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Can we judge William Branham?: Difference between revisions
→What the Bible really teaches about judgment
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:''The '''spiritual person judges all things''', but is himself to be judged by no one.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 2:15.</ref> | :''The '''spiritual person judges all things''', but is himself to be judged by no one.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 2:15.</ref> | ||
::But the spiritual (pneumatikos) person, the one living in and by the Spirit, can make judgments about all things. Such a statement of course must not be wrested from its context. It is the Spirit who “searches all things, even the depths of God” (v. 10); therefore the person who has the Spirit can discern God’s ways by means of the indwelling Spirit. Not necessarily all things, of course, but all things that pertain to the work of salvation. | |||
::The person lacking the Spirit cannot discern what God is doing; the one with the Spirit is able to do so because of the Spirit; therefore, the one without the Spirit cannot “examine,” or “make judgments” on, the person with the Spirit. In its first instance this simply means that the person who belongs to this age is not in a position to judge as “foolish” the person who belongs to the age to come. | |||
::The one whose life has been invaded by the Spirit of God has the capacity to discern all things, including those without the Spirit; but the inverse is not possible. | |||
::Here is another sentence that, taken out of its context, has suffered much in the church. There are always some who consider themselves full of the Spirit in such a way as to be beyond discipline or the counsel of others. Such a reading of the text is an unfortunate travesty, since these people are usually among those most needing such discipline. | |||
::This passage has endured a most unfortunate history of application in the church. Paul’s own point has been almost totally lost in favor of an interpretation that is nearly 180 degrees the opposite of his. | |||
::Almost every form of spiritual elitism, which includes William Branham's message has appealed to this text. To receive the Spirit according to their special expression paves the way for people to know “deeper truths” about God. One special brand of this elitism surfaces among some who have pushed the possibilities of “faith” to the extreme, and regularly make a “special revelation” from the Spirit their final court of appeal. | |||
::Other “lesser” brothers and sisters are simply living below their full privileges in Christ. Indeed, some advocates of this form of spirituality in fact repeat the Corinthian error in its totality. What is painful about so much of this is not simply the improper use of this passage, but that so often it is accompanied by a toning down of the message of the cross, which lies at the very heart of this passage. In fact one is hard-pressed to hear the content of “God’s wisdom” ever expounded as the paradigm for truly Christian living. | |||
::Paul’s concern needs to be resurrected throughout the church. The gift of the Spirit does not lead to special status among believers; rather, it leads to special status vis-à-vis the world. But it should do so always in terms of the centrality of the message of our crucified/risen Savior. The Spirit should identify God’s people in such a way that their values and worldview are radically different from the wisdom of this age. They do know what God is about in Christ; they do live out the life of the future in the present age that is passing away; they are marked by the cross forever. As such they are the people of the Spirit, who stand in bold contrast to those who are merely human and do not understand the scandal of the cross. Being “S/spiritual” does not lead to elitism; it leads to a deeper understanding of God’s profound mystery—redemption through a crucified Messiah.<ref>Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., Revised Edition, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 126.</ref> | |||
:''Is it not those inside the church '''whom you are to judge?''' God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 5:12–13.</ref> | :''Is it not those inside the church '''whom you are to judge?''' God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 5:12–13.</ref> | ||