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The Word and the Spirit came together in the book of Acts.

Word—logos—in classical Greek meant “faculty of thought or reason.” Which comes first in order—the Word or the Spirit?

It was the word of Jesus that told His followers to “tarry”—“wait”—in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). You could say that the Word comes first in order. But on the Day of Pentecost (fifty days after Passover), the Spirit came in power:

Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:2-4).

Peter stood up to explain to curious Jews what had happened. The same Peter who cowardly denied knowing Jesus just a few weeks before now spoke with confidence, boldness, and utter fearlessness. He explained the amazing phenomenon that got everybody’s attention—people speaking in other languages and understanding foreign words in their own language—was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Peter quoted from the prophet Joel, then applied the word to the person of Jesus who had recently been crucified by the Jews (see Joel 2:28-32). Peter said that all went according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). He then quoted the words of David from Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 (see Acts 2:25-35). Such power accompanied Peter’s words that hostile Jews were now “cut to the heart” and became compliant and begged to know, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Three thousand were baptized (see Acts 2:41).

This was the first time, as far as I can tell, that the Word and Spirit came together at the same time. One could make the case that all that Jesus ever did was simultaneously the Word and Spirit at work. “The words that I have spoken to you,” said Jesus, “are spirit and life” (John 6:63). One could make the case that the ministry of Moses—and Elijah—was Word and Spirit ministry. In any case, it was the biblical preaching of Peter accompanied with Holy Spirit power that explains the initial success of the earliest church. The word church comes from ecclesia—meaning “the called out,” referring to people, not a building.

Peter continued to minister in power. Joined by John, a forty-year-old man who had never walked was miraculously healed. It gave the Jerusalem church a platform. Most of the converts on the Day of Pentecost were from outside Jerusalem. Instead of allowing the crowds to focus on Peter and John, they used the occasion to preach the gospel (see Acts 3:12ff). The number of the converts “came to about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). The more the early church was persecuted, the more power it had. The people prayed aloud simultaneously, and not only was the place where they prayed “shaken,” but they were filled again with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). It shows that being filled with the Spirit can be repeated. When Ananias and Sapphira lied about the money they took in from the property they sold, Peter saw through them. The husband and wife were both struck dead by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:1-11). People who wanted to be healed tried just to get in Peter’s shadow (see Acts 5:15).

Isaac and a New Level of Power

You may ask whether I believe this level of power will come with the coming of Isaac. I answer yes. Imagine the glory it will bring to God when the Church in our time demonstrates power like this! All this will be done while Jesus is seated on His throne at the right hand of God.

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was a demonstration of the Word and Spirit. On his way to kill Christians, Saul was knocked to the ground by the Spirit. Jesus Himself spoke to Saul, and Saul, who later became known as Paul, became willing to do whatever Jesus ordered (see Acts 9:1-9). I fully expect that the next move of God will result in the conversion of surprising and most unlikely people—fierce God-haters, politicians, tramps, Muslims, Jews, billionaires, and movie stars.

Paul was a Word and Spirit man. It was he who articulated the teaching of justification by faith. He taught all over the Mediterranean area, founding churches in Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Philippi, and Thessalonica. He healed a man who had been paralyzed (see Acts 14:10). He also raised a man from the dead (see Acts 20:10).

Paul said to the Thessalonians, “Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:5). When Paul said that, he implied that he could have preached without power. Did Paul ever preach without power? I have no idea. But he might have.

I certainly have. If I am totally honest, I have preached many more times without power than the times I have preached with a measure of power. On the other hand, it is possible that I preached with power when I didn’t “feel” it. I know what it is to feel I preached pitifully and with no power—only to discover later someone was converted. It is also possible I only imagined I preached with power because I felt good in preaching!

In Miletus, Paul addressed the elders of Ephesus who came to him there. He warned of “fierce wolves” coming to Ephesus, “not sparing the flock,” even saying “from among your own selves” would come men twisting things to get their own disciples (Acts 20:29-30). Some thirty years later, Jesus Himself addressed the church of Ephesus from the right hand of God. He complimented them for a number of things but noted that they had lost their first love (see Rev. 2:4). We can safely say that Ephesus was a Word and Spirit church at one time. But what did Jesus mean by their losing their first love? Was it their emphasis on the Word that diminished—or did Jesus mean a diminishing spiritually? Or zeal?

Paul reminded them that they were saved by “grace through faith” and not of works lest they boast (see Eph. 2:8-9). Paul had equally warned them about grieving the Spirit (see Eph. 4:30). He also urged them to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). I cannot say for sure whether losing their first love was a theological backsliding—that is, of their upholding the gospel—or a spiritual backsliding—that is, their having a form of godliness without the power (as prophesied by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-9). I do know that scholarly studies on the “doctrines of grace in the apostolic fathers” (e.g., second-century teachers) have shown that Christian teaching appeared to indicate minimal understanding of sovereign grace, but that Christianity had degenerated to mere morality. Indeed, it was not until the time of Athanasius (c. 296–373) and Augustine (354–430) that the Christian faith reflected the teachings of John and Paul.

There are churches today where people only anticipate a word. There are churches where people go to see—that is, to see a miracle. We saw some at Westminster Chapel. But people mostly came not to see but to hear. “Thank you for your word,” they would say. That is what they came for; that is what they got. There are churches where people don’t expect to hear much; they come to see. But, as Lyndon Bowring put it, when the Word and Spirit come together—when Isaac comes of age— those who come to see will hear, and those who come to hear will see.

A Silent Divorce

In my address at the Wembley Conference Centre in 1992, I stated that there has been a “silent divorce” between the Word and the Spirit in the Church, speaking generally. The reason I call it silent is that we don’t know when it happened. Was it before the end of the first century? Was it when people like B. B. Warfield (1851–1921) brought in the teaching of cessationism? Cessationism is the theory that some people turned into a dogma, namely, a false teaching that claims that the gifts of the Spirit “ceased” after the first century. It is utterly without scriptural foundation. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the same yesterday and today and forever! The notion of cessationism—normative theology for some—quenches the Spirit before the Holy Spirit is welcomed!

In a divorce, sometimes the children stay with the mother; sometimes the children stay with the father. In this silent divorce, there have been those who are on the Word side and those who are on the Spirit side.

What is the difference? Word people say that the honor of God’s name will not be restored until we get back to solid theology. We must earnestly “contend for the faith … once … delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Word people say that we must get back to Bible preaching, knowing our doctrine such as justification by faith, assurance of salvation, and the sovereignty of God.

What is wrong with this emphasis? Absolutely nothing. It was the teaching of Paul, Peter, John, Athanasius, Augustine, the Reformers, and people like Jonathan Edwards.

Spirit people say that we must get back to the book of Acts where there were signs wonders and miracles, gifts of the Spirit in operation. Get in Peter’s shadow, and you get healed. Lie to the Holy Spirit, and you are struck dead.

What is wrong with this emphasis on the Spirit? Absolutely nothing. It is what is truly needed.

There have been brief epochs in church history when the power of the Spirit in miracles was seen. I urge you to read Jack Deere’s book Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. There is evidence that John Knox’s (c. 1514–1572) son-in-law raised a man from the dead.

The Word and Spirit were revived in some measure during the Wesleyan and Whitefield revivals in the eighteenth century. The Holy Spirit was powerfully present during the Welsh revival of 1904–1905. Dr. Lloyd-Jones used to enthrall me with stories that came out of the Welsh revival. He described a man who worked in a coal mine and came home from work to find his wife had not prepared his supper but was at church in the height of the revival. The man was so angry that he decided to go to the church and bust up the meeting. When he arrived at the church, he could not get in because it was so crowded at the door. Nevertheless, he pushed people back and made his way inside the church. The next thing he remembered was being on his knees in front of the pulpit asking God to save him! People who witnessed the scene said he literally walked on the top of each pew from the back to the front and fell before the pulpit in the front of the church. And yet, strange as it may seem, there was minimal preaching during the Welsh revival. This gave some Reformed people ammunition to oppose the Welsh revival. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also shared with me that one pastor who had vehemently criticized the Welsh revival was struck with blindness soon afterward.

The Spirit was powerfully present in the Pentecostal movement. One should be afraid to criticize it. Many in the charismatic movement were undoubtedly touched by the raw power of God. One should be afraid to criticize it.