WE know from the Word of inspiration that power “belongeth unto God;” that indeed, “there is no power but of God.” Psalm 62:11; Romans 13:1.
God upholds all things by “the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:3. “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things,” and “in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:25, 28.
Earthly power is the power of God, perverted by sin. The Creator so respects man’s free will, that he gives him power to do that which is contrary to the divine will. This power however is limited; but God gives man unlimited power to do that which is according to his will.
The unlimited power of God is manifested through the Holy Spirit. And therefore it is written of the work of God, “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.”
The Holy Spirit is the embodiment of unlimited power, and unlimited power is the natural heritage of beings created in the image of God. But unlimited power can safely be entrusted only to one whose will is in perfect harmony with the will of God. An unsanctified will joined with unlimited power would be a worse combination than is represented by the prince of evil.
But God, having unlimited power himself, does not selfishly withhold that power from all others, or from all save afavored few, but wills that all shall receive this power. Whether it is received or not, is a matter [519] determinded wholly by the will of the individual. And therefore there is no reason why the life of every person should not be full of the manifestation of unlimited power, save that the individual wills not to receive it, by willing not to walk in the way of righteousness and life. There is no reason why any individual should not possess unlimited power, by seeking to the right Source for it, upon the right conditions. And especially is there no reason why the church, set in the world expressly to accomplish the purposes of God, should seek to legislatures and political bodies for the power of which it feels in need.
So desirous is God that his creatures of the human family should be endued with this power, that he has poured out his Spirit upon all flesh; for thus was it prophesied of the last days. Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:17. It is poured out, and is waiting only to be received by such as will receive it. And only such can receive it in its refreshing fullness as are fully sanctified to the will of God. For to bestow unlimited power upon one not thus sanctified, would be to set the seal of God—his full approval—upon something that is unlike him, and cause him to deny himself. It is because the Holy Spirit is the embodiment of unlimited power that it sets the seal of God upon him who receives it.
God bids his church to be filled with power; not from the legislatures of earth, not from any political source, but “from on high,” from his own throne. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and all the works of God proclaim his power, which is the same power that is “unto salvation” to them that believe, which is unlimited power—the Holy Spirit. All the handiwork of God joins in the invitation to man, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Without this no man can fight the battle that is not with flesh and blood, but with “spiritual wickedness.” And in these “last days,” in the climax of the long conflict between good and evil, crises are to be met in which only unlimited power can suffice to guard the soul from destruction.
Then let the church, and every individual for himself, remember now “the promise of the Father,” and seek for power from on high. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”