Gane, Roy

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Andrews University

Andrews UniversityDigital Commons @ Andrews UniversityFaculty Publications Old TestamentJanuary 2009The Difference of Love, Joy, and PeaceRoy GaneAndrews University, gane@andrews.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/old-testament-pubsPart of the Biblical Studies CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Old Testament at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted forinclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contactrepository@andrews.edu.Recommended CitationGane, Roy, "The Difference of Love, Joy, and Peace" (2009). Faculty Publications. Paper 34.http://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/old-testament-pubs/345554“To be known and read” by all. . . .IF  YOU LIKE PERSPECTIVE DIGEST,  YOU'LL LOVE THE Your annual membership entitles you to:• A one-year subscription to the Journal of  the Adventist Theological Society, or Perspective Digest.• A subscription to the ATS newsletter, carrying announcements and informationabout ATS conventions, publications, and other activities.• Voting rights at the society's business sessions held at the spring and fall meetings.• Satisfaction that you are helping to affirm and advance solid, centristAdventist belief  in a church that is rapidly becoming theologically diverse.Name___________________________________________Address_________________________________________City_______________________State_____Zip_________send me application materials to join the Adventist Theological Society.Mail to: ATS, P.O. Box 86,Berrien Springs, MI 49103ATS encourages bibli-cal, theological, and histor-ical studies that will helpbring about spiritual re viv -al and reformation withinthe church. It provides aplace for its current mem-bership of  nearly 2,000 church admin-istrators, scholars, pastors, and laypeople to address vital questions of  theAdventist faith in the context ofprayer, fellowship, and re-sponsible discussion. ATS sponsors conven-tions, scholarly presenta-tions, Bible conferences, andpublications all ground edon two great  interests: Theauthority of  Scripture and the respon-sible principles of  biblical interpreta-tion that uphold, rather than compro-mise, biblical authority.ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SOCIETYYes, Member dues are $25 for an individual; $35 for husband/wife; and $10 for retirees and students.A dynamic organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental beliefs of  Seventh-day Adventists and strengthening the heart of  Adventist theology.ut the fruit of theSpirit is love, joy,peace, longsuffer-ing, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control.Against such there is no law” (Gal.5:22, 23, NKJV).1After reading Acts 1–2, we wouldexpect the fruit of the Spirit to bepower for witness to God. Jesuspromised His followers just beforeHe ascended to heaven: “‘You shallreceive power when the Holy Spirithas come upon you; and you shall bewitnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and inall Judea and Samaria, and to theend of the earth’” (Acts 1:8). On theday of Pentecost, Christ’s gift of theSpirit came with a roaring soundlike rushing wind, tongues of fire,and miraculous ability to speak mes-sages from God in unlearned lan-guages (2:2-4). This was partial ful-fillment of Joel’s prediction thatGod’s people would convey revela-tions from Him (Joel 2:28-32).Though we cannot see the Spirit,we can discern the influence of Hisdivine presence (John 3:8). In thatsense the Spirit is like“wind” (same word forboth in Hebrew andGreek). As wind can beforceful, so can the Spirit.Thus the Spirit impelledand empowered ancient Israelite de-liverers to defeat powerful oppres-sors.But Elijah learned that God’spresence can also come quietly andgently. When the Lord passed byhim, there was a Category 5 tornadoforce wind that ripped into themountains and split rocks like an in-visible jackhammer. Cowering andattempting to shelter himself fromflying debris, Elijah expected God tostep out of the wind. But the Lordwas not in the wind any more than afreight train is in the rush of air thatresults from its passing by.Then the prophet was jolted by aseismic shudder as a violent earth-quake grated its way up the Richterscale. But the Lord was not in thisphenomenon any more than a bron-tosaurus was in the shaking causedby its footsteps.Next Elijah started to sweat fromBT H E  P R E S I D E N T ’ S  D E S KRoy E. GaneTHE DIFFERENCEOF LOVE,JOY, AND PEACE“57equivalent of the holy of holies. Sothat is where we need to go by faithto receive the Holy Spirit fromChrist. Ellen G. White recognizedthis and saw that those who do notfollow Christ there, as if He were stillengaged in an earlier phase of salva-tion at a throne outside the mostholy place, miss out on the gift of thetrue Spirit: “There [in the holiestpart of the heavenly temple] I beheldJesus, a great High Priest, standingbefore the Father. On the hem of Hisgarment was a bell and a pomegran-ate, a bell and a pomegranate. Thosewho rose up with Jesus would sendup their faith to Him in the holiest,and pray, ‘My Father, give us ThySpirit.’ Then Jesus would breatheupon them the Holy Ghost. In thatbreath was light, power, and muchlove, joy, and peace.”2The difference between the twogroups is that those who follow Jesusall the way receive the fruit of theSpirit. Satan can counterfeit lightand power, which gives the impres-sion of the Spirit. But Satan wouldnot want to give love, joy, and peaceeven if he could because he is op-posed to these attitudes. If he can getpeople to believe that they have theSpirit when they really do not, theywill fail to recognize their lack andwill live in harmony with Satan’scharacter. Satiated with spiritualjunk food, they will die of starvationfor real nutrition from heaven.Without love, joy, and peace, theywill also disrupt unity and happinessin the “Christian” community andthereby give God a bad name.Seventh-day Adventists uniquelybelieve that Christ is presently carry-ing out the last stage of atonement inthe most holy place of the heavenlysanctuary. So we, of all people, knowwhere to receive the Holy Spirit fromChrist, where He is ministering rightnow. Therefore, we should see anoverflowing of love, joy, peace, andthe other fruits of the Spirit in ourlives, congregations, and organiza-tions. These attitudes, which fosterheavenly unity among God’s truepeople, witness to the truth andpresence of Christ like nothing else.They provide the kinds of relationalreconciliation for which the worldcraves, and which prepare people forChrist’s second coming—reconcilia-tion by an end-time equivalent toElijah.So what do we actually see in ourlives, congregations, and organiza-tions? Do we see warmth or cold-ness, tenderness or harshness, pa-tience or paranoia, Christlikeness orcriticism, true unselfishness or toxic,ungenerous self-promotion at theexpense of others? The list of con-trasts could go on and on. It is notparticularly disturbing to see thesewords by themselves and savor theirrhetorical effect. But when we attachto them names, dates, and faces, es-pecially our own, the picture dark-ens and we cry out with Isaiah: “So I56the blazing heat of a roaring fire.Surely God would be in the fire, asHe was in the burning bush that ap-peared to Moses, the pillar of firethat guided and protected the Is-raelites at night, and the display ofglory that attended His proclama-tion of the Ten Commandments.But the Lord Himself was not in thisfire any more than a rocket is in thefire that follows it.After the fire there was a “stillsmall voice. So it was, when Elijahheard it, that he wrapped his face inhis mantle and went out and stoodin the entrance of the cave. Suddenlya voice came to him, and said, ‘Whatare you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings19:12, 13). The implication is thatGod was in the still small voice, thegentle whisper.Unlike forces such as wind, earth-quakes, and fires, a voice comes froma person and communicates fromone mind to another. Such personalcommunication is so basic to thedivine-human relationship thatChrist is called the “Word” (John 1).Powerful displays of impersonalforces can play an important role bygetting our attention, but we mustthen keep listening and tune in to alower decibel level in order to hearwhat is really important: God’s “still,small voice.”God’s voice gave Elijah instruc-tions for what he was to do. Butthere is another dimension of trans-fer from God’s mind to ours. Notonly do we need directions to guideour actions and thoughts, we alsoneed attitudes in harmony withGod’s attitudes. Attitudes are thesource of more specific thoughtsand of actions. Without God’s atti-tudes, we cannot do what He asks usto do, even if we want to.This is where the Holy Spiritcomes in. As God’s voice gentlytransferred a message to Elijah, sothe Spirit teaches us. But the Spiritdoes more: He quietly pours God’slove into the hearts of those who re-ceive Christ by faith. Love is the all-embracing, foundational attitude ofGod’s eternal relational characterand the over-arching principle ofHis will as conveyed to us in Scrip-ture. Love is the mother of all virtuesand never comes without its chil-dren. So the “fruit of the Spirit” isnot only love, but also “joy, peace,longsuffering, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(Gal. 5:22, 23).We receive the Holy Spirit fromChrist, where He is now. After Jesusrose from the dead, He breathed onHis disciples in order to give themthe Holy Spirit so that they couldrepresent Him to the world. Butwhen Christ ascended to heaven andbegan ministering as High Priest inGod’s heavenly temple, He gave theSpirit in much fuller measure.Now Christ is carrying out thefinal phase of atonement, which isheadquartered in the heavenly58said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone!Because I am a man [or woman] ofunclean lips, And I dwell in themidst of a people of unclean lips’”(Isa. 6:5).Yes, the Holy Spirit is activeamong us, and we praise God forthat. But a key effect of the Spirit isto make us thirst for more of Him byconvicting us of sin, righteousness,and judgment. Intellectually, weknow the wonderful doctrine ofwhere to receive the Spirit fromChrist. But this doctrine will make adifference in our lives only as itguides our experience. Knowing thelocation of water is crucial, but wedie of thirst unless we go there andactually drink.Let us daily go to the Source anddrink deeply of the Spirit throughprayer, not only talking to God, butwaiting in silence and faith for Hispresence and influence. He is eagerto fill us not only with His kind oflight and power, but also with love,joy, and peace!Intellectually, we know the wonderful doctrine of where to receive the Spirit from Christ. But this doctrine will make adifference in our lives only as it guides our experience. Knowing the location of water is crucial, but we die of thirst unless we gothere and actually drink.REFERENCES1 All Bible texts in this article are quotedfrom the New King James Version.2 Early Writings, pp. 55, 56. 

The Difference of Love, Joy, and Peace

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