My Dad's birthday was yesterday. One of his favorite subjects to study is the Holy Spirit, especially in regards to indwelling, so I wanted to get him a book on the subject as a gift. He has virtually every readily available book on the subject as far as I can tell, but I was able to find a small independent publisher who has started reproducing a book that has been out of print for several decades, and it's one Dad didn't have.
The Spirit and the Word , written in 1905 by James Crawford Holloway, an elder in a Disciples of Christ congregation (which to my understanding, was at that time teaching a restoration of New Testament Christianity alongside those identifying as Church of Christ and Christian Church, though since then they have broken off from the Church and become a denomination). Holloway took the stance that the Holy Spirit does not actually "live" inside of a Christian. Holloway in one 1905 article stated:
That since revelation was completed, the Spirit works through, in and by the Word as the only medium. My teaching inspires profound respect for the record of the Spirit as the Word of God. It gives the system of human redemption . . . a most rational aspect, and enables men to grasp it. Reduced to an epitome, it is this: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONLY AUTHENTIC AGENT, THE WORDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THE ONLY MEDIUM. (Kingdom Come, p. 62)
This is a much debated subject that seems to evenly divide the brotherhood, with half believing the Holy Spirit dwells in us as an actual presence, and the other half believing that he lives in us in a more metaphorical sense. I have my opinions on the subject, but I view it as an interesting scholarly subject that is ultimately not very important to the welfare of one's soul, so I tend not to debate it one way or the other, except in small groups of level-headed brothers.
In Titus 3:9-11, we are told not to create "quarrels about the law" as they are unprofitable. I take this to mean that in areas that tend to create passionate debate, but aren't matters of salvation, we should avoid arguing these subjects in such a way that might introduce division into our congregation, or into the church as a whole. There seems to be a delicate balance here, between wanting to be as much like Jesus as possible, even in matters of liberty, and not wanting to offend a brother who might (possibly) have an incorrect understanding, but not in a matter that could threaten his spiritual welfare (1 Corinthians 8).
Getting back to the book "The Spirit and the Word", I did a little digging about the author, and found out that he had a rather dramatic back-and-forth with another brother, James A. Harding. There was a public debate between them, though I haven't been able to find any written dialog from it. There are a few quotes that have been recorded however that I find interesting.
In 1906 Harding stated:
I feel sorry for those who are afflicted by these dreadful, blighting, semi-infidel materialistic notions, that leave God, Christ, the Holy Spirit . . . wholly out of the Christian's life--for those who think all spiritual beings left us when the Bible was finished, and who think that we now have to fight the battle alone. Some of these people pray, but what they pray for is more than I can tell, unless it is for the 'reflex influence.' (Kingdom Come, p. 63)
Seems Harding was pretty passionate about his position. I wish I could find the dialog from the debate, I'm sure it was lively. I've read in a few places that Holloway thought that Harding was "a danger", and Harding thought that Holloway was "an example of rising deism among churches of Christ." When I read things like this, I have to wonder what arguments were happening in the first century church, and if this was the sort of thing Paul was warning against in Titus3:9-11 or Romans 16:17-18. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find this argument any more important than the argument in 1 Corinthians 3.
The Spirit and the Word , written in 1905 by James Crawford Holloway, an elder in a Disciples of Christ congregation (which to my understanding, was at that time teaching a restoration of New Testament Christianity alongside those identifying as Church of Christ and Christian Church, though since then they have broken off from the Church and become a denomination). Holloway took the stance that the Holy Spirit does not actually "live" inside of a Christian. Holloway in one 1905 article stated:
That since revelation was completed, the Spirit works through, in and by the Word as the only medium. My teaching inspires profound respect for the record of the Spirit as the Word of God. It gives the system of human redemption . . . a most rational aspect, and enables men to grasp it. Reduced to an epitome, it is this: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONLY AUTHENTIC AGENT, THE WORDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THE ONLY MEDIUM. (Kingdom Come, p. 62)
This is a much debated subject that seems to evenly divide the brotherhood, with half believing the Holy Spirit dwells in us as an actual presence, and the other half believing that he lives in us in a more metaphorical sense. I have my opinions on the subject, but I view it as an interesting scholarly subject that is ultimately not very important to the welfare of one's soul, so I tend not to debate it one way or the other, except in small groups of level-headed brothers.
In Titus 3:9-11, we are told not to create "quarrels about the law" as they are unprofitable. I take this to mean that in areas that tend to create passionate debate, but aren't matters of salvation, we should avoid arguing these subjects in such a way that might introduce division into our congregation, or into the church as a whole. There seems to be a delicate balance here, between wanting to be as much like Jesus as possible, even in matters of liberty, and not wanting to offend a brother who might (possibly) have an incorrect understanding, but not in a matter that could threaten his spiritual welfare (1 Corinthians 8).
Getting back to the book "The Spirit and the Word", I did a little digging about the author, and found out that he had a rather dramatic back-and-forth with another brother, James A. Harding. There was a public debate between them, though I haven't been able to find any written dialog from it. There are a few quotes that have been recorded however that I find interesting.
In 1906 Harding stated:
I feel sorry for those who are afflicted by these dreadful, blighting, semi-infidel materialistic notions, that leave God, Christ, the Holy Spirit . . . wholly out of the Christian's life--for those who think all spiritual beings left us when the Bible was finished, and who think that we now have to fight the battle alone. Some of these people pray, but what they pray for is more than I can tell, unless it is for the 'reflex influence.' (Kingdom Come, p. 63)
Seems Harding was pretty passionate about his position. I wish I could find the dialog from the debate, I'm sure it was lively. I've read in a few places that Holloway thought that Harding was "a danger", and Harding thought that Holloway was "an example of rising deism among churches of Christ." When I read things like this, I have to wonder what arguments were happening in the first century church, and if this was the sort of thing Paul was warning against in Titus3:9-11 or Romans 16:17-18. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find this argument any more important than the argument in 1 Corinthians 3.