One phase of the doctrine or of an experience is often accentuated to
the detriment of another equally important phase. This has been sometimes done
with respect to the doctrine of sanctification. Some have stressed the cleansing
aspect to the neglect of the infilling aspect. Sanctification is, as we have
before learned, a cleansing from native depravity, but it is none the less a
reception of the Holy Spirit and an endowment with power.
Such phrases as "the Holy Ghost fell on them, "
"the gift of the Holy Spirit, " " they received the Holy
Spirit," and "the Holy Spirit came upon them" are in the Bible
used interchangeably in speaking of this positive aspect of the second work of
grace. Some teachers have tried to make the gift of the Holy Spirit and the
reception of the Holy Spirit two different experiences. In Acts 10: 44-47,
however, Peter uses the expressions, "the Holy Ghost fell on all them
It has been questioned whether Cornelius was in a state of justification
before Peter's visit recorded in the tenth chapter of Acts. lf Cornelius was not
justified, or living to the degree of moral and spiritual light that he
possessed, he was not, of course, in a condition for the reception of the Holy
Spirit as a second work of grace; but it is evident from Luke's description in
Acts 10: 1-8 that Cornelius, though a Gentile, had in some way been converted to
the true God. It is said of him, moreover, that he was "a devout man and
one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and
prayed to God alway" (Acts 10: 2). The Lord honored his prayers
sufficiently to send an angel to him (Acts 10:3). At the sight of the angel
Cornelius proved the attitude of his heart by saying, "What is it,
Lord?" In answer to his question the Lord said, " Thy prayers and
shine alms are come up for a memorial before God" (Acts 10:4). Cornelius
further proved his attitude toward the Lord by immediately selecting two devout
soldiers and sending them to Joppa to seek Peter, according to the instructions
of the Lord. There is a striking parallel, also, between Cornelius' attitude of
mind and heart and that of the disciples at Pentecost. Both were in an attitude
of fervent prayer, the prayers of both were regarded by the Lord, and both were
miraculously filled with the Holy Spirit. We conclude, then, that the reception
of the Holy Spirit by the house of Cornelius combined the purification of their
hearts (Acts 15: 8, 9) and entire sanctification.
When Paul went to Ephesus (Acts 19), he found there
certain disciples who, though they had believed, had not even heard of the
miraculous descent of the Holy Spirit and had, of course, not received the Holy
Spirit. These twelve men, then, were believing disciples (Acts 19: 7), but they
had not received the Holy Spirit. After listening to the instructions of the
apostle Paul, these men, who were evidently the disciples of John, were
rebaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. "And when Paul had laid his hands
upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and
prophesied " (Acts 19: 6). So we conclude that the reception of the Holy
Ghost is subsequent to the act of faith that makes us believing disciples of
Christ. This distinction between conversion and the reception of the Holy Spirit
will appear more fully in the following chapter.
There are three distinct office-works of the Holy Spirit.
His first office-work is "to convict and reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of
righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more; of judgment,
because the prince of this world is judged" (John 16: 8-11). His second
office-work is to act as a witness of sonship to the believers. "For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8: 14, 15, 16). The
third office-work is to sanctify the believer and to endue him with power from
on high. "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you
" (Acts 1: 8 ) . " They were all filled with the Holy Ghost"
(Acts 2: 4). " They received the Holy Ghost " (Acts 8: 17) .
Because the Bible teaches the reception of the Holy
Spirit subsequent to regeneration, we should not conclude that the justified do
not possess the Holy Spirit in any sense; for Paul says, " If any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8: 9), and "His
Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God"
(Rom. 8: 16), and, "We know that he abideth in us the Spirit which he hath
given us. " It has been explained that the Holy Spirit comes to the sinner
to convict him, goes with the justified, and dwells in the sanctified. We should
think of the Holy Spirit's relationship to us, however, not in terms that relate
to space, position, or quantity, but in terms of spiritual relationship. It is
sufficient, then, that the Holy Spirit bears a certain relation to the sinner;
namely, that of a convictor; that he bears a far closer relation to the
justified; and that he bears the closest relation of all to the wholly
sanctified.
A comparison between the relation of evil spirits and of
the Holy Spirit to the soul makes clear these three degrees of relationship. An
evil spirit bears the same relation to the saint that the Holy Spirit bears to
the sinner: the evil spirit is opposed to the moral condition and attitude of
the saint; the Holy Spirit reproves the sinner for his sins. An evil spirit
bears the same relation to an ordinary sinner that the Holy Spirit bears to the
justified believer: the evil spirit influences and controls the sinner just as
the Holy Spirit influences and controls the justified believer. An evil spirit
bears the same relation to a demoniac that the Holy Spirit bears to the wholly
sanctified: the evil spirit possesses the demoniac, and the Holy Spirit
possesses and fills the wholly sanctified. The nature of these compared
relations is, of course, opposed, but the degrees of relationship are parallel.
Though the moral tendency of the Holy Spirit is uniform
in all lives, the outward manifestations of his presence are not uniform. The
recorded instances of the reception of the Holy Spirit show this difference in
the manifestations of his presence. In some instances the reception of the Holy
Spirit was accompanied by a miraculous gift of tongues (see Acts 2:4; 19: 6). In
other instances it is merely said that "they received the Holy Ghost"
(Acts 8 :17); nothing is said of their having spoken in other tongues. Just as
in the experience of forgiveness the outward manifestations may be varied by the
temperaments of the believers, so in the reception of the Holy Spirit the
external manifestations may be varied by the circumstances and the temperaments
of the sanctified.
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