Selections from the writings of G.W. North

Courtesy of the Bible Portal  

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A Land not Inhabited

He went to the cross knowing exactly what He must do. It had been talked about, thought through and prayed over again and again. On the Mount of Transfiguration He met Moses and Elijah, His glorified servants, to discuss with them the forthcoming event. He had looked radiantly lovely then, His face changed and His garments had shone with unearthly whiteness as they talked together of the departure He should accomplish at Jerusalem. Strangely enough the word they used while in conversation together about His death was 'exodus' or 'outgoing' (Gk.).

We can only conjecture what it may have meant to Moses, who led and wrote a book about the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, or to Elijah, in whose spirit John Baptist came to Jordan to introduce his Lord to Israel. We only know that to Jesus it meant something much more than either of His companions in glory could comprehend, or be expected to understand. Were they thinking and conversing with Him of His exodus from the world to the Father, or from the grave to glory with the multitude of captives released by Him from captivity? They may have been; it is quite likely that these things were referred to in course of conversation, but to Jesus, even if all the world should be gained thereby, such an exodus would not have been the greatest of all.

The heart that beat beneath His glistering robe was occupied with far more weighty and tragic things than those. For Him the exodus meant outgoing from God. All the world, the whole universe, and all eternity itself hinged on the moment when He should go out from God as did the scapegoat of old into 'a land not inhabited' — by God. It was the darkest moment of time, the black hole of the ages, the supreme test of God; but in Gethsemane, with face on the ground and body bathed with sweat, He finally attained unto it with strong crying and tears. Rising from the dust, Adam the second strode out triumphantly to accomplish God's will with stronger cries and blood at Calvary.

A Limited Gospel

The Samaritan believers were in a peculiar state at that time. Their position was not greatly unlike that of many to whom perhaps this same Philip had preached with like results whilst the Lord Jesus was yet on earth. Referring back to that period, we find that much the same kind of things were happening to people under the limited gospel the apostles and disciples were ministering then.

During those days not very long past people had received and believed the word of God, either from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself or from the chosen twelve or from the other seventy He later sent forth. Consequently they had entered into the kingdom benefits which were then available to faith. It really made no difference who was preaching; miracles were wrought, demons were cast out, the sick and the diseased and the palsied were healed, people believed, repented and were baptised in water in Jesus' name.

A Pearl of Great Price

The tragedy of the Corinthians was that they too were 'walking as men' (3:3). Seeking after wisdom, they almost certainly adored and used the gift, but only for their own carnal ends: 'the Greeks (Hellenists, Gentiles) seek after wisdom' Paul says. But as soon as this attitude is adopted toward any of the gifts, although they may seem to be powerful in operation and appear to hold their original God-given content in utterance, they are nevertheless empty shards; clouds without water; deceptions which in the end are sure to demonise and not spiritualise people. All such practice is really misuse, it is abuse of privilege, showmanship.

That such a thing should be is no less than tragic, for this most excellent pearl of wisdom, when set among the other 'precious stones' with which God adorns His temple, is at once seen to be absolutely unique. Wisdom is universally valued among men as the most precious pearl of all. How then could it be so debased? Perhaps we may allow ourselves to be taught a lesson from this. Certainly if we neglect what God here sets forth, we have little hope of pleasing Him, or of attaining to that manhood in Christ for which He pleads in 14:20 and 13:11, but instead must fail and, as the Corinthians were at that time, remain carnal, unspiritual babes (3:1-3).

Let us learn that because God, by Paul, says that the crucified Christ is His own power and wisdom, He is surely teaching us that our most powerful wisdom is to be crucified Christians. Let no man reject this truth through misunderstanding: a crucified man is not a dead man, he is eternally alive, living for ever as a crucified man. A man ceases to be a man if he be crucified and dead; he becomes by crucifixion a dead corpse, not a dead person. A crucified man is a living person who has gone through death, and behold he is alive for evermore! In truth there is no such person at all as an uncrucified Christian; to be a Christian, a person must have been personally crucified.

Beside this, God is also laying down a principle of truth for the operation of all the gifts, namely this: there is no power for good, nor is the wisdom of God in any of them either in themselves or in their use except it be the power and wisdom of Christ crucified. Wisdom of words makes the cross of Christ of none effect, so He says; flesh and not the Spirit is glorying if the cross be ineffective when the word of wisdom is in operation among us. It may achieve results in certain areas to limited degrees, but it cannot be of infinite value in the Spirit nor be to the glory of God.

A Permitted Divergence

By this we see how incongruous it was to the apostles that people should believe God's word and be baptised in water, and not at the same time, or during the same period, be baptised in Holy Spirit. We also see that they did not hesitate to set about rectifying the contradictory situation. This they did lest a permanent breach be made between two things that God has joined together, and irreparable doctrinal harm be done to truth and the Church. Nevertheless we may be thankful that this thing happened so soon in the history of the Church, for through this unintended divergence from God's new pattern, an opportunity is granted us to observe the major difference between water baptism and Baptism in the Spirit.

It is as though by this the Holy Ghost has for our sakes sharply distinguished between things that differ. He is showing us that although the fundamental experience of the Baptism in (with, by) the Holy Spirit is graphically portrayed unto us by the action entailed in baptism in water, it is not to be confused with it. It must not be thought that because a person is baptised in water, he or she is therefore baptised in Spirit. Not ten thousand immersions in water could give a person the Holy Ghost, as though it were then and only then or thereby that a person is or can be baptised in Spirit.

So here the two events are kept distinctly apart, lest that which took place at Jerusalem should cause confusion, and by false emphasis spread error for ever upon this earth where error more readily finds acceptance than truth. What God did at Samaria was for the benefit of the whole Church; perhaps not the least part of His reason for keeping these two things separate then, was for the sake of spiritual clarity.

For further selections from the writings of Mr. North’s go HERE