The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Active

Introduction

On 3/17/2012, early in the day, I was sitting in front of my computer, wanting something new to work on. I did something I’ve never had to do before, which was to pray for something to work on. Normally I am inspired or lead to my works supernaturally, I have never been in the situation of having to request work from God. Shortly after checking my e-mail, I began to cook breakfast. When it was almost finished, there was a knock on the door. Dad answered, and I heard a female voice speaking, though I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Dad told her that he wasn’t interested, and shut the door. I asked who it was, he said that it was a Jehovah’s Witness, so I rushed out to get her before she left, hoping to give her one of the “Dear Jehovah’s Witness’ slips that I have prepared. When I went out to get her to wait a moment I realized that it was my friends Candy and Bethany’s mother Joyce, who I also know fairly well. So, we talked, but it was mostly catching up, since I had recently left one of those slips in her mailbox. “I thought that was you!” she said. I very briefly brought up two subjects: one was the subject of translation discrepancies within the New World Translation (their translation of the Bible), and the other was the fact that Christ Himself said that the only thing that a believer is required to do to receive the Holy Spirit is to believe on him, and how those gifts of power would not be done away with until He returns: they believe that the Holy Spirit no longer performs miracles, and that those who speak in tongues do so by an evil spirit. This belief is none other than the unforgivable sin [Mark 3:22-30], so it is quite a serious issue. We parted ways, and I began to contemplate the latter subject, which gave rise to the following document. This very doc is an answer to prayer that came immediately, I’d say less than an hour after I had prayed for it. :)

Works of Christ = Miracles

Some Christians believe that only the original Disciples of Christ performed the miracles of the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit no longer performs healings, or the speaking of tongues, etc. In the following verse, notice how the only qualifier for someone to be able to perform the works of Christ: and even greater works than those, is simply to believe on Him. Yeshuah Himself says nothing concerning the idea that only the first few that are sent by Him will have this power.

Focus text John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me (the only qualification being belief), the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; (1) because I go unto my Father."

I want to focus on the word ‘works’ because some people will likely believe that these works are merely good deeds, and not miracles. First I’ll point out that Jesus said that he that believes would be able to do these works (1)* ‘because I go unto My Father’. Could the disciples do good deeds for people before Christ ascended into Heaven? Of course they could. And if He meant that they shall be able to do good deeds, when did Christ do a ‘good deed’ that was not also a miracle? I personally can’t think of a single one.

Before we move on, please reference John 7:38-39 noticing how the single qualification for receiving the Holy Spirit is the same qualification for doing the works of Christ. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;” Yet again, the only qualifier for these signs is belief in Christ.

The word works being #2041 in Strong’s Concordance, which is the Greek word ergon (air-gone) meaning an occupation, an act, or a deed. This word does not specify the working of miracles, so we must look for other ways to find the definition of works, as intended by the author; John, and the person speaking; Jesus. The best way to figure out the most specific intended meaning of this word is to look at how the same author (John the apostle, quoting Jesus) used this same Greek word. I must first point out that this word is also used to mean good deeds, but thanks to the phrase ‘because I go to My Father’ we can already see fairly certainly that Christ’s intended meaning of the word ‘works’ was that of working miracles.

Works (ergon) used by Jesus in John’s Gospel:

Now let’s look at some other instances of John quoting Jesus using this same Greek word, to see if we can get a better picture of what these works really are. The following is every instance of the Greek word ergon being translated into work or works, in the Gospel of John. If it is ergon, it will be bold and blue, if it is another Greek word for work(s), it will not be so, and it will be followed by the Greek word along with the number assigned to it, in parentheses. With each example you should ask yourself; Are these works miracles, or are they good deeds?

(1) John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his [God’s] work.” Well what is the work of God? John 9:3-4 The following occurs just before Jesus gives a man sight who has been blind from birth, a miracle, “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work (ergazomai #2038 different word, similar meaning) the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (ergazomai #2038)."

In regards to the above statement of a ‘night wherein no man can work’, see I Corinthians 13:8-10 “Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be (1-a) tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; (1-a)* they shall speak with new tongues;"

The question that remains from I Corinthians 13:10 is; Who or what is ‘that which is perfect’? I would suggest that it is certainly Jesus Christ, meaning that these gifts of miracles won’t be done away with until Christ returns, be it His return in the air for His bride I Thessalonians 4:16-17 with I Corinthians 15:51-53, or His literal physical touch down on the Mount of Olives Zechariah 14:3-4. Some, however, maintain that the compilation of the New Testament manuscripts into The Word of God (since it had not yet been compiled at the time in which Paul wrote this epistle to the Corinthians) is ‘that which is perfect’ meaning that these Spiritual Gifts would have been retired since the moment the Bible was canonized.

A key verse in making a decision is verse 12, which reads “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then (1-b) face to face: now I know in part; (1-c) but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1-b)* Does a book have a face? (1-c)* Can a book know a man, even a supernatural book? These comments could merely be poetic license, but I believe they are not; and that the true intent can be discovered upon closer examination. Paul is also speaking of knowing in part, but when ‘that which is perfect is come’, then he shall know even as he is known, meaning that Paul would have ceased to ‘know in part’ only, implying that he would ‘know in full'. Did Paul, or any believer cease to learn when the Scriptures were compiled, or even after reading them? No, we still learn every day, and we will continue to learn, which is a result of our ‘knowing in part’, until we are glorified in Christ. I believe that it is clear, upon close inspection of this passage, that ‘that which is perfect’ is none other than Jesus Christ, meaning that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not be retired until He returns. I suppose you could still maintain that we would know 'the full story of Christ' when the Gospels and epistles were written, but if that is what Paul intended, why would he cloud the meaning by saying things like we will see this 'perfect' thing 'face to face', and that we will know it as we are known by it? It certainly seems that Paul invisioned a person, and not a book. Also consider that the knowledge that Paul is speaking of almost certainly has to be the Spiritual gift of knowledge, as mentioned in I Corinthians 12:8, since the topic is the gifts of the spirit.

For more information on the Rapture, please see the following links:

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/nicholighkun/20100104/1332204444

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/nicholighkun/20120319/1332205492

(2) John 6:28-29 “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work (ergazomai #2038) the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Here we have the same Greek word ergon being used, but the belief in Christ is the work, rather than the ability to do the works being because of belief in Christ. This is clearly related to the aforementioned ideas on belief as it relates to the works of Christ performed by the believer, but it paints a slightly different picture. Here the work is belief. But, since belief must come before the works (miracles), then it could very easily be argued that Jesus was illustrating once again that the works, and belief are in essence a single ‘organism’. Since the works come only by belief, it could be said that belief is the work, and since the works cannot come before belief. It would be like saying that the breath is the man, since, without the breath, the man could not be.

(3) John 7:21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?” Miracle.

(4) John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” So the works are actually done by the Father.

(5) John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father."

(6) John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Note that Jesus says that this work is already done, before He was crucified, meaning that He is not referring to the work of His crucifixion.

Another instance of ergon being used:

Matthew 11:2 “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,” Though this was written by another author, it still sheds some light on the matter. Would the account of Jesus doing nice things for people have gotten back to John the Baptist in prison? And would John have sent his disciples because he heard that Jesus helped an old lady across the street? Though it is technically possible, it seems a bit far-fetched to think so. Most likely the works reported to John were of the many miracles of Jesus.

Summation:

The only qualification on the believer’s part to do the works of Christ, and greater works than those [John 14:12], or to receive the Holy Spirit [John 7:38-39], is that they believe. Again and again Jesus said to the people that He healed, “your faith hath made you whole."

These same verses also show that these attributes wouldn’t be possible unless Christ ascended into Heaven, meaning that the ‘works of Christ’ are clearly miracles, since simple good deeds could have been done, regardless of whether or not Christ ascended into Heaven.

The only cut off point for the Gifts of the Spirit is when ‘that which is perfect’ comes I Corinthians 13:8-10. Since ‘knowing in part’ will be done away with when ‘that which is perfect is come’, and since we still today only ‘know in part’ then ‘that which is perfect’ has yet to come, meaning that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have not been retired. Also this perfection has a face, and knows us already, making it pretty clear that this is a man, and not a book.

Why is This Important?

Many who believe that these gifts are retired will also say that when someone speaks in tongues, they are doing so by an evil spirit. Since the Holy Spirit performs this sign, those people are actually committing the unpardonable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. See Mark 3:22-30. Therefore, we need to know of a certainty whether or not these gifts are truly retired, before we declare, or even contemplate in our mind, by what spirit a person speaks in tongues, or works any miracle, today.