Holy Spirit / Gifts of the Spirit Theology
Vs
Cessationist Theology
Formulation of this theological synopsis resulted from preparing “7
Feasts Of The Lord” according to Lev. 23 web site. Consequently,
the 4th Feast, the “Feast of Weeks” that we call Pentecost,
consequently required an in-depth study / presentation:
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The
Holy Spirit has many descriptive titles, including "the Spirit of grace" (Heb.10:29); "the
Spirit of truth" (I John 5:6); "the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel
and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2). He is the "Spirit
of promise", that is, the One Who came in fulfillment of Christ's promise (Eph.1:13). He is
also called, "the Spirit of glory" (I Pet.4:14). The Holy Spirit, then, is complete personal
and completely God.
Elohim as a compound word, meaning a singular God
with a plurality of expressed majesty; i.e. Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father; aka a Triune, but singular God. Elohim
is used over 2500 times in Scripture starting at Gen. 1:1. God manifests Himself in three personifications;
or persons; or “Divine Essences”. Therefore, when we refer to “The Holy Spirit” we are referring to God; as One Being with a plurality of form:
Jesus the Person, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. See
"Elohim" link.
Scripture
does say God is ‘one’ in Deuteronomy 6:4. The word for ‘one’ there is the Hebrew
word Echad, which means a composite unity. For examples of this consider Genesis 1:5, Genesis 2:24, Ezra
2:64, Ezekiel 37:17 where the same Hebrew word Echad is used, and means one in unity, not in number.
Gifts of the Spirit:
“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have
all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the
best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.” I Cor. 12: 28-31
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there
are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which
works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another the working
of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation
of tongues: But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body
is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”
I Cor. 12: 4 – 12.
In John 14:15-18 Jesus promised to send the apostles a “Comforter”: If
ye love me, keep my commandments. 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
sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless:
I will come to you.
It is noteworthy that on Easter Sunday evening
(Feast of First Fruits) John 20:22 records that Jesus “breathed upon” His disciples and said to them “Receive the
Holy Spirit”.
Yet 40 days after this event (Day of Ascension), Jesus
promised His disciples the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Acts
1: 3-5,8: “wait for the promise of
the Father… you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence…and you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon
(epi) you…and be witnesses…”. This promise was fulfilled
on the 50th day, on Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) as noted in Acts
2:1-4: “…and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak in tongues”.
But note in Acts
4:29-31 Peter prayed: "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant
unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word by stretching forth thine hand to heal;
and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the
word of God with boldness" (again !). Acts 4:29-31.
Speaking
to the Ephesian Christians, Paul wrote, "Be filled with the Spirit" Eph.5:18. Being
filled with the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience, but one He intends to be repeated.
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Question: Why would Jesus
“breathe upon them the Holy Spirit at the first day of His resurrection only to reappear to them on the 40th
day to say: “wait for the promise of the Father… you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days hence…and you shall receive power…and be witnesses…”?
Didn’t Jesus already “breathe upon them the Holy Spirit”? Why would He be instructing
them to wait again to receive the Holy Spirit? The answer lies in understanding the difference between
“en” and “epi” Greek prepositions described below.
This
means the disciples conversion upon having received the indwelling presence “en” of the Holy Spirit on
Easter Sunday evening (Feast of First Fruits Lev 23) was followed up by the baptism in the
Holy Spirit “epi” on Pentecost (Feast of Weeks Lev 23 ) as promised by Jesus in John
14:15-17.
In John 14:15-17 Jesus while
with his disciples had stated that He would pray the Father another “Comforter” be sent to them, to not
only be “in” them, but “upon” them; meaning an overflowing amount of the Holy Spirit through the believer,
manifested by instruments called the “gifts of the Spirit”, and further evidenced in the believer by “fruits
of the Spirit” to manifest God’s overflowing love to those who would believe.
While Jesus
was still with the apostles prior to His crucifixion, in John 14, Jesus is encouraging a discouraged bunch
of disciples. He promises to send them a Comforter – the Spirit of truth – Who would abide
with them forever, “Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for
He dwells with you and will be in you” John 14:17. Note that Jesus
said the Holy Spirit was dwelling ‘with’ His men, or ‘alongside’ of them. The Greek
preposition here is para. Yet soon the Spirit would be more than ‘with’ the
disciples; soon He would dwell ‘in’ them. Here the preposition is en.
I believe the disciples went from para to en in John 20:22, when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.
The same two prepositions characterize your own experience. Prior to your conversion, it was the
Holy Spirit Who convicted you of your sins. It was the Holy Spirit Who revealed to you Jesus Christ as
the One Who could take away your sin, Who convinced you to accept Jesus as your Lord. The moment you
accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit came into you and began to dwell in you. You went
from para to en.
Not every believer, however, has the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to His men,
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
This is the third Greek preposition, epi – the Spirit comes ‘upon’ you or ‘over’
you. (I personally prefer the idea that He ‘overflows’ you.)
This epi
empowers the believer for service. It is an outflowing of the Spirit, a flowing forth from my life the
power of God’s Spirit, working through my life and touching those around me. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “You shall receive power [dunamis] when the Holy Spirit has come
upon [epi] you. This was 40 days after He “breathed upon them the Holy Spirit in John 20:22
on Easter Sunday evening!
It is one thing to have the Holy Spirit
‘with’ you (para), another thing to have the Spirit ‘in’ you (en),
but something even more to have the Holy Spirit ‘upon’ you (epi). Allow me
to illustrate the difference.
If I should place an empty
glass next to a large pitcher of water, this pitcher would be para, ‘with’ the glass. If I start
pouring the water, from the pitcher into the glass, the water is now ‘in’ or en this glass.
As the glass fills with water and I continue to pour water into it, the glass begins to overflow. The
water is now ‘upon’ or ‘overflowing’ -- epi, the glass. You started
out with the para, moved to the en, and wound up with the epi.
So it is with the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is first ‘with’
us, He begins to dwell ‘in’ us, but as the Lord continues to pour out His Spirit ‘upon’ us, He begins
to overflow from us.
While many Christians have the Holy Spirit in them, the
Holy Spirit is not flowing forth out of their lives. They need to experience the epi,
this baptism / overflowing by the Holy Spirit.
Note that the apostles “spoke the
Word of God with boldness and in tongues” Acts
2:1-4. The apostles were empowered with boldness by God’s Spirit, for the
express purpose of being witnesses proclaiming Jesus resurrection and gift of salvation - by manifesting His presence through
the gift of tongues. Given that the apostles were speaking the Word of God to peoples of many different
languages, (i.e. the “Elamites” noted in Acts 2:9 from the mountains east of Babylon), the Holy
Spirit’s choice of gifting the apostles with an ability to communicate His love in this manner of “tongues”
to these multitudes is not surprising. Although He could have as easily chosen any form of manifestation termed “gifts
of the Holy Spirit” to enable the proclamation of His gift to mankind. Nevertheless it would seem
that tongues was the appropriate method God used to reveal Himself for this instance. In other words, tongues is no greater,
or less, a manifestation of “Baptized in the Holy Spirit” than any other gift of the Holy Spirit;
they are all the Holy Spirit. As John 6:63
says, “It is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing…”
Back to the Question: Why would Jesus
“breathe upon them the Holy Spirit at the first day of His resurrection only to reappear to them on the 40th
day to say: “wait for the promise of the Father… you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days hence…and you shall receive power…and be witnesses…”?
Didn’t Jesus already “breathed upon them the Holy Spirit”? Why would He be instructing
them to wait again to receive the Holy Spirit? The answer lies in understanding the difference between
“en” and “epi” Greek prepositions described below:
Baptism
of the Holy Spirit (epi) is an additional separate experience after having received Christ & having been
filled with His Spirit to the knowledge of His presence ie. “Born Again” (en).
A person may receive an additional blessing - an overflowing of God’s presence - Baptized with the Holy Spirit,
empowered boldness to share the knowledge of God’s gift of salvation, through one or more “gifts / manifestations
of the spirit” to reveal God’s love through the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins and proven by His resurrection.
This revelation may or may not include the gift of tongues, and may in fact include one or more of the other “gifts
of the Spirit”, as the Holy Spirit so selects to manifest His love - in the gushing out the living water of His
presence to those who thirst.
However, according to the above scriptures in I Cor. 12:4-12 and 28-31,
not every one receives every gift / manifestation of the Holy Spirit, nor is it permanent: In
Acts 2:1-4 the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit as noted thus far “…and they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in tongues”. However note in Acts 4:29-31 Peter
prayed again: "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness
they may speak thy word by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the
name of thy holy child Jesus. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (again
!) Acts 4:29-31.
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Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Versus
Empowered / Baptized of the Holy Spirit.
Excerpt from “Gifts of the Spirit Vs. Cessationist Theology”
Clarification on the difference between Para (with), En (in), and Epi (upon):
As noted in John 14:15-18, Jesus promised to send the apostles a “Comforter”;
i.e. Jesus said: “the Holy Spirit, Who is (currently) with you, shall be in you”.
This occurred as written in John 20:22 on Easter Sunday evening, when Jesus "breathed upon" His disciples and
said to them "receive the Holy Spirit". Yet 40 days later in Acts 1:3-5, 8 Jesus
said to his disciples: "Wait for the promise of the Father … and you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days hence … and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you … and
you shall be witnesses ..".
The Holy Spirit was only "with" or alongside
of the apostles while Jesus was still with them. In other words, they had not yet fully realized
the deity of Jesus. Their recognition of His deity occurred after His resurrection, when Jesus appeared to them on Easter
Sunday evening. Consequently they became a filled with the Holy Spirit and acknowledged
Him as Lord and Savior. This is where the term "born again of the Spirit"
is applied. Jesus stated that: “unless you are born of the water (unto repentance) and of the spirit unto salvation,
you shall not enter the kingdom of God” 1 Jn.3:1-5. In other words, they acknowledged Jesus’
deity and gift of salvation when He appeared to them on Easter Sunday evening.
Being filled with the Holy
Spirit & acknowledging the deity of Jesus on Easter Sunday evening, is different than, being empowered
/ baptized by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Jesus’ deity and sacrificial death for our sins.
This empowerment gift of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses, is precisely what occurred at Pentecost (Feast of Weeks).
This is significantly different then what occurred on Easter (Feast of First Fruits) Sunday evening:
After Pentecost, according to the book of Acts, when people accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit entered
new believers, and they were both filled with the Spirit of God (En - in) to the knowledge of His
deity, and empowered / baptized (Epi - upon) to be witnesses to this Good News.
Indeed, the apostles
themselves were at first only filled with the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed upon them the Holy Spirit Easter
Sunday evening (Feast of First Fruits). But it was not until Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), that the apostles
received the Holy Spirit, empowering them to be witnesses with the manifestations of God's Spirit working through
them.
This empowerment / baptism of the Holy Spirit is manifested by God
- working through us according to His will, as we are willing servants. That is why Paul often encourages
believers to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” Eph. 5:18, “who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit” Rom. 8:1; in order that we may do the will of God; and willing to let Him work through us, as
we are submitted to His will. Reference Romans one 8:1-4.
God will not manifest Himself through
us, when we choose not to walk according to His will, choosing instead to reject the will of God in our lives. In other words,
by NOT doing the will of God, we are NOT acknowledging Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives, and therefore we are NOT filled
with the Holy Spirit.
This is being filled with the Holy Spirit: doing the will of the Father in
true acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives. Then God can manifest
Himself through us, “empowering” us with gifts of His Spirit to make known His love.
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By NOT doing the will of God, we are NOT acknowledging Jesus as Lord and master. This is why Jesus said: "Not all
who say Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but they who do the will of My Father." (Mth. 7:21).
This means that still have a free will choice to follow after Jesus, or not, such as Judas Iscariot.
However,
this is NOT to be construed to mean that salvation is lost when we fail. In contrast to, turning
away from God as a matter of choice; in blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Assurance of Salvation Clarification:
How can we have a secure "assurance of salvation"?
The apostle John likes to nail things down, to
"know" this-or-that, for sure. Some two dozen times in his First Letter he says we can "know" that we
"know" the truth. Half of those times he uses the word ginosko, which means to be informed, or to
gain the knowledge of. The other half he uses the word eido which means to know by perception of truth, i.e.
common sense. He has "written unto you . . . that ye may know (eido) that ye have eternal life"
(1 John 5:13).
How can spiritual common sense give us this "assurance"? The answer is in 1 John 5:11: "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." "God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son" (Jn 3:16). Three times in Romans 5, Paul emphasizes that God has given us the "free gift" that has reversed the "condemnation" that came
upon the human race "in Adam,". John says, that gift is "in Christ." The Father gave
Christ to the world, that He might already be "the Saviour of the world," "the Saviour of all men, specially
of those that believe" (Jn 4:42; 1 Tim 4:10).
What it boils down to is this: Salvation is due to God's initiative; damnation can be due only to
our own initiative what we choose not to "believe" the truth. As surely as Esau had the birthright, so surely
you have eternal life in Christ. He gave Himself for you and to you. He not only offered to give you the gift of eternal life
so that your salvation would not depend on your own initiative; He actually gave you the gift so that in eternity you would
never have any reason to "boast" that you took the initiative. It's 100% "by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God [there's that word again!]: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph 2:8, 9). Although Esau had the birthright, he chose to "despise" it and "sold" it for a trifle of worldly pleasure
(Gen 25:34: Heb 12:16). "He that believeth not" takes the initiative of choosing unbelief; in his being lost at the last (Jn 3:18, 19), "despising" what God has given him "in Christ." Cherish your assurance in Christ.
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Tongues is one of many gifts - that when one is baptized with the
Spirit of God, God blesses with special gifts that may be used to honor Him. If that gift happens to be
tongues, according to scripture, it is limited to either private prayer / devotions, or interpreted
if in church; I Cor. 14:4-5,12-19, 26-28, or
as an emboldened witness that may, or may not, be in another language. “And when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the
word of God with boldness and in tongues .” Acts 2:1-4. They
spoke as an emboldened witness to convey the word of God to those who have yet to believe, which may, or may not be in another
language, but could even include a different spiritual gift. The apostles were changed from fearful (Mark 14:67-71)
to emboldened (Acts 2:1-4) by the overflowing Baptism / with the Holy Spirit, as “living
water” to a dry and thirsty people, through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit - in this instance by virtue of the
gift of tongues. See I Cor. Chapters 12, 13 & 14.
While
“tongues” is a special gift, it is not always evidence of being “Baptized in the Holy Spirit”.
God has/can/will give one or more of the “spiritual gifts” to flow through us as an instrument to manifest
His presence and love, in the method and time He chooses. Based upon scriptures (see page one), a person
can be baptized with the Spirit of God and receive a “spiritual gift” from God, without necessarily that gift
being tongues; as tongues is only one way (gift / manifestation) the Holy Spirit selects.
Tongues may
not always be evidence of being “Baptized in the Holy Spirit” when used improperly in the flesh. This may be precisely
why the use of tongues according to Paul was restricted to private prayer, unless another person exercises the gift of “interpretation
of tongues” I Cor. 14:28 in the church either unto edification I Cor. 14:26-28, or
unto interpretation of prophecy (See next paragraph). The same principle applies to other gifts of the
Spirit; we are encouraged both in the Old Testament, and by Paul, to test the whether the Spirit be of God or not:
i.e. Deut.18:20-22, Deut.13:1-5, Acts 17:10-11.
The “tongues” experience, contrary to Scripture,
is often skewed, and unfortunately elevated to a level bordering on idol worship. This can be at the cost of discounting the
importance of all other “spiritual gifts”, which are equal to tongues in importance for the Holy Spirit to reveal
His presence and love. In other words, if one is “Baptized in the Holy Spirit”, other gifts
of the Spirit may be observed.
The test is of course, is whether or not they are false manifestations performed
in the flesh, or as edification to the church, or to unbelievers, as when the apostles “preached the word of God with
boldness and with tongues” Acts 2:1-4. As John 6:63 says
“It is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing…”. 1 Thes. 5:19 states: “Do
not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies (A gift of the Holy Spirit).
21 Test all things”.
Tongues is not a badge to be worn as one
person being better than another. On the contrary, one cannot receive & exercise a spiritual gift,
without first being filled with the Spirit and then baptized with the Holy Spirit of God. Tongues is a
gift from God that should be expressed for the purpose of honoring, Him in one of three manifestations according
to scripture:
1)
Tongues used as a private prayer language / devotions / worship 2) In public with
an interpreter to edify the church, or as an interpretation of prophecy. 3) As an actual
language to reveal God to an unbeliever to proclaim God’s love for them. Paul instructs on the use
of tongues in the church, to let there be no more than two or three, & an interpretation of tongues,
or else be silent I Cor.14:4-5,12-19, 26-28.
Paul’s main point of emphasis is that all things be done unto edification – not self consumption.
See I Cor. Chapters 12, 13 & 14.
Many
people seek to use tongues as a sign of spiritual superiority. They consider tongues a sign of being Filled
or Baptized with the Spirit. But if you do not have love, tongues are a sign of nothing, and can even
be divisive. For instance when a call in church is given out for those who speak in tongues to do so. This
results in those who do not speak in tongues, visitors, and unbelievers being singled out as not fitting in, and think you
to be crazy. I Cor. 14:23. This is wrong and contrary to Paul’s teaching in I
Cor. Chapters 13 & 14; for all
things to be unto edification.
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Tongues is not the issue. The
issue is how much love is manifested in your life by the presence of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy
Spirit IS God, and God IS Love and those who love are of God and manifest the Holy Spirit within us as evidenced by “fruit
of the Spirit”
I John 4:7 & Gal.5:22-26.
“He who believes
in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38
Probably Jesus was making a reference to Isaiah 44:3 in which
God promised, “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your
descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”
The original Greek text in John 7 is far more dynamic and intense than the King James version indicates. The word
translated flow in Greek is actually the word for gush, while the word translated rivers is the Greek
term for torrent. So a better translation would be, “Out of his innermost being there will
gush torrents of living water.”
The Lord never intended that
the Spirit be kept bottled up within us to bless us. His objective is always that you and I be the instruments
through which the Holy Spirit might flow forth to the needy world around us.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and
of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” 1Cr
13:1
“…
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
Isa.6:8
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall
he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12
“But
you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me
… unto the uttermost parts of the earth”. Acts 1:8.
We are to be vessels used as a channel for God’s Spirit to flow through us, via
‘gifts of the Spirit’, evidenced by the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, as He wills to work at His good pleasure
(not ours) through us.
God’s Spirit wants to use you and me to bring the love of God to
others. He wants His Spirit to flow like a torrent of living water out of our lives and into the lives
of those who have yet to quench their thirst at the fountain of God.
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Speaking to the Ephesian
Christians, Paul wrote, "Be filled with the Spirit" Eph.5:18. Being filled with
the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience, but one He intends to be repeated:
On
Easter Jesus “breathed upon the disciples the Holy Spirit”. John 20:22
On
the Day of Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4).
A
few days later, in a dramatic prayer meeting, they had such an experience again (Acts 4:29-31): Peter prayed: "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that
with all boldness they may speak thy word by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders
may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where
they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness"
(again). Acts 4:29-31.
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The filling of the Spirit implies
being given power and boldness for God's service, for strength to meet particular crises, or for everyday Spirit-led living.
We experience renewal when we pray, "Lord, fill me today with your Spirit. Keep my eyes on
you." The filling of the Spirit is an experience to be repeated as necessary in the life of each believer.
The literal thought in Ephesians is "Keep on being filled". Aka the “Pursuit of
Holiness”; without which “No one will see the Lord” Heb. 12:14.
The
Holy Spirit is not a package on a string let down from heaven. He is not a liquid, nor are we a cup.
He is a Person. It follows, then, that to "be filled" depends on your relationship to
Him. It is not a matter of receiving more of Him but of opening more of ourselves to a certain and stronger
relationship with Him. It is a matter of desiring Him to more fully occupy, guide, and control every area
of our lives. Then whatever life brings us, His power is more evident in us. His joy
and peace control our emotions. Overall, He makes us effectively fruitful for Him.
Our
inner thoughts and motives are guided when we are filled with the Spirit. All we are and have is subject
to His control. The test as to whether or not you are filled with the Spirit is not "Have you received
an external sign or been given a particular gift of the Spirit?" The test is rather "Have you
given yourself wholly and without reservation to God?" Rom.12:1. Are you genuinely
willing that He should control your life, absolutely and entirely?
Many believers come to a point
of utter frustration in their service for the Lord simply because they fail to realize the need to be filled with the Spirit
if they are to act in God's power. Just as we cannot save ourselves apart from the work of the Holy
Spirit, neither can we live the life of victory or serve the Lord effectively without the Spirit.
When
we learn to trust Him fully and allow Him to work through us, He frees us from the frustration of trying to accomplish spiritual
and eternal results solely through our human ability -- or, more properly, inability.
It
is the Holy Spirit Who delivers us from the power of sin: "Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me
free from the law of sin and death" Rom.8:2.
Through the Holy Spirit we
come to know Christ, and by the Holy Spirit's power we live and grow in Christ, in the service of the king and in the
fellowship of His church.
Paul gives an illuminating summary:
"Be
filled (keep on being filled) with the Spirit (Love of God). Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father
for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph.5:18-20.
“… Be ye Holy for I Am Holy”
I Peter 1:15-16
Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord
Praise Ye The Lord
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This Holy Spirit theology I write is from the viewpoint of a conservative evangelical, with an acceptance
of Gifts of the Spirit as theologically sound doctrine, but initially failed to fully understand the theology behind “Baptism
of the Holy Spirit”. My theological arguments, so far, have held the presupposition that one actually
believed in the Gifts of the Spirit. For some odd reason I had completely forgotten that not all people
held to that presupposition. So it is necessary to backup a step and first address this issue.
My initial 5- 6 years as a believer, I attended the original
Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California, USA.; a charismatic church pastored by Chuck Smith. This was
NOT a pastor deluded by emotionalism, as opposed to sound doctrine, in fact just the opposite. The next 10 years were spent
in a conservative evangelical church, pastored by Chuck Swindoll and a similar church for the following additional 9 years.
So be assured that I am basically a very conservative evangelical. Yet I cannot deny the revelation
of Scripture by clear & literal interpretation that gifts of Spirit are applicable for today as taught by Scripture, and
by both pastors Chuck Swindoll and Chuck Smith. Ironically, Chuck Swindoll once held to the cessationist
doctrine, and even held position as President of Dallas Theological Seminary; a cessationist theological doctrine seminary.
While not denying
the Gifts of the Spirit, I did not theologically understand the term “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”.
Admittedly, my initial research at first aimed to either prove, or disprove the term “Baptism of the Holy
Spirit” by “clear & literal interpretation. However, now I stand corrected as to the theological legitimacy of the “Baptism
in the Holy Spirit”. Although this was not withstanding hurtles, placed before me by some who apply
excessiveness in the flesh, self-edification, and even unbiblical interpretations of “Baptism of
the Holy Spirit” theology.
I might mention that my wife also grew under Chuck Swindoll’s conservative teachings, studied hermeneutics
at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with Dr. Walter Kaiser for her masters, interned on staff one year with Chuck Swindoll,
and then served as a missionary for 4 years through the Evangelical Free Church. The point being, during
her grammatical checking, she would also readily correct me if she felt my hermeneutics were adrift. In
fact she has been a great help in my struggle to further understand this topic. Indeed, this process has
been solely through the “illuminating and sanctifying help of the Holy Spirit”, by “clear & literal
interpretation”.
===========================================
Cessationists
Theology
“But without faith it is impossible
to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is …”. Heb.11:6
Cessationist
arguments hold that emotions and experiences overwhelm the good senses of those who believe
in “Gifts of the Spirit” without sound doctrine:
Proof of sound doctrine in addition to previously mentioned scriptural foundations:
If the spiritual
gifts have ceased, then we must cross out all the following passages from our Bible: 1 Cor.12:8-11; part of 12:28-30; part of 1 Cor 13:1-2; 1 Cor.14:1-6; 14:13-15; 14:22-25 and 14:27-32, all due to misinterpretation of one word, in one verse – the word
“perfect” in I Cor. 13:10 !
Cessationist theology denies that Gifts of the Spirit are applicable for today,
and ceased at the end of the Canon when all the apostles died. Cessationist consistently point
to an over-emphasis on experiences and emotionalism, as reasons why charismatic / pentecostal theology is flawed.
I also concur that some Pentecostal beliefs are at times performed in the flesh, more for self-edification than as
intended by Scripture. Unfortunately some extreme Pentecostal movements have done a great disservice
to the church proper, leading to judgments that experiences and emotionalism had replaced sound doctrine. In
some cases this may in fact also be true, nevertheless, abuses do not constitute evidence of an unsound doctrine.
Gifts of the Spirit is a theologically sound doctrine despite abuses by some. Just because
there are doctrinal errors by some, and abuses in application of the Gifts of the Spirit, does not mean that Gifts of the
Spirit have ceased as cessationist claim.
Granted there
have been, and will be abuses of the gifts, just as there were in Paul's time, and the reason for his writing of 1 Corinthians to deal with these abuses. Their problem is
a lack of love in preference for spiritual gifts! Therefore, to apply a “clear
and literal” interpretation of scripture as cessationist would require, one must interpret I Corinthians within context given by Paul. That is to say, correct exegesis
not isegesis hermeneutics to fit a preconceived view that gifts of the Spirit have ceased at a particular time; by
misinterpreting the singular word “perfect” from I Cor.13:10.
“Cessationist”
Holy Spirit theology denies the gifts of the Spirit as applicable for today:
I Cor.13:10 can supposedly be interpreted two ways, as
to the meaning of when “perfect” has occurred; at the end of the apostolic age (the cornerstone
of cessationists theology), or at a latter time such as described in Revelation that Pentecostal beliefs are
supposedly based, neither of which is correct.
I Cor.13:8-10 states:
“Charity never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
