Chapter 5

"THE POWER OF THE MOST HIGH"

We have already cited several passages which state that the Spirit of God was given to men and women in order to endow them with supernatural abilities (see pages 86-87, 105ff). We propose now to examine in more detail what the Bible reveals on this subject. We need to do this because similar gifts have been claimed in the post-apostolic era by various disparate sects and denominations, and indeed by followers of non-Christian religions. We believe such claims are inadmissible, whether in the 4th century or the 20th. As always, we need to lay first an Old Testament foundation. The chief gifts described in the Old Testament record appear to be these:

1. the gift of prophecy, i.e. acting as God's spokesman (see Exodus 7:1-2), whether it be to guide, or reprove human conduct, or to predict future events (e.g. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Balaam, Samuel, Saul, David and many others);

2. wisdom and skill, either

(i) for a specific task, such as the construction of the tabernacle or temple (Bezalel and Oholiab Exodus 31:2ff; 35:30ff; David1 Chronicles 28:11-19); or

(ii) more generally, in the government and administration of a nation (Joseph Genesis 39:2,23; 41:38; Moses Numbers 11:17; so too Joshua, Solomon, Daniel etc.);

3. physical strength and valour in war (e.g. Othniel, Gideon, Samson and David);

4. working miracles of healing or of punishment, or of special signs of power to confirm the possession of divine authority (Moses, Elijah, Elisha). Very often, however, these miracles have been God's responses to His Servants' prayers, and it is not always possible to draw a hard and fast line between Spirit power granted to a person and the divine response to fervent prayer (James 5:17).

It is not always clear from these accounts whether a Spirit gift, once bestowed, was retained and active from its first imparting, or whether it was conferred for but a limited period in order to attain a specific object, and perhaps renewed later. The warlike exploits under item 3 above would appear to have been largely temporary gifts (note, for example, the repeated statements in Judges 14ff that the Spirit came mightily on Samson) whereas the needs of wise government and administration would presumably have required a more lasting endowment, such as Moses enjoyed. It is important to notice that the privilege of receiving such supernatural powers did not necessarily guarantee God's approval of the beneficiaries, still less did it promise their salvation. Spirit powers could be abused (such, at least, was Balaam's intention) and even forfeited (as in Saul's case). Further, there were times of great Spirit manifestation, especially in the lives of Moses and, much later, of Elijah and Elisha, but also long periods during which God's "visible hand" remained largely hidden. For example, before Samuel there had been a time of "infrequent vision" (1 Samuel 3:1); much later night fell on the prophetic ministry, throughout the inter-testamental period until just before the birth of Jesus (Ezekiel 7:26; Amos 8:11-12; Micah 3:5-7).

THE URIM AND THUMMIM

A special case of a Spirit gift granted to the nation of Israel but later withdrawn was the oracle called "Urim and Thummim", which was associated with the High Priest's sacred robes, being carried in the "breastpiece of judgment". The exact nature of these "lights and perfections" (as the phrase can be translated) is not known; sufficient to note that by them an immediate answer from God could be obtained through the priest when a ruler needed divine guidance. Thus Moses directed Joshua to seek such guidance through Aaron's son Eleazar. ⁽³⁷⁾

David, although he had the Spirit, ⁽³⁸⁾ frequently had recourse to this oracle. ⁽³⁹⁾ Saul before him had also sought guidance, but fitfully and inconsistently, so that after his disobedience and rejection this access to divine counsel was denied him. ⁽⁴⁰⁾ After David's time there is not a single reference to this oracle being consulted, and it is mentioned again only in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, when it is clear that Israel had lost this privilege altogether. ⁽⁴¹⁾

Of course, God still guided the lives of His faithful servants, and answered their prayers in His own good waybut a direct answer to a perplexing situation was no longer guaranteed. We shall demonstrate below that this penalty for disobedience, together with the lapse in the prophetic gift, were precedents for the withdrawal of Spirit gifts in the post-apostolic era.

SPIRIT GIFTS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Renewal of the gift of prophecy in New Testament times began with Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, Jesus' mother, three months before John was born (Luke 1:41-55). John's father, the priest Zechariah, also prophesied just after John's birth, as did the aged Simeon and Anna after Jesus was born (Luke 1:67ff; 2:27-38). All four gospels describe the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist, but "John did no sign [i.e. miracle]" (John 10:41). Upon Jesus himself the power of the Spirit was poured out without measure (John 3:34), and it was manifested in a multitude of miracles, signs, healings and inspired discourses. His twelve apostles were granted a limited exercise of these "powers of the age to come" during Christ's three-year ministry, as we have seen (pages 109-112). However we need to go to the "Acts of the Apostles" and certain of Paul's letters to learn in detail about the bestowal of Spirit gifts in the early church. Jesus had promised that he would send these gifts once he had ascended to heaven (John 16:7); the disciples were to stay in Jerusalem until they were "clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). In due course the Day of Pentecost dawned and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Twelve, Matthias having taken the place of Judas. ⁽⁴²⁾

The gift itself was the ability to preach the gospel ⁽⁴³⁾ in all the native languages of the Jews then residing in or visiting Jerusalem, especially those who had been brought up in the Diaspora. Each pilgrim to the feast heard the message clearly in his own mother tongue and marvelled. Having brought home to the consciences of the assembled multitude the enormity of their behaviour in crucifying their divinely-sent King-Messiah, Peter and his fellow-apostles exhorted every one of them to repent and be baptised, (calling) ⁽⁴⁴⁾ upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. He added:

"... and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are afar off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him ... Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:38-40)

An important question of interpretation is posed here. Because the Spirit was poured out upon the Twelve at the outset, the words of Peter in the passage just quoted are almost universally construed as meaning that the Holy Spirit would also be given to all responding to the Apostle's stirring appeal. There are, however, several serious objections to this interpretation. First, the phrase "the gift of the Holy Spirit" is ambiguous both in Greek and English. Is the Holy Spirit here the giver or the gift itself? If the wording had been "the gift of God" there would be no question that God was the giver and we are convinced it should be similarly interpreted here. ⁽⁴⁵⁾  The gift itself, promised by the Holy Spirit through Jesus and his apostles, was "the forgiveness of sins". The need for, and the blessing of, sins being "blotted out" or "washed away", will be obvious on a little reflection, for a cleansed sinner, justified by his faith and obedience, becomes a saint in Christ Jesus and an heir of eternal life. On the other hand, reception of one or more of the Spirit's gifts in no way guaranteed eternal life to the one so endowed; it was still possible to depart from the faith, and such conduct would inevitably result in rejection at Christ's judgment seat (see Hebrews 6:4-6). Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira were condemned on such grounds (see below on Acts 5).

Further, the Spirit's promise is to everyone whom the Lord calls. Whereas forgiveness is clearly granted to all who respond to God's gracious invitation ⁽⁴⁶⁾ , it is by no means certain that Spirit gifts were granted to every believer, even in the apostolic age, and it is demonstrable that since that era such gifts have ceased.

In confirmation of the above it should be noted that Luke makes no reference to any miraculous powers being exercised by the three thousand converts on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41), only that they all manifested a "spirit" of zeal and thankfulness, sharing with one another both their new-found faith in the Lord Jesus and their temporal possessions (verses 44-45). At this stage it was only the apostles who performed wonders and signs (verse 43); these were obviously "the signs of an apostle" (2 Corinthians 12:12; Romans 15:15-19). Only after the Apostles had their first confrontation with the religious authorities and had returned to their own company, were the latter "all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31), thus extending considerably the number willing and able to bear witness to the gospel without fearing what the authorities might do. Among this company may well have been Ananias and Sapphira, for it is very soon after this that Luke describes in chapter 5 how this couple flagrantly lied to the Holy Spirit, having "agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord" (verse 9). The apostle Peter obviously had the power to discern this spirit of deception and with its exposure both "deceivers" collapsed and died.

Chapter 6 of Acts is specially instructive in its description of the seven deacons selected to oversee "the daily distribution" to widows in the Jerusalem church. Their primary qualification was that they should be "of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (6:3). Outstanding among these was Stephen, "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (6.5), which qualities his adversaries were unable to withstand (6.10). Being "full of grace and power" he "did great wonders and signs among the people" (6.8), although the exact nature of these miracles is unspecified. It was Stephen's inspired witness to Israel's unfaithfulness and obduracy, culminating in the latter's betrayal and murder of God's "Righteous One", which precipitated his own murder by the infuriated mob (chapter 7). The Acts narrative continues with the work of another of the seven deacons, Philip, later styled "the evangelist" (21:8). He too was able to perform healing miracles (8:6-7,13) and he baptised those in Samaria who responded to his preaching of the good news of the kingdom (v.12). What he could not do, however, was to impart the Holy Spirit to these new converts, so the apostles Peter and John were sent for to accomplish this by the laying on of their hands and to show they approved receiving Samaritan believers into the Christ body (vv.14-16). 

This restriction in Philip's power should be carefully noted. Only very rarely do we read of anyone, other than the Apostles, conferring the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. One such instance was when Ananias of Damascus visited Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:17-18), but this was a unique occasion when Christ's especial 'Apostle to the Gentiles' was commissioned (verse 15). Timothy was warned by Paul not to be "hasty in the laying on of hands" (1 Timothy 5:22), but commentators are in general agreement that this signified no more than the ordaining of elders to oversee the believers at Ephesus. Comparable with this was the occasion when the elders of the church at Antioch laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul before sending them off on their first great missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3)but as these apostles were already Spirit-filled (Acts 9:17; 11:24), this too was a case of commissioning, and not of imparting Spirit gifts. The plain and inescapable consequence is this: as the apostles passed off the scene, so the power to bestow Spirit powers on others died with them. ⁽⁴⁷⁾

Chapter 8 ends with the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and his baptism but without any intimation that he also received the Holy Spirit from Philip. ⁽⁴⁸⁾  Chapter 9 describes the call of Saul of Tarsus to be the apostle to the Gentiles and as an apostle, to receive the Spirit (verse 17) in abundant measure (Romans 15:18-19; 2 Corinthians 12:11-12).

We move on to Acts 10-11 and the obedience of the first Gentile converts to Christianity, viz. Cornelius with his relatives and friends. The occasion was notable in that the Holy Spirit was poured out on these Gentile believers before they were baptised into the name of Jesus, and they spoke in tongues and extolled God (10:44-48). It was a mini-Pentecost (cp 11:15,17), the door of salvation now being opened to Gentile believers just as at Pentecost the way of life had been opened to repentant Jews. Peter and his fellow Jews needed to have this incontrovertible evidence of God's mercy towards Gentiles to overcome what had been till then their deep-seated opposition to Gentile participation in the gospel on an equal footing with Jewish believers. Peter later refers to this in Acts 15:8.

The only other material reference to Holy Spirit gifts in Acts is the rather puzzling account in chapter 19 of some Christian (?) disciples Paul encountered at Ephesus, who had undergone John's baptism but, according to the RSV text, had "never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit" (verse 2). It is difficult to believe that anyone at all acquainted with the teaching of John the Baptist, or of the Old Testament generally, could be so completely unaware of the Holy Spirit's existence. The text of the RV and ASV here have instead: "We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Ghost [Spirit] was given" a very different matter, seeing that the gift of prophecy had been allowed to lapse over the previous four centuries. This rendering is strongly supported by a parallel passage in John 7:39, where the Greek construction is very similar: 

"... for as yet the Spirit had not been given [literally: "was not"], because Jesus was not yet glorified."

Paul proceeded to fill in this gap in their understanding, doubtless recounting the Pentecostal events and their aftermath, whereupon these disciples were also baptised into (eis) the name of the Lord Jesus. Then he confirmed the truth of their newly imparted knowledge in a most practical way, by laying his hands on them, and they too received Spirit powers speaking with tongues and prophesying.

F.F. Bruce, in his commentary on Acts, ⁽⁴⁹⁾ refers approvingly to the opinion of Prof. G.W.H. Lampe that the bestowal of these powers was intended to be a second Pentecost. It launched "a new centre of the Gentile mission the next in importance after Syrian Antioch and these twelve disciples were to be the nucleus of the Ephesian church".

SPIRIT GIFTS AT CORINTH

Luke's account in Acts traces the geographical spread of the gospel, and records some of the major stepping stones in that process, with special emphasis on the work of Paul as "the apostle to the Gentiles". We have seen how the progress of the gospel message was marked by several outpourings of Spirit power, but Luke does not concentrate on their long-term effects in any one Christian community. This hiatus is amply filled in Paul's first letter to Corinth, where the wise and proper use of Spirit gifts had become a very burning issue in this assembly. In the introduction of his letter the apostle thanks God:

"that in every way you were enriched in him [Christ Jesus] with all speech and all knowledge ... so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift ..." (1 Corinthians 1:5-7).

In chapters 12-14 Paul goes into this subject in considerable detail, greatly concerned that these believers should be rightly informed and exercised to use these divine powers with wisdom and discernment. There was, very clearly, dissension in the Corinthian assembly of Christians about which was the most desirable gift. Paul is at pains to point out that all Spirit gifts were helpful if subordinated to the basic needs of "the body of Christ". He likened the gifts to the various faculties and senses of a natural body, all working in harmony for the general good (the same analogy is used in Romans 12:4-8). But some gifts were of greater value than others, and some offices in the church eldership ranked higher than others. The list in 1 Corinthians 12:28ff (see accompanying table) supplies a descending order of spiritual importance, in which "speakers in various kinds of tongues" is the lowest of the eight mentioned! In chapter 14 the apostle emphasises that prophesying, i.e. speaking God's message in plain language for the upbuilding, strengthening and encouragement of the whole assembly, was a far more desirable gift than speaking in tongues (which edified only the speaker unless an interpreter was also present)better "five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19). In the course of his exposition Paul pauses to outline "a still more excellent way" which every Christian believer can and must follow, because these special gifts would later be withdrawn!

Note the double emphasis on the most important gifts, and that speaking in tongues is the least important in the second sequence, and not even mentioned in the Ephesians passage.

WITHDRAWAL OF SPIRIT GIFTS PREDICTED

The wording of chapter 13 should be carefully observed. First the apostle mentions the superlatives of such gifts tongues as of angels, prophecies to penetrate all mysteries, faith to move mountains, self-sacrifice even to the loss of all possessions and of life itself but, he stresses, without true Christian love accompanying these achievements (a love he goes on to describe graphically in verses 4-7), nothing will be gained. Every Bible student learns the all-surpassing value of love God's great love towards fallen man and the latter's obligation and privilege to reflect that love back to his Maker and also to his fellow man (e.g. Mark 12:30-31; Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 4:7-12). Paul continues:

"Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part: ¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, darkly; [Greek: "in a riddle"] but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I have been known. ¹³But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:8-13, RV)

The context of these lines (viz. chapters 12 and 14) obliges us to recognise that the apostle is still speaking in chapter 13 about the special gifts of the Spirit, and contrasting their temporary status with the abiding virtues of faith, hope and love. "Tongues" here must be the gift of tongues, and not various languages as such, which are still with us in profusion and now need much time and application to master. Similarly scriptural "knowledge", in apostolic times an instant acquisition (as at Pentecost) is today slowly accumulated over the years. The only true "prophecies" existing today, i.e. inspired expositions of God's mind and purpose, are those that have been preserved in our Bible through the centuries; the prophetic gift is no longer manifest. Paul must therefore be referring to powers (such as "tongues" at Pentecost) which were miraculously imparted. They were to be "done away", abolished , ⁽⁵⁰⁾ whereas faith, hope and love were to abide. Ultimately, in God's kingdom, even faith itself will turn to sight, and hope to realisation, but love will never end, and is therefore the supreme virtue.

What then does Paul mean by knowing and prophesying "in part" (13:9-10), but only until the coming of "that which is perfect"? "In part" can hardly imply "imperfectly" ⁽⁵¹⁾ in view of the superlatives of the first three verses of this chapter! Rather, the apostle was stressing that the distribution of Spirit gifts was uneven, limited in number and nature to some believers but not to others (although all were for the good of the Christ body as a whole); this was, in fact, the reason for the contention which had arisen between the recipients of differing gifts. However, Paul predicted the coming of "that which is perfect" to replace these temporary gifts. Commentators usually conclude that the apostle is looking forward to the "perfection" of God's kingdom, and regard verse 12 as confirmatory. There are at least two objections to this:

1. "Perfect" here means "complete", "mature", ⁽⁵²⁾  and is in contrast to the childish things ("ta tou nepiou") of verse 11; ⁽⁵³⁾ it does not necessarily refer to the kingdom age;

2. Verse 10 foresees "the perfect thing" coming before the "knowing" and "prophesying" are "done away".

It should be borne in mind that, when Paul was writing this letter, the "Holy Scriptures" were still incomplete, and the infant churches needed Spirit-endowed elders to guide them in matters of faith and conduct. In due course the gospels were written, as well as Acts, the Epistles and Revelation quite possibly all of these before AD70. ⁽⁵⁴⁾ When Paul goes on to refer to his childhood (in direct contrast with the maturity or perfection which was to follow) he is in fact speaking not of himself but representatively of the "infant church" as a whole. The situation is transparently explained in the epistle he later sent to Ephesus:

"And his [Christ's] gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine ... Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love" (Ephesians 4:11-16).

It will be obvious that the themes of childhood and growing up into maturity, in connection with the body of Christ, are employed here just as they are in chapters 12 and 13 of 1 Corinthians. Paul envisages here a mature "grown-up" Christian church, motivated by abiding love and no longer a prey to the "deceitful wiles" of unscrupulous men.

But what then was to replace the guidance of the Spirit-endowed elders once the apostles had passed off the scene? Paul had in fact told the Ephesian eldership this explicitly when he had earlier bade them a sad farewell:

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up [cp Ephesians 4:12] and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).

Timothy, during Paul's final imprisonment, was overseer ("bishop") in Ephesus. To him too Paul commended "the sacred writings":

"... from childhood [babyhood] you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training [Greek: "paideia" "child training"] in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Thus the completed and inspired Scriptures eventually formed the "equipment" of the eldership in the various Christian assemblies, in place of the Spirit gifts once they had ceased. Throughout the centuries the fulness of God's Word our Bible has been the guiding star of the believer in Christ because, as Paul said, it is able (empowered) to build him up and qualify him to receive the inheritance of God's kingdom.

THE CLAIM TO SPIRIT GIFTS OR POWERS TODAY

It is impracticable here, and indeed unnecessary, to deal exhaustively with this question. Sufficient to say that such powers are currently claimed by a very wide range of people on the evangelical wing of Protestantism (in both the established church and various non-conformist communions), also by Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox Churchand by many in the minor sects of Christendom too. But, for that matter, we also find claims to Spirit gifts or influence in all kinds of religious groups, both in the major religions of the world such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, and also in "fringe communities" (if that is the appropriate term) like the devotees of voodoo in the Caribbean, the dupes of witchcraft in much of Africa and of Shamanism in Northern Asia, and many others. It would be strange indeed if all these widely varying and, in the main, mutually exclusive religious groups were genuinely guided by the one true Spirit of God! On the face of it the vast majority, being in disagreement with one another, must be in error and therefore their claims to Spirit guidance and control dismissed.

The claims themselves are diverse from the "inner light" of the Society of Friends ("Quakers") to faith healings at Roman Catholic shrines (e.g. at Lourdes); from the gift of tongues ("glossolalia") of the charismatic movement to exorcism of demons by witchcraft in its many forms.

By no means all evangelicals accept the claims of their brethren, and indeed some have been to the forefront in the investigation and refutation of these notions, carefully documenting their objections. The following books by "mainstream biblical theologians" have drawn together a large number of weighty refutations, although not all of these are acceptable from the authors' understanding of scripture.

1. B B Warfield: "Counterfeit Miracles" Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust 1972.
2. P Masters: "The Healing Epidemic" London: The Wakeman Trust 1988.
3. A A Hoekema: "What About Tongue-Speaking?" Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1966,

Masters' book is more concerned with the contemporary scene and the fantastic claims of certain self-proclaimed healers whose "sessions" have all the characteristics of hypnotic trance inductions, and none of the features of New Testament healings. A useful appendix to this book is "A Medical View of Miraculous Healing" by Professor Verna Wright of Leeds University Medical School, who assesses the true (and virtually negligible) improvement in patients "healed" by these evangelical practitioners.

Finally, Professor Hoekema confines his attention to glossolalia, and is equally dismissive of its claims and their supposed Scriptural foundations.

SCRIPTURAL OBJECTIONS TO CURRENT CLAIMS

In our review of Spirit gifts in Old Testament times (p. 119) we have demonstrated how natural Israel, although called by God, failed to live up to their high calling, so that the special privileges of Spirit guidance through inspired men were temporary, with long periods during which they were withdrawn. Israel's failure had been foreseen by Moses and is plainly stated in Deuteronomy 4:26-31; 31:16ff and 32:15ff; their subsequent recorded history is a sad and full confirmation of Moses' inspired prophecy. The New Testament introduces the concept of a new spiritual Israel, constituted of both Jews and Gentiles who recognise in Jesus of Nazareth the long-promised Messiah, one who fulfilled the role of sin-bearer on Calvary and is yet to be the king of the whole world at his second coming (Romans 11:13-32; Ephesians 2:113:6; I Peter 2:9-10). But just as Moses warned of the old Israel's apostasy, so Jesus and his apostles foretold a parallel apostasy by the new Israel. Consider the following passages:

"And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love [sic] will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:11-13).

"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24).

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert ..." (Acts 20:29-31).

"Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day [of Christ's returnv.1] will not come, unless the rebellion [Greek: apostasia] comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed ..."

"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 9-12).

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared,.." (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

"... no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. But false prophets also arose among the people [of Israel], just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies ..." (2 Peter 1:212:1).

In this last quotation the chapter division distracts attention from the interconnection of these two verses. Just as genuine currency is undermined by the circulation of counterfeit coinage, so in all ages wicked men have falsely claimed divine powers, and notably the gift of prophecy (i.e. speaking God's words), by which they have introduced confusion into the minds of multitudes unable or unwilling to distinguish truth from falsehood. From the above warnings it must be obvious that spiritual Israel would follow the bad example of natural Israel before them. It is not surprising therefore that once again God, who does not change, foreseeing this Christian apostasy, reacted in the same way as before, and warned that Spirit gifts would be withdrawn (yet preserving the sure testimony of His Word for the minority that would still earnestly desire to know and do His will).

The claims of false prophets, whether to predict the future or to perform signs and wonders by God's power, is nothing less than rebellion against the Almighty (Jeremiah 28:16; 29:32) and is condemned as either adding to or subtracting from a complete and inspired Biblical record. Moses wrote:

"You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you" (Deuteronomy 4:2. see also 12:32).

In the same spirit we read in the Old Testament:

"Every word of God proves true ... Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:5-6).

Jesus likewise warns, at the end of his last message:

"I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19).

The words of the true prophets have been preserved in the Scriptures; subsequent claims, which clearly disobey the above warnings, must be viewed with the utmost suspicion and tested by the criteria laid down in the Bible. Let Moses again testify:

"If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul ... But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God ... So you shall purge the evil from the midst of you" (Deuteronomy 13:1-3-5).

"But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

Thus there were, even in Moses' day, two acid tests; the former was essentially doctrinal, and no sign or wonder, however marvellous or inexplicable, was to be taken into consideration if the prophet or dreamer taught disobedience to the very first of the ten commandments (or for that matter, any other). The latter test was a very practical one, and would quickly sort out the wheat from the chaff (Jeremiah 23:28). Jeremiah himself furnishes examples of false prophets whose predictions failed (see chapter 28), and Micaiah before him had clashed with the idolatrous prophets about the outcome of Ahab's war against the Syrians (1 Kings 22). In spite of the vindication of the Lord's true prophets, Israel remained blind and deaf to God's continued appeals to His people to mend their ways.

We have noted the Lord's warnings in Matthew's gospel and elsewhere that false prophets would arise among the Christian community. How then were these to be recognised? Not surprisingly, the New Testament urges all believers to apply the same acid tests, and particularly that of doctrinal purity. At a fairly early stage in the progress of the gospel Paul wrote:

"... I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus be cursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3).

However, by the time John wrote, false teaching had already crept in about Christ's nature, some denying that Jesus had come in the flesh. Hence acknowledgement of the truth about this subject became of the utmost importance:

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already" (1 John 4:1-3).

Since John's day the erstwhile Christian church has wandered into many more myths and "destructive heresies". By the same crucial test of doctrinal purity it has suffered shipwreck, for it is no longer built upon the foundation of a Son of God subject to his Father. Virtually every sect of Christendom is wedded to the doctrine of the trinity, which creed the authors believe to be patently false. ⁽⁵⁵⁾ But "God is not a God of confusion"; He will never authenticate corrupters of His truth and is therefore not responsible for the signs and wonders of Christendom (see Revelation 13:13-14).

SPECIAL GIFTS GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES

The possession of Spirit gifts in Bible times was a great privilege, and carried with it a correspondingly great responsibility. Consequently men and women so endowed were guilty of a more serious betrayal of their trust if they later transgressed God's laws. David's sin with Bathsheba was all the more heinous, and his punishment the heavier, because God had favoured him with the Spirit and with success in life up to that time (2 Samuel 12:7-8). The summary judgment on Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) could well have been inflicted because they had shared in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit described in Acts 4:31. The sobering words of the apostle in Hebrews put this matter in its true perspective:

"For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt" (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Precedents for this condemnation are contained in the Old Testament. Balaam, Saul and Solomon come to mind here each endowed with Spirit powers yet turning away completely from God's laws to their own condemnation. But the words in Hebrews were exactly fulfilled in several of Paul's earlier fellow-workers who apostatised, either by leaving the faith altogether (2 Timothy 4:10) or perhaps worse still by strongly opposing the apostle's doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:12-15; 2 Timothy 2:17-18; 4:14-15). Jesus himself expressly warns that successful prophecy, exorcism and performance of mighty works will definitely not suffice to win approval in the Day of Judgment:

"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers'" (Matthew 7:21-23).

The present-day desire for Spirit gifts is thus thoroughly misguided, for it concentrates on what is both unnecessary for salvation and indeed unavailable in this present dispensation, and at the same time distracts from what is essential, viz. doing God's will in our daily lives. This "will" has been very fully revealed in the Scriptures, and is in itself a life-time's work in which to attain maturity.

A related claim by some is that faith can only come by the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of a potential believer. As commonly understood, this view does not accurately reflect New Testament teaching. It is of course fundamental that no-one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6.44). But how is a person so drawn? The parables of the treasure hid in a field and of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13.44-46) reflect the two main types of believers. There are, on the one hand, those who unexpectedly stumble across the way of life, having been not consciously looking for it. On the other hand there are those who search keenly for the Truth of God and by their diligent seeking find it. In the twentieth century as much as in the first the only source of enlightenment is God's Word, the Bible, which is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15); as also the Psalmist writes: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105; cp. Proverbs 6:23). Today God continues doing what He has always done, namely, to direct those who seek Him to the inspired record of His will towards us and of His great purpose centred in His Son. Thus the Holy Spirit's involvement remains wholly in God's control, not in man's it is God's providential overruling in persons who, in the words of Paul to the Athenians, "seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him" (Acts 17:27).

There is another grave danger in claiming personal Spirit guidance today, for such claims undermine the absolute and sole authority of the Bible and pave the way for many aberrations in doctrine and practice, as history has repeatedly shown. 

PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES IN ACCEPTING CURRENT CLAIMS

Having reviewed some Biblical objections, we note now some of the logical objections inherent in current claims of Spirit endowment. First the claims of glossolalia, or the ability to speak in foreign tongues right outside the speaker's scope or experience. ⁽⁵⁶⁾  That speaking in tongues was performed in New Testament times is not in dispute the fact is borne witness to and the purpose and results (to establish the credentials of God's witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus) clear enough. In present-day "manifestations" there is no comparable purpose or result, and the revelations, such as they are, are puerile, and quite unworthy of serious consideration. In communities claiming these powers there is great mental and moral pressure on "born-again" believers to prove their "renewal" by manifesting this gift, and it is not difficult to understand how many susceptible individuals begin to imagine supernatural stirrings within themselves. Some of these misguided people have later admitted they were misled into making false claims because of this psychological pressure (see Warfield, p 127ff). "Speaking in tongues" has often been associated with the gift of prophecy in its more limited sense of predicting future events, especially the date of Jesus' second coming and its related circumstances and one and all, without exception, have been proved wrong by the non-appearance of Jesus on the date chosen. Thus these claims have been demonstrably proved false, but the lessons have been lost to subsequent generations and the errors repeated, decade after decade.

Gifts of healing refer to claims which over the years have obtained a great deal of notice and often notoriety, when thousands of sufferers have testified that they have been healed of their diseases. The cures may have been effected by healers, men and women who have laid their hands on the sick and prayed over them, perhaps also anointing them with oil (based on the wording of James 5:14-16). Quite remarkable claims have been made; here is just one example, taken from Dennis & Rita Bennett's book "The Holy Spirit and You": ⁽⁵⁷⁾

"Blind eyes are opened; cataracts dissolved (yes, and even empty eye sockets filled!); deaf ears are made to hear; tumours disappear; broken bones are instantly mended; damaged hearts restored; multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, cancer, paralysis, arthritis, and all the ills the flesh is heir to can be and are being healed by the touch of the Master's Hand. Some of these healings have been instantaneous, some progressive, some partial ..."

This summary follows the relation of a few scattered examples of anecdotal cures, in which no proof is offered that the original diagnosis was correct. Alternatively, healing powers have been attributed to some "holy relic", or to a shrine which has been sanctified by a vision of the virgin Mary or some other saint in Roman Catholic hagiology, to which sufferers may repair and seek restoration of health. In both cases (healers or shrines) comparisons are lightly made with the healings by Jesus and his apostles recorded in the New Testament. The comparisons fade when it is discovered that modern claims of healing are deficient in several fundamental respects:

1. Whereas first century healing worked for everyone coming to Jesus and the apostles, only a fraction of today's sufferers find relief and very importantly, of those that are relieved most (if not all) have succeeded through faith healing, the triumph of the mind over the body in patients whose maladies are psychogenic and not organic. It must always be borne in mind that faith can be equally effective, whether exercised within a religious group or quite external to one. For example, "Christian Science" and hypnotism, both depending on induced faith, have achieved comparable success, the proportion healed by each being very similar.

2. Secondly, many so-called healings today are at best only partial and temporary, i.e. some relief only, and but for a limited period. This again is in sharp contrast to the complete recovery of those healed by Jesus and his apostles. In their days there were no residual symptoms to cope with recovery was full and absolute.

3. Perhaps most significant of all, there are no substantiated claims today of raising the dead, the kind of miracle which both Jesus and the Twelve performed on a number of occasions. This fact alone is fatal to the pretensions of people claiming the powers of the apostolic age.

Mention above of shrines and relics brings us especially into the world of the Roman Catholic Church and its long association with such things. Many tales are told to the credulous about the efficacy of prayers associated with holy relics, e.g. pieces of the true cross or its nails, the bones of saint X or martyr Y, a phial of the virgin's milk, samples of hair, nail parings and the like from the early martyrs. It has been truly observed that rotten bones have succeeded in effecting cures where their original possessors had failed! True, these claims have long been fading in the churches of the western developed world, but superstitious belief in such things still reigns strongly in the minds of the poorer peoples of the earth in Asia, Africa and Latin America a reaction, perhaps, to their hard lot in life.

THE SPIRIT IN TRUE BELIEVERS

There is only one way in which a man or woman can truly be said to possess the Holy Spirit today, and that is by making the teaching of the Bible his or her very own. Jesus said: "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). We have his spoken words in the gospels and the book of Revelation and these were recorded by the inspired evangelists. In addition, he fully endorsed the inspiration of the Old Testament as the Spirit word of God, and he also put his seal on the preaching and subsequent letters of his apostles, to whom he said:

"He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16).

Therefore a knowledge of God's purpose in and through Christ places a great responsibility upon those who receive it but also a great reward for accepting it "not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God which, is at work in you believers" (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

A believer's character will be formed, his mind enlightened and his hope sustained, according to the assiduity with which he or she perseveres in systematic daily contact with the Scriptures. Through such daily application the mind and spirit of Christ will be more and more formed within them, and by faithful stewardship according to this word such may confidently look forward to God's mercy, forgiveness and reward in the day when Jesus returns to earth in fulfilment of his explicit and repeated promises.

Chapter 5 Appendix

REFERENCES

37. Numbers 27:21

38. 1 Samuel 16:13

39. 1 Samuel 23:2,4,9ff; 30:7-8; 2 Samuel 2:1; 5:19,23

40. 1 Samuel 14:41; 28:6

41. Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65

42.  Whether the recipients included the 120 persons of Acts 1:15 is unclear; the original promise was made only to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:4-5; 2:32; 3:15: 4:33; 5:31-32; 10:39-42; 22:14-15; 1 Corinthians 9:1;15:8; 1 John 1:1-3).

43.  Defined in Acts 8:12 as the "good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ".

44.  Literally: "be baptised upon [Greek: epi] the name ..."; Peter was alluding to the Joel prophecy he had just quoted in verses 17-21, which concludes: "... whoever calls on [epi-kaleomai] the name of the Lord shall be saved." Later on Paul did just this as he was commanded: "Rise and be baptised, and wash away your sins, calling on [again "epi-kaleomai"] his name" (Acts 22:16).

45.  A footnote in the NIV Study Bible accepts this interpretation in addition to the usually held views already mentioned.

46.  See Acts 10:43, where Peter stresses this all-important fact; and compare Jesus' words in Luke 10:20.

47.  Thus an editorial footnote on 1 Corinthians 13:4 in Weymouth's New Testament translation states: "The special miraculous gifts which characterised the Apostolic age appear to have ceased at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD."

48.  The Western text (but not Codex Bezae, which is defective here) adds "the Spirit fell on the eunuch".

49.  The Book of Acts 1965, p.387 (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott).

50.  The same expression is used in 1 Corinthians 15:24 and 26 of the abolition of all human rule, authority and power and of death itself

51.  As rendered by the RSV , as if the opposite of "perfect" in verse 10 - but the Greek words ("ek merous" and "to teleion") are not antithetic concepts.

52. Abbott-Smith Lexicon p.442.

53. So Alford "Greek New Testament", in loc.

54. J.A.T. Robinson: "Redating the New Testament" S.C.M. Press 1976.

55.  Unitarians err in the opposite direction, denying as they do the clear scripture that tells of the unique divine sonship of Jesus through the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the virgin Mary. A mere human Jesus would have been unable to save himself, let alone anyone else!

56.  Another view, which we do not accept, is that New Testament glossolalia refers to "ecstatic utterances", devoid of rational meaning.

57. Pub. Coverdale House, London and Eastbourne, 1971, p.122