Three Streams

Having spent probably far too much time on a discussion forum debating various pentecostal issues I have decided to use some of the material for my blog (why recreate the wheel?)

1) there is only one ‘recieving’ of the Holy Spirit and this happens at salvation

2) Pauls use of the term ‘baptism’ in the Spirit is related to what happens in salvation. Gordon Fee’s God’s Empowering Presence explains this more fully.

3)Many passages that Pentecostals use to defend Baptism in the Spirit don’t use the term ‘baptism but rather ‘recieving’. To get round this they say there are two seperate ‘recievings’ of the Holy Spirit, one for salvation and the other for power to be a witness. Although I used to accept this, further study has convinced me there is only one ‘recieving’ of the Holy Spirit in Scripture and this happens at conversion. ‘If any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans).

4) I do believe in the baptism in the Spirit as a subsequent experience to salvation but I prefer the term ‘filled’ with the Spirit.

5)My key reason is the book of Galatians. a)Galatians is crystal clear that the recieving of the Spirit is the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham. b)The recieving of the Spirit is the seal of the new covenant c) the recieving of the Spirit is God’s sign of approval d) the recieving of the Spirit is through faith alone in Christ Jesus.

As a result, confusing the ‘filling with the Spirit’ or ‘Spirit Baptism’ with the recieving of the Spirit confuses a really essential issue in the matter of salvation. the Galatians were being told they needed something more than their faith in Christ to be accepted completely in God. Pentecostal teaching about a subsequent reception falls into the same trap and is in danger of falling into the same trap as the judaiser in Galatians. A very dangerous place to be.

6) Having said that, I believe that believers need to be filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit, two men of God I respect, John Piper and Martin Lloyd Jones are happy to use the term baptism.

Those who have advocated a second blessing theory have not all agreed on a) its purpose or b) its evidence

Martin Lloyd Jones said purpose of the second blessing was the experiential joy of the Lord and its evidence was joy.

Finney said it was for power and that is evidence was power in preaching.

Holiness folks said it was for holiness and its evidence Holiness and a close sense of the presence of God.

I believe 1) just because we have recieved the Spirit doesnt mean we are filled with Spirit.2) It is God’s will that we are totally immersed in His Spirit3) The Baptism in the Spirit is the fulness of God poured out on a surrendered life and this is something we must grow into in increasing measuresIts purpsoe is primarily to be immersed in God’s presence, to Cause the believer to experience new heights of worship and intimacy with the Father. It is also to reveal Christ in and through the believers character in increasing measures. It is also to empower the believer for service through the annointing and the gifts of the Spirit.

4) Evidence of Spirit baptism is a God saturated life which is overflowing with worship, fruits of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit and annointed words, Holy living, joy, peace etc…This is an experience which depends on continual consecration and surrender.

Thats my view more or less.The reason is primarily for soteriological reasons, that is, the theology of salvation. As an evengelical the really important issue is that people are genuinly born of the Holy Spirit.

The early pentecostals were evangelicals and they understood the evangelical gospel. Their view on Spirit baptism was to serve the ends of evangelical Christianity, that is the proclamtion of the evangelical gospel resulting in evangelical experience.

However, the doctrine a few generations later has actually hindered evangelical concerns rather than furthering them. The focus on the Spirit as a second experience with tongues a sign has often eclipsed the authenticity and essential nature of preaching a message that enables hearers to come to Christ in such a fashion that is evidenced by the recieving of the Spirit in the awareness of new life and forgiveness of sins.

At best this creates experience based believers, who are unable to articulate the gospel and at worse it creates false converts whos salvation is based on a ’sinners prayer’ and their hope is rooted in some form of experience. The reality is that most young pentecostals, have said a sinners prayer and speak in tongues but they do not have the depth of experience or knowledge that the early pentecostals had. The reason is that they have lost the evangelical nature of the gospel.