Power From On High

By Charles Finney

A selection of articles on the Spirit-filled life and other pertinent subjects by this great American evangelist. Edited for the modern reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CLC Publications
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781619581029

Charles Finney

Charles G. Finney became the greatest American preacher and theologian of the Nineteenth-Century. He traveled as an evangelist and revivalist in America and abroad, served in settled pastorates, taught as a professor of theology, promoted the abolition of slavery and equal rights, helped found and served as President of Oberlin College. Just as one cannot understand the Great Awakening without studying Jonathan Edwards, one cannot understand the great revivals and the theological and social movements in Nineteenth-Century America without studying Charles G. Finney. Because Finney's teachings remained true to the Bible and common sense, his message transformed thousands.James Gilcrist Lawson wrote about Charles Finney: "The writer is inclined to regard Charles G. Finney as the greatest evangelist and theologian since the days of the apostles. Over eighty-five in every hundred persons professing conversion to Christ in Finney's meetings remained true to God. Finney seems to have had the power of impressing the conscience with the necessity of holy living in such a manner as to procure the most lasting results."Finney served Oberlin College from 1835-1875. He was Oberlin College: Professor of Systematic Theology, 1835-58; Professor of Pastoral Theology, 1835-75; Member of Board of Trustees, 1846-51; Elected President of Oberlin College, August 26, 1851; President and ex officio Member Board of Trustees, 1851-65; Died Oberlin, Ohio, August 16, 1875.Finney's writings are most easily accessible and understood in his books: "Principles of Righteousness," Principles of Peace, "Principles of Joy in the Holy Spirit;" the three volumes in Finney's Lessons on Romans.

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Preface

CHARLES FINNEY lives on! Recently in Oregon I talked with a minister from Rochester, New York. In glowing terms he told me how that city recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of the great revivals under Finney. All churches joined the observance because those awakenings saturated and changed all classes of society, especially the higher classes. This tells us that in a great revival there is total coverage. The horizontal and human needs are met in a new way because the vertical working of God’s Spirit in the churches is so strong.

Rochester actually experienced three revivals under Finney. Let us highlight the first one of 1830. Rochester was then a young city, full of new enterprises and full of sin. Finney says the revival swept through the town and changed the great mass of the most influential people, both men and women. This included many physicians and merchants. A large number of leading New York State lawyers lived there, and many were converted. The revival remolded public sentiment, and public affairs came into the hands of Christians with the controlling influence of the community on the side of Christ. Powerful conversions resulted in new leaders who became salt and light for society.

A strange part of the whole story is that Rochester at the time was considered to be burnt-over revival territory. Finney at first had turned down the invitation to come to Rochester, favoring rather invitations to the larger cities—as New York or Philadelphia. And when he did arrive in Rochester he found religion in a very low state. The churches were suffering from divisions.

It was in the first Rochester revival that Finney introduced the anxious seat, inviting people to come forward to certain front seats to indicate a public renunciation of their sinful ways and a public committal of themselves to God. God gave immediate success to this step, and even the most influential heeded the call.

What brought on all this change? Behind it all was a prevailing spirit of prayer—not only prayer, but a strong and deep spirit of prayer, which continued to characterize the whole revival and carry it forward.

At a stop on the way to Rochester by canal boat a minister came aboard to converse briefly with Finney. Instead of getting off again he decided to go along to Rochester. As this man walked the streets there he began to weep and pray with a heavy burden: Lord, I do not know how it is, but I seem to know that You are going to do a great work in this city.

Finney says, The spirit of prayer was poured out powerfully, . . . so that some persons stayed away from the public services to pray, being unable to restrain their feelings under preaching.

The spirit of prayer in the churches was the secret. In that day, as in ours, many were in much darkness with regard to this greater praying. Finney says, There must be in the church a deeper sense of the need of the spirit of prayer.

It is not that our congregations are prayerless. But so seldom do we find a church with the spirit of prayer resting on the congregation. That is what is missing; that is what must come back. That is the revival we need.

Mr. Armin R. Gesswein

Reprinted from Alliance Life, February 1, 1984.

Used with permission.

1

Power From On High

AT A RECENT Council at Oberlin, I spoke twice on the subject of power from on high. My messages caused some misunderstandings which I found necessary to correct.

In my first remarks to my hearers I called attention to the mission of the Church to disciple all nations, as recorded by Matthew and Luke, and stated that this commission was given by Christ to the whole Church, and that every member of the Church is under obligation to make it his lifework to convert the world. I then raised two questions: (1) What do we need to secure success in this great work? (2) How can we get it?

Answer: 1. We need to be given power from on high. Christ had previously informed the disciples that without Him they could do nothing. When He gave them the commission to convert the world, He added, But tarry ye in Jerusalem till ye be endued with power from on high. Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Lo, I send upon you the promise of My Father. This baptism of the Holy Ghost, this thing promised by the Father, this gift of power from on high, Christ has expressly informed us is the indispensable condition of performing the work which He set before us.

2. How shall we get it? Christ expressly promised it to the whole Church, and to every individual whose duty it is to labor for the conversion of the world. He admonished the first disciples not to undertake the work until they had received this gift of power from on high. Both the promise and the admonition apply equally to all Christians of every age and nation. No one has, at any time, any right to expect success unless he first secures this gift of power from on high. The example of the first disciples teaches us how to secure this gift. They first consecrated themselves to this work, and continued in prayer and supplication until the Holy Ghost fell upon them on the Day of Pentecost, and they received the promised gift of power from on high. This, then, is the way to get it.

The Council desired me to say more upon this subject. Consequently, on the Lord’s Day, I took for my text the assertion of Christ that the Father is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than we are to give good gifts to our children.

1. I said, This text informs us that it is infinitely easy to obtain the Holy Spirit, or this gift of power from the Father.

2. That this is made a constant subject of prayer. Everybody prays for this, recurringly, and yet, with all this intercession, how few, comparatively, are really given this spiritual power from on high! This need is not met. The lack of power is a subject of constant complaint. Christ says, Everyone that asketh receiveth, but there certainly is a great gulf between the asking and receiving that is a great stumbling block to many. How, then, is this discrepancy to be explained? I then proceeded to show why this spiritual gift is not received. I said:

(1) We are not willing, on the whole, to have what we desire and ask.

(2) God has expressly informed us that if we regard iniquity in our hearts He will not hear us. But the petitioner is often self-indulgent. This is iniquity, and God will not hear him.

(3) The petitioner is uncharitable.

(4) He is censorious.

(5) He is self-dependent.

(6) He resists conviction of sin.

(7) He refuses to confess to all parties concerned.

(8) He refuses to make restitution to injured parties.

(9) He is prejudiced and uncandid.

(10) He is resentful.

(11) He has a revengeful spirit.

(12) He has a worldly ambition.

(13) He has committed himself on some point and has become dishonest because he neglects and rejects further light.

(14) He is denominationally selfish.

(15) He is selfish for his own congregation.

(16) He resists the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

(17) He grieves the Holy Spirit by dissension.

(18) He quenches the Spirit by persistence in justifying wrong.

(19) He grieves Him by a lack of watchfulness.

(20) He resists Him by yielding to an evil temper.

(21) Also by various dishonesties in business.

(22) Also by indolence and impatience in waiting upon the Lord.

(23) By many forms of selfishness.

(24) By negligence in business, in study, in prayer.

(25) By undertaking too much business, too much study, and too little prayer.

(26) By a lack of entire consecration.

(27) Last and greatest, by unbelief. He prays for this gift without expecting to receive it. He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar. This, then, is the greatest sin of all. What an insult, what a blasphemy, to accuse God of lying!

I was obliged to conclude that these and other forms of indulged sin explained why so little is received, while so much is asked. I said I had not time to present the other side. Some of the brethren afterward inquired, What is the other side? The other side presents the certainty that we shall receive the promised gift of power from on high, and be successful in winning souls, if we ask and fulfill the plainly revealed conditions of prevailing prayer. Note that what I said upon the Lord’s Day