of their pushing the car up a hill, and they get the point. You are not supposed to push the car; you are to drive it.

My dear friend, may I lovingly tell you that if you are not experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, you are pushing the car uphill, and what weariness it is! My good friend, learn to drive the car! Learn to enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. The Holy Spirit is for you!