DOCTRINE SURVEY SESSION 15: OUR BAPTISM OF POWER

DOCTRINE CORRELATION

CCC Statement of Faith “The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith.”

We Can Have The Baptism And Power With Or Without Tongues o Biblically the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens at spiritual birth. o A special anointing of the Spirit may or may not be accompanied by tongues. Evangelical Pentecostal Charismatic Dispensational

When Does The Baptism Take Place? Let's Look At The Epistles: 1 Cor. 12:13 -- We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. Rom. 8:9 -- If you don't have the Spirit you are not a Christian. 1 Cor. 6: Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Eph. 1: You were sealed with the Holy Spirit at time of initial belief. What the Pentecostal must say is that power is dependent on a subtle doctrinal distinction that is never clearly stated in scripture.

The Anti-charismatic View Does Not Prove Tongues Have Ceased Analysis of dispensational argument: – I Cor. 13:8-10. Tongues ceased either: When canon of Scripture was complete. End of Apostolic era. – Problem: evidence not conclusive. Historic interpretation of church has been that verse 12 refers to return of Christ. Verse 8: has “knowledge” also passed away?

Analysis of dispensational argument (continued) Issue: division within the body. If there are no valid tongues, then charismatics are Satanically deceived or psychologically deluded. Burden of proof must rest on dispensationalists to prove biblically and/or historically that tongues clearly have ceased.

What Is The Relationship Between Tongues And Filling? One who has the real gift of tongues can speak even while carnal or disobedient (1 Cor. 3:1, 14:27-28). Many believers are filled with the Holy Spirit without any kind of special experience. Burden must also rest on charismatics to show that their tongues conform to the biblical pattern in every use.

Warnings Christians can experience tongues that are not from God (either Satanically or humanly induced). Possible for tongues speakers to begin to depend upon experience rather than learning to walk by faith. Teaching that associates tongues with the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is recent history. Many young believers are looking for some kind of “instant maturity.”

A Mediating View There is another experience of the Holy Spirit (beyond the indwelling which comes to all believers at conversion salvation – it may be related to filling or to anointing). We should all be living, acting, and witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit every day. That is our calling and our heritage.