13 “Unless the Holy Spirit is Received . . .”

Editorial: “Unless the Holy Spirit is Received . . .”

A. T. Jones 

THERE is a difference between “the gift of the Holy Spirit” and “the gifts of the Holy Spirit;” between the gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of His Spirit bestowed by the Lord upon those who believe and are baptized in His name.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are certain powers and operations imparted by the Holy Spirit Himself to those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Plainly enough, the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be manifested only in those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All the gifts of the Spirit—wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, teaching, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, helps, governments—belong in the church now.

The Lord longs to see all these gifts and powers manifested in the church now. Many people, also, long to see all these gifts manifested in the church now: some, indeed, desire this more out of curiosity, or to benefit themselves, than for anything else; yet they do desire to see it.

But how can there be manifestations of the Spirit where there is not the Spirit? How can the gifts of the Spirit be imparted, where the gift of the Spirit has not been allowed to be bestowed? How can the gifts of the Holy Spirit be manifested where the gift of the Holy Spirit has not been received?

How can the church have the gifts of the Spirit, which belong in the church, until the church has first received the gift of the Spirit? And since the church is but the collection of the individuals who belong to the church, how can the church receive the gift of the Holy Spirit until the individuals who compose the church have received the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Then is it not perfectly plain that, of all things, the one essential thing—first, last, and all the time—is that each and every individual member of the church receive the Holy Spirit?

And now the Lord has sent, and is sending, to all the church throughout the whole land, the gracious essential message, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” O, who can fail to respond to the gracious call? “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain” (Zech. 10:1). Let every soul ask.

“Ask, and it will be given to you.” “Receive the Holy Spirit.” “Be filled with the Spirit.” 

The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, September 20, 1898

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Editorial: “Gifts to Each One Individually”

A. T. Jones 

THE gift of the Holy Spirit is to all believers alike.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are diverse, “to each one individually as He wills.”

For in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:8–11).

But how can the Spirit in His gifts distribute to each one individually, unless each one individually has first recognized and received the gift of the Spirit?

And as the Spirit cannot in His gifts divide to each one individually, unless men individually recognize and receive the gift of the Spirit, it is clear that both in the gift of the Spirit and in the gifts of the Spirit, it is altogether an individual matter.

The Holy Spirit is never poured out on companies, except as He is poured out upon individuals in the companies.

The Spirit was poured out upon the whole company, more than once, as recorded in the book of Acts; but this was only because He was poured out upon each individual in the company. Each individual was ready to receive the Spirit; and being poured in His fullness upon each individual in the company, in the nature of the case He was poured out upon the whole company.

If in a company of people there were one person who was not prepared to receive the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit were poured out upon that company, in that case the Spirit would not be poured upon that individual.

The Spirit could be poured upon the company, only by being poured upon the individuals of the company, and could extend only so far as the individuals were ready to receive Him.

Since, then, the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit is altogether an individual matter, and as it lies altogether between the individual and the Lord, it is plain that the gift of the Holy Spirit can be received by the individual just where the individual is, whenever the individual is ready. For on the Lord’s part the gift is free. And “now is the accepted time.”

“Ask, and it will be given to you.” “Receive the Holy Spirit.” “Be filled with the Spirit.”

The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, September 27, 1898

 
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