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THE KING’S BUSINESS
the third result of faith is the posses sion of the Holy Spirit. But now comes the question: How are we to know that we possess the Holy Spirit? I fancy some one is say ing to me, “ Have you not made a mistake in saying that there is noth ing subjective and experimental in these three grounds ? The first two are obviously objective, but what about the third? Well, I want to say that the third is as objective and fun damental and tangible as the others. It is often asked by earnest, good peo ple, “ How may I know that I have the Holy Spirit? How may I know that Thave the fulness of the Spirit?” I shall never forget receiving' in Lon don a letter from one who had been working with me when I was a curate in Oxford, years before. She was led to Christ through Mr. Moody’s meet ings. She joined our church and be came one of the keenest and most de voted Christians and workers I ever met. I naturally lost sight of her for a while when I was in.London. She wrote to me several sheets, in great spiritual distress, and the burden of her letter was, “ I have prayed, I have read my Bible, I have striven in every way to be right with God, and I can not be sure that I possess^ the'fulness of the Holy Spirit. Can you help me ?” I wrote back to her and I said, in so .many words, “ All that you tell me in your letter shows that you are looking within. Now here is the one test of the fulness of the Spirit at any given moment, Ask yourself this question: ‘What is- Jesus Christ to me?’ That will turn your thoughts out to Him. Is Jesus Christ only a very little to you ? Then you are not filled with the Holy Spirit. But if you say, ‘He is the Chief among ten thousand and the. Altogether Lovely,’ you may be perfectly certain that you are filled with the Holy Spirit.” I want to say that again this morn ing, My brothers, or sisters, do not
er” in the New Testament always re fers to some specific relationship to our fellow-Christians, never to that modern idea of what is called the “ Brotherhood of Humanity.” What ever we may have to say about that-4? and, of course, there is_ a great deal that is true to say-l|we must be care ful not to use the New Testament “ brother” for that modern idea. The “ brother” of the New Testament is one who is united to me in Jesus Christ. Because he is Christ’s, be cause he belongs to Christ, whether I like him or not, I must love him. 3. I proceed to the third of these proofs of assurance, the Holy Spirit. See chapter 3 :24, “Hereby we know that He abideth in us, by: the Spirit which He gave us” (R. V .). Also 4: 13-—there are ■ two texts with every one o f these— : “ Hereby we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, be cause He hath given us of His Spirit.” (R. V .) It is very rarely that St. John repeats himself without some significant additions; and you will no tice the two texts: Hereby we know that He abideth in us,” and then there comes: “ Hereby we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.” This section goes from the latter part of chapter 3 :24 to 5 :12. I believe if you will study that section you will find that the dominant thought is that .of the Holy Spirit, again negatively and positively. Negativfely, false spirits denounced; positively, the true Spirit acknowledged (as in 5 :7 ). You notice therefore that we have these three marks. I shall come back to this last one presently, but I want to emphasize the inclusiveness of the three. Obedience—that is right with God; love—that is right with our brothers; and the Holy Spirit within, that is right with ourselves, and this is the order of Christian experience. The first result of faith is obedience; the second result of faith is love; and
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