Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffrey
Sam, his theology confuses me. At first, he believes he received the Spirit sans tongues. Later, he refers to receiving the Spirit with "Bible evidence," and refers explicitly to tongues.
|
I think he is speaking of two different experiences: the salvation experience which is the indwelling of the Spirit and the Holy Ghost Baptism which is some times a separate and subsequent experience. I think all of us here believe that Jesus lives in us as the Holy Spirit. Some believe He does not live in us until we speak with tongues. Others believe He comes in to live in us when we invite Him and then there is a subsequent experience when we receive an empowering in the Spirit or a release of the gifts of the Spirit and that subsequent experience is a baptism in the Spirit.
This is meant to be descriptive and not argumentative because we do have different opinions on here.
The birth of the Spirit and the Baptism in the Spirit as two separate experiences has been described as:
1. Jesus was born through the work of the Holy Spirit and indwelt by the Holy Spirit for about 30 years before He received an anointing or empowering of the Spirit or a baptism in the Spirit.
2. Salvation is compared to a well of water in our soul in
John 4:1-26 and
Isaiah 12:1-3 and the HGB or Holy Ghost Baptism is compared to a river of water gushing forth from our innermost being in
John 7:37-39.
3. Salvation is compared to a pilot light (some here may be too young to know what that is) and the baptism in the Spirit is compared to that pilot light bursting into a full flame.
4. John the Baptist (or Yochanan the Immerser) presented Jesus (Yeshua) in a twofold manner: First as our Savior as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and then secondly as the one Who would immerse/baptize people in the Holy Spirit.
5. A visual picture of the two experiences has been done with a pitcher full of water and an empty glass. First, water from the pitcher is poured into the glass. The glass is full of water depicting the Spirit coming in and filling a person. Then that glass of water is carefully picked up and lowered into the pitcher of water. The glass is still full of water but now it is submerged, immersed, baptized in the water.
6. In the Book of Acts there are various accounts of folks who were converted/saved/born again and then subsequently baptized in the Spirit such as in Acts chapters 2, 8, 9, and 19.
Reply With Quote