My thoughts on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Short Essay on Pneumatology

Spiritual gifts are God given endowments enabling the Christian to fulfill his or her particular calling. With this divine spiritual empowerment, the Christian is able to complete something he or she could not otherwise accomplish. The manifestation of these gifts is divided into miraculous and non-miraculous, but both groups universally edify the church.¹ Their specific purpose is to empower the believer to do the work of Christ on Earth. In every aspect of ministry, preaching, teaching, evangelism, and admonishing the Holy Spirit is there working through the believer.

All believers receive at least one spiritual gift, some receive more than one. The Holy Spirit, “apportions to each one individually as he wills.”² God decides what each believer will be gifted to do, and distributes power at his discretion. The Fruit of the Spirit is entirely different. In Galatians chapter five, Paul cited them as: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”³ The Fruit of the Spirit are those aspects of the nature of Christ which so infiltrate the heart and life of the believer that they overtake his character and personality. This is not given at conversion; it comes with maturity. Fellowship with the Savior and abiding in Christ sanctifies the believer; molding him into the new creature promised by the Word of Christ.

The gift of speaking in tongues has a twofold purpose in Scripture.⁴ In Acts it served to usher in the age of the church at Pentecost. Representatives from many nations were present and they heard the Gospel preached in their native tongue. During the age of the Apostles, it served to authenticate the presence of the Holy Spirit in new converts . Second, tongues is listed among the different spiritual gifts given to “sovereignly chosen believers” to carry out the work of the Church.⁵ Paul indicates the reason for speaking in tongues is to build up oneself, and to build up the Church. He also requires that tongues spoken publicly be interpreted, so the message may be clearly communicated to the individual it is directed to, or the entire congregation.⁶

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the indwelling by the Spirit of God in the life of a new convert. It is this event that causes all believers to be, “baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free– and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”⁷ Contrary to the charismatic view, I believe when a man places his faith in Christ he receives the Holy Spirit and is thereby baptized in the Holy Spirit. As he begins to grow in Christ and experience him more fully, he receives the fullness of the Spirit. Paul instructed Christians to “be filled with the Spirit.” This instruction is given to those who have already received the seal of the Holy Spirit. The more activity the Spirit exhibits in the life of the believer, the more “filled with the Spirit” the believer is said to be. The phrase “filling of the Spirit” does not describe a second indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it gives evidence that the believer is in the process of being sanctified by the Spirit. Ephesians four testifies just as there is but “one Spirit” and “one Lord,” there is only “one baptism.”⁸

Speaking in tongues is not a necessary sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. While the initial indwelling of men by the Holy Spirit was evidenced by speaking of tongues, many subsequent conversions bore no such proof. Jesus told Nicodemus that in order to be saved, “one must be born of water and of Spirit.”⁹ The first birth is of natural means, the second of supernatural. He made no mention of speaking a foreign language. Furthermore, in the same conversation Jesus said that all those who believe on him will be saved.¹⁰ Those who are saved must have the Spirit of Christ, tongues or not. Paul reminds us that, “anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”¹¹

Speaking in tongues is valid where the Spirit leads and where there is accurate interpretation. Tongues served its primary purpose in the days of the Apostles when the supernatural had to be attested to. In 1 Corinthians thirteen, Paul tells us that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge are partial, and, “when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” ¹² The Church's current state of imperfection makes these gifts necessary, but it will not always be so. One day the Savior will return, the dim mirror will become blinding clarity, and the Church will be made perfect.¹³

Bibliography:

Elwell, Walter A. 2001. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Paternoster Press

Towns, Elmer. 2002. Theology for Today. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible. Biblos.com. Web.

1Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2001. pg. 1135

21 Corinthians 12:11 ESV

3Galatians 5:22 ESV

4Elwell. pg. 1206

5Ibid.

61 Corinthians 14:4-12 ESV

71 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

8Ephesians 4:4-5 ESV

9John 3:5 ESV

10John 3:16 ESV

11Romans 8: 9 ESV

121 Corinthians 13:10 ESV

13 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible.

My thoughts on Christology

The biblical basis for the humanity of Jesus presents itself both directly and indirectly. The direct references in the New Testament begin with the Gospel of John. He bears witness to how Jesus, the eternal Word, “became flesh and dwelt among us.”¹ Paul testifies that Jesus is “born of woman, and born under law,”² just like all men since Adam. Jesus' humanity is implied by his physiological condition. The simple fact that he is born of a woman, gives evidence that he entered this world in the conventional manner. He experienced life in the same way that all men do. He had to learn how to crawl, walk, eat, and talk as all children do³. His forty day fast and subsequent test in the wilderness with Satan revealed that Jesus was subject to human needs. He felt hunger, fatigue, and carnal temptations associated with power, and pleasure. His agony over facing wrath and separation from God in Gethsemane shows emotional pain and affliction. At the culmination of his life and ministry he faced and conquered the destiny of all men: physical death.

The deity of Jesus is summed up in one sentence by Paul in the Epistle to the Colossians. “He is the image of the invisible God.”⁴ The Gospel writers quote Jesus referring to himself as “Son of Man” more than any other title. This is a messianic title for the “preexistent one who will come at the end of the ages as judge and as a light to the Gentiles.”⁵ At his baptism, and transfiguration, Jesus is called another messianic title, “Son of God.” Paul frequently refers to Jesus as “Lord,” which is a title reserved only for Yahweh himself. John calls Jesus the “Word” who was God in the beginning.⁶ He records Jesus saying “ego eimi,” or “I Am”, eight times in his Gospel.⁷ Jesus removed any doubt that he is anything other than Yahweh, the eternal God of Israel.

Jesus is both human and divine; theanthropos: the God-man.⁸ At the incarnation of Christ, the moment when God took on flesh, his divine nature was joined with his human nature. Jesus is fully God, and fully man. God is one, thus both natures exist together and complete. Hence, Jesus is, “consubstantial with the Father.”⁹ This means that they are of the same substance, and the immutable nature of God is not changed at the incarnation of Jesus. We must not overstress either nature of Christ. If we believe Jesus was simply a man sent by God, his own claims to be the great “I Am” would be false. If he were a celestial being that shared no common thread with mankind, he would not have been able to be a propitiation for man.

In order for men to be redeemed, God had to raise up a man to fulfill his Law completely. God's plan of redemption made provision for sin to be paid for by blood; and only by blood. Only a perfect, sinless man was qualified to be the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Jesus Messiah, the “stump of Jesse,” left the throne of heaven, poured himself into human flesh, and paid the price for our salvation. The author of Hebrews said that we have a “great High Priest” who can sympathize with us in every way. He has felt what we feel, was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin.¹⁰

There are some common objections to biblical Christology. Monarchianism held Christ as a “second God besides the Father.”¹¹ Christianity is monotheistic. God is clear in describing himself as one, without exception. Arianism said that Christ was made or created before time. A proper view of the trinity gives clarity to this teaching. Christ is eternally begotten, uncreated, preexistent. Therefore, he was not made at any point in eternity past. Apollinarianism denied that Jesus had complete manhood, which is contrary to what Hebrews says about his identification with man. Nestorianism said that the two natures of Christ existed side by side. This denies the unity of the nature of God and therefore denies that “the impassible Word” died for humanity.¹² All these false teachings err in their assertion that there is some separation in the nature of God. God is unified “without confusion, without conversion, without division, and without separation.”¹³

 

Jesus presented the perfect example of living a holy, sacrificial life that is pleasing and perfect to God. He faced pain, ridicule, rejection, and death, all for the sake of reconciling mankind to the Father. He gave all of himself for those who Scripture calls his enemies. It makes me ask myself if I would do the same?

Bibliography:

Elwell, Walter A. 2001. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Paternoster Press

Towns, Elmer. 2002. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers

1John 1:14 ESV

2Galatians 4:4 ESV

3Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2001. pg. 239

4Colossians 1:15 ESV

5Elwell. pg. 240

6John 1:1 ESV

7Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. pg. xvi

8Elwell. pg. 584

9Ibid. pg. 219.

10Hebrews 4:14 ESV

11Elwell. pg. 241

12Ibid. pg. 242

13Ibid. pg. 243

My thoughts on the Authority, Inspiration, and Inerrancy of Scripture...

Authority is the power to command obedience, to determine, or to judge. To say that the Bible has authority is to say that it stands alone as the one and only standard for living. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-powerful. Thus God's revealed Word has the right and the power to demand obedience and alignment with its statutes. The Word that proceeds from the mouth of God is inherently authoritative. The Bible also points to God, who is the source of all authority. Both externally, and internally, it is clear that the Bible is the “embodiment of God's self disclosure¹.” It is the instrument by which humankind measures its existence, and its relationship with the Creator.

Inspiration is the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit on the writers of scripture that gives their written words the trustworthiness and the authority that comes only from God. I have always held an “all or nothing” view of inspiration. If God only inspired some parts of scripture, then how can we know what parts are inspired? In order for the Bible to be viewed as wholly inspired and infallible, it must be inspired in its entirety. The authors of scripture were not only inspired to write, every word of the ensuing text is inspired by the Spirit. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is God-breathed.” If Paul was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit, then God has left us no room to doubt the inspiration of the Bible as a whole. Jesus had no intention to change “one jot or tittle” of the Old Testament. His entire ministry and mission was to fulfill the Old Testament scriptures. The Bible's consistent message of redemption, from beginning to end, points us to one divine author writing through the pens of many different vessels.

Inerrancy is the assertion that the Bible is right and true in every aspect. It contains no mixture of error, and it is authoritative in all realms of life. The original autographs of scripture are entirely true and never false when interpreted correctly. The best and strongest argument for inerrancy is the Biblical argument. From cover to cover, the Bible consistently teaches that it is the Word of God. In some places it is by implication, in others it directly states its own case. For the Bible to claim that it is authoritative, it must be without error. Furthermore, if the tense of a word can transform an entire passage, then every detail must be absolutely correct. The slippery slope argument, which holds that if inerrancy is in doubt then all other doctrine crumbles, is the weakest argument for inerrancy. While inerrancy is fundamental to correct interpretation of scripture, some mixture of correct and incorrect doctrine can still be held. Until all is revealed, no theologian will have every aspect of all doctrine correct.

Scriptural inspiration and scriptural inerrancy are intertwined in God's revelation. God is the source of all truth, and “only speaks truth¹.”  In order for God to transmit the truth of his Word through men and produce an infallible product, he must have inspired the authors by his Holy Spirit. It is the only way fallen men could have penned God's perfect Word. Apart from inspired authors, it is illogical and impossible for the Bible as we know it to be inerrant.

My view that the Bible is inspired and written by the Holy Spirit through human authors, authoritative on all aspects of life, and completely true with no mixture of error affects every part of my life. The Bible's teaching has radically transformed the way I view my marriage and my role as husband. It frames every lesson I teach my children and it has shown me the importance of my role as father. God's perfect Word chisels away at my heart every time I dive into it. Something so simple as teaching the Word to a few adults on Sunday morning has forever altered the course of my life. Praise God that his word is living and active. 

1

Elwell, Walter A. 2001. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Paternoster Press