• Hroiuily slM'.'ikiiii;, Ai/»«uif in NT is powor, and il»\nri» authority to wiold it. St'eMjison. Ciiiutitionn of Our Lnrifi. /A" on Jiarth, p. OS I. ; Liglilfool uu Col l'^ ; Swclu ou Mk -i^".
30
POWER
POWER OF THE KEYS
Gospels presents thniufiliout the characteristics of spiritual power. He exhibits the unequalled power of perfect righteousness anil love, e.g. in drawing disciples to Himself with a few words (Mt 4™-, Mk 2'^), refuting; learned and influential adversaries, so that they could not answer Him a word or venture to question Him (AIt22'"', Mk 12*", Lk 14" 20"'), driving' out of the temple a crowd of those who dishonoured tlie linildinj; (Mt 2V), workini; miracles in kindness to men and for the furtherance of faith (Mt 11' etc.), e.xtending pity and forgiveness to penitent sinners, and thereby raising tliem to a new and better life (Lk V'"). These qualities of holiness and love in Jesus appear at their best when He is under trial ; His endurance of the cro.ss proves them to be stronger than death. }lence it is when He is ' lifted up' that He ' will draw all men ' unto Him (Jn 12^-). Then tlie resurrection of Christ proves His power o\er death and His glory as the triumphant Son of God (Ac 2, etc.).
1. Power restored in man. God works in man for the restoration of the soul's own power, and hence the believer should ' work out his own salvation with fear and trembling' (Ph 2'^'). At length the full power of the soul is recovered through the aid of the Holy Spirit (Ro S'"-, Gal S'""-). See Holy Spirit. For the attainment of this end in man we have thus (a) the activity on God's side, and (i) the activity of man. (a) Tliere is a providential leading or drawing by the Father before men can come to Christ (Jn 6"). Then through the death of Christ believers become dead to the power of sin : there is a breach with it in principle (Ko 6), or sanctification is begun. ' Not that anj'thing in human nature was actually changed as by magic in the moment when Christ died, but in the completion of this holy life there was established a universal and personal principle of victory (a Sovafus (ronyipiat), wnich is able wher- ever it is received to break sin in the o-dpf and kill the natural selhshness, so that the man may walk no longer Kara. (rdpKa, but Kard. TrvevfjLa ' (Beyschlag). FurtluTinore, through the resurrection of Christ men obtain jiower to accept salvation (1 Co 15") : faitli not actuated by the risen, living Christ, but only by man's own natural endeavours, is ' vain ' or powerless. The life of faith throughout its progress derives its power from the believer's com- munion with the risen and glorified Christ (Ro 5'°, 2 Co 3'"-, Gal 2-<'). Again, our Lord's resurrection imparts the power of a great hope ; Christians have a sure hope beyond the present world. And they are emiiowered in consequence to be righteous in the world and worthy of their high calling, so that their hope m.aj' be fulfilled. (4) On man's side tliere h.is to be fervent prayer accompanied with rigliteousness (Ja 5">), faith which overcomes the world (1 Jn !)'), and to whicli nothing is impos.sible (Mt 17-'"); and love, which leads to the keeping of Christ's words (Jn 14-'), and which casts out fear (1 Jn4"). Or man has to walk in the Spirit (a process which presupjioses the peace of forgiveness), and then he obtains the am|>lest power, shown by his not fulfilling the lust of the (lesh (Gal 5'"), and by liis liringing forth the varied fruits of the Spirit, or growing without cessation into the likeness of Christ (Gal 5--'-). By the interaction of these Divine and liunian means power is obtained by the Christian for the jierformanco of any manifest duty, an<l the po.ssession of suMicient power should be assumed. Christ is to him tlie Bread of Life, strengthening for the accomjilishment of all right- eousness (Jn G-'"'-, Ph 4"), as food supplies the body with power for all its physical acts ; though in nt ither ca.se can we comprehend the steps of the process (so Dods in ' Expositor's Bible,' John, 1. 220 n.).
A possaji^e that has creator! nuu^h discussion is 1 Co ll'o * Foi this cause otii;lit the wijitian lo have power {iicftr.cc*. ItV *a si(jn 0/ authority') on lier heml Itecause of tlie an;^e]s.' The apostle's ar^'ument seems to he, llecausc the woman waa derived from (v.») and was created for (v.") the man, therefore she should ha\e on her head a covering; in tolien that she ia under the authority of the man. The ahstract 'authority' ia put for the concrete ' si^'n of authority.' Then a new en- courajrement is added. If women will not do this out of natural seemliness, let them rememher that the angels are present (cf. art. Head, vol. ii. p. 317*)in their assemhlies. and for their sakes, the mcssen!,'er9 of order, cover their heads. This is the inter- pretation of almost all modern expositors. For the presence of angels at Divine worship, see especially Meyer, in loc.
For Powers see under Dominion.
G. Ferries.
PO-WER OF THE KEYS. — The ecclesiastical connotation of these words must not be altogellier identified with the meaning of them in the NT passage (Mt 16") from which they are taken, although the first is included in the second. And the language about the keys in that passage must be distinguished again from the language about 'binding and loosing' which follows.