By Heny Albert Erdmann

Chapter 9

What Then?

The destruction of the carnal mind by the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost is a definite experience, and a definite epoch in the life of him who experiences it. When the Holy Ghost comes into the heart and life of a believer and takes up His permanent abode there, He does a definite work. It is not something that is hazy or indefinite.

1) He purifies the heart. "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts" (Acts 15:8, 9).

Here we see that their hearts were purified when they received the Holy Ghost, or by the reception of the Holy Ghost. When He comes in, He casts out all those evil tempers that are contrary to God's best plan and purpose in us. He casts out anger, malice, wrath, jealousy, peevishness, stubbornness, self-will, and everything else that God cannot use for His glory, and that can never be admitted into heaven. Thus He purifies the heart and gives one the sense of internal cleanness.

In commenting on the above scripture, Dr. W. B. Godbey says, "This scripture settles forever the fact that the hearts of the apostles on the day of Pentecost were purified by faith, in order to be filled with the Holy Ghost. It also settles the matter beyond the possibility of cavil that the plan of salvation is the very same for Jew and Gentile, at Jerusalem and in the uttermost part of the earth." Adam Clarke says, "The purification of the heart by the Holy Spirit was the grand object of the religion of God, and that alone by which the soul could be prepared for the blessed immortality."

2) He gives power. "Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8, R.V.). We find this very aptly commented on by Dr. Godbey; so we shall pass on his comment. "The English Version gives this very incorrectly. 'Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.' You find it beautifully corrected in the Revised Version. I have heard and read many sermons from this text exhorting the people to seek power after the Holy Ghost had come on them. All this leads to superstition and fanaticism. The plain revelation is that the Holy Ghost himself is the power, and there is no other. So never seek power, but seek the Holy Ghost Himself. When you have Him you have all the power you need to do anything that God wants you to do. So you have nothing to do but to get thoroughly sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, abide in Him, obey, and be true. So long as you thus abide, responsive to the gentle voice of the indwelling Comforter, verifying His will revealed by His Spirit, Word and Providence, you will have all the power you need to do your whole duty, because you have Omnipotence to check on at will. After we are filled with the Holy Ghost we grow with paradoxical rapidity, and thus, with spiritual enlargement, become more and more capacious of God ... The word translated 'power' here is not identical to the word 'power' in the preceding verse. There it is exousia, 'authority'; here it is dunamis, 'dynamite.' Hence, the literal reading 'Ye shall receive dynamite of the Holy Ghost,' i.e., if you will receive the Holy Ghost as a personal, indwelling Sanctifier and abiding Comforter, He will supply you with all the dynamite you need to blow all sin out of you and to qualify you to blow up the devil's kingdom wherever you go, and enjoy an everlasting victory in your heart and life."

There are those who want power to succeed in politics, or power to become social leaders, or power to accomplish great physical feats, or power to persuade people to accept their personal opinions in civic or religious matters, etc.; but that kind of power is not implied in the above-quoted promise. The Holy Ghost gives power to live right; power to sacrifice for God, and for others; power in prayer; power in testimony; power to love God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength; power to hold your tongue steady; power to keep from quarreling with your wife, or with your husband; power to keep from saying harsh and cutting things; power to defeat the devil on any battlefield; power to keep from lording it over others; power to keep sweet and gentle under all provocations; etc., etc. This requires tremendous power, but the Holy Spirit is ample for every occasion.

3) The Holy Ghost gives us fitness for heaven. We read of the king who prepared a wedding feast for his son's marriage and invited guests to come in and fill the guest chamber. When the king came in, he found there one who did not have on a wedding garment. He asked, "Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?" Then he turned to his servants and commanded them to bind the man hand and foot and to cast him out into outer darkness. Let us not forget here that this man had as much right to be at this wedding feast as anyone else who was there. He had been invited, and all who had been invited had the right to attend. I have the right to attend any social function, or any other gathering, to which I have been invited. It may not be right for me to attend some gatherings to which I am invited; but so far as the gathering is concerned, I have the right to be there if I am invited. Then why was this man cast out? Not because he was an intruder, coming in where he had not been invited; but because he neglected the fitness for the occasion. No doubt he imagined he could enjoy this privileged feast without meeting the requirements as to the fitness for it. Those who imagine they can make it by and get to heaven by merely accepting the invitation of regeneration, and thus neglect to put on the wedding garment of heart purity, are making the same fatal mistake that this man made. Peter cries out in clarion tones, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." This is as direct and positive a command as any in Sacred Writ. No one can ignore the plain commands of God's Word and stand clear in the day of judgment. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. John tells us in Revelation 20:6, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection." This implies that the unholy shall have no part in the first resurrection. It also assures us that upon those who have part in the first resurrection the second death shall have no power, thus implying that the second death shall have power on all who do not have part in the first resurrection. This, then, plainly teaches that the second death shall have power on all those who are not holy, and who are not clothed with garments of "pure linen" washed in the blood of the Lamb.

In II Thessalonians Paul says, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth"; and in Hebrews 13:12, 13 we are told that Jesus suffered on the cross for the express purpose of making our sanctification possible. In the prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John Jesus prayed that the disciples might be sanctified; but He states in that prayer, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." That takes in you and me, for were we not led to believe on Jesus through the words those disciples wrote down? Thus Jesus not only gave Himself for us, but prayed that you and I might be sanctified. In the Ephesian letter we are told that Jesus gave Himself for the Church, that He might sanctify it and cleanse it. "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it." Then we are told the purpose, or reason for it, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." In that great presentation day only the holy will be presented.

4) The Comforter dwelling in the heart gives a consciousness of a fullness. "Filled with all the fulness of God." He gives the consciousness of divine cleansing. He makes one feel clean on the inside. He gives one a consciousness of constant freshness. He makes one "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." He gives abundant fruitfulness. Thank God! He will walk with us and help us in every difficulty, comfort us in every sorrow, and bring us safely through every conflict. He knows every trial, understands every difficulty, and knows the solution for every perplexity. He gives us sweet, blessed communion with Himself. He can tell Him every heartthrob, and He never misunderstands. This communion implies fellowship and an intimacy, and He talks over with us the things that seem to hinder. He tells us the things that do hinder us, and we tell Him the things that we think hinder us. Not sin, that is all settled. But there come things and experiences into our lives that we think hinder us, but often the Comforter reveals to us that they are good for us.

There are times in the Spirit-filled life when one cannot shout, but he feels that holy awe; he is afraid to stir for fear of disturbing it. He wants no one to disturb him, not even the birds to sing, he is in such holy rapture. Then there are times when you will weep. You cannot quit. You do not want to quit. At times you may have a regular tear-up and disturb all the neighbors. The Holy Ghost knows just what you need and when you need it, and how to give it to you.

How marvelous and how wonderful that it has been made possible for everyone to have such a glorious experience of divine grace and salvation. Let no one stop short of it, but press on in the full assurance of faith. While there are doubters and skeptics, we need not let them deter us. The glorious possibility of this grace can be proved by experience. If one man proves it to be so, that establishes the Bible testimony against all the doubters in the world. The scientists and geographers and all other learned men, once believed the world was flat. Columbus rose up, declared the earth to be round, and proved it against all the doubters. Just so a great part of humanity believe that the carnal mind is destined to live to the end of our earthly pilgrimage: but the apostle Paul says their unbelief does not make the faith of God of none effect. And humble men and women are rising up every day and declaring deliverance is possible. O, that men would take counsel with faith and not with unbelief: It is no little salvation that Jesus came to work out for us. It is a great salvation. It is not pretense, not make-believe, but a real salvation from all sin, from all doubt and fear, from all guile and hypocrisy, from all malice and wrath, from all evil tempers of every kind. Finally, "take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." Amen.