The Spirit in the World and in the Church
By Prof. J. A. L. Derby
THERE is a general sense in which we may say the Spirit of God has been given to all men. “Every good gift and every perfect gift,” the Scripture tells us (James 1:17), “is from above, and cometh down from the Father.” It seems to follow from this that every aspiration we have after what is pure, holy, noble, every sentiment we feel of compassion for the sick, needy, or erring, the repugnance we feel to what is low or vile, the indignation we experience toward hypocrisy or deceit, our hatred of iniquity, our love for our fellow men, our kindred, and friends, our abhorrence of injustice,—all are the work of the Spirit of God on human hearts. To say that we realize in our most candid thought the eternal fitness of these emotions, is not, of course, to say that we follow them. In most men only a part of them are springs of habitual action, to some men, perhaps, none of them. And yet all men doubtless feel that these are right attitudes of mind, and would much dislike to admit that they are devoid of any of them. We may attempt, if we choose, to explain them psychologically by saying they are simply natural characteristics of all minds, original tendencies in all. Very good; but we have not explained how these happen to be “natural” to us. If every good gift is from above, these are but some of the so-called “natural” means by which the Spirit of God does its work in the earth. Nor is a work any the less direct because it is universal and invariable. Gravitation is no less the working of the Spirit of God because it is general and constant. It is a finite mind that concludes the laws of nature are inherent properties of matter, in “fee simple,” as it were, because they do not every once in a while slip a cog or get out of joint. We are told in the Bible that the divine words are spirit; then, since all things exist by that word,—“He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast,”—it would seem that all right things are what they are by virtue of the Spirit of God. If we carry this concept of means into society, it will help us a little in understanding better the work of God in the world. The suggestion that the Holy Spirit uses means which we have been accustomed to regard as merely natural capacities or properties of the mind, will be considered as next to blasphemy by many who would not for a moment question the divine use of natural means in most physical phenomena as the use of natural remedies—water, hot and cold, food, exercise, fresh air, etc.—in healing the sick. Two or three times a day we thank God that He has given us bread, life, etc. Doubtless He has done so. He gave us bread by first giving the soil, then the seed, then the sunshine and the rain. Then thru certain efforts of our own in putting forth the strength He has already given us by natural means, we till the soil, plant, cultivate, harvest, grind, mix, bake, and finally have bread. But every process turned out as we expected simply because the unchangeable word of the omnipotent, living, omnipresent God sustained it. God’s help was none the less direct because natural. Should we cease to eat, it would avail us nothing to ask God for life, or thank Him for it. Now, when men realize that there are certain mental laws by divine help within their control, that the salvation of the world or its ruin and destruction depend upon the proper cultivation or the perversion of these, this knowledge ought to be a powerful reinforcement of their sense of obligation, besides aiding them to understand how to cooperate intelligently with the Spirit. Two of the mightiest agencies used by the Spirit to carry forward its work in the individual and in the race are:- Conscience.
- The law of habit.
How is it the Spirit strives with men?—Thru the conscience. In the days of Noah God said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” Why? Because God became angry and withdrew His Spirit?—No; but because by continual violation of their conscience it is possible thru the law of habit for men to so harden, benumb, sear, the conscience that the Spirit’s work can no longer be felt. Have we not set the alarm clock to waken us at a certain hour? The first morning it aroused us easily. We disregarded it. By the third morning, tho it sounded as usual, we slumbered on, wholly unconscious of its work. So with the sinner. Every time we refuse to listen to conscience we are that much farther from God and divine help. At last there comes the day when God says, Let him alone; he is joined to his idols. From that moment our destiny is fixed for eternity. In the twelfth chapter of Matthew we have the sin against the Holy Spirit spoken of: “Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him.” This is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which hath no forgiveness. How this sin is possible is now easy to understand. The law of habit is that every act once performed tends to repeat itself. What then happens when we have permitted the motive currents of our minds to go out again and again over certain nerve-paths in the performance of unrestrained or cherished sins? The same thing happens when a musician plays a certain piece over and over. Finally we do the thing unconsciously.7 It is possible for every stimulus to moral actions to discharge in either of two ways. To illustrate, when I see a drunkard in the ditch, I may either pity or despise him. If a man injures me, I may either hate him or endeavor to reclaim him to spiritual worthiness by kindness. If we allow the wrong impulses always to control us, there will come a time when we will have no other impulses. Thus it was in the days before the Flood, “every imagination of the thoughts” of man’s heart “was only evil continually.” Now we judge of the motives and actions of others by those which control ourselves. So when the time comes that we no longer have any acquaintance with the Spirit of God, we believe others moved by the same influences that control us. In this state of fearful moral chaos, we call evil good and good evil. We think the work of the Spirit to be the work of Beelzebub. Our day of grace is passed. We have sinned against the Holy Ghost. For us there is no salvation. It seems that King Saul got into this condition. He then mistook the Satanic spirit working thru the witch of Endor for the Holy Spirit working thru Samuel the prophet. Shortly after this the king was destroyed. When the world arrives at this terrible state, we may know that the end is near. And think of the mighty forces sweeping us on toward this destiny! With higher criticism destroying faith in the Bible, false science undermining faith in God, and the law of God being everywhere rejected by so-called religious leaders, what shall the end of these things be? "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." Rom. 2:28. That is the eternal principle, fixed in the very nature of man's mind. But here is another and brighter side. It is the work that can and will be done for individuals and the church, if men will surrender themselves to its power. The purpose of the Spirit in the church is to bring it to ultimate perfection. The glory of this wondrous prospect surpasses the power of this feeble pen. What shall we say, when a volume would scarce introduce the theme? When Jesus ascended He sent the Spirit. "He will guide you into all truth." Thru Him "every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up." Thru Him the gifts have been placed in the church "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [the church]: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph. 4:12, 13. And for the individual, a life free from sin, a heart void of impurity, a conscience void of offense! And now what are some of the natural means used by the Spirit to perfect His people? First, He directs us to the written word. "He shall . . . bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26. But He can not bring to our remembrance what we have never heard. So we must search the written word daily. Then in times of trial this sword of the Spirit can be used to rout the hosts of evil; in times of affliction, to sustain us; in sorrow and disappointment, to comfort us. Secondly, "He shall teach you all things." How?—Not necessarily by direct revelation, but rather by the means He has ordained: His word, His providences, His prophets, His ministers. "Ye have an unction," "and ye need not that any man teach you." Men may indeed bring us information; but the Holy Spirit working with our conscience and reason and thru the word of God must be the real teacher—must convince of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness. Thirdly, He will quicken our spiritual discernment. "If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." Phil. 3:15. Yes, we shall be keener to perceive the moral quality of our thoughts and actions. Our spirits shall be quicker to discriminate, more sensitive to shrink from evil, more susceptible to divine guidance. Fourthly, we shall enjoy deeper communion with God; we shall experience more of the love which passeth understanding. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Eph. 3:14-19. And how we shall speak of the Spirit's power to make us witnesses for Christ, to give us continual triumph over sin, to broaden and deepen our love for lost humanity. And now God waits that we should ask and receive. The time has come for the "latter rain" to ripen the grain for the final harvest—the end of the world. Who will be partakers?