The Word of God Is Quick and Powerful

The Word of God Is Quick and Powerful THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK AND POWERFUL
L. S. WHITE

“For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)

Webster’s first definition of “Quick” is “Alive, living;” and his first definition of “Powerful” is “Full of power.” Then, when we read this text: “The word of God is quick and powerful,” the lesson is: the word of God is alive and full of power. The “word of God,” as used in this text, refers to the “written word” of God, commonly called “The Bible;” for, in the second verse of this same chapter, where the inspired apostle is talking to the same people about the same thing, he declares, in so many words, it is “The word preached;” and does not change the subject till after giving us the language of the text: “The word of God is quick and powerful.” And here, let us get the great truth that this word of God is attended with the power of the Living God, and conveys either life or death to the hearers, depending on whether they accept or reject it; so much so that the apostle, when he went to “Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto him of the Lord he said: “Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life . . . For we are not as many who corrupt the word of God: . . . but in the sight of God, speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:12-17). Thus we learn that “the word of God,” as used in our text, signifies the “preached gospel,” or written word of God, with it doctrines, precepts, promises, together with the judgments of God recorded in the Bible, by all of which the gospel operates powerfully on the minds of believers! The very fact that it is declared that the word of God is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” shows that it is “alive and full of power.” The apostle also declares that the “word of God works effectually in them that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). It is also declared that “The word of God” is “The sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17). The “word of God” is called a “sword” because it is the weapon to use in repelling the attacks of the spiritual enemies. It is also called “Sword of the Spirit” because it was dictated by the Spirit of God: and we are told that this “Sharp sword” goes out of the mouth of Jesus Christ; and, with it “He shall smite the nations” (Revelation 19:15). This will be done because: “Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). Thus we plainly see that in the word of God, as given us in the Bible, we have all means of spiritual life! And these things are so true that Jehovah says: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall propser in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11). As to how long the word of God will have this power, we are not left in doubt, for the old Prophet says: “The word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). And our Lord says: “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). All this is so true that an inspired apostle says: “Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass1, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass, withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:22-25). We simply do not see how anything can be made plainer. This scripture shows that the word of God is the “incorruptible seed,” and by it our hearts have been made pure; and by it we have been born into the family of God; and that the word of God will never die; and, to bring us to the climax, the apostle leaves us beyond any doubt as to what the word of God is, when he says: “And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” The word of God has such tremendous power in “discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart” that it has been the experience of every true minister of the gospel, that, when he preached the gospel in its purity and power, some one in the audience has seen his own character, and some of the most private transactions of his life, as it seems to him, held up to the public view by the preacher, even though the preacher may not even know the guilty party. The explanation of this is: It is simply the power of God’s word discerning the thoughts and intents of tfre heart.” And this is so true that God says: “Is not my word like as fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). A fine and instructive lesson is in this, especially, when we knew that a long time ago, explosives were unknown; and, in order to break a large rock, a fire was built on it, and kept burning till the heaifwent through the rock. Then, when the hammer was applied, the rock was easily broken. This scripture last read shows us that the “fire” and “hammer” are combined in the word of God; and, by using the hammer and the fire contained in the word of God, stony hearts are broken up, and yield obedience to Jehovah. But, as the “hammer” cannot break the rock unless used, neither can the word of God break the stony heart Unless taught! Hence, our Savior said: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). This is so true that an apostle says: “Receive with meakness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). At this time, let us enter more deeply into the analysis of the text, taking it item by item: “For the word of God is quick,” that is, “living” The context shows the meaning; for Jehovah’s words of promise, command and threatening to His people come ringing in our ears, and are not to be trifled with; for it is the intrinsic character of God’s word that is described, first, as living, having in God’s utterances no quality of deadness, but partaking of the life of the divine being from whom they proceed; and, consequently, never fall idle or vain. The character of God’s word, as used in our text, is “powerful,” that is, full of power, full of energy, and effective. And the word of God is further described as “Sharper than any two-edged sword,” that is, it is more cutting that a two-edged sword.” And here, we remind you that a two-edged sword” is not necessarily any sharper than a single-edged sword, but it is more cutting, as it is comparatively all edge, but it is more cutting, as it is comparatively all edge. In the next place, our text says that the “word of God” is “piercing,” that is, “penetrating even the dividing of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow;” and, the general import of this is clear; for it denotes the penetrating power of the word of God into the utmost depths of our nature; and this is perfectly plain; for the “joints” express the bond of connection; while the “marrow” expresses the most hidden and inaccessible part of man, and thus the whole expresses the “piercing” of “The Word of God” into the deepest recesses of the soul; and laying them open to view! From all this we learn that the “word of God” is so full of “power” that it is even “A discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart;” or, in other words, the “word of God” rules with "power” in the province of man’s inmost nature, penetrating our interior being, and sits in judgment on the thoughts, purposes and emotions of every person who hears it, for God teaches that the “heart” is the parent of sin, and is reached and held in the right way only by the searching power of the word of God!!! And this is so true that Christ said: “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 15:19-20). Our Lord not only told us that out of the heart all evil comes, but also told us how to overcome these evils, and said: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Thus we learn that no one can enjoy God in this life and see Him in the life to come, without a pure heart! Hence we see at a glance the importance of having “pure” hearts; and, to help us, the great apostle Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit has told us how the heart is purified, as follows: “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth, . . . see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). In the scripture just read, the apostle used the words “heart” and “soul” as one and the same thing; and anything that purifies the “heart” also purifies the “soul” at the same time and by the same means; and, the apostle has just told us that it is done by the “truth”; and Jesus Christ told us what the “truth” is, when, in praying for the sanctification of His apostles, said: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The apostle also shows that we are not only “born again” by the “word of God,” but that the word of God will live forever, as he says: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). And, to show this is the “written word of God,” called the “Bible,” the apostle says: “The word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1:25) The apostle Paul enlarges on this same thing, and says: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4), And, to show that the apostle was talking about the “written” word of God, we read: “For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of me*n, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also m you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). No wonder the “word of God” effectually works in those who believe, for our Lord said: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself: but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:48-50). To further show the might' power of the “Word of God,” we give you a few more statements from the pen of inspiration, as follows: “For the prophecy (word of God) came net in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). This shows how we got in possession of the word of God. Another scripture on the power of the word of God: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalms 19:7). Still others: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2): “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). And here, we remind you that to be “led by the Spirit” is to be led by the directions of the Spirit; and the “directions of the Spirit” are found only in the “word of God:” “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). "Whoso looketh in the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deeds” (James 1:25). When Joshua succeeded lyioses as the leader of the Israelites, Jehovah said to him: “This book of the law (the word of God) shall not depart from out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8) When Christ very kindly offered to go home with the Centurion and heal his servant, the Centurion said to the Lord: “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed” (Matthew 8:8). Christ was astonished at his great faith, and said: “I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.” Why was this called the greatest faith found in any man during the .personal ministry of Christ? Because it was the greatest faith; and the reason it was the greatest faith was because the Centurion was the first man Christ found who was willing to take Him at “His word only.” And, till this good day, when a person is willing to take Christ at His word only, and be governed only by the word of God, he has the highest type of faith it is possible to have in this life! A person who wants some “Security” in addition to the “living word of God,” does not have enough faith to do the will of God, and only those who do the will of God can enter heaven, as we read in Matthew 7:21.

One etfnnot learn from Science, as valuable as real science is, how the world and all the heavenly bodies are held in their respective positions; but, the Bible, in speaking of Christ, tells this very thing, as follows: “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Nothing can be more plainly stated, than that every thing in heaven and on earth, and “all things” are up-held by the “word of his power.” Not only this, but when the devil tried to get Christ to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger, the Lord said to Satan: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). But we go on. Christ said on another occasion: “Marvel hot at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth” (John 5:28-29).

“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). But how does faith come? Answer: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). No faith, no pleasing God. No “word of God,” no faith, as the apostle says in same chapter: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith which we preach” (Romans 10:8). But, if possible, to make this even stronger, we give you this scripture: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God . . . For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishnessj but unto them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18-24). How much more power can a thing have in it after God has “put His power” into it? And can a thing have more “wisdom” in it than the wisdom of God, after he has put His wisdom in it? And the scripture just read shows us that God has placed both His “power” and His “wisdom” in the word of the Lord and in the preaching of it! To enlarge on this thought, we read this scripture: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that belie veth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Bom. 1:16). Please notice that the apostle did not say that the gospel of Christ is “a power,” nor “some power” nor a “part of a power,” but most emphat-ically declared that the “Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation.” O that the world could realize that the gospel of Christ is the only power of God unto salvation. There are a good many channels through which God uses His power, but the “gospel of Christ” is the only channel through which God saves people; and any one who is not saved by the gospel of Christ will never be saved! If this lesson was learned, it would not take the world very long to accept the gospel of Christ, and be saved! The word “power,” as used in the last scripture read, is from the same Greek word as our word “dynamite,” the most powerful explosive known. Then, when the apostle said: “The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation,” he taught us that the gospel of Christ is “God’s dynamite” unto salvation. In other words, the gospel is the means God uses to break up stony hearts and turn them to the Lord!

It is no wonder that the apostle Paul, knowing so much of the power of the word of God, and the necessity of preaching it, said to a young preacher: “From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word” 2 Timothy 3:15 to 2 Timothy 4:2). No wonder, then, Christ said: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). But the matter does not stop here; for in the very last part of the last chapter in the Bible, our Lord gives a fearful warning concerning the word of God a'nd says: “For I testify unto every man that hear- eth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take \way his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19). With all these things before us, we lay down this great truth: words build the bridges over which ideas pass from one mind to another; and the words of God have built the bridge that connects the mind of God with the human family; and, through Christ, God descended to the human family in order that over the same bridge we may ascend back to God, for Christ has uall the power in heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18).

There are a great many more important things that could be said concerning the life and power of the word of God— more than can possibly be said in one speech; so from now to the close of this discourse, we want to study what we consider one of the most important things in connection with the “word of God;” and this will gradually lead us to the conclusion:

Everything in all the world started in miracle—not only in the animal and vegetable kingdom, but also in the spiritual kingdom. Then, after everything in the vegetable kingdom was created, or started, in miracle, everything has been reproduced by natural law; and cannot be reproduced any other way. The same thing is true in the animal kingdom. It is also true that everything in the spiritual kingdom was started in miracle, and since that time, has been reproduced in obedience to spiritual law; and no miracles are now being performed in obedience to spiritual law; and no miracles are now being performed in the spiritual realm. We give you this general statement of facts as an introduction to the concluding thoughts of this discourse. To learn how things are created, let us briefly study the first chapter in the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” No plainer statement was ever made either in or out of the Bible than this, the first verse of the Bible. Then, God divided the light from darkness, and arranged to have “Day and Night.” Then, He separated the waters from the land, and called the land “Earth” and waters He called “seas.” “And God saw that it was good.” Then, God said: “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed i3 in itself, upon the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind: and God saw that it was good.”

Please notice that each thing “yielded seed after its kind,” and that everything “brought forth after its kind.” Then, after God had created fishes and whales and birds, and each “brought forth after its kind;” and God said to all these: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas; and let fowl multiply in the earth.”

After this, God created “cattle, creeping things, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw it was good.” While all these things started in miracle, each is reproduced “after its kind” by natural law; and cannot be reproduced in any other way. And please bear in mind that God fixed in every thing He created “its seed within itself;” and, unless this seed is used, nothing can be reproduced. The first verse of the next chapter tells us: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them;” and we need not expect any other miracle to reproduce any of these things God created; for they are all reproduced in compliance with natural law, and cannot be reproduced an other way!

It is also declared: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” Then, God informed man that everything in all the world was to be subjected to him: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” But how did Jehovah create man? Answer: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). We need not tell you how God created woman, for the story is familiar to all; and it was just as great a miracle as1 the creation of man. But, listen to this: After God created man by a powerful miracle, he was a complete man, except he had no life—no soul i*n him; and to meet this requirement, “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” After Adam and Eve sinned, God told them they should die, and said: “Thou shalt return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return” (Genesis 3:19). The bodies of Adam and Eve came from the ground, and died, but their “spirits” came from God, and did not die. We got our bodies from our parents; and, our parents being mortal, our bodies will die. But we got our spirits from God, and our “spirits,” or “souls,” are immortal and will never die; as we read in the Bible of death: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). But, if possible to make this plainer we give you what the great apostle said: “Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh, who corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall be not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews 12:9). This is too plain to be misunderstood; for it shows beyond even a shadow of a doubt that we got our “bodies” of flesh from our earthly parents, and we got our “spirits” from God. But how? Let us see:

God placed the “seed of reproduction” in man just as He placed the “seed of reproduction” in everything else; and, from that time till the present, people have been begotten by the planting of human seed, called a “begetting,” and at the proper time, were born into the world; and when born, they were in possession of exactly the kind of a “spirit” that God “breathed in the nostrils” of Adam. No miracle is now performed to give a child a “spirit,” because each living child is born with the spirit that Jehovah gave the human family to start with. Thus we see that the succession of the human family both of body and spirit, is in the “seed,” just as the succession of crops is in the seed; and each time, the seed will “bring forth after its kind,” for this is just as true with the human family as the reproduction of crops of grain, or any other kind. In making the promise to Eve that Christ should come into the world, God spoke of Him as “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15). In other words, Christ was born into the world without the intervention of a man, and was the only person ever born into the world without the intervention of a man; but, as we read in Luke 1:35, Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, and later was bom to the virgin Mary, who “never knew a man” till after Christ was born. That is why Jesus Christ is called “the seed of the woman.” And here we will add that Christ is the only character who ever lived in this world who was begotten directly by the Holy Spirit, after He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, He was “born of woman” just as all others were born.

After learning that all these things just mentioned started in miracle, we turn your attention now to the Church which was also started in miracle, not just one, but many. This is so true that the apostle Peter, miraculously guided by the Holy Spirit, on the “birthday” of the Church said: "Ye men of Israel hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him, in the midst of you, as ye yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). Christ was miraculously begotten, miraculously raised from the dead, miraculously ascended to heaven, miraculously sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles on the day of Pentecost, and, on that same day, miraculously established His Church on this earth. Not only were all these things miraculously done, but Christ performed many miracles, some of which are recorded i'n the word of the Lord, and many others are not, as we read: “Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30-31). But just as all things that God created at “the beginning,” have been reproduced “after its kind” by having “its seed within itself,” so does the kingdom of God, which is the Church, have “its seed within itself,” and is reproduced by this seed being planted, which is the spiritual “begetting,” and later, leads to birth in the family of God. This is carefully taught in the parable of the sower; and, in explaining that parable, Christ said: “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). Christ also called this seed “The word of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19). This is so true that our Lord teaches that no one can be saved without receiving the “word of God,” as He says: “Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). This is too plain to be misunderstood; no word of the Lord preached, no believers; no believers, no one saved. jJust as in the physical realm; no need sown, no crop raised; no crop raised, no harvest gathered: so in the spiritual realm; no seed (word of God) sown in the human heart, no believers made, no believers made, no Christians made; no Christians made, no o'ne saved. And this is so true that Paul said: “For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Paul went to Corinth, planted the word of God in the hearts of those people, and led them to be born into the family of God. Another apostle said: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth” (James 1:18).

Just before Christ was betrayed to be crucified, He said to His apostles: “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17). Please notice that the Holy Spirit was to come miraculously to the apostles, was to be “in them,” and was to “stay forever.” And that does not mean that the Holy Spirit was to go back to God, and have to come back to this world every time a sinner is converted to Christ.

Just before Christ ascended to heaven: “He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). He also said to them: “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). He also said to them: “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days hence” (Acts 1:5). He continued His conversation with the apostles, and said: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8) Immediately after this, Christ ascended to heaven; and ten days later, or on the day of Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit to these apostles. Then the multitude came together, as we read in the second chapter of Acts of apostles; and the Holy Spirit guided Peter to preach the word of the Lord to them. Many of the people were convinced, and asked; “What shall we do?” The Holy Spirit guided Peter to say: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In other words, the word of God, the “seed of the kingdom,” was planted in their hearts, they were spiritually begotten, and, were “born of water and the Spirit;” and, by virtue of their birth-right, received the Holy Spirit at the time of coming into the family of God, and that as surely as a child is born with a huma'n spirit —the one God “breathed in Adam.” There is no other way for one to receive the Holy Spirit.

You might as well try to get a human spirit into a baby by praying for God to send a human spirit into it, as to pray for God to send the Holy Spirit into a Christian. For a human spirit comes into a child by virtue of its being born; and the Holy Spirit comes by virtue of being born into the family of God. This is so true that our Lord said: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The birth of “water and Spirit,” by which one comes into possession of the Holy Spirit is just as easy to understand as the birth of the flesh by which a child comes in possession of the human spirit; for, when a child is begotten atnd born, it has the same “spirit” that “God breathed into Adam” in the Garden of Eden. And, when the Holy Spirit uses the word of God, which is the seed of the kingdom of God, and plants that seed in the human heart by some person teaching the same, and the person is thus spiritually begotten, and then baptized, or “born of the water and the Spirit,” that person so born, comes, at the new birth, into possession of the same Holy Spirit that Christ “breathed” on the apostles; a’nd thus comes in possession of the same Holy Spirit that came on the apostles on the day of Pentecost. And, let us emphasize the great truth, that when one is thus born into the family of God, he has all the Holy Spirit he will ever have; and need not expect any more. This is so true that Jesus said: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).

Eight years after the Holy Spirit was given to the Church on the day of Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, as we read in the 10th chapter of Acts of Apostles. When this was done, God fulfilled His promise through a Prophet, that “He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28). When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles who were Jews, on the day of Pentecost, and upon the Gentiles, this included “all flesh.” When the disciples were together in Jerusalem as Christ had told them, they constituted a spiritual body, the Church, just as completely as Adam was a man before he was given a spirit to make him alive. But Adam was not alive and a complete man till God gave him a human spirit; and the Church was a “body of disciples” without any spiritual life till God gave them the Holy Spirit. But that incident will never be repeated; for God had promised it through Joel, and Peter said: “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16) This is so true that the apostle says to the Church: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.” (1 Corinthians 3:16). With some very able men, I have debated this proposition: “In the conviction and conversion of sinners, the Holy Spirit operates through the members of the body of Christ, with the word of God, upon such material as comes within its influence.” This proposition cannot be answered, because it is the teaching of the word of God. But why say more? For I feel about it as did the apostle Paul when he delivered his solemn charge to the Elders of the Church, and told them of the tremendous power of the word of God when he said: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). The word of God will go with us into the judgment at the end of time, and there, by the word of God, we will be judged (Revelation 20:12).