THE SPIRIT—HOW OBTAINED AND RETAINED.
By C. L. Emerson
AS IT is the purpose of God, which will certainly be fulfilled, to have all the existing intelligences of the universe one in spirit, we are now prepared to ask, How is one who has not the Spirit to obtain it? and how may one who has the Spirit retain it? It is not necessary at present to discuss whether our present relation to God is the one required by Him? It is sufficient to answer the two questions here proposed, as briefly as possible. The way to obtain the Spirit if we have it not, and to retain it if in our possession, is to follow the direction of the Master of the Spirit. As the Spirit of God is required, and we are not God, no exertion on our part can gain or keep it except it be that which God tells us to do. There is not a solitary thing besides this that we could do except to institute a system of “will-worship.” Then if it should happen that we are bad by nature, the more of this we practise the worse we become—the more unlike the Spirit we become—for right here comes in a principle recognized by all, viz., man is conformed to the image of the object worshiped. When we set up a system of will-worship, we make self our god. Then, as “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” it follows that every iota of will-worship engaged in tends to make us more deceitful and more wicked. Therefore, we say again, that which is required of all, and all that is required of any, is to follow the direction given by the Giver of the Spirit. But we are on earth. God is in heaven. He does not audibly speak to mankind in general. How then may we know His requirements? Since all who are to exist eternally are to possess the Spirit, and it is His desire that all exist eternally (1 Tim. 2:4), He certainly will give to all the opportunity of knowing how to obtain the Spirit. This He has done by giving us His Word—the Holy Bible. This Word is all-sufficient to direct us. As proof see 2 Tim. 3:15–17:— “And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
What more can any one ask than to be “wise unto salvation,” or “thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” or made “perfect”? This the Word does for each individual who accepts it fully. To accept it is to receive it as the living Word of the living God. See also Mark 16:15, 16 with 1 Peter 1:25, as further proof that the Word is all-sufficient. As the Word of God is that which is to be followed to gain possession of the Spirit, and the following of it is all that is needed to retain it after it is gotten, therefore he who trusts the Word has the Spirit by virtue of trusting the Word. But if he has the Spirit by virtue of following the Word,—the direction for its possession,—then he who refuses to follow the Word can not have the Spirit. This reaches to the most minute particulars; for if one refuses to follow God’s Word in the least, he might as well refuse in all. This is put beyond all dispute in James 2:10, 11: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ said also, ‘Do not kill.’” The same authority is behind one word of God that is behind every other word, so he who defies the authority of God in one point would, under the same strain of temptation, defy the same authority on any and every point. Hence he who is guilty of this act—defying God by disregarding His Word—is said to be guilty of breaking all the commandments, altho he may in reality be guilty of breaking but the smallest. He therefore who does not listen to God’s Word has a spirit that is enmity against God instead of union with Him. Let us not pass this too lightly by; for other things are here involved. If one refuses God’s way, he must accept some other way in its place. Having refused God’s way, the logical thing to do is to accept one’s own way. This he who has rejected God is sure to do. And no matter how saintly the one may appear who does it, nor how small the cause of stumbling, in rejecting the Word he is doing just what Satan did in the beginning. As God’s purpose for the universe is complete oneness, the one who would work against God must work against that oneness. Since the means of fulfilling this purpose is His Word, the one who would oppose the purpose must oppose that by means of which the purpose is to be fulfilled, that is, he must oppose the influence of the Word. The first step which Satan must get one to take to lead him away from God is to refuse the Word. The second step is the logical result of the first. Having taken the first step—refused God’s way—the second step—taking one’s own way—can not be refused, it must be taken. Satan well knows that if he can get men to leave God’s way, they will take their own way, and all that remains for him to do is to shape their desires. We will thus expect to see Satan work for the destruction of souls in the very way stated above: (1) He will try to destroy faith in God’s Word; (2) then those who lose faith will accept self instead of God, and, (3) he will thus gain complete control; for he can influence self, but not God’s Spirit. The one great point for Satan to guard in the sinner is to keep him from heeding God’s Word. As long as he can successfully do this, he has him. It is because of this that when one is sent to preach the Gospel of reconciliation, the commission comes to him in thunder tones, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick4and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word.” Then, as this Word reclaims the sinner, Satan always wages a war of extermination against those who preach and those who accept the Word. As the purpose of God is complete union, the one who would work against God can bring only confusion or discord. It matters not what he may design, as long as he can not give that “one” Spirit, he can give but discord; besides, the only way to make his influence complete over his followers is to persuade each of them to take self for all, and then tempt them by drawing each away after his own desires. But as men are not alike, as no two of them have the same desires, who can not see that for each to follow his own wishes is confusion itself? We see, then, that the work of God is all for union; while the work of Satan is all for confusion. Can we wonder, then, if the Book of Truth should designate the work of Satan, when manifested on a grand scale, by the epithet confusion, or “Babylon”? Babylon, then, is composed of that class who have refused God’s truth in some particular, and in its place taken their own way, and whom Satan is drawing away in different directions. Babylon is composed of those who have not the spirit of union. When the term is applied to anything that could fall, it must apply to Christians, for none but Christians could fall morally. C. L. EMERSON.