ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) (04/17/91)
Seeing we have this ministry ... we faint not. 2 Corinthians 4:1. In which do we discern God's highest purpose: in the ministry of gifts or in the ministry of life? For the temporary edification of the churchessome may minister by miraculous gifts, but in this passage Paul points us forward to the thing to be most prized, and it is not these but the ministry of life from Christ, a life which comes through death. Not gifts, but the working of the cross: this is the measure of a man's stature. For the edicication of young churches and the winning of souls, spiritual gifts may take on a special significance, but they are not in themselves a mark of maturity, and they are certainly never something of which to boast. Only the foolish are proud of the words God gives, for has He not shown that He will speak, if need be, through an ass! I Cor. 4:6 ... that no one of you be puffed up one against another. I Cor. 4:18 Now some are puffed up, ... I Cor. 5:2 And ye are puffed up ... I Cor. 8:1 .... Knowledge puffeth up, but love buildeth up. I Cor. 13.4 ...; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. All these verses are from I Corinthians. The Corinthians were the ones so much into the gifts (I Cor. 12), they were the ones that were ignoring the aspect of the inner life, just as in the pentacostal and charasmatic movements today. 2 Cor. 3:6 ... the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Phil. 2.16 ...; holding forth the word of life ... 2 Pet. 1:3 According as His divine power hath given unot us all things that petain unto life and godliness ... Eph. 2:8 For by grace are yw saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:21 ... 3:11 in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye are also being built together for a habitation through God of the Spirit. ... according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. There are two batisisms in the Holy Spirit. the firt occurred in the upper room when the Lord breathed into His disciples: John 20:22 And when he had said this, He breathed INTO them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit. John 3:6 ... that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The second occurred at Pentacost, and is well documented in the first couple of chapters of Acts. The first baptism was for being born into Christ, having Christ come into you, becoming one with your spirit. "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). This baptism is for the growth in life, which will issue in the New Jerusalem. The second baptism is for works. If you read 1 Cor. chapters 12 and 13 carefully you will see that Paul warns that the gifts are not for the inner life, but that the inner life is for the building up of the body of Christ. Let us as Christians concentrate on that which buildeth up, that which issues in the New Jerusalem, the life of Christ in our Spirit. We as Christians have both the indwelling Spirit and the outer baptism. The Old testament saints only had the outer baptism, because Christ had not yet died to become the life giving spirit. Such as Balaam even had this batism, and you know what sort he was. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and He indwells our spirit. Let us let Christ become our life through this indwelling. In 2 Cor. 3:18, after the Corinthians had learned the lesson of the indwelling Christ, Paul writes to them: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image form glory to glory, even as by the Sprit of the Lord. ----- Robert W. Johnson Computer center, The University of Turku, Turku Finland robert@kontu.utu.fi (InterNet) robert@firien.bitnet (BITNET) The preceeding is my opinion and may not express the opinion of my employer and furthermore has nothing to do with my employment.