A Critical Synopsis Of The Mission And Medium Of The Holy Spirit, by Foy E. Wallace, Jr.

By Wendell Tenison

Introduction:

Foy E. Wallace, Jr., 1896 - 1979. Bro. Wallace wrote The Mission And Medium Of The Holy Spirit in 1967 at the age of seventy one. In his time he was unequalled in his knowledge of the scripture and ability to write. This book is the first and only that I have read by Bro. Wallace. In over fifty years of continual bible study, I have read very few books written by those in the brotherhood. I have always maintained that the bible is its very own best commentary and the Greek Text that I have used for more than 40 years is Stephens' Greek Text, 1550.

My position of the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the Spirit is in complete harmony with the scripture. The age of gifts and miraculous manifestations of the Spirit past centuries ago, but the testament of Christ in no uncertain terms teaches that we must have the Holy Spirit in order to be one of his. At some point in this discussion I will explain why it is mandatory to have the Spirit and it has absolutely nothing to do with manifestations of any sort of which today there is no endowment. Also, the same concerning just how and when we are immersed by the Holy Spirit. The body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1Cor.6:19 and it is impossible to have Him apart from the word of God. I have heard brethren say that they only have one spirit and by their own admission, they are none of his.

A fair warning to the reader up front is that if you are an avid follower of Foy E. Wallace, Jr. and not willing to have an open mind to the truth, you should read no further. Without any prejudice in my heart, I cannot agree with much of what Bro. Wallace had to say regarding the baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Like a few other things the brethren have botched over the years regarding denominational teaching and liberals who have crept into the church, their cure for the symptoms has been worse than the disease. For the last forty-five years or so, the church in many places has made a mass exodus from the truth into acceptance of denominational doctrines of the devil. I will always be a strong contender for the faith no matter what the cost.

Proposition:

Page 6 par 4: "In the nature of things it is impossible for spirit to contact spirit without medium, except through miraculous process, as upon the prophets of God and the apostles of Christ, and to assert it now is to assume inspiration."

Objection:

The impossibility for spirit to contact spirit without a medium is totally false. Spirits are kindred as are flesh and blood and speak their own language.

Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

Michael said to the devil, "the Lord rebuke thee" and he did not have an interpreter.

The apostle Paul said that he spoke the tongues of men and of angels:

1 Cor 13:1 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

Angels do speak their own language.

1 Ki 22:19-22 "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left......And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner......And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him......And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so."

Here we learn that the host of heaven was on the right and left hand of God. One spoke one thing and another something else. Finally, one spirit came forth with the right plan to destroy Ahab. To say that there must be a medium between communication of spirits would be like saying that there must be a medium between the dialogue of an Englishman and an American.

Proposition:

Page 6 par 3: "If the Spirit dwells in a person directly he must provide direct testimony for that immediate indwelling in the demonstration of it.-----How does the preacher who now claims the direct indwelling know it?"

Objection:

Adding new rules of law to the new testament has been a common practice since the beginning of the law of Christ. The doctrine that one must provide direct testimony/demonstration as mandatory by reason of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is foreign to the new testament. There is not even a hint of this rule anywhere in the scripture.-----How the preacher or anyone else knows that he has the Holy Spirit is by the same word that tells him he has a spirit. That is the only way we can prove either.

Proposition:

Page 7 par 2: "Now the word of God is in the book---the written word---and the direct possession of the Holy Spirit is unnecessary and superfluous."

Objection:

It is true that the word of God is in a book, but the testament of Christ is recorded in heaven not written with pen and ink, but in the fleshly tables of our hearts and minds, being a spiritual law, Heb.8:10; 10:16. This is why we must compare spiritual things with spiritual.

Proposition:

Page 10 par 2: "The point blank assertion is here made, that the devil has the power to perform direct operations on the heart of man. It is a bare and naked assertion---we deny it emphatically.-----Neither demon nor deity can personally enter the human heart."

Objection:

First of all, Satan entered the heart of Judas:

John 13:2 "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;"

Second, Jesus' explanation of the seed that was sown by the way side:

Mat 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."

Did Satan enter the heart of Judas or not? Who is the wicked one? The devil of course. How could the devil steal from the heart unless he was in it? Certainly not from the outside looking in! Next, God sending his Holy Spirit upon King Saul:

1 Sam 10:10 "And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them."

1 Sam 18:10 "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand." See also 1Sam.16:14; 19:9.

God gave his Holy Spirit to King Saul and then he took it from him and sent an evil spirit upon him to trouble him. Saul had a double portion; one good and one bad. Let us now return to the new testament:

2 Th 2:11 "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"

Believing stems from the heart (with the heart man believeth, Rom.10:10), so how does this delusion get in there that one should believe a lie? The same way that one of the spirits of God became a lying spirit in the mouth of all of the four hundred prophets of Ahab that we just read about. The story of Micaiah and Ahab is not very popular among our preachers today, because they do not understand the method that God used.

I do not believe Satan has the power to enter any person's mind and heart without their permission. James 4:7 says to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Otherwise, if the devil could enter into us at will, he would have eliminated the church long ago. Remember that spirits are kindred and do communicate with each other. Neither is it possible for Satan to overwhelm the mind and body as he did during the ministry of Christ and to some extent after the establishment of the church.

John 12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." See also Jn.14:30; 16:11.

Proposition:

Page 12 par 3: "The word personal is put on the wrong end---the question is: does the Holy Spirit dwell in us personally? Compare it with the personal God and the personal Christ---they are persons, but it is admitted that neither God nor Christ dwells in us personally. -----If that is true in regard to God and Christ, why not in reference to the Holy Spirit? God is in us, Christ is in us and the Holy Spirit is in us---but they cannot be separated in the representative medium, the word of God."

Objection:

Throughout his book, Wallace keeps saying, it is admitted that neither God nor Christ dwells within us personally. Perhaps he and some others admit this, but he does not speak for me and many others. Wallace said that God and Christ cannot be separated from his holy word. We already knew that and are in total agreement. Not one time in his book has he even mentioned Jn.14:23, knowing full well where this verse is located, which reads:

John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

If a "man" love me he will keep my words, not only the apostles, but all who obey him, Acts 5:32. Jesus just said, we will move in and make our abode with him. By denying that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit dwell in us is separating the word from God and Christ, because all three plus the word do dwell within us.

Acts 5:14, tells us that after Pentecost, there were multitudes both men and women who believed and were added to the Lord. By reason of the great numbers of the infant church and a mixture of cultures, the Hellenists complained that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration of those things of which they had need.

The apostles said, we do not have time to serve tables, therefore, look you out seven men of whom we may appoint over this business. Now let us notice the three requirements needed to handle this work..

Acts 6:3 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business."

One of the requirements was that they be full of the Holy Spirit and after their selection, the apostles laid their hands upon them.

Acts 6:6 "Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them."

How many others were full of the Holy Spirit, or was it just these seven? The apostles did not lay their hands upon them to impart the Holy Spirit, because they were already full of him.

Throughout his book, Bro. Wallace, sought to limit the Holy Spirit to only the apostles and prophets, or to those on whom they laid their hands. Be it far from that as we have just witnessed in the scripture.

Proposition:

Page 13 par 1,4: "Since it is admitted that Christ does not dwell in us personally, but representatively.....The personal God could not enter and dwell in man---it would burn him up, for he "only hath immortality, dwelling in the light that no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen nor can see," said Paul (1Tim.6:16); and God said to Moses (Ex.33:20) "there shall be no man see my face and live."

Objection:

Wallace confused God for Christ, because 1Tim.6:16, is speaking specifically about Christ:

1 Tim 6:14-16 "That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:.....Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;.....Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."

In the physical realm, travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles/sec) is impossible, so no man can ever approach the dwelling place of light (Job 38:19). This explains why man cannot approach the light wherein Christ dwells while he is in the body of this flesh. The idea of man "seeing" God while making his abode with man, is a fabrication to steer one from the truth. It would be just as absurd to say that we can see our own spirit.

Another verse that Wallace avoided like it had the plague is as follows:

Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Psa 51:11 "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me."

Now King David, the second king, did have the Holy Spirit of God.

Jesus said, "any man" and not only the apostles. To have used either this verse or Jn.14:23 in his book, Wallace would have blown himself right out of the water.

Proposition:

Page 17 par 2: "Now ye are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you"---Jn.15:2."

No objection:

Wallace is correct in that the words of Christ cleanses us. However, he was not forthcoming in his understanding of how the cleansing process works. The following words of Jesus clearly defines how his word cleanses:

Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

The cleansing word or as Jesus said, the new testament which is in my blood, which is in his body (the church), of which we are members in particular, 1Cor.12:27. As the life giving oxygen in our blood cleanses and renews, so it is exactly the same way with the blood of Christ which cleanses the members in his body on a daily basis by the word (oxygen) which is in his blood.

2 Cor 4:16 "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."

Proposition:

Page 21 par 4: "And this is how one is "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man"---(Eph.3:16)---it is through "the glorious power" of his word when we are filled with the knowledge of it."

Objection:

Eph 3:16 "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;"

The spirit of might is one of the seven spirits or eyes of God. God has designed our spiritual makeup to be strengthened by not one, but different things. This verse has specific reference to the spirit of might of which our Lord possessed.

Isa 11:1-2 "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:.....And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;"

Counting there are seven and the spirit of might is one of them. The books of Revelation and Zechariah enhance our understanding exponentially:

Rev 1:4; "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;"

Rev 3:1 "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."

Rev 4:5 "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."

Rev 5:6 "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."

Notice the last verse says, that the seven are eyes and they are sent forth into all the earth.

Zec 4:10 "For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth."

Again the seven are the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth. Why and for what reason? Everyone of these seven are incorporated into the gospel of Christ for the welfare of the Christian, but to limit their work to running to and fro in the earth as the eyes of God is tantamount to restricting the powers of God to do the pleasure of his good will. That is, disallowing God to strengthen the inner man (the new creature) by the spirit of might.

Proposition:

Page 22 par 4: "It is clear that grace in these passages is equated with the gospel; and the Spirit of grace in Heb.10:29 is the new covenant; and the grace of God."

Objection:

Here Wallace substitutes the word for the Spirit. Let us move ahead to page 28 par 4 for his quotation:

"To deny with insult the doctrine and treat with scorn the word is doing despite to the Spirit of grace and is blaspheming the Spirit of God."

On page 22, Wallace says, the Spirit of Grace in Heb.10:29 is the new covenant. On page 28, he separates the Spirit of Grace from the Holy Spirit, or as he says , doing despite to the Spirit of Grace and is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. But, Paul does not call the blood of the covenant the Spirit of Grace. Paul makes a distinction between the blood of the covenant and the Spirit of Grace (Holy Spirit). There is no argument that the Spirit of Grace is the Holy Spirit! The new covenant was given by the inspiration of the Spirit of Grace (Holy Spirit), but the word is not the Holy Spirit. Heb.10:29, is the only place in the new testament where this title is used of the Holy Spirit.

The blood of the covenant that Paul spoke of was the cup of which our Lord said, this is my blood of the new testament, Matt.26:28. The law of Moses, the Patriarchal Law and the law of Christ forbid the drinking of blood, that is, literal blood. Those Jews who were members of the church did not understand that the drinking of the blood of the covenant of Christ is spiritual. Therefore, they equated the drinking of the blood of the covenant (communion on the Lord's Day) with literal blood as a common or unholy thing. The blood of the covenant is not the covenant; Moses took the blood of an animal and sprinkled the book (the covenant) and all the people, saying, this is the blood of the covenant, Heb.9:19. Neither did Wallace understand what the blood of the covenant is in Heb.10:29.

Heb 10:29 "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Eph 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

We would have to have help to misunderstand that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God and not the Holy Spirit himself, but a part of the Christian's armor. However, that is exactly what has happened; Wallace's book has given our brethren the help to misunderstand.

Proposition:

Page 25 par 7: "Amplifying the foregoing emphasis on the word as the full source of understanding, it is written in Eph.1:17-18 that the spirit of wisdom and revelation is given to us through knowledge."

Objection:

Eph 1:17-18 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:.....The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"

The Greek text says, the spirit of wisdom and revelation are given (in) the knowledge of him and not (through) the knowledge of him. This is just another subtle substitution of words by Wallace.

James 1:5-7 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him......But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed......For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.""

Why is it that some men study long and hard and they do not have the understanding that others do? Because God is the full source of all understanding and wisdom and if one does not do exactly as the apostle said regarding his faith and prayer, he will receive nothing. I might be able to quote an entire book on nuclear physics, but when I have finished I wouldn't know much more about the subject than when I began. The same is true with the bible; God provides all wisdom and understanding. The question then is how? By his spirits of wisdom and understanding. I know this is a bitter pill to swallow for those who shut out God and his grace to man. Wallace and others are saying that we cannot pray to God for wisdom and understanding, because it is all here in the book..

Deu 34:9 "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses."

My my, how amazing it is what we can find if we just look? All of us will be judged by the things that we teach.

Rom 3:4 "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."

Proposition:

Page 28 par 5; page 29 par 1: "The body that is interred in the tomb will be raised at the last day by the word of Christ......it is the word of God in triumph that shall raise the dead."

Objection:

Proposition:

Page 38 par 2: "Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed ... and when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them." It is obvious that both of these instances were examples of the miraculous reception of the Holy Spirit which belonged only to the time of these special endowments."

Objection:

Proposition:

Page 39 par 3: "But after all has been said, the one thing still remains. That one thing is the modus operandi---the medium of the Spirit's indwelling, for no matter how many verses may be sited to prove that the Spirit dwells in us, the whole question of medium remains and from this we shall not be drawn away---that the indwelling is only through the word."

Objection:

As Wallace said, he has ignored all of the scriptures that prove the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In these last days, God has spoken unto us by his Son, Heb.1:1-2; the mode of operation was the glory that he bestowed upon his Son to be the testator of the new testament of which he gave during his lifetime. The Holy Spirit was sent by God at the request of Jesus as the comforter and to bring to the apostles and others all things which he heard from the Son, Jn.14:16; 16:13-16.

Other writers of the past have declared this dispensation to be that of the Holy Spirit and that the dispensation of Christ only lasted for three and one half years. In his book entitled "Lectures on the Holy Spirit, His Personality, Nature and Works, 1942, H. Leo Boles, states the following on page 133, par 2:

"So the period of time when the Holy Spirit is supreme is called the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is supreme during this age."

The emphasis is not on the Holy Spirit, but on all three; God first, Christ second; the Holy Spirit third. Jesus the Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords during this age. All power and authority has been given unto him in heaven and in the earth, Matt.28:18.

Proposition:

Page 40 par 4: "The Septuagint version of the Old Testament is a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek. The Lord Jesus Christ and his inspired apostles quoted from the Septuagint Greek Old Testament---and they affirmed its inspiration."

Objection:

The testament of Moses extends from the twentieth chapter of Exodus through the end of Deuteronomy. Moses could not have written anything after his death. It wasn't until the Septuagint was written 285 years before Christ that the translators of the Septuagint began to call all of the writings of the prophets and the other books the testament of Moses. Neither was God's laws to the patriarchs authored by Moses as is commonly believed today. Moses only wrote the book of Genesis, but under no circumstance was he the testator of the laws contained within it; he was 2500 years too late.

We will determine from the following quotes of the preface and introduction of the Septuagint, if Wallace is right regarding the inspiration of the translation of the Hebrew into the Greek by the Hellenistic Jews of Alexandria..

Preface:

"---the threefold division of the Hebrew canon into law, Prophets, and writings is not followed in the LXX."

"While the majority of the Old Testament quotations rendered by the New Testament authors are borrowed directly from the Septuagint, a number of times they provide their own translation which follows the Hebrew text against the Septuagint."

Introduction:

"The embellishments and fictitious additions which this account soon received might be scarcely worthy of notice in this place, were it not that they are intimately connected with the authority which this version was once supposed to possess, and with the name by which it is commonly known."

"The Pentateuch is considered to be the part the best executed, while the book of Isaiah appears to be the very worst."

"But the fact that the New Testament writers used this version on many occasions supplies a new proof in opposition to the idea of its authority, for in not a few places they do not follow it, but supply a version of their own which rightly represents the Hebrew text, although contradicting the Septuagint."

There are at least 15 phrases in the new testament that are typical of the contradicting of the Septuagint just mentioned. Such phrases are; law or the prophets; law and the prophets; prophets and the law; Moses and the prophets; Moses and all the prophets; reading of the law and prophets; prophets and Moses say; the law of Moses and the prophets; the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. What study that I have done in the Septuagint follows the critique of the author of the statements that we just read. Wallace could not have been any further from the truth when he made the statement that the Septuagint was by inspiration.

Proposition:

Page 44 par 1: "It is evident that the term presbytery here was a reference to Paul himself in the function that he performed in the laying of his hands on Timothy, mentioned in 2Tim.1:6. "That thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." This affords the indisputable proof that by the ministration of the hands of Paul himself this gift was imparted to Timothy---Therefore the hands of the presbytery in the first passage were the hands of Paul, the apostle."

Objection:

1 Tim 4:14 "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery."

2 Tim 1:6 "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands."

The word presbytery in the Greek text is rendered "elderhood" which is in the plural. Now Wallace was saying, that Paul was a plurality of elders within himself. If you believe that, I have 5,000 miles of water-front shore line in the Mojave Desert that I will sell to you cheap. The plain truth is that Timothy had two gifts; one from the elders and the other from Paul. From this scenario that Wallace promoted, I have a valid argument that Paul was the first pope being unmarried and all bishops wrapped up into one. The scriptures nowhere even hint that one gift is all that a disciple could have.

But, another thing that Wallace avoided is the never mentioned 1Cor.12:28:

1 Cor 12:28 "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

Everyone will agree that God set the apostles in the church. However, with the rest who were set in the church, we have no choice but to haggle with God and see if we cannot get him to remove them from the verse. Among those set in the church besides the apostles, it becomes a little irritating to try and explain that to someone who should know better. Elders were set in the church who in the verse are called governments. Thayer's rendition of the word "governments" is: "[gubernare, to govern], a governing, government." Elders are first mentioned in Acts 11:30. When were the prophets, teachers and elders set in the church? I do not know; you tell me.

Proposition:

Page 50 par 2: "The Holy Spirit does not enter any one through prayer, but through the teaching of the Spirit.-----It is by the agency of the Spirit through teaching that we are baptized into one body, the church, where we drink into the Spirit by participating in its blessings."

Objection:

Wallace is correct that the Spirit does not enter us through prayer, but he is incorrect in his assertion that the teaching of the Spirit equals his baptism.. Our Lord explained this perfectly how that there is water baptism plus the baptism of the Spirit.

John 3:3-6 "Jesus answered and said unto him,Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God......Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?..... Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God......That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

None would disagree that being born of water is baptism, but when confronted with being born of the Spirit, they swell up like an old toad frog. The simple and logical explanation is that the church is the body of Christ and without any controversy, he is the head. If we accept the teachings of Wallace, this body with a head is dead for lack of a spirit. Of course, the body of Christ has a spirit and it is the Holy Spirit of God. Paul said, that we are the body of Christ and members in particular, 1Cor.12:27. That being the case, each member must have the Spirit in order to be animated. As our members are animated by our spirit through the mind, so it is through the mind of Christ. And his mind is his piece of mind or his words and thoughts. His words and thoughts are his testament that he has spoken unto us. Just as we are not aware intellectually or consciously of the actions of our spirit, the same is true of the Spirit that dwells within us. But, God forbid that any man ever substitute the words of Christ for his Spirit as Wallace did.

Rom 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Those who claim to be in the body of Christ without his Spirit are as dead as a doornail. More on the baptism of the Holy Spirit later.

Proposition:

Page 55 par 4: "the use of the word witnesses in this passage connects the Holy Spirit with the miraculous powers employed by the apostles of Christ in demonstration of the truth which was preached by them.....The passage of Acts 5:32 clearly states that the Holy Spirit was there given to witness the preaching of the apostles, and therefore referred to the miraculous powers and not to a personal Holy Spirit dwelling."

Objection:

Acts 5:32 states no such thing. Let us see what it does state:

Acts 5:29-32 "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men......The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree......Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins......And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

And we are his witnesses of these things. What things? Just what Peter said, God raised up Jesus whom they slew and hanged on a tree, and so is the Holy Spirit a witness of these things. If Wallace could have gotten away from Pentecost long enough, his eyes might have been opened to the truth.

Proposition:

Page 59 par 1,2,4: "It was suggested to me years ago by R. L. Whiteside, that the Spirit in Romans 8:26-27 refers to the human spirit and not the Holy Spirit, and the meaning of the text, therefore, is that our own spirit groans or yearns in intercession to God for that which cannot be uttered, or put into words.....The passage refers to the groaning of the spirit. But why should the Holy Spirit groan? Groaning is indicative of pain---the Holy Spirit is not in pain---but our own spirit groans within us when we are unable to utter the words, to make vocal, our yearning,.....But granting that the passage refers to the intercession of the Holy Spirit, the passage does not refer to any action of the Holy Spirit upon or in us and therefore does not offer an exception to the proposition that every influence upon us that the Bible ascribes to the Holy Spirit, it also affirms of the word of God."

Objection:

Was Wallace trying to put the blame on Whiteside for teaching that man is his own intercessor to God?

Rom 8:34 "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

The word "also" means there is at least one other. The other is the Holy Spirit and not man.

Heb 7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

Wallace really boxes himself into a corner when he elevates man to equality with Christ as intercessor. He also states on page 62 #4, that there is only one divine intercessor, meaning, that Christ and man are the intercessors. He said, the Holy Spirit is not in pain and therefore, he probably did not think Jesus groaned in the spirit either, or the Lord grieved at his heart.

John 11:33 "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,"

Gen 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

Proposition:

Page 60 par 2: "The phrase in the Spirit put in contrast with in the flesh obviously refers to the human spirit. It would e (sic) sheer tautology to say if the Holy Spirit dwells in us we are in the Spirit!"

Objection:

Same song second verse; if Christ does not dwell in us, neither can the Holy Spirit.

Proposition:

Page 60 par 3: "Christ lives in us "by the faith of the Son of God"---Gal.2:20---and the Holy Spirit dwells in us the same way that Christ lives in us, according to verses 9-10."

Objection:

Gal 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Gal 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Wallace did not have any clue as to what these verses are talking about. First, we are (justified) by the faith of Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law, but by reason of our believing (in) him. Second, we (live) by the faith of the Son of God. We are hard pressed to find any other scriptures that tells us of the faith that Jesus had in his Father. Jesus Christ does not dwell within us by the faith that he had and neither does the Holy Spirit.

Wallace is saying, that we really do not have Christ and the Holy Spirit, we just think we do, that is, by faith. This is the standard straw that members grasp when confronted with Rom.8:9-10, or any of the other many verses that teach the same. Using his scenario, let us look at some real examples of those the bible says did certain things, but they really did not do them, but thought they did, because it was by faith.

Heb 11:4 "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." No, Abel just thought he offered to God.

Heb 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." No, Enoch just thought he was translated.

Heb 11:7 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." No, Noah did not prepare an ark, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:8 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." No, Abraham did not go out, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:9 "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:" No, Abraham did not sojourn in the land of promise, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:17 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son." No, Abraham just thought he offered Issac.

Heb 11:20 "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come." No, Isaac did not bless Jacob, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:23 "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment." No, Moses was not hid three months, they just thought he was.

Heb 11:24 "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;" No, Moses did not refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:27 "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." No, Moses did not forsake Egypt, he just thought he did.

Heb 11:29 "By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned." No, they did not pass through the Red Sea, they just thought they did.

Heb 11:30 "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." No, the walls did not fall down, they just thought they did.

Heb 11:31 "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." No, Rahab really did perish, she just thought she didn't.

Every aspect of our spiritual life hinges on faith. Those who believe that we only have God, Christ and the Holy Spirit by faith are living in a fantasy world.

Proposition:

Page 61 par 2 #1,2: "It should be observed, first of all, that if the Spirit of this passage means the Holy Spirit, its application would be to the functioning of the Holy Spirit in heaven with God and Christ and the angels, and therefore would have no point in a discussion of "the personal Holy Spirit dwelling within us.".....To make the Spirit mean the Holy Spirit would have the Holy Spirit searching his own mind. and to make it mean that God knows the mind of the Holy Spirit could have no point---why all the talk about God knowing the mind of the Holy Spirit who is in heaven with him, when the Holy Spirit is an equivalent of the Spirit of God."

Objection:

Rom 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Rom 8:26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered......And he (Christ) that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he (Spirit) maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

Rev 2:23 "And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."

What does "likewise the Spirit" mean in verse 26? When you read verse 23, where it says, "we ourselves groan within ourselves", Paul says, "likewise the Spirit groans." The Holy Spirit in verse 26 is referred to as "the Spirit" and in verse 27 Paul refers to the Spirit as "he." It cannot get any plainer than that.

Our Lord himself just said, that he searches the reins and hearts. By what "modus operandi" does Christ do this? He just told us by his Spirit.

1 Cor 2:10-13 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God......For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God......Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God......Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

This was the entire struggle of Wallace and others to attempt to isolate the God-Head from man. The Spirit searches the deep things of God and has shared them with us. Otherwise, we could not compare spiritual things with spiritual.

Psa 77:6 "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search."

What is wrong with the spirit searching the mind? Right or wrong, they do it anyway whether we understand it or not. Babes in Christ might have a few problems with some of these things, but a full grown man in Christ is without excuse.

Eph 2:18 "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."

If we cannot understand that through Christ we have access to God by one Holy Spirit, we may be beyond help! God forbid that this is not our case, but if we are so dense that we cannot understand, then God trying to talk to us is the same as talking to a brick wall.

Jude 1:20 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,"

Rom 8:16 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"

This pretty well sums up what we have been discussing as to why the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. The order is, man prays in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit relays our prayers to Christ; next, Christ sends them to God. In what language? Of course, the language of spirits.

Does God rely on his Spirit or spirits for his information? Let us see.

Gen 18:20-21 "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;.....I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that God relied on his messengers for the reporting.

It goes much deeper than this discussion in that we must have a better understanding of how God knows every thought and deed of which man will give an answer.

Prov 20:27 "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly."

Now we are getting somewhere. By communication between the Holy Spirit or other spirits of God with the spirit of man, God knows everything about us. The spirit of man is the candle, light, or lamp of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the mind and heart, (belly means the seat of intelligent faculties). It is real simple, God knows the mind of the Spirit who knows the mind of man through the spirit of man. God's holy ones and watchers are going to tell on us; take it to the bank.

Proposition:

Page 62 par 3: "Alexander Campbell wrote a lengthy treatise on Rom.8:17-27, to prove that the context of this entire section referred to the groanings and intercessions of the human spirit and not of the Holy Spirit."

Objection:

Since Alexander Campbell was a denominational preacher and the founder of the Christian Church, I put no stock at all in what he says. Let us look at the lawsuit between the Christian Church and the Church of Christ. This is only a fragment of the court proceedings, but it is enough.

76 Northeastern Reporter Pages 703-707

Christian Church of Sand Creek et al. vs. Church of Christ of Sand Creek et al.

Supreme Court of Illinois Feb. 21, 1906

"The division heretofore referred to from that time forward seems to have spread, and at the time this suit was commenced, the evidence shows the followers of Alexander Campbell had divided upon these lines to such an extent that one faction in the church was characterized progressives and the other conservatives; the members favoring the more liberal view being called "Progressives," while those entertaining the more conservative view were called "Antis." The persons entertaining the progressive view appear latterly to have usually favored and taken in their church organization the name "Christian Church," while those favoring the conservative view have taken the name "Church of Christ" as the name of their church organizations."

"It is, however, urged that the great majority of the church congregations which are professed followers of Alexander Campbell have adopted, in practice, the innovations from the practice of which defendants in error hold aloof, and that the plaintiffs in error are in accord with the spirit of a more enlightened age than the defendants in error, that their practices are in harmony with the later teachings of Alexander Campbell himself upon the subjects upon which they differ in their practices and belief from the defendants in error."

This is not hearsay, but court documents. Enough said!

The Bethany College in West Virginia was founded by Alexander Campbell and affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) from its inception in 1840. The Bethany College web site states that Campbell was its first president and one of its principle founders.

So much for Alexander Campbell.

Proposition:

Page 63 par 3: "The first seven verses of chapter 4 compare Judaism with the position of a minor who had not reached the status of sonship---an heir apparent who was yet a minor. But having been redeemed from the law they had "received the adoption of sons," and God had sent the spirit of sonship into their hearts, calling God Father."

Objection:

Gal 4:6-7 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father......Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Denominational preachers explain verses away, but never like this. The average length of a word in the new testament is five letters; God arranged his law with such simplicity so as to safeguard against the likes of this. Even a babe in Christ can understand that the Spirit of God's Son is the Spirit of God's Son and not the spirit of sonship.

Proposition:

Page 67 par 4: "The ye and the we of this passage meant the apostles and the Ephesians. In the miraculous period of the church it proceeded from the apostles to the church through inspiration; that period have been closed, the avenue through which it flows now is the word of truth, making no distinctions."

Objection:

Eph 1:13-14 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,......Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

Wallace was saying, that only the apostles and the early church were sealed by the Holy Spirit, but we today are sealed by the word of God. He got that out of the bible, because for sure he did not get it in the bible.

Proposition:

Page 69 par 3: "The apostle answers that question in 1Cor.12:13: "For by one Spirit (the teaching of the Spirit) we are all baptized into one body (the church,)"

Objection:

I have always believed that baptism is immersion, but I guess I was wrong. I now learn that immersion of the Holy Spirit is not immersion, but teaching. Therefore, all one has to do to be baptized of the Holy Spirit, is to be taught by the Spirit. Not really.

Without any question, all life is created by the Holy Spirit, whether physical or spiritual. This truth must first be established before we can continue as to how and when we are immersed by the Holy Spirit into one body.

Psa 104:29-30 "Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust......Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."

Job 33:4 "The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."

The key to understanding this vital and controversial but deep subject lies within just what our Lord said;

John 3:3-6 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God......Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?.....Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God......That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

From the fall of Adam and Eve to the coming of Abraham, the whole world layed in wickedness. From Abraham and his seed, God would select a chosen people who would be different from the rest of the nations and in their generations he would be their God and Savior. The only requirement for admission into this great nation was by reason of being born into it by natural birth. However, God brought an abrupt end to this rebellious and stiffnecked people by the death of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem.

Since God uses the natural birth to bring the creatures made in his image and likeness into the world, he continues in that same mode of operation. But now, instead of choosing a kingdom by reason of natural birth into it, he offers citizenship into this new kingdom by reason of spiritual birth. Instead of one select kingdom chosen from among the entire world, God has granted citizenship into this new kingdom by any who meets the criterion for entry by the guidelines established by Christ its King. This really is what the new spiritual birth is all about. In regards to this spiritual kingdom, the apostle Peter had this to say:

1 Pet 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

Our concern here is that which is born of the Spirit and not the flesh. Without question, it is a birth, but cannot be seen with the naked eye, because it is spirit. The spiritual creation of God is in complete harmony with the natural that God began with Adam. The material used by God to create Adam parallels that with which he makes the spiritual creature.

Gen 2:21-24 "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;.....And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man......And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man......Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

First, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; second, he took a rib from his side; third, Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; fourth, this new creature was called a woman; last, Adam and Eve became one flesh. We shall see how that God makes the identical, but we who are spiritual as one flesh with Christ as his second great creation on the earth.

1 Cor 15:45-48 "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit......Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual......The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven......As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."

The question is how and when are we made in the spiritual likeness of Christ?

Eph 5:29-32 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:.....For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones......For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh......This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

Now we know how we are made in the spiritual likeness of Eve. God caused a deep sleep to come upon Christ at the crucifixion; next, he took of the blood and water that flowed from his side and with it he created a woman who is the wife of Christ. Without any controversy, we are married to Christ to bring forth fruit unto God, Rom.7:4. This is a great mystery that Paul spoke of, but nonetheless true.

We are a little closer to understanding how we are born of the Spirit, but not quite there yet.

1 John 5:6-8 "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth......For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one......and there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

The three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood are completely compatible and necessary for the formation of the newborn babe. A body without a spirit is lifeless and therefore, it is incumbent that the spiritual offspring of Christ have a spirit and that is the Holy Spirit.

Rom 6:3-4 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized (immersed) into Jesus Christ were baptized (immersed) into his death?.....Therefore we are buried with him by baptism (immersion) into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Jesus shed his blood and water in his death, whereas, we are immersed by the Spirit into the elements which form the child. Therefore, there are two things that occur simultaneously, that is, we are buried in water that equals the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, while at the same time we are immersed by the Spirit into the water and blood of Christ. All of this combined equals a birth. If not, why not? Understand it or not, we are of the Lord's body, his flesh and of his bones.

1 Cor 6:16 "What? know ye not that he which is joined (unite one's self to) to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh......But he that is joined (unite one's self to) unto the Lord is one spirit."

Here Paul contrasts a man who is joined to a harlot as one flesh, to a man who is joined to the Lord as one Spirit. So just as our fleshly bodies consist of body and spirit, so does the new man in Christ consist of body (of Christ) and Spirit (of Christ). Amen

Col 2:12-13 "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead......And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"

Thayer's rendition of the Greek word for "operation" is, "working, efficiency. In the N.T. used only of superhuman power whether of God or the devil." Meaning that this operation compares with that of Adam. Half-truth is not as good as whole truth and the real story will never be told if we do not begin to tell it. The ritual act of baptism as to what they can only see with the eye is about all that people understand today. But, that which is born of the Spirit is not felt, seen, or told; just as the Lord said, it is like the wind, you don't know where it came from, nor can you tell where it is going. In other words, we cannot prove by our senses that we have the Spirit of God any more than we can prove that we have a spirit.

There are multitudes of members of the church who deny that they are new creatures in Christ, but they will answer for that in the Day of Judgment.

The following scriptures will end this segment of our discussion:

1 Pet 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

1 Pet 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:"

2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Eph 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Proposition:

Page 80 par 2,3,4: "The announcement of John the Baptist, the promise of Christ to the apostles, and the Lord's teaching concerning the presence, power and performance of the Holy Spirit were all Pentecost pointers......First of all in this consideration was the announcement of the forerunner in Luke 3:16-17......That John's announcement of the Holy Spirit applied only to the apostles, and pointed to Pentecost, is settled by the Lord himself in Acts 1:4-5."

Objection:

There is absolutely nothing said of the apostles by John in Luke 3:1-18, nor any of the other gospel accounts. But, Luke's record was not specific as is the account of Matthew. The denominational society believes everything that the preacher says and most members of the church are the same way. How do I know? I read the commendatory at the end of this book. We have quoted Acts 17:11, hundreds of times to check out teaching to see if it be so and this is what we will do.

Under no consideration was Wallace going to use Matthew's account.

Mat 3:1-11 "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,.....And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand......For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight......And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey......Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,.....And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins......But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?.....Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:.....And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham......And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire......I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

Now we get the real picture and it is easy to follow. Now to get down to the nitty gritty; verse 7 begins John's dialog with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Verse 7, "who hath warned "YOU" to flee from the wrath to come."

Verse 9, "And think not to say within "YOURSELVES", for I say unto "YOU."

Verse 11, "I indeed baptize "YOU" with water, "he shall baptize "YOU" with the Holy Ghost and with fire."

Who did John say the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire? THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES! If you want to deny that you are treading on dangerous ground.

There were Pharisees who accepted the truth and believed, Acts 15:5. However, on the other hand, the baptism of fire here is pointed directly at the Sadducees, because they did not believe in the resurrection, angel, or spirit, Acts 23:8. The Sadducees were as Jude says, twice dead plucked up by the roots.

Now to prove the doctrine is false that John was talking to the apostles in any of the gospel accounts:

The apostles of Christ did not exist as apostles until after Jesus was baptized of John, Matt.3:13-17.

They did not exist until after Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness 40 days and afterward, tempted of the devil, Matt.4:1-11.

They did not exist until at least 40 days plus after Jesus began to preach the gospel of the kingdom, Matt.4:12-17.

They did exist with the selection of the first two, Simon and Andrew, Matt.4:18-19.

I dare any man no matter how many Doctor of Philosophy skins he has hanging on his wall to prove otherwise! One of the most disgusting things that I have ever read by former preacher "Greats" is that they say, that John was speaking to the apostles, or at least they were in some group huddled up somewhere apart from the rest of the multitude.

Proposition:

Page 82 par 2: "The Lord did not teach his apostle "all things" or "all truth" while he was with them---this he said in chapter 16:16: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" but when "the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth." It is therefore reserved for the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of inspiration, to reveal to the apostles the things that the Lord had not himself told them, and thus complete the gospel plan of salvation."

Objection:

I have run into more than one preacher who did not understand how both testaments of God were given, nor do they know when. Obviously, Wallace was in the dark also.

Heb 9:15-19 "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance......For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator......For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth......Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood......For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,"

Wallace said that a part of the new testament was not given until after Jesus died, but that the Comforter would complete the gospel plan of salvation. If we understand anything at all about a testament, we know that a testament is not of force until after the death of the testator. That is exactly what Paul said in the verses just listed. Wallace diabolically opposed just what Paul said. Nothing can be added to a will or testament after men are dead, otherwise, someone has come in unlawfully and defaced it. The testament of Moses was not in force while he lived and neither was the testament of Christ!

The testament (will) of Christ was opened on the day of Pentecost and began to be read. To say that the Lord had many things to say unto them of which they could not handle at the time, applied to doctrine or truth is reading something into the Lord's mind that Wallace could not prove and also rupturing the common law regarding wills and testaments. It is certain that it was not additional testament, so therefore, it could have been only advice, warnings, etc. Christ changed nor added nothing to his testament after he died, but the format is a little different.

Proposition:

Page 87 par 2: "If Cornelius had been baptized in the Holy Spirit he would have possessed all powers imparted by it and belonging to it, and he would not have been inferior to the apostles of Christ in any respect."

Objection:

Wallace keeps saying that it is mandatory for those who are baptized by (he says in) the Holy Spirit to possess all powers of the Spirit. He never once produced any scripture that even hinted such. This idea was only a figment of his imagination.

Proposition:

Page 91 par 2: "A frequently misconstrued passage is Hebrews 6:4-6:.....The first verses of chapter six enumerate a category of ordinances that once had their place in the elder dispensation which had been nullified at the cross and had no part in the new covenant. The mention of the first principles in verse 1, referred to the rudiments or elements of Judaism as in Galatians 4:1-4, which were fundamental or rudimentary to the new covenant, in the same way that Paul in Galatians 3:24-25 affirmed that "the law was our schoolmaster (tutor) to bring us unto Christ." The Hebrews were exhorted to leave these first principles of the Mosaic law, or Judaism, and "go on unto perfection"---in the new covenant. Identifying the obsolete ordinances the apostle named repentance from dead works---the sacrificial system; and faith toward God---before Christ came; and the doctrine of baptisms---the plural washings of the Mosaic law; and laying on of hands---the priestly ceremonies of the tabernacle services; and of the resurrection of the dead---reviving the dead ordinances of Judaism; and of eternal judgment---the annual renewing of sins without remission. The existing threat was the defection from the new covenant to the abrogated law of Moses, which appeared to have endangered even some of the spiritually endowed teachers among them. But if they should thus fall away from the new covenant and return to the old order, it would be impossible for them to obtain the renewing again unto repentance from the relegated altars. The Mosaic altars were no longer efficacious, and there was nothing to which they could return. The impossibility of being renewed unto the repentance of this passage refers to the obsolete altars of Judaism and not to an unpardonable sin that someone may mysteriously commit."

Objection:

The elements or rudiments of the world was in no way the rudiments of Judaism. The elements of the world are the sinful acts of the world. To whom was Paul speaking, Jews or Gentiles? Let's find out:

Gal 4:1-4 "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;.....But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father......Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:.....But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"

Gal.4:8-9 "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods......But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"

The muddy water that we have been trying to see through just got real clear. Paul was speaking to the Gentiles who had previously served other gods which were no gods and they were in the rudiments of the world of which Paul asked, why turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements.

Gal 3:10-13 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them......But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith......And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them......Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

Rom 7:5 "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

Rom 6:14-15 "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace......What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."

Wallace said the rudiments or elements in Gal.4:1-4 were fundamental or rudimentary to the new covenant. God forbid that the elements of the world that the Gentiles were sold under were fundamental to the new covenant. If there was such a thing as the first principles of the law of Moses, it was the Ten Commandments. The rest of his quotation regarding the return to the altars of Judaism is not even worthy of a comment, however, I will prove that the apostle Paul was among those mentioned in Heb.6:4-6, if he had fallen away.

1 Cor 9:16-17 "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!.....For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me."

Woe unto Paul if he preached not the gospel, or if he preached it unwillingly. What would happen to him? There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins! Under no circumstance does Heb.6:4-6, apply to anyone today, because none of us fall into that category of receiving those things by the supernatural powers of God.

Proposition:

Page 95 par 1: "In the acceptance of it the word of God was glorified, and in the repudiation of it the Holy Spirit was blasphemed."

Objection:

I wondered for years where members of the church got the idea that rejection of the word of God is blasphemy. Now I know. It is the accepted belief among members of the church. Jesus said that blasphemy is speaking against (Matt.12:31-32); Wallace and others say it is rejection. Who is not telling the truth? You figure it out.

Proposition:

Page 96 par 1: "---for the personal habitation of the Holy Spirit would mean personal Holy Spirit guidance in thought, words and deeds, the logical conclusion of which would necessarily prohibit and prevent apostasy, making it impossible for one so possessed to fall from grace."

Objection:

We just read 1Cor.9:16-17, but we will read it again.

1 Cor 9:16-17 "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!.....For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me."

Beyond any shadow of doubt, Paul was endowed with the Holy Spirit. However, in his own words, he could have fallen from grace regardless of what Wallace said.

Conclusion:

Click to Return to Articles Page