Hope Springs for the Rockies…in September???

Colorado Rockies fitted baseball capsCan it be? The calendar flipped quietly over to September as the weekend passed and the Colorado Rockies remain in contention? How many years has it been now since these games (or those in July and August) mattered to other than die-hard fans? With a schedule packed with divisional rivals for the remaining 27 games, we’re back to the hopes that germinated in the spring.

Spirit Baptism: The Pentecostal View

“The person and the work of the Holy Spirit constitute a central and pervasive emphasis in Pentecostal theology.” (Buschart, Exploring Protestant Traditions) Of all members of the Christian body, the Pentecostal description applies to those who established the doctrine of a second baptism in the Holy Spirit along with evidence of that baptism as seen in the evidence of speaking in tongues. Pentecostals maintain that Spirit Baptism is normative for all Christians and that the crisis event is subsequent to the moment of conversion. Because of all that naturally flows from the Baptism, this tenet is central to Pentecostal doctrine and forms its heart. It is rooted in God’s promise as enunciated by the prophet Joel (2:28-29)

‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

The narrative passages in Acts build the foundation for the Pentecostal doctrine of Spirit Baptism. As mentioned in my earlier post on the Evangelical position, receiving the the Holy Spirit is a common thread through almost all of the Body. The timing of receiving the Spirit is what sets the Pentecostal apart. Jesus’ disciples are seen as having entered the new covenant (i.e. been converted) by the death of Christ (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:11-29, 10:10, cf Jeremiah 31:31-34) and in the opening chapters of Acts, the disciples are seen as waiting in the upper room for the gift that the Father would visit upon them as promised by the Lord (Acts 1:4). As the Church, they engage in the selection of new leadership (1:16-26) and practice constant prayer (1:14). This prayer serves as a prelude to the receipt of the Spirit, famously recorded at Pentecost in Acts 2. It is this pattern, repeated again in the chapters of Acts that follow that lead the Pentecostal believer to establish it as normative. [ Phillip and the Samaritans – believed and were baptized 8:12 >> Peter & John lay hands on them and pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit 8:14-17. Saul’s Conversion – accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior by his obedience 9:6 >> Ananias prays for him and he receives the Holy Spirit 9:17. The Gentile Believers – 11:15-17 Peter once again recounts the Holy Spirit coming upon those who have already believed (Aorist Active Participle – vv 17 pisteusasin “having believed”)]

Pentecostalism takes it name from the watershed event in Acts 2 and also sees a secondary event that follows the Spirit Baptism as being normative in the believer who receives the gift; the evidence of speaking in tongues. We see this phenomenon (non-pejorative usage e.g. Williams Renewal Theology V.2) in verse 2:4, preceding Peter’s address to the multitude (2:14-36), after the Spirit had been poured out on the Gentile believers (10:45-46), and when Paul lays hands on the Ephesian believers 19:6. It is implied elsewhere, including the Paul’s reference to the gift (1 Cor 14:18) even though Acts is silent on the practice at his Baptism. The Assemblies of God Fundamental Beliefs contain this reference to the gift:  

8. The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.

  • Acts 2:4 [NIV]

The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues, but is different in purpose and use.

  • 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 [NIV]
  • 1 Corinthians 12:28 [NIV]

What is the purpose of Spirit Baptism, according to our Pentecostal brethren? It is a point of empowerment for greater witness on behalf of and in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The Spirit has certainly moved within the Church, stirring revival among Pentecostal believers and energizing them for growth and tireless missionary works.

Friday is for Rawk! Are Gallows the Future?

Gallows Rage, originally uploaded by wrachele.

England’s Gallows are either the future of punk rawk or the next casualty of a short fuse and an oversaturated sense of alienation. When this explodes one way or the other, thousands will say they were at this show but the reality was siginificantly lower. This is last truly scary band I’ve seen since … well, its been a long time.

Spirit Baptism: An Evangelical Reformed Perspective

We begin our examination of the doctrine of Spirit Baptism among various Christian groups by first discovering how the dominant (numerically speaking) mainline Evangelical protestant strain stands on the idea. The issue at hand is not the existence or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit but whether or not there is an experience subsequent to one’s conversion and baptism by water that empowers the Christian to service and/or ministry. The typical Reformed position on Baptism in the Spirit is that it occurs at the time of conversion once and forever. There is no “second blessing” as enunciated in Pentecostal and Holiness theological frameworks.

There is no denial that the the gift of the Paraclete was promised by the Father throughout the Old Testament and will be received by believers under the new covenant. Joel 2:28-29 gives one of the earliest examples:

Joel 2:28 ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Isaiah also mentions the promised coming of the Spirit:

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

When we turn to the New Testament, we see this promise enacted in the passages mentioned in the earlier article ‘Where Do We Find Baptism in the Spirit?‘ The question for the Evangelical is how to interpret these passages. Are they to be read as normative, that is, as the standard experience to be expected, for the Christian life? Gordon Fee gives the answer that “unless Scripture explicitly tells us we must do something, what is merely narrated or described can never function in a normative way. (Fee, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth) Fee’s point is that unless the Lukan corpus was written with an explicit intent to be didactic it cannot be utilized to establish precedent for the future. The conclusion then is that the Baptism of the Spirit occurring subsequent to water baptism is not expected to be a normative experience. Grudem suggests that the ‘Pentecost’ experiences of the disciples were unique to that period in history. What happened for them at the recorded points happens for modern believers (and the Corinthian believers) at conversion. (Grudem, Systematic Theology)

What of the gift of tongues that some Pentecostal theology extends as proof of indwelling of the Spirit? If we put aside the cessationist discussion, we should determine if tongues was meant to be a universal gift of the Holy Spirit. The answer, if experience is not the normative foundation of theology as Reformed theologians say, is easily deduced from the Pauline passages regarding the distribution of gifts. Stott puts it best when he concludes “we must always remember that the Holy Spirit is concerned for the church as well as for individual Christians. So we must rejoice equally in his charis (grace) given to all, which makes us one, and in his charismata (gifts) distributed to all, which makes us different. The unity and the diversity of the church are both by his appointment.” (Stott, Baptism and Fullness)

The Reformed Church in practice most closely aligns with the Pauline exhortation in Ephesians (5:18) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Paul uses a present tense imperative verb giving the meaning of one being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Rather than a single point of experience, the filling of the Spirit is to occur on a daily basis, constantly being refreshed for greater ministry. It is a process of the ongoing sanctification of the believer, renewed through repentance, thanksgiving, and worship. This should not be read to indicate that Christians leak or diminish in capacity for the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Spirit indicates an ever expanding capacity for more filling by the spirit, in addition to what one already experiences.

What’s Eclipsing My Light?

Jesus said “Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” (Luke 11:36) The purpose of this light, the Bible teaches us, is for the illumination of others. It is not a spotlight making me stand out for my own glory but it is to be reflected light that shines into the darkness and onto others so that they might revel in the Source of the light.

This morning while out walking the dogs I was able to view the magnificence of the tail end of the lunar eclipse. In one of crystal clear mornings that follow the evening showers, the moon shined bright and clear just above the 14,000 foot peaks of the Rockies that would swallow it up moments before the sun made its presence known above the unending flat line of the Plains to the east. Last night, the full moon was shadowed by the Earth’s bisection of the light coming from the Sun reducing its luminosity and marring the full display of its beauty.

As followers of Jesus we perform in much the same way that the Moon does; we reflect the light of the Son to the world. In some cases though we allow objects to come in between us and the Son and the shadow that these things create is evident in the diminished light that we reflect. As we meditate on the quality of our light, the Spirit brings to our minds those things in our light that are casting shadows. With His guidance and help we can rid ourselves of these shadow creators and return our light to full power, much as the moon will appear tomorrow night. Shine brightly! 

Where Do We Find "Baptism in the Spirit"?

In order to develop an understanding of the doctrine of spirit baptism, we must explore the different contexts in which the event occurs or is alluded to within the context of the biblical record. There are seven passages in the New Testament where we see someone baptized in the Holy Spirit. Depending on the translation, we may read the dative preposition en (as in en pneumati) translated as ‘with’ or ‘in’ giving us the phrases ‘in the Spirit’ or ‘with the Spirit’. Both are grammatically acceptable and are used interchangeably in the discussions of this topic. The first quartet of verses finds John the Baptist speaking of the Lord and pointing forward to a time in which He will baptize people with the Holy Spirit:

    Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

    Mark 1:8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

    Luke 3:16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

    John 1:33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

The next pair of verses refer directly to Pentecost.

    Acts 1:5 [Jesus says] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

    Acts 11:16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

The final passage comes from Paul in his writings to the the Corinthians. There is an exegetical question about whether or not this refers to the same action as in the other verses.

    1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body– whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free– and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

A cognate activity also found in Scripture is found in those verses which refer to being ‘filled with the Spirit.’ In the biblical context, those filled with the Holy Spirit exhibit the experiential elements of the filling as demonstrated in a supernatural enablement to witness for the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, there are three verbal phrases and one of the noun cognate ‘full of the spirit’, the result of the action:

    Luke 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

    Luke 1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

    Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

    Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,

In the Acts of the Apostles:

    Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

    Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!

    Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

    Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord– Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here– has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

    Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,

    Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Finally, there is a part of a well known passage in Ephesians:

    Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

As we explore this topic further, other passages will be introduced in which various groups find similar meaning. We will stop here for the time being as the next step is to explore the variety of views that are held on this topic, starting with the dominant evangelical position. Until then, be at peace.