Some Christian groups today are teaching that
after a believer has been saved they have an
experience in which they receive the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit accompanied by the "speaking
in tongues" phenomena. Don Basham, a leading
Charismatic writer, says that this ". . .
experience is a second encounter with God (the
first is conversion) in which the Christian
begins to receive the supernatural power of the
Holy Spirit into his life." Charismatics and
Pentecostals teach that this experience usually
comes when one prays for the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit. It is a very emotional experience in
which the person "feels" the presence
of the Holy Spirit. The evidence or sign that a
person has received the Holy Spirit is said to be
authenticated by that person speaking in tongues.
Basham describes the experience as follows:
- "His
(the Holy Spirit) presence may come as a
warmth enveloping you, or as a silent
powerful Presence enfolding you. You may
experience a tingling sensation or a
gentle vibration as if touched by an
electric current. But even if you feel
nothing, rest quietly in the confidence
that the Holy Spirit is now coming upon
you in power and is about to furnish you
with a new language of prayer and praise
to God."
After
having this experience "they are then
empowered" by the Holy Spirit. Basham
further states: "The average Christian,
although truly professing Christ, operates
largely on his own power, making his own
decisions, living by his own strength, and
controlling his own life. But through the baptism
of the Holy Spirit the Christian steps out of
this natural realm into a realm where he can
begin to experience the supernatural gifts and
powers of God's Holy Spirit."
It
often comes when other Charismatics, who have had
the experience, lay hands on the person seeking
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Often with the
laying on of hands there is a great deal of
coaching in which the person is told to make
verbal sounds which is supposed to help the
person begin to speak in tongues. They teach that
when one receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit,
they will speak in tongues and which is the
"evidence" that they have received the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In
summary, this teaching says that the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit does not necessarily happen when
a person is saved. It is called a "second
blessing" in which a believer is empowered
by the Holy Spirit and that: "receiving the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is always accompanied
by speaking in tongues".
In
this article it will be shown that the teachings
of the Charismatic and Pentecostal Movement are
false and not taught by the Word of God. The
Bible teaches about two ministries of the Holy
Spirit: the first is the Baptism or Indwelling of
the new believer by the Holy Spirit, and the
second is the Filling of the Holy Spirit. These
are two different and distinct ministries.
The
Baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs, according to
the Bible, at the time of salvation. The term
Baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the
indwelling of the believer by the Holy Spirit.
God the Holy Spirit comes into the believer and
gives him a new nature. The Filling of the Holy
Spirit, is different from the Baptism of the
Spirit. It also will occur simultaneously when
one is saved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
However, the Filling of the Spirit can happen
often in the believer's life or it can be
continuous if the believer obeys God, fights sin
and allows the Holy Spirit to control him.
However, the born again believer can disobey God,
fall into sin or simply into a state of apathy
towards the things of God, and thus lose the
Filling of the Holy Spirit; but the child of God
can never lose the Baptism or Indwelling of the
Holy Spirit. God's Spirit is always present in
the believer's life. The Bible teaches there is
only one Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but there
can be many Fillings of the Spirit.
WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT?
The
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is mentioned only
seven times in the New Testament. To understand
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit one must
understand the word Baptism. Baptism, in the
Bible, is a public act of a believer identifying
themselves with Christ. The first mention of
Baptism in the Bible is of John the Baptist's
baptism. John's Baptism was a sign of one
publicly acknowledging their need of repentance
for sin. John's message was, "repent for the
Kingdom of God is at hand." (Matt.3:2, 11)
The Jews who were looking for the coming Messiah,
were told that there was one coming greater than
John and that he was preparing the way (verse 3).
The Jews, who were believers and looking for the
coming of their Messiah, believed John's message
that the Kingdom was at hand. They submitted to
baptism as a public demonstration of their
repentance, in preparation for the coming Messiah.
John's baptism was not the same as the baptism
practiced later in the church. Some Pharisees and
Sadducees coming to be baptized were rebuked by
John the Baptist. He rebuked them because they
came without truly repenting. He refused to
baptize them and told them first to "bring
forth fruits meet for repentance." (Matt.
3:7-9) because John's baptism was a public
declaration of one's belief in God. Those coming
to his baptism, did so in faith looking forward
to the coming of the Messiah. It must be
understood that John's baptism did not impart any
power or supernatural gift. Only those who were
believers and showed evidence of their repentance
and faith in the Messiah were baptized. It was a
public demonstration of their faith.
Water
Baptism in the church, identifies one publicly as
a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and with
Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
- "Or
do you not know that as many of us as
were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? Therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into
death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of
life." (Romans 6:3-4)
Further,
one is identifying with others who are saved by
joining the local church. Acts 2:38, says, "Then
Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of
you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins; and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit." Peter had just
preached unto them Christ, proclaiming that Jesus
was the Messiah. This was the invitation. Peter
urged them to repent of their sins. He continues
by telling them to also be baptized because they
repented. He says if they receive Christ they
would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verse
41 records that they who received Christ were
baptized the same day. Verse 47, adds that those
who received Christ were "added to the
church." The record is that those who were
saved, repented of their sins, received the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit when they were saved
and then were baptized by being immersed in water,
and became members of the local church.
The
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an act of God
whereby the believer is indwelt by the Holy
Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the
life of the believer identifies him as a member
of the Body of Christ, having been indwelt by the
Holy Spirit and having the New Nature. Publicly
the believer's changed life identifies him as
Christian. "Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new."
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
Israel
is never mentioned in Scripture as the "Body
of Christ." Believers in the Old Testament
were not permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit
as are believers in the Church Age, or New
Testament era.
SCRIPTURE
REFERENCES TO THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- 1. Matthew 3:11.
"I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance, but He who is coming
after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
John the Baptist, was promising that when
the Messiah came He would baptize them
with the Holy Spirit. It was a promise of
the indwelling of the Spirit of God. This
was confirmed by Peter in Acts 11:16.
2. Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16.
These are parallel references to Matthew
3:11.
3. John 1:33-34.
"I did not know Him, but He who
sent me to baptize with water said to me,
`Upon whom you see the Spirit descending,
and remaining on Him, this is He who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I
have seen and testified that this is the
Son of God." This was John's
confirmation, that the One who was the
Messiah, and who would baptize with the
Holy Spirit was Jesus. John the Baptist's
evidence was that he saw the Spirit of
God descend on Jesus, and then God told
him this was the Messiah.
4. Acts
1:5. "for John truly baptized with
water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Jesus promised his disciples they would
receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This is what happened on the Day of
Pentecost. The disciples of Christ
received the Baptist of the Holy Spirit.
In John 14:16-17. Jesus told His
disciples about His sending of the Holy
Spirit (Comforter): "And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with
you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but
ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you." (John 14:16-17)
Note that Christ said the Comforter would
abide with them, that He would indwell
them, and be in them. This is the first
mention of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was explaining to His disciples
that after He returned to Heaven, the
Spirit would continue to abide in and
with them. In John 16:7-14 Jesus later
explained more of the ministry of the
Holy Spirit.
5. Acts 11:16.
"Then I remembered the word of the
Lord, how He said, `John indeed baptized
with water, but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit." Acts 10,
records that there was a Roman centurion
named Cornelius who was a devout man who
feared God. He was a Jewish proselyte to
Judaism. God sent an angel to Cornelius
and instructed him to send for Peter who
was in Joppa. The angel told him that
Peter would tell him what he should do?
Evidently Cornelius was praying about
questions he had about God. Peter at the
same time receives a vision from God that
prepared him for Cornelius's visit. Peter
a devout Jew would not normally even
enter a Gentile's house. God told Peter,
in the vision, to eat animals that the
Mosaic law declared to be unclean. When
Peter refused, God told him not to call
common what God declared to be clean. (Acts
10:14) As the vision ended the men
Cornelius had sent to fetch Peter stood
knocking on his door. They related how
the angel had appeared to their master
Cornelius and beckoned him to go with him.
Peter went and preached Christ to
Cornelius. (Acts 10:23-43) Verse 44 says
they received the Holy Spirit and
afterwards received water baptism. What
happened to Cornelius, and those in his
home who believed, was identical to what
happened on the day of Pentecost to the
Jewish disciples in Jerusalem. Peter says
that the receiving of the Holy Spirit was
what John the Baptist had prophesied. (Acts
11:15-16) Acts 11:18, records that this
was a sign to the Jews in Jerusalem that,
"Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life."
6. Acts 19:1-7,
records that Paul came to Ephesus and
encountered twelve disciples of John the
Baptist. He asked them if they had
received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
They replied that they had no knowledge
of anything about the Holy Spirit. Paul
told them of Christ and they also
received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This is the third and final time that the
Bible records anyone receiving the Holy
Spirit, in the manner it was received at
Pentecost. It is important to note that
verse 8 says that Paul then went to the
Jewish synagogue and preached Christ
there for three months. Many of the Jews
in the synagogue rejected the Gospel
message of Jesus being the Messiah. Paul
however, continued to preach in the
school of Tyrannus for two years so that
all in Asia heard the Gospel (See Acts 19:9-10).
This
account says that these believers
received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
These believers left the synagogue and
began meeting together. It states that
because of these events, including
miracles preformed by the Apostle Paul,
that many believed and the Word of God
grew mightily and prevailed (Acts 11:20).
It
should be understood that in each of the
three accounts of the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit coming upon believers in the Book
of Acts the local church was in view. In
each case those who received the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit were believers. It
must be noted that although they feared
God, as Old Testament saints did, they
did not have the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. They were not, at that time, New
Testament believers. They did not know
that Jesus was the Messiah; this had to
be explained to them. After they heard
that Jesus was the Christ, they believed
in Him and received the Baptism of the
Holy Spirit. Understanding that the
permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit
was a new phenomenon given only to the
bride of Christ (the church) sheds great
light on these events.
Old
Testament believers were not indwelled by
the Holy Spirit on a permanent basis. In
the period of the Old Testament only one
man was said to have been indwelled by
the Holy Spirit all of his life. That man
was David. "Then Samuel took the
horn of oil and anointed him in the midst
of his brothers; and the Spirit of the
Lord came upon David from that day
forward." (1 Samuel 16:13) The Old
Testament records that the Spirit of God
came upon Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah,
Samson, Samuel, King Saul, Amasai,
Azariah, and Zecharah. (See Num. 24:2,
Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:19, I Sam.
10:10, 11:6, 18:10, I Chron. 12:18, 2
Chron. 15:1, 24:20) In each case, it was
not a permanent indwelling but rather a
temporary one, intended for a particular
service for God.
In
Acts 2:16-18, Peter says that new
permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit
was prophesied by the Prophet Joel. (Joel
2:28) Pentecost signaled the beginning of
the church, the bride of Christ. In Acts
1:4, Jesus told His disciples to wait for
the "promise of the Father."
Jesus says in Verse 5, that the promise
is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They
waited fifty days until the Day of
Pentecost and then all received the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They
became "charter members" of the
newborn church. Until the Day of
Pentecost Jesus' disciples were not
indwelled by the Holy Spirit. After they
received the Holy Spirit they were told,
"But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and
you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
7.
Galatians 3:26-27. "For you are
all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as were
baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Paul says that all who have been
baptized by the Holy Spirit have "put
on Christ". This is a key verse
because Paul is saying that those who by
faith have trusted the Lord Jesus have
been "put on" (or "clothed")
with Christ. The believer is clothed with
Christ! This reference is not to water
baptism, but to Spirit Baptism in which
one is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and
given an eternal living union with Christ
(I Cor. 12:13). The Word of God tells us
that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
Christ. "And because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying out, Abba,
Father!" (Gal. 4:6) Paul is
saying that every son of God has the Holy
Spirit, which is the Spirit of Jesus, in
our hearts.
It
is important to understand that no-where in
Scripture is the believer told to be baptized
with the Holy Spirit. I Cor 12:13, says "For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body".
One who is saved, at salvation, is regenerated by
the Holy Spirit, and indwelled and put into the
body of Christ. Ephesians 4:4-5, "There is
one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called
in one hope of your calling, One Lord, one faith,
one baptism." There is only one Baptism of
the Holy Spirit, and it is automatically received
by all who by faith trust in the Lord Jesus and
are saved. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, is the
permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit which is
given to all Christians. Ephesians 1:13 says that
a person, after hearing the Gospel, and having
believed they were saved, were "sealed"
with the Holy Spirit which had been promised.
Verse 18 says that these who had been saved, had
their understanding enlightened, and that they "know
what is the hope of his calling". Verse
19 says that the believer has great power.
The
major doctrine that the Pentecostals and
Charismatics do not understand is the
dispensational truth that: we are not in Old
Testament times but rather, we live in a
different dispensation of God's dealing with men.
The period of the Gospels and the early church
was a transitional time of the Jews rejecting the
Savior, and the Gospel going to the Gentiles.
There was no New Testament which addresses God's
instructions for this age. Further the Jews were
looking for signs to authenticate God's presence
and work (1 Cor. 1:22).
Even
after God graciously gave them signs which
accompanied the preaching of the Word, and
fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning the
coming of the Messiah, they still rejected Jesus.
Because the Jews rejected their Messiah, God
temporarily withdrew the offer of the Kingdom,
meaning the Millennium when Israel will be
restored and Christ will reign for a 1000 years
from Jerusalem. With the Jews off the scene and
the Gospel going to the Gentiles there was no
need of the sign gifts any more. Gentiles seek
after wisdom (not signs) meaning the study of the
Bible and the Word of God (1 Cor. 1:22).
God
gave the sign gifts to the early church because
they were Jews. In fact the early church was 100%
Jewish, except for Cornelius, until Acts 11 with
the establishment of the Jewish-Gentile church at
Antioch. All this time from 33 AD until 70 AD,
when Jerusalem was destroyed, the sign gifts were
valid to authenticate that the Apostles were
speaking for God and had his Spirit directing
them. But the Jews rejected Christ and the Gospel
went to the Gentiles through the ministry of the
Apostle Paul. After 70 AD the Jews had no nation,
God had destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the
Jewish people to the four winds. The sign gifts
then ceased as 1 Corinthians 13:8f said they
would because the Jews were no longer in view in
this dispensation and most of the New Testament
was written, that is, "that which is perfect
is come" meaning the written word of God. (1
Cor. 13:10).
WHAT
DID JESUS SAY ABOUT SALVATION AND RECEIVING THE
HOLY SPIRIT?
Jesus
told the Pharisee Nicodemus, "Most assuredly,
I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) In Verse
5, Jesus further explained that, ". . .
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God." There
can be no mistake that Jesus was saying a person,
in order to be saved, must be born again of the
Holy Spirit. These verses do not say that being
born of the Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit are the same. However, in verse 6, Jesus
said that, "That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit." He is saying what the Holy Spirit
produces is Spirit.
John
explained that the Jesus spoke of the coming
indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 7:33-38;
John says, "But this He spoke concerning the
Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive;
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39)
WHAT
THEN IS THE FILLING OF HOLY SPIRIT?
The
Bible teaches that the Filling of the Spirit is
not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whereas the
believer is not told to be Baptized with the
Spirit, he is told that he is to Filled with the
Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" (Ephesians
5:18)
This verse instructs us not to be drunk with wine,
which is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.
The verse is using the example of one being drunk
or under the control of alcohol to similarly
illustrate that a Christian should let himself be
controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Paul's
use of the example of "be not drunk with
wine" is a reference to the first century
idea that alcohol was the "drink of the gods"
and its affect on man was the power of God, which
enabled the drinker to receive greater spiritual
awareness or inspiration. Paul dismisses this
idea as debauchery which is what the phrase
"wherein is excess" means. Paul
illustrates by using the example of one who is
letting alcohol control him, in contrast to the
Christian who is to let the indwelling Holy
Spirit control him.
The
phrase "filled with the Spirit", means
"to be under the influence of".
Examples in the New testament of being filled
with the Spirit are as follows:
- 1. Jesus, in
Luke 4:1, said he was "full of
the Holy Spirit."
2. Stephen, was "full of faith
and the Holy Spirit" Acts 6:5, 7:55.
3. Barnabas, also was full of the Spirit.
Acts 11:24.
4. Peter, preached in Acts 4:8 "filled
with the Holy Ghost."
5. The first deacons, in Acts 6:3, to be
qualified must be men "full of
the Holy Ghost and wisdom."
No-where
in scripture does God command a person to be
Baptized with the Holy Spirit, however, God does
command that we be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Letting oneself be filled with the Spirit is
reference to the fact that the Christian has two
natures (Rom.6 and 7). One is the old or carnal
nature and the other is the new nature or
spiritual one. The Christian can let himself be
controlled by the old nature and sin (1 John 1:8-10),
or can allow the Holy Spirit who indwells him,
control him.(Eph. 5:18) Who is controlling us is
determined by our submission to the Holy Spirit
or to the lust of our carnal flesh. In Acts 13:8-10,
Elymas the sorcerer who was a false prophet, is
said of Paul to have been "full of all
subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the
devil". Paul, in Romans 1:28-29, says that
man, "being filled will all unrighteousness,
fornication, . . ." etc., willingly gave up
his knowledge of God. These verses show that man
in different degrees can let himself be
controlled by his carnal nature.
CONCLUSION
The
Bible teaches that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
and the Filling of the Holy Spirit are separate
functions or ministries of the Holy Spirit. The
examples in the Book of Acts of the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit, after salvation, as happened at
Pentecost, Acts 2, and subsequently in Acts 8, 10
and 19, are accounts of believers receiving the
"indwelling" of the Holy Spirit. In
each case mentioned in Acts those who received
the Baptism, were believers who were saved under
the Old Testament dispensation of the Law.
When
they heard the Gospel, which was the "Good
News" that Jesus was the Messiah and had
arisen from the grave, they gladly accepted this
and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,
which had been promised by Jesus. They received
Christ and became a part of the Church Age or the
dispensation of Grace, and became part of the
Body of Christ. It is important to note that in
no case in the New Testament was the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit sought. It was understood that
all who were saved would receive the indwelling
as promised.
At
the time of the beginning of the church things
were different. One thing different was that all
those who became a part of the church, in its
beginning, were Jewish believers! They were saved
saints of God. However they were not, at first,
in the church. Why? Because Christ had not begun
the church until the Day of Pentecost! Today,
this is not the case. The church now carries the
Gospel to the lost. However the Jews, as a people,
are still rejecting their Messiah. Those who are
saved today were once lost in their sins, both
Jew and Gentile. The lost, when they receive
Christ as Savior receive the Holy Spirit, and
being indwelled by the Spirit of God become a
part of the church, the bride of Christ.
Historically,
as the Gentiles heard the Gospel and were saved,
the early churches became part Jew and part
Gentile. This was the case at Antioch. After Paul's
missionary journeys to Asia some Jews were saved,
but there were more Gentiles in the churches than
Jews. After a time most of the saved Old
Testament Jews of the first Century, who were
waiting for the coming Messiah, heard the Gospel
and accepted Christ and became members of local
churches in their areas. After 70 AD, with the
destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of
the Jews, the nation of Israel and biblical
Judaism ceased to exist. The churches, within a
century, had become mostly Gentile which is our
situation today. We rejoice to hear today of Jews
who are saved and receive Christ as their Savior.
There are a good number of Messianic Jewish
congregations today. However, Jews that were
saved after Pentecost are not Old Testament
saints, but when saved become a part of the body
of Christ.
The
point is that few Jewish people believed in Jesus
as their Messiah, and certainly not the nation of
Israel. God's offer of the Kingdom to the Jews
was valid until they, as a nation, rejected Him.
Thus from Pentecost, until the destruction of
Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, God was
offering the Promised Kingdom to the Jews;
however the Kingdom could only have come at that
time if the Jews, as a people, had received their
Messiah. Therefore there was a transitional
period of time from Pentecost to 70 AD when the
Jews could have believed and received their
Messiah. After 70 AD and the destruction of
Jerusalem, the offer of the Kingdom was postponed
until after the Rapture, the Seven Year
Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ.
During the Tribulation Israel will be purged, and
after the Lord's Second Coming He will set up the
Promised Kingdom. Everyone in this Dispensation,
who believes in Jesus Christ and is saved, is
indwelled by the Holy Spirit, which is the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit the Lord promised in
Acts 1:5 and which began in Acts 2. No-where in
the Bible does it say or infer that it is a
"second blessing" or that the proof one
has experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit,
is that they speak in "tongues" (known
languages). However, Galatians 5:22-23, says
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law."
Note
that "tongues" is not mentioned as a
fruit of the Spirit. Further you must have the
Spirit in order to have the fruit of the Spirit.
All of these "fruits" do not come from
our carnal nature, but from one's submissiveness
to the spiritual nature only which the believer
receives when he is saved and receives the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If God says these are
the fruits of the Holy Spirit in a believer's
life, then the believer must have the indwelling
and presence of the Holy Spirit in order to have
such fruit. Never in the New Testament is there
even a hint of a class of believers, who have not
had the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but yet can
still serve God and have the fruits of the Spirit
in their lives. All believers are exhorted to
have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives.
Galatians 5:16 says Christians are to ". . .
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh." Would God tell us that
the way to overcome our sinful flesh was to
"walk in the Spirit" when we are not
able to? The answer is "of course not".
The command of God is based on the fact that we
have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and can
absolutely "walk in the Spirit."
Further, one cannot partially receive the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. You can not
partially receive a person. The Holy Spirit can
only be fully and permanently received. Once He
is received in salvation we can obey and let Him
lead . . .or we can walk in the flesh. That is
why Paul said, in Ephesians 5:18, "And be
not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit." In other words...let
the Holy Spirit control us. Again, He cannot
control us if He does not indwell us.
OTHER
SCRIPTURES WHICH SPEAK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WORK
IN THE BELIEVER
"Now
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God
has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
Please
note that the following passage says that if a
person is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit,
meaning having received the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit, he is not saved . . . "But you are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does
not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And
if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of
sin, but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who
dwells in you." (Romans 8:9-11) This verse
is emphatic in stating a believer absolutely has
the Holy Spirit and if they do not have the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit that are not His...they
are not saved! God cannot state it any clearer
than that.
Also note these passages:
- "For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
"The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our
spirit that we are children of God"
(Romans 8:16).
"Or
do you not know that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not
your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19)?
"Now
He who establishes us with you in Christ
and has anointed us is God, who also has
sealed us and given us the Spirit in our
hearts as a deposit" (2
Corinthians 1:21-22).
"This
only I want to learn from you: Did you
receive the Spirit by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you
so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit,
are you now being made perfect by the
flesh? Have you suffered so many things
in vain? - if indeed it was in vain.
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to
you and works miracles among you, does He
do it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2-5)?
"In
Him you also trusted, after you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed,
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
"Therefore
he who rejects this does not reject man,
but God, who has also given us His Holy
Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 4:8).
"But
ye have an unction from the Holy One, and
ye know all things." (1 John 2:20)
The Bible settles the matter and corrects
the false teachers. According to God's
own word all believers have received the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit and are
permanently indwelled by Him.
MY PERSONAL
TESTIMONY
Shortly after January 22, 1972, when the Lord
saved me I came into contact with Charismatics. I
was a happy maturing new born child of God! I
loved the Lord and was witnessing, being faithful
to my church, and also teaching a teenage Sunday
School Class. I was then told by the Charismatics
I was not what Christ wanted me to be. I was told
I did not have the whole Gospel and I was
spiritually lacking. However, they said all that
could be remedied if I would receive the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit.
I loved God and wanted God's blessing. I did not
want to be lacking in anything, so I started
attending the Full Gospel Business Men's
Association and other Charismatic services. I was
impressed with the high spirits of those present,
but disappointed at the tone of the meetings.
These folks seemed to represent themselves as far
superior to others who have not had their
experience.
I prayed for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and
this wonderful encounter with God I was told I
needed. No one could have prayed more earnestly
than I did, yet nothing happened. Then I turned
to the Bible and began reading everything it has
to say about the Holy Spirit. I purchased all the
books on the subject I could find. I listened to
hours of tapes, pro and con.
My teenage Sunday School class was at this time
also being greatly influenced by Charismatic
teenage musicians outside of our church as was my
Training Union Class. I desperately wanted to
know the truth. I began a series of lessons in
which our class began to study the matter in
depth. It was not long before I began to see
major differences between what was happening in
the Bible and what happened in the Pentecostal
and Charismatic churches. Further I found great
numbers of problems with what these groups were
teaching and what God says clearly in His Word.
In time, I separated myself from this group as
did the teenagers in my class.
We all grew in the Lord as we studied the Word of
God. We let the Holy Spirit, who we found
indwelled and empowered us when we were saved,
have free course in our lives. I am happy to say
that God continued to work in my life and called
me to be a pastor in 1977. I have been faithful
to that calling to this very hour. I am also
happy to see these many years later that every
member of my teenage Sunday School class is
faithfully serving the Lord. They are all now
grown with families. One was a missionary to
Scotland for over fifteen years and now, with her
husband, they are both serving the Lord as
missionaries there. The others all have married
Christians and have Christian homes. They are
deacons, youth leaders, Christian singers and
faithful supporters of their churches. My heart
weeps in joy when I think of how God is using
each of them. What a glory they are to the Lord
and testimony of God's faithfulness.
Sadly these misguided Charismatics were
mistakenly telling us to pray and seek what we
already had. That is evident by what the Bible
says on the matter and the Power of the Holy
Spirit and God's Word is evident also in what God
has done in each of our lives.
There are many believers who are caught up in
groups which teach this error. They teach that
when believers are saved they are not baptized in
the Holy Spirit and do not receive the permanent
indwelling of the Spirit of God. How confusing it
was and how confusing it must be for many under
this false teaching. How discouraging to
supposedly be saved yet be told you are not
empowered with the Spirit of God to live a
victorious life in Christ. Some I knew faked the
experience to be able to receive the praise of
their groups. One very good friend of many years
told of the years of emotional ups and downs and
the frustration he felt by the teaching of the
Pentecostal movement.
Some had an experience and were told it was the
receiving of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In
Charismatic meetings, groups of people whipped up
emotionally and coaxed into an emotional fever.
They are told to repeat phrases over and over as
fast as they could in order to get the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. YET, NONE
OF THIS IS FOUND IN THE BIBLE! NOWHERE DOES THE
BIBLE INSTRUCT A BELIEVER TO RECEIVE THE BAPTISM
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
I wonder how many who had this experience live in
a false sense of being right with God because
they had this emotional experience. How many
found that even after this high emotional
experience they were no more able to live for the
Lord than before? How many are now living
disaffected lives, because their experience in
time wore off and left them empty? Many have
fallen by the wayside because of being misled by
the teachings of the Pentecostals and
Charismatics. God's way is the only way. A
believer is totally forgiven and saved at
conversion. He is indwelled and given the New
Nature, which is the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit of God. He literally becomes the Temple of
God. When he fails and sins, he is convicted by
the Spirit of God. He can then return to full
fellowship with God, by confessing his sin and
letting God cleanse him and take it away. If he
does not, God chastens him in order to bring him
back into fellowship once again (Heb. 12:6-11).
In times when I am not what I know Christ would
have me to be; when I fail and cry out to my
Savior to forgive me, it most comforting to know
He always does. My very favorite verse in these
times is Colossians 2:9-10, "For in Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him, who is the head of
all principality and power." Because I was
saved by God's Grace and indwelled by the Holy
Spirit, I have all the power of God in me, if I
would but yield to it. "
My life's verse: "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
to God, which is your reasonable service. And do
not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)
ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED: Cooper P. Abrams, III, November 1987,
Revised 2/24/92, revised October 10, 2007
10-10-07