He Hath Set Some in the Church by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 47.

"He Hath Set Some in the Church"

By John Norton Loughborough

By J. N. Loughborough

A CHURCH blessed with the fulness of the Spirit of God is entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are the outward manifestation of the Spirit—the way in which the Lord by that agency works upon believers.

The apostle Paul verifies this when he says:

"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 prophecy; 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." 1 Cor. 12:7-11.

These are ways in which the Spirit of God works on the human heart, and are denominated the gifts of the Spirit. These may not all be manifest in one individual, but are the privilege of the church when standing in the clear light of the Lord.

The apostle compares the church of Christ to the human body where all of the members are acting without "schism," and these gifts of the Spirit are members of that spiritual body.

"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." 1 Cor. 12:27-31.

Not a more excellent way than to have the gifts of the Spirit, but a better way than simply to covet them—that is to select some particular gift and determine that it would be a good thing for us individually to be in possession of that gift. The more excellent way is to have our hearts imbued with that charity which the apostle has so clearly set before us in the thirteenth chapter, that charity which will remain when the perfect state shall come in (1 Cor 13:10), when these gifts by which we now "see through a glass, darkly" (verse 12) shall be done away.

An Important Gift

After exhorting to the obtaining of the indwelling love the apostle continues the subject of the gifts, saying:

"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church." "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." 1 Cor. 14:1, 12, 39. Instead of seeking gifts for honor or self-aggrandizement, the desire should be that the Lord's will be done, and the church built up. Therefore seek charity and full consecration to the Lord, and let Him impart the gifts of His Spirit "as He will."

The Spirit which manifests itself in the ways above specified was promised to the church until Christ should return again.

“When He ascended on high, He . . . gave gifts unto men.” Eph. 4:8.

"I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever." "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things." "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come." John 14:16, 26; 16:13.

On the Day of Pentecost

As promised, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and there began a working, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:30, 31), in such manner as the Lord designed for His people even down to the "great and terrible day of the Lord"—the day of His second coming. To those inquiring on the Day of Pentecost as to what they should do, the apostle Peter said:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:38, 39.

As the Spirit is promised to all who respond to the Lord's call, so the gifts of that Spirit were to be manifest through this age, as it should please the Lord. To deny the possibility of their manifestation would be virtually denying the work of the Spirit. Speaking still farther on the establishment of Christ's church on earth the apostle said of Christ:

"When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive [a multitude of captives, margin] and gave gifts unto men. . . . And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; 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; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Eph. 4:8-16.

Here we learn that the Lord in establishing His church on earth placed in it the gifts of His Spirit for the upbuilding and perfection of His people. There is still the same need for this kind of work to be accomplished for His people in order to save them from the scores of spurious theories of the present day.

Early and Latter Rain

As the Lord, on the Day of Pentecost, poured out His Spirit in the "early rain" to cause the Gospel seed to germinate, so He has promised showers of blessings in the ripening-off of the harvest of the earth, preparatory to His second coming, and thus brings in the completion of the prediction in Joel's prophecy of what was to take place just before the "great and terrible day of the Lord."

The apostle James speaks of this refreshing on this wise:

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:7, 8.

The prophet Hosea, in speaking of the same event, says:

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3.

The predictions of the Scriptures concerning the perils of the last days show that the mighty power of God will be manifest to keep His people; for "when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord." Isa. 59:19, 20.

Of the same time (the last days) and the false workers the apostle Paul wrote, "Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be manifest unto all

men, as theirs also was." 2 Tim. 3:8, 9.

Spiritual Gifts

(Continued from page 5.)

Jannes and Jambres were chief magicians of Pharaoh, who resisted the message of the Lord by counterfeit miracles. Their folly was made manifest by miracles which they could not counterfeit. See Ex. 8:18, 19; 9:11.

The apostle Paul says of the church that will be found in waiting for Christ's second coming that it comes "behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1:7, 8.