715
November 1927
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
that Pentecostals have beer forced out of the churches and so have had to form organizations of their own. They are not unified among themselves. They are a comparatively small body, and yet it is said that there are as many as fifty sects among them. Schism is the spirit of Pente costalism. (4) Speaking especially of “tongues,” the Holy Spirit through the Apostle says that they are for a “sign,” not for believers, but for unbelievers (1 Cor. 14:22). And we can easily see how this is. I t is a mark of weak faith to require a sign. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (5) Going on, we find the instruction that if in any assembly one desires to speak in a tongue, he should first find whether he can be interpreted. If there is no inter preter, he should keep silent. (6) Still further (14:34-37), we find explicit direc tions that women should not take part in “tongue assem blies.” We will not enter upon the larger question oi the place of women in the Church; but if the insertion of this paragraph about women in this “tongues” chapter has any meaning at all, it means that women should not take part in meetings therein described. (7) The conclusion of the whole contents of 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 is found in the closing verses: “Wherefore, desire earnestly to prophesy,” that is, to let the Word of God speak through you; “and for bid not to speak with tongues.” Certainly not, if we are sure the “tongues” are inspired by the Holy Spirit. But is it not significant that the Holy Spirit through the Apostle did not say for us to “desire earnestly” to speak with tongues f The Strateg ica l Po in t “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” —Luke 18:1. Dr. Andrew Murray says : “Prayer is the strategical point which Satan watches. If he can succeed in causing us to neglect prayer, he has won, for where communion between God and His people is broken, the true source of life and power is cut off. In how large a measure he has succeeded in causing the Church of Christ to neglect prayer, faithful, constant, prevailing prayer! Prayerless- ness shows that we do not value communion with God.” i n m Why Have a Creed? “Taught by him as the truth in Jesus.” —Eph. 4:2. There are some professing Christians in these days who object to a creed, asserting that Christianity is a life and not a creed. The fact is it is a life governed by a creed. It is devotion to a Person, but that Person was a divine Teacher. Without the medium of His truth He can not be revealed to the heart, and no one can possess the motive power that will produce the life. The Liberalist seems’ to want to praise Christ as a man and then discard His doctrine. Remember, however, that our Lord was dogmatic. We must choose between a doctrinal Christianity and no Christianity. We must have creed or go without Christ. An attack upon any New Testament teaching is an attack upon Christ Himself. A creed is simply an index to the faith of the New Testa ment. As S. D. Gordon says: “Creed and conduct are as Siamese twins. They cannot live apart. Creed controls conduct.” Dr. Charles E. Jefferson says: “No men have left their mark upon this world who have not had a definite and clean-cut creed.”
(2) There is only one place in the whole Scriptures where the fulness of the Spirit and the speaking in tongues are mentioned together, and that is in Acts 2 :4, “And they were all filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” But, mark you, the “speaking in other tongues” at Pentecost was of an entirely different character from the “kinds of tongues” found in the Corinthian Church. At Pentecost the “tongues” were in languages known to the hearers, no interpreters being needed; while at Corinth no one under stood the tongue messages except as God raised up inter preters therefor. (3) In that inspired exposition of the fulness of the Spirit and its effects which we have in Eph. 5 :18-21, we find no hint that any of the “sign gifts” of 1 Corinthians are the special result of the being filled with the Holy Spirit. We are told of a “speaking,” but it is in the known “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” And especially will the fulness manifest itself in the recipients “submitting themselves “one to another in the fear of Christ,” not in self-assertion and insubordination, as was very evidently seen in the Corinthian Church. R ules G overning T h ese M an ifesta tion s If, however, we find in the Church today any genuine cases of persons having the gifts of tongues or interpre tations or healings and prophecy, they have these in ac cordance with 1 Cor. 12. It should be noted, however, that there are many scholars who think that these “man ifestations” of the Holy Spirit were only for the apos tolic age and that thereafter they ceased; but this idea finds little if any support from the Word. 'Accepting, then, that these gifts are for the present-day Church and that 1 Cor. 12-14 has a living message for us, we must accept as authoritative all instructions therein as to the obtaining and using of these gifts. May we note these instructions ? (1) The bestowal of these gifts is absolutely under the control of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). He gives “even as he will.” It is not for us to dictate to Him. If we do take this attitude, it may be that He will withhold absolutely His gifts, especially the gift of the “discerning of spirits,” and leave us to be deceived by the Evil One with false spiritual gifts. ( 2 ) , We are to desire earnestly the greater gifts (1 Cor. 12:31). This means that we are to desire the gifts of “wisdom,” ,“knowledge,” “faith,” those at the head of the list; and not to covet so.earnestly “tongues” and “in terpretations” (1 Cor. 12:7-10). Evidently the Corin thian Church was changing this order and counting the spectacular gifts the more worth while; and some of the present day are making the same mistake. No one can change a divine order with impunity. (3) The one object God has in the bestowal of these gifts is the edification of the Church. No one can make a study of the 12th and 14th chapters of 1 Corinthians without seeing how this matter is emphasized. The Apos tle’s terse injunction to the Corinthians was, “Since ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, see that ye may abound unto the edifying of the Church” (1 Cor. 14:12). Edification means building up. No gift of the Holy Spirit, if rightly used, can issue otherwise than in the building up of the Church. And if any so-called gift does not result in this building up of the Church in the midst of which it is exercised, then either the gift, ■ if genuine, is not being rightly used, or else the gift is false—-it is not of God. Pentecostalism has shown itself, above all else, a divisive movement. It will not do to say in answer to this charge
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker