BROOKLYN, N.Y., MARCH 29TH, 1938
BROOKLYN, N.Y., MARCH 29TH, 1938
My Dear Brother, — I duly received your letter of 17th inst. I am glad to know that you are now in fellowship, and I gather from your letter that you are progressing in the truth.
As to your enquiries I would say that “Christian” is a name given to believers — Acts 11: 26 — or disciples. Of course, one may believe, as we learn in Acts 19, before he received the Spirit, but generally or normally the terms believer, disciple and Christian are interchangeable. In saying ‘normally’ I refer to persons who characteristically are possessed of what is presented to faith in the gospel.
The general truth governing the possession of the Spirit is in Acts 5: 32 — God gives Him to them that obey Him. But there are details of instructions that must be observed: there must be faith as to what the gospel presents, for it is said in Ephesians 1: 13, “having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit”. There, God gives the Spirit and obviously we must not assume that He must act automatically and give the Spirit instantly as one believed. Acts 8 shows that He does not.
Acts 5: 32 shows that generally true believers receive the Spirit and hence we should not conclude that God would allow one to die without receiving Him. There is much in this respect that we have to leave with Him. We can speak confidently as we have Scripture. There is enough to support our faith, and if anything is withheld we must bow to the wisdom of God. He is not obliged to give account on all matters.
As to giving out a hymn or a prayer in a ministry meeting, Scripture does not indicate that all that follows should be the filling out of it. The action of the Spirit in the assembly involves variety. A revelation in 1 Corinthians 14: 30 hardly indicates [p. 124] that it would be the same part of the truth as the one who sits down had been ministering.
Regarding John 5: 22 the Person in the Deity is meant — He, the Father, does not judge; it is the Son, but nevertheless it is God who judges, for the Son is God. That is, each of the Divine Persons may act as God. But where formal distinction is made in Scripture we must recognise it. Thus the term “God” is wider than Father. When Judgment, Creation, etc., are in question the Son is the actual Person of the Trinity who operates; but still it is the one God. We may worship God as including all the Persons, but specifically the one God is the Father; 1 Corinthians 8: 6. This is in the economy of grace: the Son and the Spirit act mediatorially. In judgment the Son will act, but it will be God judging.
I hope what I have written will be of service to you.
With love in Christ,
I am, affectionately in Him,
James Taylor.