_The work of the Holy Spirit in apostles and prophets is an entirely
distinctive work. He imparts to apostles and prophets an especial gift for
an especial purpose._
We read in 1 Cor. xii. 4, 8-11, 28, 29, R. V., “Now there are diversities
of gifts, but the same Spirit.... For to one is given through the Spirit
wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same
Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of
healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to
_another prophecy_; and to another discerning of spirits: to another
divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: but
all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each severally
even as He will.... And God hath set some in the church, _first apostles_,
_secondly prophets_, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of
healing, helps, governments, divers kinds of tongues. _Are all apostles?
Are all prophets?_ Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all
gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” It is
evident from these verses that the work of the Holy Spirit in apostles and
prophets is of a distinctive character.
The doctrine is becoming very common and very popular in our day that the
work of the Holy Spirit in preachers and teachers and in ordinary
believers, illuminating them and guiding them into the truth and opening
their minds to understand the Word of God is the same in kind and differs
only in degree from the work of the Holy Spirit in prophets and apostles.
It is evident from the passage just cited that this doctrine is thoroughly
unscriptural and untrue. It overlooks the fact so clearly stated and
carefully elucidated that while there is “the same Spirit” there are
“diversities of gifts” “diversities of administrations” “diversities of
workings” (1 Cor. xii. 4-6) and that “not all are prophets” and “not all
are apostles” (1 Cor. xii. 29). A very scholarly and brilliant preacher
seeking to minimize the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in
apostles and prophets and His work in other men calls attention to the
fact that the Bible says that Bezaleel was to be “filled with the Spirit
of God” to devise the work of the tabernacle (Ex. xxxi. 1-11). He gives
this as a proof that the inspiration of the prophet does not differ from
the inspiration of the artist or architect, but in doing this, he loses
sight of the fact that the tabernacle was to be built after the “pattern
shown to Moses in the Mount” (Ex. xxv. 9, 40) and that therefore it was
itself a prophecy and an exposition of the truth of God. It was not mere
architecture. It was the Word of God done into wood, gold, silver, brass,
cloth, skin, etc. And Bezaleel needed as much special inspiration to
reveal the truth in wood, gold, silver, brass, etc., as the apostle or
prophet needs it to reveal the Word of God with pen and ink on parchment.
There is much reasoning in these days about inspiration that appears at
first sight very learned, but that will not bear much rigid scrutiny or
candid comparison with the exact statements of the Word of God. There is
nothing in the Bible more inspired than the tabernacle, and if the
Destructive Critics would study it more, they would give up their
ingenious but untenable theories as to the composite structure of the
Pentateuch.
2. _Truth hidden from man for ages and which they had not discovered and
could not discover by the unaided processes of human reasoning has been
revealed to apostles and prophets in the Spirit._
We read in Eph. iii. 3-5, R. V., “_By revelation_ was made known unto me
the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can
perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other
generations was not made known unto the sons of men, _as it hath now been
revealed unto His holy Apostles and prophets in the Spirit_.” The Bible
contains truth that men had never discovered before the Bible stated it.
It contains truth that men never could have discovered if left to
themselves. Our heavenly Father, in great grace, has revealed this truth
to us His children _through_ His servants, _the apostles and the
prophets_. The Holy Spirit is the agent of this revelation. There are many
who tell us to-day that we should test the statements of Scripture by the
conclusions of human reasoning or by the “Christian consciousness.” The
folly of all this is evident when we bear in mind that the revelation of
God transcends human reasoning, and that any consciousness that is not the
product of the study and absorption of Bible truth is not really a
Christian consciousness. The fact that the Bible does contain truth that
man never had discovered we know not merely because it is so stated in the
Scriptures, but we know it also as a matter of fact. There is not one of
the most distinctive and precious doctrines taught in the Bible that men
have ever discovered apart from the Bible. If our consciousness differs
from the statements of this Book, which is so plainly God’s Book, it is
not yet fully Christian and the thing to do is not to try to pull God’s
revelation down to the level of our consciousness but to tone our
consciousness up to the level of God’s Word.
3. _The revelation made to the prophets was independent of their own
thinking. It was made to them by the Spirit of Christ which was in them.
And was a subject of inquiry to their own mind as to its meaning. It was
not their own thought, but His._
We read in 1 Peter i. 10, 11, 12, R. V., “Concerning which salvation the
prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that
should come unto you: _searching what time or what manner of time the
Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto_, when it (He) testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow
them. _To whom it was revealed_, that not unto themselves, but unto you,
did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you
through them that preached the Gospel unto you _by the Holy Ghost_ sent
forth from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.” These words
make it plain that a Person in the prophets, and independent of the
prophets, and that Person the Holy Spirit, revealed truth which was
independent of their own thinking, which they did not altogether
understand themselves, and regarding which it was necessary that they make
diligent search and study. Another Person than themselves was thinking and
speaking and they were seeking to comprehend what He said.
4. _No prophet’s utterance was of the prophet’s own will, but he spoke
from God, and the prophet was carried along in his utterance by the Holy
Spirit._
We read in 2 Peter i. 21, R. V., “For _no prophecy ever came by the will
of man_: but men spake _from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost_.” Clearly
then, the prophet was simply an instrument in the hands of another, as the
Spirit of God carried him along, so he spoke.
5. _It was the Holy Spirit who spoke in the prophetic utterances. It was
His word that was upon the prophet’s tongue._
We read in Heb. iii. 7, “Wherefore _as the Holy Ghost saith_, To-day if ye
will hear His voice.” Again we read in Heb. x. 15, 16, “Whereof _the Holy
Ghost also is a witness_ to us: for _after that He had said_ before, This
is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the
Lord. I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I
write them.”
We read again in Acts xxviii. 25, R. V., “And when they agreed not among
themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken the word, ‘_Well
spake the Holy Ghost_ by Isaiah the prophet unto your fathers saying,
etc.’ ” Still again we read in 2 Sam. xxiii. 2, R. V., “The _Spirit of the
Lord spake by me_, and _His word_ was upon my tongue.” Over and over again
in these passages we are told that it was the Holy Spirit who was the
speaker in the prophetic utterances and that it was His word, not theirs,
that was upon the prophet’s tongue. The prophet was simply the mouth by
which the Holy Spirit spoke. As a man, that is except as the Spirit taught
him and used him, the prophet might be as fallible as other men are but
when the Spirit was upon him and he was taken up and borne along by the
Holy Spirit, he was infallible in his teachings; for his teachings in that
case were not his own, but the teachings of the Holy Spirit. When thus
borne along by the Holy Spirit it was God who was speaking and not the
prophet. For example, there can be little doubt that Paul had many
mistaken notions about many things but when he taught as an Apostle in the
Spirit’s power, he was infallible—or rather the Spirit, who taught through
him was infallible and the consequent teaching was infallible—as
infallible as God Himself. We do well therefore to carefully distinguish
what Paul may have thought as a man and what he actually did teach as an
Apostle. In the Bible we have the record of what he taught as an Apostle.
There are those who think that in 1 Cor. vii. 6, 25, “But I speak this by
permission, not of commandment ... yet I give my judgment as one that hath
obtained mercy of the Lord,” Paul admits that he was not sure in this case
that he had the word of the Lord. If this be the true interpretation of
the passage (which is more than doubtful) we see how careful Paul was when
he was not sure to note the fact and this gives us additional certainty in
all other passages. It is sometimes said that Paul taught in his early
ministry that the Lord would return during his lifetime, and that in this
he was, of course, mistaken. But Paul never taught anywhere that the Lord
would return in his lifetime. It is true he says in 1 Thess. iv. 17,
“_Then we which are alive and remain_, shall be caught up together with
them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
As he was still living when he wrote the words, he naturally and properly
did not include himself with those who had already fallen asleep in
speaking of the Lord’s return. But this is not to assert that he would
remain alive until the Lord came. Quite probably at this period of his
ministry he entertained the hope that he might remain alive and
consequently lived in an attitude of expectancy, but the attitude of
expectancy is the true attitude in all ages for each believer. It is quite
probable that Paul expected that he would be alive to the coming of the
Lord, but if he did so expect, he did not so teach. The Holy Spirit kept
him from this as from all other errors in his teachings.
6. _The Holy Spirit in the Apostle taught not only the thought (or
__“__concept__”__) but the words in which the thought was to he
expressed._ We read in 1 Cor. ii. 13, A. R. V., “Which things also we
speak not _in words_ which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
teacheth combining spiritual things with _spiritual words_.” This passage
clearly teaches that the words, as well as the thought, were chosen and
taught by the Holy Spirit. This is also a necessary inference from the
fact that thought is conveyed from mind to mind by words and it is the
words which express the thought, and if the words were imperfect, the
thought expressed in these words would necessarily be imperfect and to
that extent be untrue. Nothing could be plainer than Paul’s statement “_in
words_ which the Spirit teacheth.” The Holy Spirit has Himself anticipated
all the modern ingenious and wholly unbiblical and false theories
regarding His own work in the Apostles. The more carefully and minutely we
study _the wording_ of the statements of this wonderful Book, the more we
will become convinced of the marvellous accuracy of the words used to
express the thought. Very often the solution of an apparent difficulty is
found in studying the exact words used. The accuracy, precision and
inerrancy of the exact words used is amazing. To the superficial student,
the doctrine of verbal inspiration may appear questionable or even absurd;
any regenerated and Spirit-taught man, who _ponders the words_ of the
Scripture day after day and year after year, will become convinced that
the wisdom of God is in the very words, as well as in the thought which
the words endeavour to convey. A change of a word, or letter, or a tense,
or case, or number, in many instances would land us into contradiction or
untruth, but taking _the words exactly_ as written, difficulties disappear
and truth shines forth. The Divine origin of nature shines forth more
clearly in the use of a microscope as we see the perfection of form and
adaptation of means to end of the minutest particles of matter. In a
similar manner, the Divine origin of the Bible shines forth more clearly
under the microscope as we notice the perfection with which the turn of a
word reveals the absolute thought of God.
But some one may ask, “If the Holy Spirit is the author of the words of
Scripture, how do we account for variations in style and diction? How do
we explain for instance that Paul always used Pauline language and John
Johannean language, etc.?” The answer to this is very simple. If we could
not account at all for this fact, it would have but little weight against
the explicit statement of God’s Word with any one who is humble enough and
wise enough to recognize that there are a great many things which he
cannot account for at all which could be easily accounted for if he knew
more. But these variations are easily accounted for. The Holy Spirit is
quite wise enough and has quite facility enough in the use of language in
revealing truth to and through any given individual, to use words, phrases
and forms of expression and idioms in that person’s vocabulary and forms
of thought, and to make use of that person’s peculiar individuality.
Indeed, it is a mark of the Divine wisdom of this Book that the same truth
is expressed with absolute accuracy in such widely variant forms of
expression.
7. _The utterances of the Apostles and the prophets were the Word of God.
When we read these words, __ we are listening not to the voice of man, but
to the voice of God._
We read in Mark vii. 13, “Making _the word of God_ of none effect, through
your tradition, which ye have delivered; and many such like things do ye.”
Jesus had been setting the law given through Moses over against the
Pharisaic traditions, and in doing this, He expressly says in this passage
that the law given through Moses was “_the word of God_.” In 2 Sam. xxiii.
2, we read, “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and _His word_ was in my
tongue.” Here again we are told that the utterance of God’s prophet was
the word of God. In a similar way God says in 1 Thess. ii. 13, “For this
cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye _received the
word of God which ye heard of us_, ye received it not as the word of men,
but as it is _in truth, the word of God_, which effectually worketh also
in you that believe.” Here Paul declares that the word which he spoke,
taught by the Spirit of God, was _the very word of God_.