DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITUAL SENSlBILITIES
A.B.Parker
I am thinking of spiritual sensibilities and the need for us to cultivate them. Experiences which we have gone through, and of which we may well be ashamed, tended to suppress the development of spiritual sensibilities. Because of a certain dominating influence little room was made for the voice of spiritual intuition. In John's first epistle we are told that we need not that anyone should teach us, that the unction will teach us (see chap 2: 27). We believe that relates to the Holy Spirit in unrestrained liberty in us. Our spiritual occasions depends upon the functioning of spiritual sensibilities. This can be seen in John 12 at Bethany, where the Lord Jesus had imparted a very wonderful impression of Himself as the resurrection and the life. It was in the enjoyment of that impression that they made Him a supper. Mary acted with spiritual intuition in honouring the Lord Jesus when she anointed His feet and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. But there was one there who lacked spiritual sensitivity and he exposed himself by saying “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" (v 5). He had no true sense of smell. The Holy Spirit immediately exposes him - "not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief''. In the presence of spiritual senses are wrought upon by the Spirit if we habitually make room for Him. We are told that "the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit", Rom 8: 16. That is an indication of how the blessed Spirit of God is ready to impart impressions to us. The witness in that passage is that we are children of God. It is a great matter to accept the truth as to our place in God's family, but it is a greater matter to have the witness of it by the Spirit. This is a matter of experience; it is one of the ways in which the spiritual senses help us.
It has been said quite often in ministry that there should be greater sensitivity with us in the service of God, that we may move more freely under the headship of Christ rather than merely follow a ritual, accurate though it may be and helpful as giving guidelines for the flow of praise; but freshness on such sensitivity evil is exposed. Judas had no spiritual sensibilities. John's gospel tells us quite considerably about the spiritual senses. The following examples and other passages treat of this: the sense of taste is mentioned in chap 2: 9; the sense of sight in chap 3: 3; the sense of hearing in chap 5: 25; the sense of touch in chap 9: 6, and the sense of smell in chapter 12. According to Hebrews 5: 14 "solid food belongs to full-grown men, who, on account of habit, have their senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil".
When the Lord Jesus, in speaking to the two on their way to Emmaus, said "O senseless and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24: 25) I do not think He was just calling them foolish. I believe that He was implying that their dilemma was because their spiritual senses were not functioning. The things which they had told Him of the happenings that day were enough to stir up their spiritual sensibilities. Even though they had not understood that He would rise from the dead (this, of course, was not to their credit because the Lord had said on several occasions that He was to be crucified and that He would rise the third day), the very happenings to which they had referred had been sufficient to awaken spiritual sensibilities rather than being discouraged and giving up. The Lord Jesus therefore had to rebuke them - that they were slow of heart. But He graciously gave them a manifestation of Himself, which set their hearts in motion. I bring this incident forward as an example of how the Lord may indicate something to us by things that happen, to teach us, not according to chapter and verse, but by experiences which help us in the habit of exercising spiritual senses so that we discern things. It is thus that the Holy Spirit would teach us, enabling us to have a right outlook and a right judgment of things.
I believe that this exercise should help us in a positive way to have God's mind and to protect us from failure. We need protection even in our ordinary surroundings because we are prone to lean on our own understanding; we need to have our spiritual senses functioning. Isaac was tested when Jacob came to him with the venison which he needed to stimulate him to bless Esau. He did not distinguish that the venison was actually two kids of the goats. It is an interesting passage (Gen 27: 6-27) because all five senses are involved. Isaac could not see; his taste for venison influenced him; his sense of hearing was acute but his sense of touch did not discern that the hands were the hands of Jacob, and the smell of Esau's garments could hardly be said to be the smell of a field which Jehovah had blessed. Nevertheless Jehovah was over the matter for He had purposed that Jacob should get the blessing, but that did not excuse Isaac. Our spiritual sensibilities are intended to protect us from having a wrong outlook. They protected Jacob later when, though his eyes were dim, he nevertheless discerned which of the sons of Joseph should receive the greater blessing.
As I mentioned, the spiritual senses are given for our protection as well as for discerning what is positive. Think of how far we are able to see, for instance. We should be able to see danger afar off. If I can see twenty thousand coming against me when I have only ten thousand, I know it is time to make peace. We can hear sounds at considerable distance and we have two ears to focus where the sound comes from and what its source is, dangerous or otherwise. If some damaging influence is near at hand the sense of smell and the sense of touch enable us to discern this, but should we be about to appropriate something harmful the sense of taste may, at the last moment so to speak, enable us to discern it and save ourselves from harm.
Perhaps the use of spiritual sensitiveness has its most valuable application to our part in the great privileges which are open to us in our collective settings. Scripture puts distinguishing good first: "for distinguishing both good and evil". And this enters into our participation in the Supper and the service of praise. We are to distinguish the body of the Lord (see 1 Cor 11: 29), and we need to distinguish the current movements of the Lord Jesus, if He is to function amongst us as Minister of the sanctuary, as Head of the assembly. One is constantly rebuked by one's lack of capacity to do this, but it is one's outlook and I am sure it is the outlook of most of us, that we may discern the Lord's coming in amongst us, His holy and intimate movements and His leadership in the praises. Thus we may have a sense of touch with the Lord and not be out of touch with Him at any point during the entire meeting. We do not wish to have the Father say to us as Reuel did to his daughters, "Why then have ye left the man behind? " Exod 2: 20.
The development of spiritual senses is a very real matter. They relate to the inward man, the spiritual order of man which is to be clothed upon ere long with our house from heaven. They relate to the reality of Christian experience - the reality of spiritual life. We need, of course, to be preserved from mere natural sentiment, but the expression of feeling from hearts freshly pressed with a sense of being in line with the Lord in leading us and sustaining us in the service moves the heart of the God who dwells amidst "the praises of Israel". I believe that the Holy Spirit is set to help us in this. Let us be more sensitive to the promptings of our spiritual sensibilities, for His Name's sake.
BROOKLYN NY
12 May 1977