III. The Promised Work of the Spirit
By John Orr Corliss
It must seem reasonable to a reflecting mind, that so long as Christ remained on earth in person, His help could be secured only by journeying to the location of His temporal residence. This situation was not so inconvenient for those living in close proximity to His locality; but Christ came to be the "Saviour of the world." His mission of influence as "God with us," must therefore extend throughout the entire length and breadth of the territory of His operations, in order to work upon each individual in it. This made it necessary for some measure to be adopted by which all people in all parts of the world, might have their needs met at one and the same time. Inasmuch as this could not be done by Christ as a merely local deliverer, some universal current presence must do the work in His name, as His representative. It was for this reason that the Saviour told His disciples that it would be advantageous to them for Him to go away from earth. So long as He was here in person, He was, perforce, His own representative; but upon going away He promised to send them another Comforter, which would be His witness to the truth of all things concerning Him. John 16:7; 15:26; 14:16. This word "another" signifies that there is more than one force engaged in behalf of the world's betterment. The Comforter, or Holy Spirit, to be given for man's benefit at the departing of Christ's person from earth, was therefore a permanent associate with Him in all His work. When Christ created the world, in conjunction with the Father (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:13-16; Heb. 1:2), this same Spirit was present, and moved upon the face of the waters. Gen. 1:2. By the operation of this Assistant the heavens were decorated. Job 26:13. Having been so closely associated with God and Christ in their super-eminent work from the very beginning, the Spirit is distinctively fitted to be, and is therefore suitably designated, "Spirit of truth." Connected with the Father and the Word (Christ), the Spirit still agrees with their record; and in the courts of heaven these three constitute a trinity of eternal truth, being always and forever one in verity of purpose and effort. 1 John 5:7. Because of this inseparable connection with all of Heaven's predestined plans, especially that of Christ's human birth, the invisible Spirit was called to sit upon human hearts, and there bear witness to an invisible Author's and Redeemer's love for a lost world, and thus gain men's consent to be restored to their holy nativity. Well may we say with the "sweet singer of Israel," "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it." Ps. 139:6. But while the works of God are too wonderful to be "reckoned up in order," we can believe that all His "counsels of old are faithfulness and truth." We may therefore confidently affirm that God's "Spirit is truth." 1 John 5:6. This is the nature of God's representative,—the "Comforter" which Christ vouchsafed to man, when He, in person, returned to His Father. The Lord Jesus had come to earth for a single purpose,—to demonstrate the love of Jehovah for fallen man. John 1:18; 3:16. This one thing must necessarily be kept before the human race, by an abiding witness; and so, the Saviour, knowing the time of His departure to be at hand, gave gentle notice of the situation to His disciples. But lest their sorrow become too great to bear, He graciously promised them to "pray the Father," who would give them an ever-abiding Comforter in His place. In one way this divine accompaniment was to be different from the Lord Himself. Christ had been visible to all classes of men, and had been known of them. But the "Spirit of truth" to succeed Him, was not to be seen or known by any outward appearance or arrangement. Such a privilege could be accorded only to those in whom the Spirit should dwell. John 14:17. In other words, the reception of this wonderful grace was not to be in any physical sense, but wholly by the personal influence of an invisible, spiritual monitor. This was so new and strange a doctrine to the disciples, who had hitherto been comforted only by sympathetic counsel from the personal Saviour, that a grave question arose among them regarding it. One ventured to ask how it would be possible for Christ to show Himself to them, and prevent the world from seeing Him as well. Jesus explained by repeating that those who love Him would keep His words, and the Father in return would love such, and that He and Christ would come to them and live with or in them. Verse 23. The Lord was even more explicit. He proceeded to state definitely that the Comforter to be sent in His name is the Holy Spirit; and that to each individual with whom He should dwell, He would teach all things, and bring to his remembrance all the things previously spoken by the Saviour while personally on the earth. Verse 26. True to this promise, the Lord soon bowed in the presence of His followers, and lifting His eyes to heaven, said, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." Continuing, He prayed: "Now I am no more in the world. . . . Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are." John 17:4, 11. This was to ask that the witness-bearing Spirit from the throne of heaven be sent to the hearts of the disciples, to testify of the power of God to save from sin, through the name and merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. So for one to receive this Messenger into the heart, is to have "the witness in himself," that is, the witness within, of God's love and saving grace. This is a greater witness than that borne by one man to the ear of another; because the heavenly witness is an inward message, given to and impressed upon the heart,—the assurance of a continued, delightful oneness with God and with Christ. The disciples had not long to wait for the realization of the Saviour's promise. The pentecostal season found them all together in anticipation of the blessings ever attending that occasion. As they continued in devotion, there was suddenly heard in their midst a heavenly sound like a mighty rushing wind, which came into every part of the room where they were. Not only so, but it filled each of the disciples with the Holy Spirit,—for such was the violent wind,—and they immediately became mouth-pieces of the witness-bearing Spirit of God. As the invisible Messenger from heaven came into these waiting servants of Christ, there were brought to them divided languages, appearing as gleams of fire, which burned into their very souls. This appearance of fire was the revelation of heavenly glory accompanying God's Messenger, and was designed to lighten the faces of the earthly agents, to give power to their message, as later was accomplished through the martyr Stephen. It was indeed but the fulfillment of a prophetic utterance, when John, the forerunner of Christ, contrasted his mission with that of the Messiah. His office was to baptize with water only, but Christ was to baptize "with the Holy Spirit, and with fire." Matt. 3:11. As our God is a "consuming fire," so He "maketh His ministers a flame of fire." Heb. 1:7; 12:29. In His message to the Laodiceans, the last of the seven churches, the Saviour counsels them to buy of Him "gold tried in the fire,"—the true riches. What can this be but the indwelling of Christ the hope of glory? May every lingering soul plead for this, and none be satisfied short of the pentecostal grace.