Guidelines: Context is Key

In writing this blog series, I have focused on passages that provide a solid context from which reliable conclusions can be drawn. Whenever possible I have tried to quote larger sections of Scripture so that there can be no legitimate accusation of ‘prooftexting’. I am sure that there are many other verses that I have overlooked or some I may have left out, but my goal was to take the clearest portions of Scripture first and use them to cast light upon those verses which are a bit more ambiguous or controversial.

All too often debate comes down to words that in reality may have no significance to the intended meaning of the text. In certain circles, “a distinction is made between being baptized “by” or “of” the Holy Spirit (which in a two-stage view occurs at rebirth) and baptism “in” or “with” the Holy Spirit (which in the same system normally follows after rebirth). In this schema all Christians are baptized ‘by’ the Spirit, but not all Christians are baptized ‘in’ or ‘with’ the Spirit.”[i] While it is true that these words sometimes may imply diverse meanings, it must also be recognized that there is no consistent biblical pattern for such an assertion to be maintained. As God inspired the writers of our Scripture, He often allowed for freedom in how certain things were expressed and in so doing allowed for variance of word usage[ii]. Just as modern writers today will use a thesaurus to bring diversity to their writing, so too the ancient writers were often allowed to use equivalent phrases to express the same unchanging idea. We should not force upon the Holy Scriptures the standard of an arbitrary systematic theology because this is not the standard the Bible imposes upon itself. We must allow for literary diversity without foisting our own ideals upon a particular writer and without creating a false distinction of terminology foreign to the direct meaning of a passage. Let rather the diversity of meaning come from the text itself and not from assumption or conjecture.



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[i] Sproul, R. C., The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1990. —electronic ed.—Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems; Chapter 4 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Also see website article on inspiration of Scripture: http://www.churchconstruction.com/personal/basics.htm
[ii] The freedom to involve their own minds and experiences does not belie the tenants of Plenary inspiration, which means that all parts of Scripture are equally inspired. (for a fuller explanation see ).

Guidelines: Personal Experience and The Bible

We each have experiences that help form our view of life and the world around us. When we approach Scripture there are two ways we can handle these experience. We can either use our worldview as the filter through which we interpret Scripture or we can use Scripture as our filter by which we can interpret our experience. These two approaches could be no more opposed than evil and good! By using personal experience as the filter to Scripture, the first approach makes our individual experience the source of revelation over the spoken Word of God. When a person says that their experience is the rule by which Scripture must be understood, they are saying that God is working greater in their life than in the Word itself. This is the historical tradition of those who teach a two-stage or divided Christian life.

In stark contrast, the second approach makes Scripture superior to our experience and elevates the revelation of God above our individual perspectives on life. The higher authority of Scripture brings great solace to our lives, as it helps us to live beyond our circumstances and realize that God’s written Word is the everlasting testimony of salvation, not just salvation from hell, but salvation from loneliness, isolation, and confusion. Every experience is valid in the sense that if we experience something than it is real to us. However, just because we experience something and just because that experience is valid does no mean that our experience is good, bad, or necessary for others. Scripture when used properly will serve as our guide to every experience and provide the proper perspective to help us determine the nature of our daily encounters.

I remember one time I heard a particular sermon and I was so excited because I was convinced that God had revealed some wonderful insights to me. I went home excited about this ‘revelation’ and even began thinking how I could teach this to my youth group. Well, that night, by God’s grace, when I was reading my Bible I came across a passage of Scripture that totally blew this ‘new’ teaching out of the water. Here I was in the midst of thinking God had given me some great new insight and then I find I have been misled. This experience was quite humbling and it taught me a valuable lesson. No matter how ‘spiritual’ we are, no matter how well read, and discerning, we can all be led astray from sound biblical doctrine. That is why the true fire of God’s Word and Spirit must test every experience. ‘But wait’, some may ask, ‘how do we know if it is God’s Holy Spirit leading us and not just our own thoughts?’ This is a great question for consideration. The answer is that God through his Holy Spirit surely brings illumination to our minds, but we must always remember that the Holy Spirit will always work within the framework of His already revealed Word. (John 14:26) The Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the writing of Scripture, and it is that same Holy Spirit who works in our life today. The Holy Spirit of God will not contradict the written Word of God because they are a unified testimony of the living Word Jesus Christ.

R.C. Sproul expresses well the relationship of experience, Holy Spirit and Scripture when he says, “I have no quarrel with people’s experiences with the Holy Spirit. I am delighted to hear of increased faith, zeal, earnestness in prayer, and the rest. My concern is not with the meaningfulness of the experience but with the understanding of the meaning of the experience. It is the interpretation of the experience that tends to go against Scripture.”[i] It is absolutely essential that we allow ourselves to be led by God’s Holy Spirit into the understanding that every experience is subject to interpretation through His sure Word and His Word alone.[ii] Through God’s Spirit speaking to us through the Holy Scripture we are made new[iii], sanctified,[iv] and enlightened[v]. We do not have to deny our experiences to understand God’s Word, but we must always subject our experiences to the teaching of the unerring Word through the Spirit.



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[i] Sproul, R. C., The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1990. —electronic ed.—Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems; Chapter 4 - The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
[ii] 1 Cor. 2:12-15; Eph. 1:17-18
[iii] John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5
[iv] 2 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2
[v] John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-15

Guidelines: The Holy Spirit in Greek

The use of the original manuscript languages of Greek and Hebrew are wonderful tools which give aid in understanding the written Word of God. However, as any student of the language knows, Greek, as well as any other tool available to us, can be abused by 'scholarship' and the true message of God’s Word can be altered. A thorough study of Baptism in the Holy Spirit reveals this same kind of language game playing. People on all sides of the issue, it seems, are able to "prove" their case using the Greek, when in reality all that has been done is to alienate the believer from the ability to know that they can understand the plain teaching of Scripture. Please understand that there is a distinction between using the original language to prove a point or using the original language behind a text to illustrate a point which is apparent from the context; the latter method being the only appropriate methodology. The original language should not be used to defy the logic and reason of the text itself.[i] Instances of such ‘scholastic’ abuses can be found on all sides of this discussion, thus we must allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide and not the linguists.

Please understand, I am by no means an anti-intellectual or against the study of the original biblical languages. Nevertheless, when these tools of man get in the way of God's promise to teach all His children and when the wisdom of the Body is replaced by the wisdom of the 'scholars' then we have overstepped our place of humility and obedience to God. Greek and Hebrew is positively used in the analysis of scripture to clarify some points of contention and when the tool of language is used consistently and correctly, it will never change the context and meaning of the plain and simple teaching of any passage. There are no ‘hidden’ meanings in God’s Word as found in the teachings of the mystical religions. Any plain truth of Scripture can be known in any language and thus our command is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations and not the gospel of learning Greek or Hebrew.



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[i] Chapman, Benjamin and Shogren, Gary Steven, Greek New Testament Insert, (Quakertown, PA: Stylus Publishing) 1994. —electronic ed.—Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems; Verbs, Cases, The Verbs: Tense and Aspect.

Guidelines: Reading The Book of Acts

There has been a great deal of debate in recent decade on how to properly interpret the book of Acts.[i] “The second experience [of Baptism in the Holy Spirit] is the essence or Crux of Pentecostalism”.[ii] It is an unquestioned axiom that almost the entire weight of Pentecostal and Charismatic theology rests on their unique interpretations of the book of Acts.[iii] Thus, it is quite necessary to make clear how Acts will be dealt with in the course of this book.

First, Acts should be viewed primarily as a document of history. Acts spans some 30 years of history in a brief 28 chapters, in which events are retold with no effort to attach doctrinal significance. This does not imply that Acts is of no value for teaching and learning about God and His plan of salvation. Rather we must conclude that any teaching which is merely implied from historical analogy must always be confirmed in clear teaching from other passages of Scripture. The revelation of Acts does not stand alone, for by God’s grace we have the panoply of Scripture which gives testimony as to how we should teach and preach the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Second, we must recognize that Acts was not written to prove a timeline of salvation or the linear nature of how God works in man's new birth. The culture of the ancient world did not perceive time as we do in our culture of Day-Planners and minute-by-minute schedules. It is from within our distinctive modern worldview that we try and pin down the exact minute and second of Salvation.[iv] How many testimonies have we heard where people say, “I was saved on March 12th at 5:00pm.”, and then when we encounter someone who can not give the exact day and minute of their salvation, we look at them and the question invariably arises in the back of our minds “I wonder if they were really ever saved?”

How does the expression of ones salvation in Christ bear on the discussion of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the book of Acts? Whether it be the Pentecostal or Charismatic trying to prove that there is a dichotomy of salvation experience or the Baptismal Ceasationists trying to prove a particular moment of salvation, both are left with the same dilemma; the book of Acts was not written to prove either side. Both sides must concede that subsequence of events does not mandate their segregation. Simply because one event follows another in linear time, does not require that the two events be distinct in purpose or function. Acts was written to show that God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit had brought salvation to the entire world and to show future generations how the gospel was spread. Thus, for us to try and speculate or pin down the exact point any individual was saved by quoting a particular chapter and verse is pointless, as we can not know the heart of any man except where God may reveal it in the Word.

Finally, We must approach Acts, and every other book of the Bible, not with our own agendas and but with God’s direction. By submitting to God’s leading though His Holy Spirit, we are forced to abandon our own personal agendas and to cease any distortion of the text with our own tradition. Let each one pray that God’s purposes are served and not our own desires.




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[i] Prince, Derek. Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (New Kensingtom, PA: Whitaker House)1995, c1960: pg.26-27
[ii] Hart, Larry Douglas, A Critique of American Pentecostal Theology, Doctoral Thesis from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, Hart: 1978, pg. 113
[iii] Hart, Larry Douglas, A Critique of American Pentecostal Theology, Doctoral Thesis from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, Hart: 1978, pg. 118
[iv] For fuller explanation, see Appendix A: When are We Saved?

Guidelines: Unity Of The Word

All Scripture is the spoken Word of God; all Scripture bears the full weight of God's authority. Why is this an important starting point? It seems common now in 'scholarly' circles, and especially among those who debate this issue, to divide the Scripture into Paul's theology vs. Luke's theology. Peter vs. John, etc. While it is true that each writer has placed into each work their own personality, it is also true that they did not write under their own authority but by the authority of the living God and under the divine guidance of His Holy Spirit. Consequently, we can not simply divide the Scriptures saying ‘Paul teaches us one thing, while Luke teaches us another’. Is that not the same disruptive error made by the Corinthians, a mistake which Paul abhorred and admonished? (1 Corinthians 3:5-16) The answer is a clear and resounding yes. Many today have chosen to repeat the Corinthian error by dividing the one Gospel of Jesus Christ into factions after individual apostles and leaders. The apostles proclaimed the same message, yet some Christians chose to be followers of individual men rather than the one God.

In an effort to prove the two-stage man-made tradition of Baptism in the Holy Spirit, one modern author commits a great heresy in claiming “Luke was entitled to his own view and the fact that they differ in some respect from those of Paul should not be held against him at this point. On the contrary, he is a theologian in his own right and must be treated as such.”[i] Certainly the man Luke had many private opinions, but to reduce the Word of God to the personal viewpoint of one man against another is to remove God as the ultimate divine author. Some scholars even consider any attempt to interpret unity into the individual writers as “arbitrary”[ii]. Clearly for men such as this, proving a theological point has surpassed the necessity of interpreting the Bible as the inspired and unified Word of God.

This type of methodology is what some scholars, even those from within Pentecostal and Charismatic circles, have called an “uncritical and often simplistic Biblical literalism”.[iii] Most Christians will recognize the dangers of this “Flat Bible approach”.[iv] For example, the word “adoption” in reference to entering the family of God through Jesus Christ, in its theological sense, is used only in the writings of Paul. While others use similar concepts, he is the only New Testament writer to use the legal term adoption in this sense.[v] Does this mean the idea of being “adopted” into the family of God is a Pauline thought? Is it right to say that he taught a gospel uniquely different than the other New Testament writers? Certainly, this would be a faulty conclusion. To speculate that Paul is some freelance theologian is to make him independent of God’s sovereign inspiration. Luke, Paul, Matthew, Mark, and each writer of Scripture is of one Spirit and one Word. They do not bring a diversity of message but one single message, the Gospel according to Jesus Christ.

The reason some choose to divide the Scriptures and treat its human writers as independent theologians is because they recognize that their own personal belief can not stand the test of the entire council of the spoken Word of Truth. To reduce the Holy Scripture to the individual teachings of one apostle or prophet is to deny the divine authorship and inspiration under which it was created. Consequently we must look at each book and discern two things; first, what are the unique characteristics of this book and two, how do these characteristics mesh with the clear teaching of Scriptures as a whole. In this way we are able to take into account the uniqueness of some writers while not divorcing them from the total inspiration and authorship of God, revealed in His Loving Word Jesus Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit.



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[i] Stronstad, Roger, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA; 1984, pg. 11.[emphasis mine]
[ii] Ervin, Howard M. Spirit Baptism, A Biblical Investigation, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA; 1987, pg. 24.
[iii] Hart, Larry Douglas, A Critique of American Pentecostal Theology, Doctoral Thesis from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, Hart: 1978, pg. 122
[iv] Hart, Larry Douglas, A Critique of American Pentecostal Theology, Doctoral Thesis from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, Hart: 1978, pg. 122
[v] Youngblood, Ronald F., General Editor; F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison, Consulting Editors, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.: Adoption

Guidelines: Unity Through The Word

Unity of the Spirit is something we all desire to see in the Body of Jesus Christ. Yet obtaining the unity of Christ seems all too often a fantasy more than a promised reality. Many who profess a desire for unity in our faith still teach that we are divided into groups of those who have the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit and those who do not. There are those who maintain that if, as a Christians, one has not received the Pentecostal second-stage experience of Baptism in the Holy Spirit then you have not surrendered your life to God, you have not been obedient to the Holy Spirit, and you have not received the Spirit by faith[i]. But how can this message of the divided Christian life ever lead to the unity we all long to achieve?

The study of God’s Holy Spirit in the life of each Christian is a source of great passion, which compels me to stir the hearts of every brother, and sister to a deeper, richer, and fuller walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Passion, however, without the guidelines of Spiritual illumination and Scriptural direction leads to certain destruction of the soul. I seek not to impugn any man’s heart, rather I strive only to provide important guidelines form Scripture that will serve as Spiritual boundaries for the enthusiasm we all share for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My prayer is that you will afford me this same courtesy and seek not to judge my heart, but rather delve into the Word of God along with me and together rightly discern the teachings of hope we share.


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[i] Hayford, Jack W., and Rebecca Bauer. Praying in the Spirit : Heavenly Resources for Praise and Intercession. c1996 by Jack W. Hayford. Spirit-Filled Life Kingdom Dynamics Study Guides. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1996.

Guidelines: An Affirmation of the Trinity

This next series of blog posts, like the first series on history, began as a book project about 10 years ago.  Although this series is about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is not a book about the Holy Spirit as an independent person from the divine trinity. As the Father is revealed in the Son, the Son sent forth His Spirit, who bears witness to the love of the Father. It is impossible to separate the Father from the Son, the Son from the Spirit, or the Spirit from the Father: they are one God.[i] I mention this because it has become the practice of some modern theologians to try and separate the One God into three, and treat the Holy Spirit as an autonomous agent. In teaching about the Holy Spirit, the Son or the Father, it is not necessary nor should we ever forget that we speak of the One true God revealed in three persons. This book is ultimately about helping each person gain new insight into our Lord and Savior and fully discover the nature of our Christian life. Never should we address any Christian topic from a purely impersonal perceptive, for in the life of the Body there can be no theory without practice and no practice which does not dynamically impact our hope and faith in God. Theology at its pinnacle provides us with a common basis for worship, praise, and service, and that is what my heart yearns to accomplish.

Our faith must then produce a natural love and generosity toward others and a desire for unity within the one Body of Christ. Sadly, this is not the condition of our Church today. There is much debate within the Christian world regarding the topic of Baptism in the Holy Spirit and it is unfortunate that people on all sides quickly dismiss other people as evil or apostate. My hope is to take this debate out of the hands of those who would divide the Church and place it back within the context of the whole Body of Christ. Although informed by scholarship, this book is not so conflated with academics that the average reader is left feeling overwhelmed and isolated. This is a book for the Body of Jesus Christ; laity and clergy alike. The design of this book is to teach each person so that they can in turn provide training to their fellow brothers and sisters for the sake of righteousness and holy living. My prayer is that this book will build the faith of each believer, no matter their background, and at the same time establish within each person an unwavering hope in the Messiah of God and His Spirit of peace. My prayer is that by learning about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, each of you is brought closer to Jesus Christ and that through this study; greater joy and personal growth will come into your life as it has for me in this process of prayer, research, sharing, and writing.

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[i] Gordon Fee expands on this theme in his book, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, 1996. I do not agree with Fee on every point, but I would recommend a thorough and critical reading of this book for anyone interested in developing a healthy view of the Holy Spirit and His work in our life.