CONDITION - CAUSE OR EFFECT?Miles J. Stanford
The established trend in the conference ministry [Keswick and other] has already been mentioned, that of strong emphasis on the filling of the Spirit at the expense of adequate emphasis upon the work of the Cross. The messages naturally focus upon the finish, but if solid groundwork has not been laid the sought-for result will not be achieved. In any ministry to Christians where the positional facts of identification are not presented as the basis of spiritual development, there will be no true preparation for experiencing the Lord Jesus as one's life. Attempts will be made to build upon other areas of truth that are not meant to produce spiritual growth. Confession Error - Most deeper life ministries are being erroneously founded upon the fullness of the Spirit. There are some that rely upon confession and cleansing for this fullness (I John 1:9). It is taught that if one will faithfully confess and forsake his sins as they occur, he will then be able to maintain a spiritual walk. Important and blessed as this provision is for restoration of fellowship, it was not intended to be a means of growth. This expedient deals only with symptoms, and never was meant to reach the cause: indwelling sin and the self-life. The Cross alone does that. Crucifixion for the source of sin, confession and cleansing for its symptoms. Holiness Error - Another ministry to believers built upon a misplaced emphasis is that of "holiness by faith," or what might be termed instant spirituality. The believer is urged to forsake all known sin, to yield unreservedly to the Spirit, and by faith appropriate His fullness. Then he is filled, since he has asked in faith for something that is God's will for him, and has believed that he has received (I John 5:14,15). On the basis of this by-faith filling he is henceforth to live a yielded, holy life. This method has brought about a great deal of struggle in the attempt to maintain such a step, often resulting in disillusionment especially amongst eager young people. The reason is that co-crucifixion with Christ is bypassed. Self is still rampant. The Spirit of God does not give immediate holiness of life by faith or any other means. True, His method of producing holiness is by faith, but it is through the process of growth. The Spirit matures the new life in Christ as He holds the old life in the position of death via the Cross. There are no shortcuts to maturity. Authors - Errors such as these should be obvious enough for the hungry believer to avoid. But we must be careful in our study of spiritual growth books that are available, since they tend to reflect the conference trend of undue emphasis on the filling of the Spirit. Or, it may be possible that the conference problem has been influenced by the literature--a somewhat vicious circle. (1) The deeper life books include the identification truths, else they would not be classed as such. But there is a factor in all but a very few that tends to annul the work of the Cross, and to transfer most of the work to the defeated believer. He is exhorted to be filled with the Spirit before he has been felled by the Cross! The titles here referred to are some of the finest obtainable in the growth realm, written by authors who clearly delineate the identification truths. These include such venerable leaders as Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee, L. S. Chafer, Evan H. Hopkins, James H. McConkey, N. B. Harrison, Ruth Paxson, most of the [original] Keswick writers, and many others. However, when it comes to the believer being filled with the Holy Spirit, without exception all place far too much of the onus upon the hapless Christian. The very results of the Spirit's fulless, they require him to produce for that fullness! Conditions - Some of the typical requirements laid upon the failing one before he can hope for the Spirit's fullness are:
Over and above all these conditions is the constant call for the believer to "yield" himself to God in order to be filled. It might be asked, "Which self?" Reversal - The cart must not be placed before the horse. It is not for the [growing] believer to put sin out of his life - that is the work of the Spirit. The yielded life is not a prerequisite for His fullness, but its result. We came to the Lord Jesus just as we were, with all our sin; we are to come to the Spirit just as we are, with all our spiritual need. Responsibility - As a matter of fact, if the immature believer could meet any one of the abovementioned conditions he wouldn't need to be filled with the Spirit. However, in order for anyone to meet them, he must first be filled (controlled) by the Spirit. This is a very important point, and one of the chief causes for many Christians giving up all hope of ever being filled. To compound the problem, many of these leaders further insist that if and when one is filled, that blessed infilling can only be maintained by continual obedience, yieldedness, surrender, separation, etc. If there is sin, the filling is lost. They admit that the individual does need the Spirit's help in meeting these conditions, but they still place too much of the burden upon him. In saying this, we make reference to most deeper life authors and speakers, past and present. It is not that their valuable ministries are to be rejected in any way, but it is necessary to note this trend in order that the emphasis may be turned back to the Cross. That is where the Holy Spirit keeps it. For the most part, the growth conferences and literature faithfully present the identification truths - the work of the Cross is there. But it has become a matter of too little Cross, and too much "condition." In relation to all other aspects of the Christ-life, the believer's position of death with Christ suffers from a nullifying imbalance. As a result, the child of God is drawn out of his position of rightful need [basis for grace], to that of wrongful responsibility (2):
Roman 6:13 - There is a statement in the midst of the identification truths that explains the reason for this inversion of responsibility. The scriptural key that reveals how this problem developed, and how it can be rectified, is in Romans 6:13: "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead." In almost every instance where this verse is touched upon, the first half receives all the emphasis; indeed, the second half is usually neglected altogether. For every page that has to do with the believer's union with Christ in His death, there is usually a chapter or more dealing with his responsibility to yield to God for the fullness of the Spirit. The emphasis must always he on the all important statement, "as those that are alive from the dead." The whole of Romans Six is contained in this clause. There the Cross is central, where it ever should be. There the Holy Spirit's ministry is seen, as He "transmits," life out of death to the risen believer. Yielded Nature - Dear friends in Christ Jesus, it must be proclaimed! When the Christian thoroughly comprehends his participation in the finished work of the Cross, he will be able to yield himself (as a new creature in Christ, not the self-life) unto God as one who is alive from the dead. Yes, "alive unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord." There will be no conditions required for the filling with the Spirit. Emphasis on the meeting of conditions arises from failure to establish the believer in the truth that renders them needless. Where others posit surrender, the Spirit places the Cross. Christ-Centered - Further, we must not make the filling with the Spirit an end in itself. The life must be Christ-centered if He is to make it fruitful and full of joy. The Holy Spirit's ministry is to glorify the Son, and to this end the Father and the Spirit work together, "that in all things He [the Son] might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). Sir Robert Anderson has well said, "In proportion therefore as mind and heart are fixed on Christ, we may count on the Spirit's presence and power, but if we make the Holy Spirit Himself the object of our aspirations and worship, some false spirit may counterfeit the true and take us for a prey." Our prayer, with Paul, is, "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ might feel completely at home in your hearts" (Eph. 3:16, 17, lit.). (1) - Unfortunately, our dear brother underestimated the degree to which both humanism and naturalism would backwash into the Church during the later part of the 20th century. Today, is seems that the average growing believer is having to take detours through the minefields of Calvinism to receive an adequate level of instruction upon the sovereignty of God. DRS (2) - It must be sadly stated that the writings of Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, woefully contributed to this erroneous emphasis. It was his incessant emphasis upon meeting certain "conditions" that fueled charges of being an Arminian by those in the Reformed camp. Particularly harmful was his emphasis upon the condition of "yieldedness" relative to the subject of illumination. See Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, page 108-113. DRS |
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