Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

No being who has ever existed upon this earth has so influenced every facet of life, and every culture, as has the meek and lowly Jesus of Nazareth. Even the most blatant infidel has to recognize His coming. Every time he dates a letter or a legal document, he tacitly admits to the existence and magnitude of Christ. More books have been written about Him than about any other being who lived upon this earth. Five thousand new books were written regarding Him last year. The berating infidel has some concept of morality. Yet there is no way whatsoever for him to say that one “ought” to do this or that, or that one “ought not” to do this or that, except as this “oughtness” relates to the will of Jesus and His Father, God Almighty. Had Jesus never lived, nor the will of God never been revealed, rationalistically speaking, there could be no standard of morality.

Jesus made exalted claims for Himself. He said that “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jno. 14:9). He claimed equality with God (Jno. 5:17,18). He claimed to be the promised Messiah, “the Son of the Blessed” (Mk. 14:61-64). The worst charges that could be brought against Him were that He loved sinners, and ate with them (Matt. 9:10-13). But this charge He readily admitted, for His purpose in coming to earth was to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). Jesus challenged his enemies to convict Him of any sin (Jno. 8:46). He accepted worship from a leper (Matt. 8:2); from a ruler of the synagogue (Matt. 9:18); and from a blind man (Jno. 9:35-38). Yet this same Jesus taught that only Deity was to be worshipped (Jno. 4:23,24). He claimed that the shedding of His blood would bring remission of sins (Matt. 26:28; Matt. 20:28). It was said of him that “Never man so spake” (Jno. 7:46). Many were astonished at His teachings (Mk. 7:37; Lk. 2:47). His works were equally as astonishing (Lk. 5:26).

Is it any wonder that this Divine Being in the flesh, who brought salvation within the grasp of all, who lived sinlessly, who was the world’s greatest teacher both in manner and message, and who wrought such wonders, signs, and mighty works should so influence men and their lives and literature? This author could never put into more eloquent language the influence of Christ than has already been done by far superior writers. Hence, this article will be closed by three classic quotations about the influence of Christ.

Under the heading, “Jesus, the Perfect Man,” C. P. J. Mooney on December 22, 1911, wrote in the Commercial Appeal of Memphis the following impressive lives. A line or two of this piece might be objectionable to you, just as I would have written a few of the statements differently. Though written in 1911, the content of this article is as fresh as the contents of tomorrow’s newspaper.

Jesus, The Perfect Man

“There is no other character in history like that of Jesus.

“As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever,had the sweep and the vision of Jesus.

“A human analysis of the human actions of life that is amazing in its perfect detail.

“The system of ethics Jesus taught during His earthly sojourn 2000 years ago was true then, has been true in every century since and will be true forever.

“Plato was a great thinker and learned in his age, but his teachings did not stand the test of time. In big things and in little things time and human experience have shown that he erred.

“Marcus Aurelius touched the reflective mind of the world, but he was as cold and austere as brown marble.

“The doctrine of Confucius gave a great nation moral and mental dry rot.

“The teachings of Buddha resulted in mental and moral chaos that makes India derelict.

“Mohammed offered a system of ethics which was adopted by millions of people. Now their children live in deserts where once there were cities, along dry rivers where once there was moisture, and in the shadows of gray, barren hills where once there was greenness.

“Thomas Aquinas was a profound philosopher, but parts of his system have been abandoned.

“Francis of Assissi was Christlike in his saintliness, but in some things he was childish.

“Thomas A. Kempis’ IMITATION OF CHRIST is a thing of rare beauty and sympathy, but it is, as its name indicates, only an imitation.

“Sir Thomas More’s UTOPIA is yet a dream that cannot be realized.

“Lord Bacon writing on chemistry and medicine under the glasses of the man working in a twentieth century laboratory is puerile.

“The world’s most learned doctors until a hundred and fifty years ago gave dragon’s blood and the ground dried tails of lizards and shells of eggs for certain ailments. The great surgeons a hundred years ago bled a man if he were wounded.

“Napoleon had the world at his feet for four years, and when he died the world was going on its way as if he had never lived.

“Jesus taught little as to property because He knew there were things of more importance than property. He measured property and life, the body and soul, at their exact relative value. He taught much as to character, because character is of more importance than dollars.

“Other men taught us to develop systems of government; Jesus taught so as to perfect the minds of men. Jesus looked to the soul while other men dwelled on material things.

“After the experience of 2000 years no man can find a flaw in the government systems outlined by Jesus. Czar and Kaiser, President and Socialist, gave to its complete merit their admiration.

“No man today, no matter whether he follows the doctrine of Mills, Marx or George as to property, can find a false principle in Jesus’ theory of property.

“In the duty of a man to his fellow no sociologist has ever approximated the perfection of the doctrine laid down by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.

“Not all the investigation of chemists, not all the discoveries of explorers, not all the experience of rule, not all the historical facts that go to make up the sum of human knowledge on this day in 1912 are in contradiction to one word uttered or one principle laid by Jesus.

“The human experience of 2000 years shows that Jesus never made a mistake. Jesus never uttered a doctrine that was true at that time and then became obsolete.

“Jesus spoke the truth; He lived the truth, and truth is eternal.

“History has no record of any other man leading a perfect life or doing everything in logical order.

“Jesus is the only person whose every action and whose every utterance strike a true note in the heart and mind of every man born of woman. He never said a foolish thing, never did a foolish act and never dissembled.

“No poet, no dreamer, no philosopher loved humanity with the love that Jesus bore toward all men.

“Who, then, was Jesus?

“He could not have been merely a man, for there never was a man who had two consecutive thoughts absolute in truthful perfection.

“Jesus must have been what Christendom proclaims Him to be-a divine being-or He could not have been what He was. No mind but an infinite mind could have left behind those things which Jesus gave to the world as a heritage.”

The Incomparable Christ

Another great piece of literature regarding the influence of Christ has been passed down through the ages. I wish I knew the author’s name so that I might give him credit for a wonderful composition. But unfortunately, I have only seen it attributed to the prolific writer, Mr. “Selected.”

“He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He became the Son of man that we might become sons of God. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He left the region where the rivers never freeze, winds never blow, frost never bites, flowers never fade; where there are no undertakers, no doctors needed, because no one is ever sick; where graveyards never haunt, death never comes, and where no funerals are never conducted.

“He was born contrary to the laws of nature, was reared in obscurity, and lived in poverty; only once did he ever cross the boundaries of his own small country; he had no wealth or influence, training or education, and his parents knew nothing of the niceties of social traditions.

“In infancy, he startled a king; in boyhood, puzzled the wise; in manhood, ruled the course of nature.

“He healed the multitudes without medicine, and made no charge for his services. He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the world could not contain all the books that could be written about him.

“He never wrote a song, and yet he has provided the themes for more songs than all earthly writers combined.

“He never founded a college, yet all the schools of earth have not had the students that sat at his feet.

“He never practiced medicine, yet has healed more broken hearts than the world has ever taken note of.

“He never marshaled an army, never drafted a soldier, or fired a gun, yet no leader has ever had the volunteers, who, under his orders, made rebels stack arms and surrender to his command, never firing a shot.

“He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lamb and Lion of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases.

“Great men have come and gone; He lives on. Herod could not kill him; Satan could not seduce him; death could not destroy him; and the grave could not hold him.

“He laid aside his purple robe for a peasant’s gown. He was rich but for our sakes became poor, that we might be rich. How poor? Ask Mary? Ask the wise men? He slept in another’s manger; rode another’s ass; he was buried in another’s tomb. All others have failed; he never. The ever perfect one, the chief among ten thousand; altogether lovely.”

One Solitary Life

Yet the most beautiful piece, though much briefer, is attributed by some to Phillips Brooks. It was a favorite piece to Brother Luther Blackmon, and I often have heard him recite it, with great emotion upon himself and upon his hearers. Others have attributed this literary gem to James A. Francis. Perhaps some literary specialist will inform us as to its genuine authorship. But it is a beautiful description of the influence of Jesus, regardless of who wrote it.

“Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30, and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things which usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

“While he was a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth, and that was his coat. When he was dead, he was laid in a private grave through the pity of a friend.

“Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of the column of progress.

“I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth, as that One Solitary Life.”

Truth Magazine, XX:20, pp. 2-3
May 13, 1976

By Mike Willis

“Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1). So begins the next to last book of our New Testament, Notice that the Christians are addressed as “those who are the called.” Several other passages describe God’s people in a similar manner (Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 1:24; Rev. 17:14). Thus, in our study of the descriptive terms by which Christians are called, we must include a study of the term “called of God.”

Definition

The term translated “called” is kletos; it is a term used to describe those who have obeyed the gospel. Klesis is another cognate word sometimes used to describe Christians; it is generally translated by the gerund “calling.” Both are derived from kaleo “to call.” Sometimes kaleo is used in a special sense meaning “to invite.” Because it is used for God’s invitation through the preaching of the gospel, the word takes on a technical sense to mean those who have accepted God’s invitation which was addressed to them in the gospel. Closely related to this word is the Greek word for church, ekklesia. Thus, the church is composed of the “called out” ones.

Even as we value invitations today on the basis of from whom we received them (e.g. an invitation from the President of the United States is more valuable than an invitation from me), we should also notice the source from which our invitation comes. Our invitation or calling comes from no one less than God Himself (Eph. 1:18; Phil. 3:14; 2 Tim. 1:9). God has invited us to the benefits which this calling brings not on the basis of the fact that we are somewhat but on the basis of His grace (2 Tim. 1:9). We do not deserve the salvation which He has invited us to enjoy. Access to this salvation has been made possible for us through Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:6).

Inasmuch as the word “calling” is used in another sense in contemporary usage, we need to be sure that we distinguish it from this special usage. We sometimes use the word “calling” to refer to one’s station in life. Too, we sometimes use the word to refer to one’s vocation. Neither of these usages has any bearing upon this discussion.

Characteristics of Our Calling

Noting to what we have been invited is worth our time. I am obviously more interested in attending the World Series than in watching someone slop the hogs. We have been called to enjoy fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 1:9), to attain peace with God and ourselves (1 Cor. 7:15; Col. 3:14-15; Phil. 4:7), to inherit eternal life (1 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 6:12; 1 Pet. 5:10), to participate in His kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12), and to liberty (Gal. 5:13). These are not things to be sneezed at! God has prepared quite a series of blessings for those of us who accept His invitation. Because the calling originates with God and terminates in heaven, it can be called a high calling (Phil. 3:14), a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9), a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1), and a calling of hope (Eph. 1:18, 4:4).

How We Are Called

Inasmuch as each of us is interested in answering such an invitation, we need to know how we shall be invited by God. While Jesus was on earth, He personally encountered men with His invitation for them to become His disciples, saying “Come, follow Me” (cf. Mt. 4:18-22). However, even then, the teaching process was employed. Jesus taught, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught of God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me” (Jn. 6:44-45). Today, we are called through the teaching of God’s word. Paul wrote, “And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:14).

Inasmuch as the Corinthians are described as the “called” (1 Cor. 1:24), we can study how they were called and learn the method by which men are called. In Acts 18:8, we read of how they were called: “And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.” The men who were styled the “called” were simply those who had heard the Gospel preached, believed it, and obeyed it. The manner in which the Corinthians were called is exactly the same manner in which all others are called out. We need not wait for an angelic visitation, a still small voice in the middle of the night, or any other type of miraculous experience (e.g. glossolalia-Tongue-speaking). God has called us through the preaching of the Gospel. The invitation is already out; He is waiting for our response.

The High Calling Demands High Living

Paul wrote, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1). Thus, God, who has extended to us such a high calling, expects us to conduct ourselves in accordance with it. Even as I would be expected to dress appropriately and act accordingly should I receive an invitation to attend a White House dinner, so also those who have been called out by God are expected to act in a certain fashion in keeping with their calling. Peter said that we had been “called … out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9); “God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:7). Therefore, God expects those whom he has called to maintain ethical purity, to walk above the world.

Conclusion

Some of our songs emphasize the fact that God is calling us. One says, “God is calling yet;” another says, “Jesus is tenderly calling thee home;” still another says, “I can hear my Savior calling.” Listen to Him call: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Mt. 11:28-30). “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). “And the Spirit and the bride say, `Come.’ And let the one who hears say, `Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17).

This invitation will not be extended indefinitely; if you want to partake of the benefits resulting from it, you must respond before you die or before Jesus comes again. When and if you accept the invitation, you will become a part of all of the others who have accepted it-a part of the called of God, the church.

Truth Magazine, XX:18, p. 12-13
May 6, 1976

By Denver Niemeier

Many things that not too long ago were plentiful are now in short supply. There are many shortages in evidence today that affect our daily lives.

While these shortages are of concern to all of us, there are others that should be of greater concern to every child of God. They are those “Shortages” to be found in the body of Christ. These “Shortages” are not the result of anything that is lacking from the divine, but they exist because of human failure. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 shows us that every instruction man has need of has been provided by God, so, therefore, anything that is lacking is because man has failed to follow that instruction and thus “Shortages” occur.

The “Preacher Shortage” as it has been called is one that most members of the church are aware, and is very widespread. Various factors have contributed to this shortage. One factor that I call “taking advantage” of the preacher has discouraged some men. Many times brethren have no idea of how to support a preacher, and as the result preachers make sacrifices that others of the church do not. Most of those who have to do with deciding what a preacher is to receive as his support have never had the experience of trying to live on “what the brethren give him.”

Those who preach have had the experience, as they have gone forth preaching, of some brother slipping up to him and quietly saying “here is a little something for you,” and too many times that is what it is-“a little something.” Preachers are asked to preach somewhere, are put to the travel expenses plus the time involved preparing and presenting the lesson, and are sometimes paid and sometimes not.

Brethren, we should not let “preachers” take advantage of the brethren in regards to the support he is to get; however, let us not be guilty of being involved in taking advantage of preachers: The lack of fair, adequate support has discouraged some from becoming preachers.

Another thing to consider is that too often we are reluctant to use men who are “just starting” or do not possess a degree or have at least attended a certain school. Too often the inexperienced preacher finds himself working with a small (many times new) group while the man of some years’ experience usually commands a place in a well-established congregation. Encouragement should be given to all to study, learn and apply oneself to teaching God’s word, and the fellow just starting out needs to be used. By the setting up of such unnecessary standards, men are discouraged from preparing themselves to preach.

The impression is given at times by members of the church that only those who depend on the brethren for all of their support are “full-time” preachers. Men are needed who devote all of their time working for the growth of the kingdom; men are also needed who support themselves in secular jobs to work in the Lord’s vineyard. Every Christian should be preaching (teaching) everywhere, all of the time, to every person, regardless of the manner they are scripturally supported.

There is also a shortage of “Qualified Leadership” in the church. Numbers of congregations are, and in some cases have been for years, without elders. The organization of the church is important; it is a part of God’s plan. However, liberties are taken with it that brethren would not stand for in respect to things such as worship, work, etc. It is not uncommon to find substitute arrangements being used. We should be as concerned (if not more) about the “Elder Shortage” as we are about the shortage of preachers. But, very little concern and effort sometimes seems to be found where there are no elders that such a shortage exists. Elders are qualified men (1 Tim. 3 and Tit. 1), and, of course, if the qualifications are not found in men then there can be no elders. The spiritual qualifications are those that are developed, and every Christian is to possess them. If men do not have them, they should be working toward developing them.

The New Testament speaks of elders in every church (Acts 14:23), and in every city (Tit. 1:5). If that was the way in New Testament times according to God’s plan, then why isn’t it the way now?

We are rightly concerned that our teaching, worship, work, and name is as God’s word reveals. We are concerned that congregations are independent and self-functioning. But, are we as concerned as we should be about how the congregation is organized? In congregations that are without elders, who actually does what the elders would do if they had them?

Some are convinced that no one can fulfill the qualifications that have been given. The qualifications of being “the husband of one wife,” “having faithful children,” “not accused of riot or unruly,” “having his children in subjection with all gravity,” are those that some do not possess because they are not married, or if they are they have no children. Now take a look at the rest of the qualifications – compare those spiritual qualities for the elder; how different are they from those things that are to be characteristics in the life of every Christian? God has not given a list of qualifications that cannot be met by men.

Some just do not want, or think they do not need elders. But, if we are interested in pleasing God we are to do as He wills, and His will sets forth that there are to be elders in every church in every city (Acts 14:23; Tit. 1:5).

Some prefer to have preacher-oversight. This even happens sometimes where there are men who are supposed to be elders. There is no conflict in God’s plan between elders and preachers. Both are called for, and for his plan to be as he would have it both are needed.

When elders do their work, the congregation will be growing and developing as God’s children. Men will be trained and encouraged to preach God’s word, and as members of the congregation develop, men will come forth who possess the spiritual development needed by one to qualify as an overseer of God’s people.

Brethren, if a congregation has no elders, have you ever stopped to think that someone is doing the work of the elders? It is not unusual to find congregations both small and large using other arrangements in carrying on their work.

The church is in a sad state of affairs when we find Christians unconcerned about being and doing what God required.

Elders: “I have often stated, and do not now have cause to retract, that if there cannot be found in the church of Christ today, men who meet Paul’s requirements of an elder, we have a very poor set of Christians on earth today and that righteousness has reached a very low ebb” (The Eldership by Herbert E. Winkler, Page 86).

How concerned are you? Are you doing what you can to relieve these shortages?

Truth Magazine, XX:19, p. 11-12
May 6, 1976

By Paul K. Williams

That the Holy Spirit dwells in Christians is without dispute (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16), just as God dwells in us (1 John 4:12), and the truth dwells in us (2 John 2). Whether the Holy Spirit dwells in us “personally” or “representationally through the word” seems to me to be unimportant. What is important is that we understand what the Spirit does and does not do in the life of the Christian.

Puzzling to me have been the passages which refer to the “earnest” of the Spirit, translated “pledge” in the New American Standard Bible. An “earnest” is a token which is proof of the good intentions of the one giving it. Today a potential house buyer gives “earnest money” to the seller, which money will be forfeited if the buyer backs out of the deal. It is a pledge or guarantee of the good faith of the buyer.

Three times the Holy Spirit is referred to as God’s earnest – the evidence that God’s promise of salvation and eternal life is given in good faith and will be honored. In order for the Holy Spirit to be an “earnest,” He must be given in such a way as to provide evidence of God’s good intentions. He is the proof that God will give heaven to the faithful.

Is It the Indwelling of the Spirit?

Probably most commentators connect these passages with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (cf. James D. Bales, The Holy Spirit and the Christian, 117-119). This is the way I used to understand them.

But this view presents quite a problem. If the indwelling of the Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, that indwelling is the evidence of God’s good intentions. The indwelling itself must produce the evidence to show that we belong to God and that He will give us heaven.

But what evidence does the indwelling give us? The denomination alist is quick to point to his feeling in the chest and to say, “I know I am saved because I feel it here.” Christians have long ridiculed this position, and rightly so, as being without foundation. There is not a statement in the New Testament which says the indwelling of the Holy Spirit produces feelings, other than those of love, joy, peace, etc. which are the natural fruit of the Spirit-the fruit of obeying the words of the Spirit. No “better-felt-than-told” experience is referred to in the Bible, and such things cannot be ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

But if the “earnest” of the Spirit is not a feeling in the chest, what is it? James D. Bales says it is two things (op. cit.): (1) faith that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and (2) the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). But neither of those two things seems to satisfy the definition of an “earnest” or “pledge.” My faith is certainly not evidence that God will fulfill His promises. And the fruit of the Spirit is evidence that I am letting the word of God work in my heart-evidence of the indwelling of the Spirit-but it does not, in my judgment, provide evidence that God’s promises are true.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

An article in Truth Magazine by O. C. Birdwell challenged the idea that the earnest of the Spirit is the indwelling of the Spirit, and I am now convinced that Brother Birdwell is right. (See Truth Magazine, Aug. 7, 1975-Editor.) A careful examination of the three passages on the subject will demonstrate this.

2 Cor. 1:21-22-`Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

The key to these verses is to find out who the “us” and “you” are. The “you” are obviously the Christians at Corinth, and Paul does not say that the Spirit was given in their hearts as a pledge. The ones who received the Spirit as a pledge are those Paul refers to as “us,” and they are “me and Silvanus and Timothy” (v. 19).

It is easy to see how the Holy Spirit was given to those men as a pledge. They received miraculous powers-powers of revelation and signs. The Holy Spirit given to them was a foretaste and assurance of the fulfillment of all the rest of God’s promises, truly an earnest.

As we shall see in the other two passages, the same explanation of the earnest holds true in them, too. God’s earnest was not some vague feeling. Nor is it our faith or even the fruit of the Spirit. His pledge to us of His faithfulness and ability in carrying out His promises was the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon certain early Christians, giving them power which came unmistakably and directly from God. This was a valuable pledge, and one which even today assures us of God’s power and faithfulness.

2 Cor. 5:5-“Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.”

This verse does not say how the Spirit was given as a pledge. The verb is in the past tense, not present, indicating that Paul was looking backward at an event already accomplished. “Us” in this passage appears to be Paul, but he seems to be speaking as if his feelings and experiences are shared by those he was writing to. Thus it is possible to understand the passage as saying that God gave the Spirit to Christians as a pledge.

But note also that Paul does not say that it is the Spirit in our hearts which is a pledge. Everything in this verse is consistent with the idea that the pledge was the pouring out of the Spirit upon the apostles and the house of Cornelius, with the accompanying gifts given to others by the apostles. The verse certainly cannot be used to prove the earnest is the Spirit dwelling in Christians today. It does not indicate that at all, though this verse alone might not rule out the idea. But to establish that the earnest is the Spirit in our hearts today will require other passages. This one does not say that.

Eph. 1:13-14 – “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

In Ephesians 1, Paul speaks of those “who were the first to hope in Christ” (v. 12). Those were the Jews. Then he speaks of “you also,” obviously the Gentiles. They also were sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance.

This occurred when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Cornelius and his house, the first Gentiles to be accepted into Christ. We Gentiles have the same assurance that the Jews have-we are acceptable to God on the same basis as they, and we have the same assurance of Heaven.

Peter showed that he understood the outpouring of the Spirit in this way when he said, “If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17). “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8-9). When he said that God “bore witness to them,” he was saying that God had given an earnest, or a pledge, to them by giving them the Holy Spirit.

Thus the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with its accompanying gifts, was the earnest of the Spirit. This miraculous outpouring was tangible assurance of God’s promises. We can be sure there is a heaven for the faithful because of this earnest.

Truth Magazine, XX:19, p. 9-10
May 6, 1976