The Doctrine of the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Theological Studies/Teologiese Studies, 2023

Contribution: This article challenges the practice of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in church today. This study supports the fact that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a universal experience for every Christians and there is no need to be dogmatised.

Concordia Theological Quarterly (86) 279-302, 2022

On the day of Pentecost, Peter announced that those who are baptized "will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). 1 Later there are Samaritans who believe and are baptized (Acts 8:4-13). When the Jerusalem church sends down Peter and John, however, they find that the Spirit "had not yet fallen on any of them" and instead, "they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:16). The apostles lay their hands on the Samaritans, and through this the new believers receive the Spirit. It seems that Baptism had apparently not provided the Spirit to the Samaritans (and instead hand-laying later does this), so there are believers in Jesus Christ who had not received the Spirit. This presents an obvious challenge for Lutherans who confess the Small Catechism's explanation of the Third Article of the Creed. 2 The apparent contradiction of Peter's words about Baptism continues in chapter 10, when as Peter shares the gospel with the Gentile Cornelius and those gathered with him (Acts 10:19-20), the Holy Spirit falls on all who hear the word and they begin to speak in tongues (Acts 10:44-46). Peter then commands that they are to be baptized (Acts 10:48), and so there is immediate reception of the Spirit apart from Baptism, which is then added later. Finally, Paul later meets a group of twelve individuals who at first are described as disciples (Acts 19:1), but know only the baptism of John (Acts 19:3). Paul provides instruction (Acts 19:4), and the group receives Baptism (Acts 19:5). Then, they receive the Holy Spirit through Paul's hand-laying, and begin to speak in tongues (Acts 19:6). It appears that hand-laying here provides the Spirit instead of Baptism, and this is accompanied by speaking in tongues.

This essay surveys the exegetical basis for Pentecostal distinctive of Spirit Baptism as evidenced by the speaking in other tongues as found in Luke-Acts from a Pentecostal perspective. It defines the terms "inspired speech", "glossolalia" and "xenolalia" for clarification. The pattern of inspired speech is then examined as Luke recorded it, first in Luke and then in Acts. The essay demonstrates that inspired speech is usually in the tongue of the speaker and in the Upper Room of Acts, the 120 gathered are speaking in the languages of Earth, not heaven. Other themes crucial to the argument are noted and expanded upon where appropriate, the theme of inclusion being the most prominent. The essay engages with other theologians and their contribution to the growing call for a revision of the doctrine of subsequence. The author concludes by stating that there is no exegetical support from Luke-Acts for the doctrine of subsequence in its current form and revision is required as the denomination continues its growth. This paper was submitted to Alphacrucis College as part of the author's Bachelor of Ministry award.

1969

L et us see how they support this doctrine from Scripture. If, so it is reasoned, we are to find the answer to how to regain the lost power of the church, we will do well to follow the pattern of the book of Acts. The disciples were men of power and bold witness after the Day of Pentecost, whereas they had hid behind closed doors before (Joh. 20:19, 26 vs. Act. 4:13). The difference was in the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were Christians, i.e. believers in Jesus Christ, before Pentecost, for they had seen the risen Lord. But they were in the same position as most Christians today-without power. The remedy was for them to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Act. 1: 5) after their conversion. So too today. Disciples "receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon" them-power to be witnesses (Act. 1: 8, 4:33). B. The Place of the Miraculous According to the Pentecostal, this witness is powerful not only because of the boldness of speech of the witnesses (Act. 4:13, 31) and the movement of the Spirit in the hearts of the hearers (Act. 2:37), but because of the "signs accompanying" (Mar. 16:17), particularly miraculous healing. The New Testament writers do appeal to the confirmatory evidence of signs performed by ministers of the gospel: while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.-Heb. 2: 4. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.-2Co. 12:12…by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.-Rom. 15:19. you" and "in you" are emphatic. Jesus was speaking of the role of the Spirit in the disciples' lives before and after Pentecost. Pentecostals see this difference mirrored in the lives of believers today, before and after their personal Pentecost, when they are baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Protestant view, of which I will say more later, considers this difference in Joh. 14:17 rather as a difference between the Old Testament and New Testament dispensations.

BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, 2003

Introduction p3 Is Acts Chapter Two the Wesleyan model for "Two Works of Grace?" p5 The Main "Spirit" Passages in Acts p12 The Samaritan Pentecost (Acts 8:4-24) p12 Paul's Conversion (Acts 9:1-19) p14 Cornelius' Conversion (Acts 11:15-16; 15:8) p15 The Disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-7) p16 Where does this leave us? P16 What then is Entire Sanctification? P19 Bibliography p22

PentecoStudies, 2019

This essay explores the way in which Luke presents tongues speech in Acts as the overcoming of crucial barriers to the forward movement of the Gospel in the Spirit's power to the nations. In contrast to the fairly recent turn to holistic missions among many Pentecostal scholars, I argue that glossolalia represents strong support in Luke's second volume for the narrow sense of missions that characterized the apostolic church and the beginnings of the modern Pentecostal movement. This perspective is argued for on the basis of the literary structure of Acts and various hindrances regarding the disciples movement to the nations.