The Holy Spirit by John Orr Corliss

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 7, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 22.

The Holy Spirit

By John Orr Corliss

By John Orr Corliss

VIII. The Gifts of Miracles, Healings, and Tongues

LIKE all associated gifts of the Spirit, those mentioned at the head of this paper, must have a special significance; otherwise they would be but an undivided portion of all the others, and as such, be absorbed in them as invisible parts of the whole. These therefore must have been considered factors in the studied plan of grace, by the infinite Dispenser of events, or the minds of men need not have been troubled to consider them.

In the chapter which names the gifts (1 Corinthians 12), their value is presented by way of illustration. The human form is introduced, and many of its members particularly named as important to the complete organization and unimpeded action of the body. Some of these might not seem to the uninitiated as related to each other, being so remote from and so unlike each other, as the foot, hand, ear, and eye. But none of these could be spared from a properly organized body; for as queried by the inspired writer: “If the whole body were an eye,” where would the hearing find place? Besides, what a monstrosity would appear if the whole body were but an eye, an ear, a hand, or a foot.

After thus demonstrating the importance of a well-balanced human body having all these and other members to act a part in its life-work, the apostle proceeds to present the church as Christ’s body, needing corresponding parts in order to the fulfilment of its earthly mission. For this reason he says that God placed in His church the differing gifts necessary to meet the modifying experiences of its existence. It would not, therefore, be reasonable, because it would not be edifying, for one speaking in an unknown tongue, to interpret the words spoken by himself; so God consistently put alongside the gift of tongues possessed by one, the gift to another person to interpret these. 1 Cor. 14: 27, 28.

Properly understood, a miracle is anything wonderful; that is, any happening not explainable by the common action of natural law. All such are considered portents for either good or evil, according to the particular appearance observed. This definition is not without reason; for the original word used to express the miracles of Christ, with scarcely a single exception, is one the meaning of which is a “sign.” In other words, the miracles which Christ performed when here in the flesh, are expressed by a word which indicates them to be signs of something outside of natural law performances, but not entirely explainable by their beholders, because the source of their might was obscure. Stated in a sentence, the Saviour’s miracles were designed to be simply signs of His Messiahship.

But, strange to say, in every New Testament reference to miracle exhibitions through human beings, a very different word is used to express such supernatural manifestations. The word employed for this is dunamis, meaning “power.” The most suggestive reason, in the writer’s mind, for the change, is that Christ, as the Son of God, was manifested expressly as a “sign” of God’s devotion to Israel (Isa. 7: 14; Luke 2: 12), yet one to be “spoken against” by His own people. Luke 2: 34. But because of a wrong conception of His earthly mission, His miracles became simply educational signs of His eternal Sonship of God. Miracle signs having the same significance could not well be manifested through mere humans, but were rather reserved to appear in the heavens,—in the sun, moon, and stars, as signs of the Lord’s second coming to earth.

In the meantime the church must work miracles for another purpose. Its mission is to convince the world of an infinite power to save, since human resources are insufficient. It has to present before longing hearts a sure refuge from storms of oppressive avarice and wo, and to offer positive consolation to those facing the imperative demands of a yawning tomb. Something startlingly attractive must be presented to reveal the certainty of needed help in the absence of every earthly expedient. Certain power beyond human energy must then be apparent. The willingness of Christ to “save to the uttermost,” has provided this very instrumentality in the bosom of the church, that

believers might the more be “added to the Lord.” Acts 5: 12-15.

Without such power the church is shorn of its calling, and is left subject to frivolous human inventions by which to attract attention to its existence. The might of God’s Spirit manifested through man, is not given, however, to be a sign of human elevation, or for an undue exaltation of the church, but is to be a positive expression of the power of Christ through the church and its members. It is the Spirit’s gift of power, for the purpose of bringing men under the grace of God’s salvation.

The gift is also an essential part of the church’s equipment to represent the power of Christ to save. The word from which “salvation” is derived, is also used in the sense of healing, or health, and means primarily safety, or soundness. It is therefore not strange that in His commission to the twelve, the Saviour said: “Preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt. 10: 7, 8. How natural that when one is commissioned of Heaven to tell diseased and sinful men of a possible kingdom for them, in which no one is sick, or leprous, or possessed of evil motives, he should be enabled to make good his word by an exhibition of the power of the King of that country, upon His subjects. Especially would this be desirable when the one proclaiming such a changed condition, does it in the name of the mighty King he represents.

It does not necessarily follow that the exercise of this gift is independent of the judgment of the one through whom it is manifested, any more than in the special gifts of “wisdom,” “knowledge,” “helps,” and “governments,” mentioned in 1 Cor. 12: 8, 28. In the appliance of these last named gifts, it is essential only that the judgment be specially wrought upon, to fit it for the practise of the duties these gifts enjoin. So in the case of healing. The Spirit of God calls men and women to take up this line of work, not simply as a means of livelihood, but as a part of His great work in the salvation of souls. The discernment and judgment of such, when submitted entirely to the Lord’s management, are endowed by the Spirit with superior power to reach and help cases, and so gain an influence for good over those thus served. It is one of the highest callings, when directed by the living Spirit of the Master.

The gift of tongues is for special occasions, when one burns to reveal God’s love to another not using the same language as himself, as in the case of Paul on his travels through Asia Minor. See Acts 14: 11-18. There could be no reason for the exercise of such a gift by a speaker when he and his audience understand the same language. The gift may, however, be given to one individual in such an audience who, while earnestly desiring to know God’s message of love, does not know the language used by the minister. The following case will illustrate: A lady thus situated on a certain occasion, later declared to one of her own nativity that she understood all the minister said. This was all that was necessary to reach the lady’s case. Special help of the Spirit has been and will also continue to be given, for quickly learning a foreign language, when one desires it solely for the glory of God. The Spirit is ready to give power at all times to assist men in disseminating light concerning the things of the kingdom of Christ. May we learn to cherish the gifts of the Spirit in all its manifestations.