"I Would not Have You to be ignorant."
By Uriah Smith
THERE are two subjects upon which Paul says he would not have us to be ignorant, and two subjects, consequently, upon which he has given us such instruction that we need not be ignorant. First, he writes to the Thessalonian brethren thus: "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope." I Thess. iv, 13. Here Paul takes up the great subjects of the state of the dead, and the hope of the righteous beyond the grave, and expresses his anxiety that the church should be thoroughly instructed, and their minds fully enlightened on these important points: I would not have you to be ignorant concerning them. Now there are certain inferences, to us no stronger expression, which we may draw concerning any subject of which Paul uses such language as this. Thus we may conclude that it is one of especial importance, else the apostle would not be so solicitous that they should entertain correct ideas concerning it. We may conclude that it is one on which the enemy of all truth would endeavor to found some artful and specious deception, to mislead the unwary in their theory of truth, and through that to affect their religious life, and so work out pernicious and deplorable results. Against this the apostle would guard us. We may also conclude that, on whatever subject Paul has said that he would not have us ignorant, he has given us full and sufficient instruction to dispel our ignorance. It would certainly be inconsistent for him to say he would not have us ignorant on a certain subject, and then not give us the requisite information and instruction on the point, to remove that ignorance. We may therefore go forth into the writings of Paul, mortally certain that we shall find every subject on which he would not have us ignorant, faithfully and fully explained. Taking the subject already referred to, I Thess. iv, 13, we find these evident conclusions all borne out in fact. Concerning the state of the dead, the apostle has given us instruction, in quantity, sufficient; in plainness, unmistakable; in places and times, many and oft-repeated. His testimony may be condensed into that one expression which he uses when saying that he would not have us ignorant concerning them; and that is, that they are asleep. Yes, they are asleep; that is, spoken of under that figure, because they are resting in the grave as unconscious of all things, as he who is wrapt in the profoundest slumber. Well, is not this infidelity? Does not infidelity teach that death is a sleep? Yes; but it adds, An eternal sleep; and this bald-headed idiocy finds no refuge in the teachings of Paul; for he at once points us to the bow of promise that encircles the lowly resting-place of the saint, inscribed all over in living characters of light with such words as these: "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Need we anything plainer? And this is but one of his many utterances, all showing that in the hands of our immortal Redeemer repose the precious lives of all his saints, to be restored to them again in the resurrection, at the last day, when he shall descend with the glory of his Father, with the holy angels, and all the paraphernalia of so mighty a triumph, to rescue his people from the captivity of the grave, and the power of death—all showing that though the tomb is a place of unconsciousness and inactivity, it is not their eternal abode; it has another door besides its entrance; and that opens forth upon a long and shining path of glory and immortality. Thus we need not be ignorant on this subject. Paul would not have us so; and he has given us such instruction that we need not be so. Has he been equally explicit on that other subject in reference to which he uses the same language? It is not difficult to determine. Five years after writing, as above quoted, to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote to his Corinthian brethren as follows: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." 1 Cor. xii, 1. What! is it spiritual gifts, says one, to which Paul applies the same language that he does to the life and death question? We know there are multitudes by whom this subject is lightly esteemed, and not a few of those, even, who see light and beauty in the other subject, to whom this is all darkness. We can only remind such that Paul, by this language, ranks them side by side in importance. If he would not have us ignorant concerning the one, neither would he concerning the other; if in his writings he has made the one clear to the comprehension of all, no less so has he made the other; and every inference which may be drawn from his language concerning the first, may be drawn also concerning the last. According, therefore, to his expressed wish, or perhaps command, that we should not be ignorant on this subject, he proceeds in the same chapter to state what gifts are placed in the church. The diversities of operations of the same Spirit he states as follows: 1. The word of wisdom. 2. The word of knowledge. 3. Faith. 4. The gifts of healing. 5. The working of miracles. 6. Prophecy. 7. Discerning of spirits. 8. Divers kinds of tongues. 9. Interpretation of tongues. He states further that God has expressly set in his church, 1. Apostles. 2. Prophets. 3. Teachers. 4. Miracles. 5. Gifts of healing. 6. Helps. 7. Governments. 8. Diversities of tongues. These are all the operations of the one Spirit; and to deny them is to deny the Spirit itself; for where the Spirit of God is, it will work in its appointed channels. That these gifts were placed in the church, that they did there exist for a certain time in lively exercise, some can deny. Two more questions will comprehend the whole subject: 1. For what purpose were these gifts placed in the church? and 2. How long were they to continue? Paul would not have us ignorant here, and so gives us a ready answer to the first question in this language: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;" Eph. iv, 12; and his answer to the second question immediately follows: "Till we all come into the unity of the faith," &c. Thus the object of these gifts is shown to be, not merely to establish the Christian church at its beginning, as some contend, but to aid the ministry, edify, unite, and perfect, the church all through her pilgrimage; and to continue as long as the church needs comforting, edifying, and perfecting, and until the unity of the faith shall be attained. Paul tells us again, that they shall continue until the future perfect state is brought in. 1 Cor. xiii. And accordingly we find, in a prophecy applying to the closing scenes of this dispensation, that the dragon is wroth with the remnant of the church which has the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy—one of the very gifts committed to the church as its sacred treasure, over 1800 years ago. Rev. xii, 17; xix, 10; 1 Cor. xii, 10. The great enemy of all truth and spiritual life would fain keep the people careless or ignorant on this point. By doing this on the life and death question, so leading mankind to believe in the immortality of the soul, and the consciousness of the dead, he has just prepared the way for his last great deception—Spiritualism. By doing the same thing on spiritual gifts, he would sap the church of its very life-blood, and reduce it to a lifeless corpse. There is much said at the present day about the health reform, the proper management of our physical organism. This is important. There is also a spiritual life that demands attention; and this subject of spiritual gifts, is the hygiene of that spiritual life. It teaches us how to cherish and preserve it, and bring out all its powers in their highest degree of manifestation. Without the Spirit of God, we sicken, starve, and perish; with it, we flourish, prosper, and grow up into our Living Head. Study, then, the apostle's teaching on this important subject. Fulfill his earnest wish, and be not ignorant concerning it.
U. S.