THE KING’S BUSINESS
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keep his spirit in harmony .with the di vine nature of his calling without much prayer. That the preacher by dint of duty and laborious fidelity to the work and routine of the ministry can keep himself in trim and fitness is a serious mistake. Even sermon-making, incessant and taxing as an art, as a duty, as a work, as a pleasure, will engross and harden, will estrange the heart, by ne glect of prayer, from God. The scientist loses God in nature. The preacher may lose God in his sermon. “Prayer freshens the heart of the preacher, keeps it in tune with God and in sympathy with the people, lifts his ministry out of the chilly air of a pro fession, fructifies routine and moves every wheel with the facility and power of a divine unction.” Spirit-taught man forbade was what was forbidden in heaven and what he per mitted was what was permitted in heav en; that is, that the teaching of Peter in regard to what a man ought to do or not to do was the true heavenly doctrine. This promise was not made to Peter as a priest or pope, but simply as a Spirit- filled man. In a similar way our Lord said to His disciples in John 20:22, 23, when He had breathed on them and be stowed upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, “Whosoever sins ye (that is, ye as Spirit-filled men,) remit, they are re mitted unto them; and whosoever sins, ye (that is, ye as Spirit-filled men,) re tain, they are retained.” In other words, the Spirit-filled teacher has discernment to know where there is true repentance and faith, and in a case where he, as a Spirit-filled teacher, discerns true re pentance and faith and declares sins re mitted, there is really true repentance and faith and those sins “ore remitted.” We see the exercise of this power on Peter’s part in Acts 8:20-23. There is no indication that this power was bestowed upon Peter as a priest or as a pope, but simply as a Spirit-filled man. Q. When will the full change ( begun in us by the change in heart) be com pleted? That is, when shall we be made, like our Christ? A. The moment that one is born again by the power of the Holy Ghost, he is made in a measure like Christ. In his
istic, less than the least of preachers in God’s estimate. “The other tendency is to thoroughly popularize the ministry. He is no longer God’s man, but a man of affairs, of the people. He prays not, because his mis sion is to the people. If he can move the people, create an interest, a sensa tion in favor of religion, an interest in Church work—he is satisfied. His per sonal relation to God is no factor in his work. Prayer ¡has little or no place in his plans. The disaster and ruin of such a ministry cannot be computed by earthly arithmetic. What the preacher is in prayer to God, for himself, for his peo ple, so is his power for real good to men, so is his true faithfulness, his true fidel ity to God, to man, for time for eternity. “It is impossible for the preacher to Q. Please explain Maitt. 16:19, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the king dom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” A. It was the custom when our Lord was here upon earth to give to the one who had gone through the Rabbinical schools a key as a symbol of his ability to unlock the truth to men. Our Lord by saying unto Peter that He would give to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven simply meant what the figure in dicates, that He would give to him the ability to unlock the truth of the king dom of heaven to men. We see Peter using the keys with the Jews and un locking the truth and the door into, the kingdom to them in Acts 2:38 and the following verses. We see Peter using the key® with the Gentiles and unlock ing the truth and the door into the king dom to them in Acts 10:34-43. Our Lord made this promise to Peter as a Spirit- taught man (cf. V. 16), and every one who is taught of the Spirit has this same power of the keys. In the usage of our Lord’s Day to “bind and to loose” meant respectively to for bid or permit. It was a proverb in that day that “What Shammai (a very strict rabbi) binds (that is, forbids,) Hillel (a more moderate teacher) looses ( that is, permits).” So these words used in this verse simply meant what Peter as a
Questions and Answers By R. A. TORREY. D. D.
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