The gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest boon conferred by God
upon man in the flesh. It is "the anointing from above which
teacheth all things." It is the "abiding witness" of the Father and
the Son. It is the spirit of revelation. It guides into all truth,
brings things past to remembrance, makes manifest present light, and
shows things to come. Without it no man can know God and Jesus
Christ whom he has sent, nor can he say truly and without doubt that
Jesus is the Lord. Its reception is the fourth step or principle in
the gospel of Christ. The preceding principles, namely, faith,
repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, have been
explained briefly in the foregoing tracts of this series. After the
baptism or birth of water comes the baptism or birth of the Spirit.
This gift from God is conferred by the laying on of the hands of men
called of God and endowed with authority to perform this sacred
ordinance. No man of himself and in his own name, however learned,
experienced, or wise, can bestow this great gift upon others. He
might lay his hands upon them, but they would not receive that
Spirit. It proceeds from God alone. He will honor that which is
performed according to his directions by his authorized servants.
The reception of the Holy Ghost as an endowment or gift from God is
essential to salvation. The natural light of inspiration given at
birth to all humanity is not equal to it. That is the common
heritage of humanity, but the gift of the Holy Ghost is a far higher
and greater bequest from Deity, and is given only to those who obey
the gospel, and in the way that God himself has appointed.
That the gift of the Holy Ghost is conferred by the laying on of
hands, and that this is the gospel method, is clearly established by
the New Testament. In the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles an
account is given of the ministry of Philip, in which the following
occurs: "But when they believed Philip preaching the things
concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they
were baptized, both men and women." "Now when the apostles which
were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God,
they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down,
prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet
he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus). Then laid they their hands on them, and they
received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on
of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them
money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay
hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, thy
money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of
God may be purchased with money" (Verses 12-20). In the 19th chapter
of the Acts of the Apostles it is related that Paul found some
disciples in Ephesus who had not been properly baptized. He gave
them necessary instructions, and we read: "When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had
laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about
twelve." The ordinance of the laying on of hands is enumerated among
the "first principles of the oracles of God," and one of the
foundation "doctrines of Christ," in Hebrews 5:12, and 6:2. Paul
exhorted Timothy, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou
stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my
hands" (II Timothy 1:6).
These quotations are sufficient to show the order of the gospel as
taught by the apostles of Jesus Christ, who received their
instructions and authority from him, and who all preached the same
doctrines and administered the same ordinances, wherever they went.
The departures therefrom that are witnessed in modern times are the
work of uninspired ministers, unauthorized of God, and should be
rejected by the honest seeker after religious truth.
The Holy Ghost is the same in all ages and among all people. Its
effects are also the same. In the days of the early Christian Church
the fruits of that Spirit were enjoyed by the members. They are thus
described by the Apostle Paul: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22, 23). "But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit
withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to
another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith
by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same
Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophesy; to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues;
to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he
will" (I Corinthians 12:7-11). Paul exhorted the saints to "Follow
after charity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may
prophesy," and after explaining his reasons for this instruction he
concluded, "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not
to speak with tongues" (I Corinthians 14:39).
The absence of these gifts and manifestations of the Spirit in the
various religious sects at the present day is attempted to be
accounted for by the airy excuse, "They are all done away, and are
no longer needed." Yet they were part and parcel of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, and incorporated in the Church--the body of Christ--as
some of its members. "Every tree is known by its fruits." If the
Spirit that animated the Church of Christ in the apostolic age
inspired the churches of the 20th century, would not the same fruits
be brought forth by it, and enjoyed today? Has the Spirit of God
changed? Or have not men changed the ordinances and institutions of
heaven, and built up churches and promulgated doctrines of their
own? But the advocates and apologists of sectarian theology will
quote. "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they
shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether
there be knowledge, it shall vanish away" (I Corinthians 13:8). Why
do they not continue the quotation and give the succeeding verses
which form an integral part of the scriptural argument? Is it
because that would sweep away the crutches of their lame and halting
pretense and cast their false theory prone in the dust? This is what
follows. "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when
that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away." Will it be claimed that this promised perfection has
come? Do latter-day sectaries know more, understand better, and see
clearer in divine things than did the Apostle Paul? Has anything
"perfect" come upon modern Christendom except "perfect" confusion?
That Paul had reference to a condition yet in the future in making
his prediction is evident from his further remark: "For now we see
through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part;
but then shall I know even as also I am known" (Verse 12).
The gifts of the Spirit enumerated above are the evidences of its
possession by the disciples of Jesus Christ. They are the signs of
true faith. They accompany the reception of the gospel and obedience
to its requirements. When the resurrected Christ gave the eleven
apostles their great commission, he said unto them, "Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe. In
my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover" (Mark 16:15-18). These gifts were not merely for
those Apostles, but were to "follow them that believe." Christ gave
them as the sign of true belief in him and his sayings. They belong
to his Church. They are not to be done away until that which is
perfect is come, and the sons and daughters of God behold their
Redeemer face to face, and see as they are seen and know as they are
known. Whatever necessity existed for their possession and exercise
in the first century of the Christian era, exists in the 20th
century, not only for the blessing and comfort of the disciples of
the Savior, but for the promulgation of his gospel among nations
that yet sit in darkness and are numbered among heathens and
idolaters.
One of the potent proofs of the possession of the Holy Ghost in the
early Christian Church was the unity it established. No matter what
were the conflicting faiths and opposing creeds entertained by the
people of that day previous to receiving the spirit of the
everlasting gospel, after baptism and the laying on of hands for the
gift of the Holy Ghost, they all became one in Christ Jesus. As Paul
wrote to the Ephesians: "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). "For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27-28).
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye
are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15). "For
as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to
drink into one Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:12, 13). In his prayer to
the Father that all who believed in him might be one, Jesus spoke of
this unity as proof to the world that God had sent him (John 17:21).
The great purpose of the gift of the Holy Ghost was to guide into
all truth, and bring its possessors to "the unity of the faith and
the knowledge of the Son of God." Strife, contention, division, are
not the fruits of the Holy Spirit, but come from beneath. "For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work"
(James 3:16).
The presence and inspiration of the Holy Ghost, with its gifts,
manifestations and divine light are the signs of spiritual life and
divine acceptance. Without the Holy Ghost there is no true, living
Church of Christ on earth. It can be obtained in no other way than
that which God has appointed. Following the birth of water, the
birth of the Holy Spirit makes man a new creature, and initiates him
into the Church or kingdom of God. Its various gifts are within his
reach according to his faith and diligence in seeking after them.
They are as obtainable in this age as at any former period. By the
Holy Ghost mankind may come to the knowledge of God. In its light
the sayings and writings of inspired men may be clearly understood.
The Bible is no longer a sealed book. The heavens are not closed
against mortals. Darkness flees before it and mysteries vanish. It
brings peace and comfort to the soul. It awakens and thrills the
spiritual sense. It unfolds the things of eternity and the glories
of immortality. It links earth and heaven. It fills the soul with
joy unspeakable, and he who gains and keeps it has boundless wealth
and everlasting life.