The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-10-11
Church of Christ
THE HOLY SPIRITS WORK.
V. E. Hoven, Minister.

tion. To Him alone is this revelation
given. Cor. 2:1O, IL. He first began
to use the prophets of the Old Testa-
ment to this end, Neh. $3.50, 2 Pet. l:
81. He acted in their minds in mi
raculous way, directed them as to
what and how to speak, and how far
they might look into the future. To
illustrate: The driver guides the horse
so that he keeps certain road; also
holds him back so he cannot 60 too fast.
So the Holy Spirit guided those men of
old along certain line of thought
which would lead to the Christ who
was to come; and were to go only so
far in their revelation. Not one of
them tells us what sinful man must
do to be saved.
Next, He uses the Apostles of the
New Testament. Through them we
have more light on the plan OF saliva
tion. He was to guide them Unto all
the truth" John 1918. This settles
one thing, viz. they spoke all the truth
on the plan of salvation and there is
no more light upon it to be had. That
discounts all these latter day revela-
tions which certain religious sects
claim. Since the above was promised
to the Apostles only, we must conclude
that the plan of salvation was complet-
ed in the Apostolic age. "Ihey preach
ed the gospel by the Holy Spirit sent
forth from heaven" Pet. 1919.
The gospel is the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ, attested by eye
witnesses, Cor. 1918. The New
Testament which contains this gospel
in all its details, was written and COM
pleted before the death of the last
apostle. or before the year 100 A. d.
II. In converting the sinner, we
notice the following facts in regard to
the work of the Holy Spirit. He never
works apart from the Word of God.
In Lk. 8:11, Jesus compares the word,
or the gospel, to seed placed IN the
ground-"the seed is the word of
God" When the word of God gets
into the hearts of men, it terminates
just like the seed placed in the soil.
When the word of God enters the
heart. the Holy Spirit goes in with it,
because the word is called "the sword
of the Spirit" and by it He pricks the
heart into sensibility of its lost con-
dition. See l Pet. 1923; Jas. 1:18;
Cor. 4:1o. Here Peter, James and
Paul agree with Jesus that the new
life is begotten ty the word of truth. "
Query /. In conversion, what gets
first into the heart, the Spirit or the
Word? Jesus calls the word "the seed
of the kingdom" and we must follow
the law Of seed and crop in the veget-
able kingdom. or else Jesus comprai-
son will not hold. Can one expect q
crop of wheat without first sowing
wheat into the ground? Neither car
one make Christian without first
sowing the word of Christ into tht
heart. No one ever became Christian
without first hearing the gospel, yet 6
great many good people teach that tht
Holy Spirit in a sort of mysterious
way goes to work without the word il
the heart of sinner before he becomes
Christian. No one ever heard of al
army winning battle without weap
ons, neither does the Holy Spirit work
apart from His sword (which is the
word of God," Eph. 6:17.
Query 2. Can one get several kinds
of fruit from one kind of seed? That
apparently, is the phenomenon in the
religious world today, for we have de-
nominations by the hundreds and they
all claim their origin from the wore
of God. | could not make anybod.
believe that by planting wheat, coult
from that one kind of seed get harley
oats, peas, lettuce etc. Then why i
it that people cannot understand tina
from the word of Christ you canno
produce anything but Christians only
The only explanation, then, for the ex
istence of the different denomination
is that they were produced Ey some
thing in addition to the word of Christ
Query 3. II the Holy Spirit is th
author of the different denominations
| why, do they all war with each other
! Here is A. preaching against Baptist
r by divine illumination; there is E
preaching against Methodists by divin
, illumination; yondeT is G. preaohin
: against Presbyterians by divine illum
8 nation, etc. Can we not see somethin
wrong in the present system of churci
es? How long shall we live and wor
in these things before we find out tha
4 these divisions are not of God but {
man? Let the word of God speak Q
this: "No divisions" l Cor. 1:1(
"Carnal and walk after Il
manner of men," Cor. 1886; "MaI
them that are causing divisions tuI
away from them they serN
not our Lord Christ" Rom. 1917, Il
No one can in prayer thank God fl
these denominations without insultir
Him, for Jesus prayed that "all mt
4 be one," John 1920, 81.
4 Ill. In comforting and sanctifyir
the saints. we further notice the wol
of the Spirit. Acts 1888; Rom. s.:
2 Cor. 1:22; Gal. 4:6. The wol
4 earnest" in Corinthians means som
4 thing given at time a bargain
I made to bind the agreement. 1t is
. guarantee that the contract will
4 fulfilled. Here it means that God b
q givan tn the Christian the ioiy SuiI