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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Introduction
In
Part One
of this article we saw overwhelming evidence in the Bible that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate event from salvation, and that its purpose is to empower Christians for their individual ministries. We also saw that the ability to pray in tongues is the usual outward evidence that a person has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Personally, it makes no difference to me whether it's the charismatic or the non-charismatic view which is correct. All I want to know is
God's
view. By examining the greatest weight of Scriptural evidence, it became clear in
Part One
that only the charismatic view neatly and cleanly fits all of the Scriptural facts together with a simple, straightforward explanation.
In Part Two we will take a look at several objections that people sometimes make concerning the charismatic view. For example, many people believe that certain spiritual gifts (including tongues) "died out" in the first century. Also, people sometimes say that certain spiritual gifts were "foundational" or "confirmatory" (meaning that they were temporary, only for the first century), or that "the Age of Miracles" ended when the New Testament was completed and the last apostle had died. If these views prove that speaking in tongues "died out" in the first century, this obviously hurts the credibility of the charismatic view. We will take a close look at these and other viewpoints in this article.
Did Any Spiritual Gifts "Die Out" in the First Century?
To answer this question, notice that God announces some of His plans
before
they happen:
"Surely the Sovereign LORD
does nothing without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7)
For example, God said through the prophet Joel that one day He would pour out His Spirit on all people. According to the apostle Peter, this prophecy began to be fulfilled at Pentecost:
"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No,
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.'"
Your sons and daughters will
prophesy,
your young men will see
visions,
your old men will dream
dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will
prophesy.""
(Acts 2:14-18)
So God sometimes announces His plans before they happen, and He announced beforehand that He will one day pour out spiritual gifts on people. Therefore, we might expect Him to announce beforehand if one day some of these spiritual gifts will pass away, right? As a matter of fact, that's exactly what He did:
"Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears."
(1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
This is the
only
passage in the entire New Testament which specifically tells us when any gifts of the Spirit will pass away. If we want to know whether or not these spiritual gifts have already "died out" (as some people believe) then we need to examine this passage carefully, prayerfully, and objectively.
Notice that the apostle Paul was very specific in describing the timing of when these spiritual gifts will pass away, because he said that these gifts will cease when "perfection" comes. Therefore, our understanding of when these gifts will die out hinges on a proper understanding of when "perfection" will come. So what exactly did Paul mean by the word "perfection"?
Many people assume that "perfection" refers to the New Testament. They correctly point out that this word is translated from the Greek word
teleios,
which means "perfect," "mature," or "complete," and they argue that "perfection" was achieved when the New Testament was completed. However, there are a number of reasons why 1 Corinthians 13:10 (above) does
not
refer to the completion of the New Testament:
-
Let's assume for a moment that the Greek word
teleios
means "completion" in 1 Corinthians 13:10, as many people believe. When we substitute the word "completion" for "perfection" then the passage reads:
"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when
completion
comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Corinthians 13:10)
This sounds like it could be referring to the completion of the New Testament, but really all we have here is an assumption, not a proof. If we believe that this passage is referring to the New Testament then we are
reading into
the passage something which it does not actually say. For example, it is equally possible that Paul was referring to the completion of our
salvation
(which will occur when our bodies are transformed at
the Rapture),
as in the following passage:
"he who began a good work in you will carry it on
to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
The words "completion" or "perfection" can refer to any number of things. The fact that the Greek word for "perfection" can be translated as "completion" does not prove that Paul was referring to the completed New Testament.
-
The best way to understand what Paul meant by the word
teleios
is to examine every place he used it in Scripture and then to determine how he normally used this word. Apart from the verse we are studying (1 Corinthians 13:10), Paul used
teleios
seven other times in the New Testament:
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and
perfect
[teleios]
will." (Romans 12:2)
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the
mature
[teleios],
but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing." (1 Corinthians 2:6)
"Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be
adults
[teleios]."
(1 Corinthians 14:20)
"until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature
[teleios],
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)
"All of us who are
mature
[teleios]
should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." (Philippians 3:15)
"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
perfect
[teleios]
in Christ." (Colossians 1:28)
"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God,
mature
[teleios]
and fully assured." (Colossians 4:12)
With the sole exception of Romans 12:2, it is clear that every time Paul used the Greek word
teleios
("perfection") he was referring to the
spiritual maturity
of believers, which will not be fully complete or perfect until we are resurrected and transformed at the return of Christ.
This gives us valid reason for taking Paul's use of
teleios
in 1 Corinthians 13:10 as being another reference to the perfection of our spiritual maturity when Jesus returns, as Paul pointed out just two chapters later:
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed
--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and
we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."
(1 Corinthians 15:51-53)
Here Paul described the completion or perfection of our salvation when we will receive our transformed, immortal bodies at
the Rapture.
The internal evidence of Paul's consistent use of
teleios
is a strong reason for understanding "perfection" in 1 Corinthians 13:10 as being a reference to our ultimate perfection in heaven. There is no evidence to suggest that Paul had the completed New Testament in mind in 1 Corinthians 13:10.
-
Although "complete" is a valid translation of the basic Greek word
teleios,
Paul actually used a specific form of this Greek word in 1 Corinthians 13:10 which has a very definite meaning. Paul used the Greek expression
"to teleion,"
which specifically refers to our
ultimate
perfection in heaven
(The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament,
Spiros Zodhiates, p.1372). You can easily verify for yourself the expression that Paul used by going to any library or Christian bookstore and looking up 1 Corinthians 13:10 in any Greek version of the New Testament. If you then look up
teleios
in the Greek dictionary mentioned above you can verify that when it is used in the form of
"to teleion"
it refers to the
heavenly
perfection of our bodies, which we will not experience until our bodies are transformed and perfected at
the Rapture.
Again, there is no evidence to suggest that Paul had the completed New Testament in mind in 1 Corinthians 13:10. Instead, the evidence indicates that "perfection" refers to our ultimate maturity as believers.
-
Notice what Paul said will happen when "perfection" comes. He said that the "imperfect" will disappear:
"But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know
in part
and we prophesy
in part,
but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears."
(1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
It is clear from the context that the word "imperfect" refers to the spiritual gifts that are mentioned here, although this obviously does not mean that the Holy Spirit is imperfect or that His gifts are imperfect! The gifts of the Spirit are for our use while we are in these fallen, physical bodies on earth, and it is our
use
of the spiritual gifts which is imperfect, because Paul said that
"we know
in part
and we prophesy
in part."
However, when "perfection" comes, meaning the perfection or completion of our salvation when we get to heaven, then we will no longer need these gifts of the Spirit.
Notice what Paul said will happen when we receive the completion or perfection of our salvation:
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed
--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and
we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."
(1 Corinthians 15:51-53)
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
(Philippians 3:20-21)
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him,
for
we shall see him as he is."
(1 John 3:2)
When Jesus returns for us at
the Rapture
we will instantly be changed from mortality to immortality. Our previous, mortal, fallen state of existence will be completely done away with when "perfection" comes. It is this completion and perfection of our salvation which Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians 13:10, not the completion of the New Testament.
-
One important aspect of Bible interpretation is to study verses of Scripture
in context.
For example, if Paul had mentioned the completed New Testament somewhere in the same context as the word "perfection" then this would strengthen the argument that the word "perfection" refers to the completed New Testament.
However, Paul did not mention the New Testament at all in the context of 1 Corinthians 13:10. Not only that, but it turns out that Paul never said anything about the completed New Testament in the entire book of 1 Corinthians. In fact, the apostle Paul
never
mentioned a "New Testament" or a new set of Scriptures at all
in
any
of his letters!
For example, every book of the New Testament written by Paul was a letter to a particular church, or to believers in a particular city, or to specific individuals. Notice in the following passages that the apostle Paul always referred to his letters as
"letters,"
not as new books of Scripture. Here are all of the places in the New Testament where Paul made a reference to his own writings:
"I have written you in
my letter
not to associate with sexually immoral people" (1 Corinthians 5:9)
"Even if I caused you sorrow by
my letter,
I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that
my letter
hurt you, but only for a little while" (2 Corinthians 7:8)
"I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with
my letters.
For some say, "His
letters
are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."
Such people should realize that what we are in
our letters
when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present." (2 Corinthians 10:9-11)
"After
this letter
has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read
the letter
from Laodicea." (Colossians 4:16)
"I charge you before the Lord to have
this letter
read to all the brothers." (1 Thessalonians 5:27)
"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of
mouth or by
letter."
(2 Thessalonians 2:15)
"If anyone does not obey our instruction in
this letter,
take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed." (2 Thessalonians 3:14)
"I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in
all my letters.
This is how I write." (2 Thessalonians 3:17)
As we can see, the apostle Paul never referred to his letters as new books of Scripture, nor did he ever describe anyone else's writings as being new books of Scripture. Certainly Paul's letters are inspired Scripture, but the point is that Paul never once made any kind of reference to a "New Testament" or a new set of Scriptures. We have no Scriptural evidence for taking Paul's vague statement, "when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears," as being a reference to the completed New Testament because Paul never mentioned such a thing as a "New Testament." In fact, after Paul died, roughly 75 years went by before anyone even
tried
to formally put together a new set of Scriptures, which we now call "the New Testament"
(The History of Christianity,
Dr. Tim Dowley, p.106). This makes it even less likely that Paul had such a thing in mind in 1 Corinthians 13:10.
We have seen plenty of evidence so far that "perfection" refers to the completion of our salvation (when we receive our immortal bodies at
the Rapture),
and we will continue to see further proof of this in the next several points.
-
Paul's use of the word "perfection" is rather vague, but fortunately he elaborated
on this statement with three illustrations,
all
of which
deal with our maturity as believers. Not one of these illustrations has any bearing on the
completed New Testament.
Paul's first illustration is in 1 Corinthians 13:11, which immediately follows his use of the word "perfection":
"but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:10-11)
Paul's illustration speaks of maturity, but notice that he was not talking about the maturity of the New Testament. He was talking about our maturity as believers, which will finally be "perfected" or "completed" when we are transformed at the return of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Philippians 3:20-21, and 1 John 3:2 above, for example).
Since Paul used a description of spiritual maturity to elaborate on his statement that "when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears," it provides further confirmation that this "perfection" does not refer to the completion of the New Testament.
-
The next illustration that Paul used to describe "perfection" is this one (which immediately follows the
previous illustration):
"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face."
(1 Corinthians 13:12)
The exact same Greek phrase meaning "to see face to face" is used in the Greek version
of the Old Testament for seeing
God
face to face:
"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because
I saw God face to face,
and yet my life was spared."" (Genesis 32:30)
The apostle John confirms for us that we will see God as He is (face to face) after Jesus returns for
us and "perfects" our bodies at
the Rapture:
"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that
when he appears, we shall be like him,
for
we shall see him as he is."
(1 John 3:2)
Paul explained his statement about "perfection" by saying that "we shall see face to face," and we can see that it has nothing to do with the completion of the New Testament. Instead, it refers to our being transformed and taken into heaven when Jesus comes for us at
the Rapture.
Since Paul used this illustration to elaborate on his statement that "when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears," it provides further confirmation that this "perfection" does not refer to the completion of the New Testament.
-
Paul's final illustration in the 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 passage which we are examining puts the whole issue to rest:
"Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
(1 Corinthians 13:12)
This does not describe the completion of the New Testament, because the New Testament was completed almost two thousand years ago and yet we
still
do not "know fully, even as [we are] fully known." Having a complete New Testament has not caused us to have a full, complete knowledge of God nor has it caused us to individually become "fully known" to one another.
Scholars say that Paul was martyred in 64 or 68 A.D., but there are several books of the New Testament which scholars believe were written
after
Paul died: Hebrews in 68 or 69 A.D., Jude somewhere between 67 A.D. and 80 A.D., the Gospel of John somewhere between 85 A.D. and 95 A.D., and Revelation, which many scholars agree was written in 95 or 96 A.D. In addition, the first formal list of New Testament books was not compiled until roughly 75 years after Paul's death
(The History of Christianity,
Dr. Tim Dowley, p.106), and the New Testament was not actually completed in its final form for another 250 years or so after that
(The History of Christianity,
Dr. Tim Dowley, p.205).
Paul said, "when
perfection
comes...then
I
shall know fully" (1 Corinthians 13:12, above). Some people believe that this "perfection" refers to the completion of the New Testament, but Paul did not live to see the completion of the New Testament. Paul's use of the word "perfection" cannot be referring to the completed New Testament because that would contradict his statement that he himself would "know fully" when perfection comes.
To summarize, all of the evidence indicates that the "perfection" which Paul described is our transformation from mortal, corruptible bodies to perfect, immortal, incorruptible bodies. There is no suggestion in any of these verses, nor anywhere else in Scripture, that the completed New Testament is the "perfection" which Paul spoke of.
Paul said that certain spiritual gifts will
only
cease when perfection comes, meaning that we will no longer need these gifts after we are
raptured
and we receive our perfect, glorified bodies. Since
the Rapture
has not yet happened,
all
of the gifts of the Spirit are still functioning in the body of Christ, including tongues. This means that God still wants us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit for our own personal ministries just as Jesus and the apostles and the early Christians were. There are no other passages anywhere in the New Testament which tell us that any gifts of the Spirit will ever "die out." For more proof, I invite you to see my article called
Answering Common Objections About Divine Healing.
Were the Gifts of the Spirit "Foundational"?
Sometimes people use Ephesians 2:19-21 to argue that the gifts of the Spirit were "foundational":
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him
the whole building
is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." (Ephesians 2:19-21)
They argue that God's "building" (the Church) was built on the
foundation
of the apostles, so therefore the apostles must have been given certain spiritual gifts in order to help found the Church. The idea is that these gifts of the Spirit were part of the
foundation
for establishing and building the Church, and therefore they were
temporary
(which is not a very strong argument when you consider that the foundation which your house sits on was not temporary, it is still there!). Since speaking in tongues is believed to be one of the "temporary" gifts, then tongues cannot be the outward evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
However, the above line of argument misses Paul's point and goes beyond what the above passage actually says. Paul's point was simply that we are members of God's "building," and that the apostles
(and
the prophets) laid the foundation for this "building." Notice that Paul used the same imagery in 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, where he specifically said that the foundation has nothing to do with his gifts as an apostle, the foundation is Jesus Christ:
"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field,
God's building.
By the grace God has given me,
I laid a foundation as an expert builder,
and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful
how he builds.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."
(1 Corinthians 3:9-11)
Jesus is the true foundation, so if we use the argument which some people use (above) then we would have to conclude that Jesus and His gifts (salvation, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, redemption, etc.) were purely "foundational" and therefore ended when the New Testament was completed. Obviously this is the wrong conclusion to make! The argument that the apostles' spiritual gifts were purely foundational (and therefore temporary) is not Scriptural.
Were the Gifts of the Spirit "Confirmatory"?
Some people believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were given to the apostles in order to
confirm
their apostolic ministry, or that the apostles were able to do miracles and impart the Holy Spirit to others because this
confirmed
the apostles' authority for writing inspired Scripture. This is based on passages such as the following:
"Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and
confirmed
his word
by the signs
that accompanied it." (Mark 16:20)
"So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord,
who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders."
(Acts 14:3)
"how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
(Hebrews 2:3-4)
One problem with this idea is that
few
of the apostles actually wrote any of the books of the New Testament, and many of the books were written by
non-apostles
(see my article called
Who Wrote the New Testament?).
If the apostles were able to do miracles for the purpose of confirming their authority to write inspired Scripture, then why did only a few apostles write any inspired Scripture, and why do we have inspired Scripture written by non-apostles?
Another obvious flaw in this argument is that signs and miracles and spiritual gifts were not limited to the apostles:
"Now
Stephen,
a man full of God's grace and power, did
great wonders and miraculous signs
among the people." (Acts 6:8)
"When the crowds heard
Philip
and saw the
miraculous signs
he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks,
evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed."
(Acts 8:6-7)
"During this time
some prophets
came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named
Agabus,
stood up and through the Spirit
predicted
that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)" (Acts 11:27-28)
"Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.
He had
four unmarried daughters who prophesied."
(Acts 21:8-9)
Some people believe that miraculous gifts of the Spirit were given to the apostles in order to confirm their authority, yet all of these other people (above) had miraculous gifts as well. And Paul specifically pointed out that
all
of the gifts of the Spirit were present in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:7).
Not only did these people (who were not apostles) prophesy and do amazing signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit, but at Pentecost the apostle Peter said that according to God's Word
all
Christians would have the opportunity to do similar things:
"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ... "'In the last days,
God says, I will pour out my Spirit on
all
people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even
on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.""
(Acts 2:14-18)
God specifically said that He would pour out His Spirit on all kinds of people, and notice that He did not put any kind of time limit on this. God did not say "I will pour out my Spirit for 60 or 70 years until the last apostle has died." Instead, God said that He would pour it out on people, regardless of gender, age, social position, or time period.
Not only was there no time limit placed on the gifts of the Spirit (except that when we are transformed at
the Rapture
then we will no longer need certain gifts), but neither Jesus nor the apostles ever took back, canceled, or in any way softened any of the things they said about spiritual gifts. Take a close look at what they said:
"But
eagerly desire
the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:31)
"Follow the way of love and
eagerly desire
spiritual gifts,
especially
the gift of prophecy." (1 Corinthians 14:1)
"I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy."
(1 Corinthians 14:5)
"Since you are
eager
to have spiritual gifts,
try to excel
in gifts that build up the church." (1 Corinthians 14:12)
"Therefore, my brothers,
be eager to prophesy,
and
do not forbid speaking in tongues."
(1 Corinthians 14:39)
"Do not quench the Spirit."
(1 Thessalonians 5:19, New King James Version)
"do
not
treat prophecies with contempt." (1 Thessalonians 5:20)
Not a single one of these statements was ever taken back or canceled! Now notice Jesus' final words in the Gospel of Mark:
"And
these signs will accompany those who believe:
In my name they will
drive out demons;
they will
speak in new tongues;
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt
them at all; they will
place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
(Mark 16:17-18)
Just before Jesus left the earth He said that "those who believe" will cast out demons, speak in tongues, see miraculous healings through the laying-on of hands, and so on. Neither Jesus nor the writers of Scripture ever canceled this promise, so this promise is still in effect! Obviously not every Christian speaks in tongues (and in fact charismatics don't all speak in tongues either), but this does not change the fact that Jesus' promise is still available to those who believe.
[Note: Sometimes the above passage is called "the longer ending of Mark," implying that Mark 16:9-20 is a "disputed" passage. We should be careful here, though. It is true that scholars are uncertain about who wrote Mark 16:9-20, because the evidence suggests that Mark did not write this passage himself. However, the uncertainty is over who
wrote
the passage, not whether it is Scripture. God has watched over His Word and has ensured that the Bible contains exactly what He wanted it to contain. God saw to it that this passage was accepted into the canon of Scripture and therefore it
is
infallible Scripture, and it is included in some form in all modern versions of the Bible. Some of the early church fathers quoted from this passage, which means that it comes from the earliest days of Christianity. Without this passage, the Gospel of Mark ends abruptly at verse 16:8 ("Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.") without ever mentioning the risen Jesus. This leads many scholars to believe that the original ending of Mark may have been lost or destroyed and that it may have been added back in by scribes. People sometimes want to dismiss Mark 16:9-20 because it seems to have been written by an anonymous person, but what they don't realize is that the
entire
Gospel of Mark is anonymous and nobody knows for sure who wrote any of it! The title
"According to Mark" was
added
by a scribe sometime before 125 A.D.
(The Bible Knowledge Commentary,
Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, p.95). Furthermore,
all
of the Gospels are anonymous, but all four of them, including the Mark 16:9-20 passage, have
been canonized as inspired Scripture. The book of Hebrews
is also canonized Scripture, yet nobody knows who wrote it. The human authors of other books and
portions of Scripture are unknown as well, such as John 7:53-8:11, Deuteronomy 2:10-12, 20-23,
3:13b-14, 34:1-12, the Old Testament books of 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Esther, and numerous
other parts of the Old Testament, yet we don't dispute the fact that these books and passages are canonized Scripture. In fact, the evangelical
Bible Knowledge Commentary
(Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary) says this about Mark 16:9-20:
"verses 9-20, though written or compiled by an anonymous Christian writer,
are historically authentic and are part of the New Testament canon
... Possibly these verses were brief extracts from the post-Resurrection accounts found in the other three Gospels and were known through oral tradition to have the approval of the Apostle John who lived till near the end of the first century. Thus the material was
included
early enough in the transmission process to gain acceptance by the church
as part of canonical Scripture. These verses are consistent with the rest of Scripture."
(p.194, emphasis added).
The point is, it is not up to us to choose which passages in the Bible we want to accept as Scripture and which passages we feel like rejecting as Scripture. It doesn't really matter who wrote Mark 16:9-20, just like it doesn't really matter who wrote the Gospels or the book of Hebrews. What matters is that God caused this passage to be included in the canon of Scripture and therefore it should be believed and obeyed.]
The Bible says that in the first century, the Lord confirmed His Word by miraculous signs and wonders and gifts of the Spirit (see Mark 16:20, Acts 14:3, and Hebrews 2:3-4, above). The exciting reality is that sometimes the Lord
still
confirms the preaching of His Word to this day with miraculous signs and wonders and healings! So why don't we see more miracles? Because miracles require faith, and many modern Christians do not really have faith that miracles and healings can happen right in front of their eyes. That's why it appears as if miracles have "died out." But they haven't! Miracles are "for today"! You can verify this for yourself by reading my
Healing Training Course
and allowing Jesus to instantly heal people through you. I have personally witnessed cancer instantly healed, nearly-blind eyes instantly healed, backs instantly healed, short arms and legs instantly growing out, a growth which fell off, and so on, when I have laid hands on people in His Name. There is nothing special about me, the Lord still confirms His Word and He can work miracles through you, too!
Are Miracles Really "for Today"?
Many people believe that there was an "Age of Miracles" which ended in the first century, but it turns out that the New Testament never says anything about an Age of Miracles which would only last for a few decades. In fact, the greatest weight of Scriptural evidence shows that the
entire
Church Age (which includes us modern Christians) is supposed to be an age of miracles. To prove this, I invite you to see Part One of my
Healing Training Course.
It is easy for modern Christians to assume that our non-miraculous church experience is normal, and that the people in the early years of the Church were "special" people living in a "special" time who experienced a "supercharged" form of church life. But what infallible yardstick are we using which tells us that a lack of miracles is normal for modern times? The
only
infallible yardstick we have is the Bible, and the Bible shows that miracles are to be expected throughout the Church Age. The New Testament does not provide us with any instructions or examples on which to base our modern, non-miraculous form of church. Instead, the New Testament is
filled
with instructional examples of how signs, wonders, miracles, and the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are supposed to operate throughout the Church Age, and there are numerous instructions given to us for the orderly use of these miraculous spiritual gifts in the body of Christ (read chapters 12, 13, and 14 of 1 Corinthians, for example).
Further, neither Jesus nor the writers of Scripture ever described
two
Churches, an "early Church" (which ended when the New Testament was completed) and a "modern Church," so these terms are misleading. There is only
one
Church, only
one
Church Age, and only
one
body of Christ, and therefore we are part of the
same
New Testament Church that was born at Pentecost. To illustrate this, consider a new Christian who has not absorbed any biases from Christian friends or church leaders. Imagine that he is so hungry to know the Lord that he locks himself in his room until he has read the entire New Testament several times. When this person goes to church for the very first time in his life, wouldn't he expect to see people speaking in tongues, laying hands on the sick, prophesying, and so on? After all, this is the
only
type of church experience which is described in the New Testament! For more on the popular but erroneous view that "the early Church" was different from "the modern church," I invite you to see my article called
Answering Common Objections About Divine Healing.
The entire Church Age (from Pentecost until
the Rapture)
is supposed to be an age of miracles, and this includes all of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive
power
when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and this happened after they were saved (as we saw in
Part One
of this article). After we become saved, we also need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit in order to receive spiritual empowerment.
"One Baptism"
Occasionally someone will argue that the baptism of the Holy Spirit became obsolete in Paul's time, based on this passage:
Ephesians 4:4: "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called--"
Ephesians 4:5: "one Lord, one faith,
one baptism"
The argument here is that by the time that Paul wrote the above passage, there was only one remaining Christian baptism. The assumption is that the above passage is referring to water baptism, and therefore the baptism of the Holy Spirit must have been obsolete by the time that Paul wrote the above passage.
However, notice that Paul simply mentioned "one baptism" without explaining what he meant. There are actually a number of different types of "baptisms" ("immersions") mentioned in the New Testament, such as John the Baptist's baptism in Mark 1:4, the baptisms of suffering and/or death in Mark 10:38-39 and Luke 12:50, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire in Matthew 3:11 (which some people believe are two different baptisms), and Christian water baptism in Matthew 28:19.
The question is, which one of these baptisms was Paul talking about in the above passage? Consider that in the context of Ephesians 4:4-5 (above), Paul said nothing at all about water or water baptism, so people are simply making an
assumption
that Paul was talking about water baptism.
But in reality, all he said was that there is "one baptism," which might simply mean that Christians only need to be baptized in water
one
time (not multiple times), or that Christians only need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit
one
time (not multiple times). People are making an
assumption
when they say that this "one baptism" implies that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is now obsolete.
Here's something else to consider. First, notice that Jesus died around 30 A.D., and Paul wrote Ephesians around 60 A.D. while he was under house arrest in Rome, and the apostle John wrote Revelation around 95 or 96 A.D. (see my article called
Who Wrote the New Testament?).
Therefore, "the time of the apostles" (as some people call it) or the time period during which the New Testament was being written, lasted from about 30 A.D. until after 95 A.D. This means that when the apostle Paul wrote the book of Ephesians, it was still less than halfway through "the time of the apostles" (as some people call it) or the time period when the New Testament was being written. Notice that it makes no sense to say that the Holy Spirit had finished
any
of His ministry (such as Spirit baptism) when the time of the original apostles was not even half over!
Furthermore, when Paul wrote the book of Ephesians (to the church at Ephesus) during the time period of Acts 28:14-31, it was just 9 chapters after he had ministered to some disciples in Ephesus. Notice what happened in Ephesus:
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied." Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." (Acts 19:1-6)
Notice that when Paul met some disciples in Ephesus, he baptized them in water and then he laid hands on them so that they would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This happened in Ephesus during the time period of Acts 19, and then during the time period of Acts 28 Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. In his letter to the Ephesians, was Paul really telling them that even though he had personally ministered the baptism of the Holy Spirit to some of them, this Spirit baptism was no longer available to anyone? No, that is not what Paul said. Paul simply said that we should all have the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, because we all share the one Lord, the one Spirit, the one faith, the one baptism, and so on. In this context, it might be more likely that he was referring to the Spirit baptism, which obviously does not make water baptism obsolete (because water baptism was commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28). There are no passages anywhere in the New Testament which support the idea that Spirit baptism would ever come to an end during the Church Age (i.e. between Pentecost and
the Rapture).
What it boils down to is that this argument is based on assumptions with no Scriptural support to back it up.
When Did Jesus Go to the Father?
It is sometimes argued that the disciples could not have received the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday (the day that Jesus was resurrected) because the Holy Spirit was not able to be permanently received by anyone until after the Ascension (when Jesus physically ascended back up to heaven). This view is based on the following passages:
"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)
"And
I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Counselor to be with you
forever"
(John 14:16)
"After his suffering,
he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them
over a period of forty days
and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this,
he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight."
(Acts 1:3-9)
In the first two passages above, it appears that the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) could not
permanently
come to the disciples until after Jesus had "gone away" to the Father. Then in Acts 1:3-9 (above) we see that Jesus "went away" 40 days after the Resurrection by ascending up to heaven. If the Holy Spirit was not able to be permanently received by anyone until after the Ascension then the disciples could not have received the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday. Therefore, the charismatic view must be wrong.
On the surface, this sounds like a strong argument. However, there is an assumption being made here, and assumptions can easily lead us into error. This argument
assumes
that Jesus was referring to the Ascension when He said that He had to "go away" before the Holy Spirit could be sent. But is this really what Jesus meant? The only way to know for sure is to prayerfully, honestly, and objectively search for the greatest weight of evidence in Scripture so that we can see the full picture of what Jesus meant in John 16:7 (above).
What we're about to see is that Jesus "went away" to the Father on the day that He was resurrected, and then He came back to the earth later that same day. Watch how several different lines of evidence all lead to that conclusion:
-
According to Acts 1:3-9 (above), the Ascension happened almost a month and a half (40 days) after the Resurrection. But look what happened on the night before Jesus was crucified:
"It was just before the Passover Feast.
Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father."
(John 13:1)
Just before the Last Supper, on the night before Jesus was crucified, He knew that
the time had come
for Him to leave this world and
go to the Father.
Is this referring to the Ascension, which was still a month and a half away, or did Jesus leave this world and go to the Father at the time of His crucifixion and resurrection? As we will see, He went to the Father on the day He was resurrected.
Now look at what He said to the disciples on the night before He was crucified:
"You heard me say,
'I am going away and I am coming back to you.'
If you loved me, you would be glad that
I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you will believe."
(John 14:28-29)
Jesus said that He was going to the Father and then coming back to the disciples, and then they would
believe
the things He said about Himself. When did the disciples
believe
these things? On the day that Jesus was resurrected (John 20:19-31). On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus went to the Father and then returned to the earth, just as He had promised He would.
Here's another one:
"Now I am going to him who sent me,
yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:5-7)
On the night before Jesus was crucified, He said that
now
He was going to the Father. He was not referring to the Ascension because that was still a month and a half away. He was referring to the time of His crucifixion and resurrection. Then Jesus said that unless He "goes away," the Counselor could not come. Jesus "went away" to the Father on the day that He was resurrected, and that is why He was able to impart the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit to the disciples on the evening of Resurrection Sunday.
Here's another one:
"Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying,
'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,'
and 'Because
I am going to the Father'?"
They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying." Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said,
'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'?
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve,
but your grief will turn to joy.""
(John 16:17-20)
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told the disciples that in a little while they would no longer see Him because He was
going to the Father.
Then after a little while they would
see Him again
and
their grief would turn to joy.
When did the disciples see Jesus again, and when did their grief turn to
joy?
On the day that Jesus was resurrected (John 20:19-20). When Jesus said that He was going to the Father and then returning to the earth, and their grief would then turn to joy, He was referring to Resurrection Sunday, not the Ascension.
Here's another one:
"Now
is your time of grief, but
I will see you again and you will rejoice,
and no one will take away your joy. ... I came from the Father and entered the world;
now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
(John 16:22, 28)
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus said that
now
was their time of grief, and
now
He was going to the Father. He also said that they will see Him again and rejoice, which happened on Resurrection Sunday (as we saw a moment ago). "Now" refers to the time of the crucifixion and resurrection, not the Ascension.
Here's another one:
"I will remain in the world no longer,
but they are still in the world, and
I am coming to you.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:11)
Once again, on the night before He was crucified, Jesus said that He was just about to go to the Father.
Here's another one:
"I am coming to you now,
but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." (John 17:13)
Once again, on the night before He was crucified, Jesus said that He was just about to go to the Father.
All of these passages tell us that on the night before Jesus was crucified, He repeatedly said that He was returning to the Father
now
(not in a month and a half at the Ascension). Jesus went to the Father and then returned to the earth on the day He was resurrected. That's why the disciples were able to receive the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation on the evening of Resurrection Sunday.
-
When Jesus said, "Unless I
go away,
the Counselor will not come to you" (John 16:7), He was specifically referring to the time of His death and resurrection, not the time of the Ascension (as we saw in point #1). Watch how this fits with the events that happened on Resurrection Sunday.
That Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene was at the tomb
before dawn:
"Early on the first day of the week,
while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." (John 20:1)
The risen Jesus appeared to Mary and told her that He had
not yet
returned to the Father. Then He told her to tell the disciples,
"I am returning to my father":
"Jesus said,
"Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them,
'I am returning to my Father
and your Father, to my God and your God.'"" (John 20:17)
On the morning of Resurrection Sunday, Jesus said that He was just about to go to the Father!
Now, consider that Bible translators often have to make an
interpretation
of a passage in order to find the right English words to use. In this passage the NIV says "Do not hold on to me," but several other translations of the Bible (including literal translations) say "Don't
touch
Me" instead. So which translations are correct?
The Greek word that is used in this passage is
haptomai,
which means:
"To apply oneself to,
to touch.
Refers to such handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon it"
(The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament,
Spiros Zodhiates, p.245, emphasis added)
It turns out that the NIV
never
translates this Greek word as "hold on to" except in John 20:17 (above). Why? Because "hold on to" is not the normal meaning of this Greek word. The NIV translates
haptomai
as "marry" in 1 Corinthians 7:1 and as "harm" in 1 John 5:18, but in
all
of the other occurrences of
haptomai
in the New Testament, the NIV always translates it with the word "touch." That is the normal meaning of this Greek word (here are the references: Matthew 8:3, 15, 9:20-21, 29, 14:36, 17:7, 20:34, Mark 1:41, 3:10, 5:27-31, 6:56, 7:33, 8:22, 10:13, Luke 5:13, 6:19, 7:14, 39, 8:44-47, 18:15, 22:51, 2 Corinthians 6:17, and Colossians 2:21).
So for some unexplained reason, Jesus told Mary that morning not to touch Him because He had not yet returned to the Father. But watch! That evening, Jesus specifically told the disciples to
touch
Him. Something had changed:
"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ... Jesus said,
"Do not hold on to me
["Do not touch me"],
for I have not yet returned to the Father.
Go instead to my brothers and tell them,
'I am returning to my Father
and your Father, to my God and your God.'"" (John 20:1,17)
"While they [the disciples on the
evening
of Resurrection Sunday] were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!
Touch me
and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."" (Luke 24:36-39)
"On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,
I am sending you." And with that he
breathed
on them and said,
"receive the Holy Spirit."
If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."" (John 20:19-23)
Notice the sequence of events: On Sunday morning, the risen Jesus told Mary
not
to touch Him because He had
not yet
gone to the Father. Then He told Mary to tell the disciples that He was
going
to the Father. [Then He went to the Father.] That evening, He had returned from the Father and He told the disciples to
touch
Him! They believed that He had risen from the dead, and they received salvation (see Romans 10:9). Then Jesus breathed the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit into the disciples as an exact parallel of breathing spiritual life into Adam (as we saw in
Part One).
Notice that Jesus did
not
say to the disciples what He had said to Mary that morning: "Do not hold on to me ["touch me"], for I have not yet returned to the Father." Why didn't He say this to the disciples? Because He had
already
gone to the Father and returned back to the earth.
When Jesus said that He had to go to the Father before the Holy Spirit could be permanently received by anyone, He wasn't talking about the Ascension. He was talking about Resurrection Sunday. That's why the disciples were able to receive salvation and the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit on the day that Jesus was resurrected.
-
During Jesus' earthly ministry, sometimes the disciples were not able to understand what He was talking about. Here are some examples:
"At first his disciples
did not understand
all this.
Only after Jesus was glorified
did they realize that
these things had been written about him
and that they had done these things to him." (John 12:16)
"Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing,
but later you will understand.""
(John 13:7)
"(They still did not understand from Scripture
that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)" (John 20:9)
However, when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of Resurrection Sunday, He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures:
"While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ...
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
(Luke 24:36-37,45)
Why did Jesus wait until
after
His death and resurrection before opening their minds to understand the Scriptures? Because the Bible tells us that
without the Spirit
we
cannot
discern the things that come from the Spirit of God:
"The man
without the Spirit
does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he
cannot understand
them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)
This means that
unsaved
people (unregenerate people) cannot understand the spiritual truths in Scripture, as this prominent evangelical Bible commentary points out:
"Since only spiritual people are able to receive spiritual truths, it follows that
the man without the Spirit,
an unregenerate person, would not and could not receive the message of wisdom regardless of his intellectual abilities or accomplishments"
(The Bible Knowledge Commentary,
Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, p.510)
Before Jesus died and was resurrected, the disciples did not have the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit and therefore they sometimes could not understand what Jesus was talking about. But on the evening of Resurrection Sunday, Jesus was able to open their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures. Why? Because they were now saved and they had received the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit, which allowed them to understand these spiritual truths on Resurrection Sunday.
We have seen that Scripture is very consistent, and we have seen that various different lines of evidence all point to the same conclusion. The disciples were able to receive salvation and the permanent, indwelling Holy Spirit on the evening of Resurrection Sunday because Jesus had
already
gone to the Father and then returned back to the earth. When Jesus said that He had to "go away" before the Holy Spirit could be received by people (John 14:16 and 16:7), He was not referring to the Ascension.
Conclusion
We have looked at the baptism of the Holy Spirit from many different angles. We found that Scripture is completely consistent, and we found that the Scriptural evidence completely supports the charismatic view.
I have tried to offer plenty of proof that after salvation there is a voluntary second experience of the Holy Spirit which is for empowering a Christian and which has the usual outward evidence of being able to pray in tongues. We honor God when we prayerfully seek
His
truth with an unbiased, teachable spirit, and my hope and prayer is that this article has given you some food for thought and some Scriptures for prayerful consideration. Whatever you believe, if you have trusted in Jesus alone as your Savior then you are my brother or sister in Christ, and I look forward to meeting you when we all get Home!
For a detailed Scriptural explanation of the difference between "the gift of tongues" and "praying in tongues," see my article called
Praying in the Spirit Equals Praying in Tongues.
which examines every single passage on tongues in the New Testament.
When you are ready to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, I invite you to read my article called
How to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Teach us and enlighten us, Lord, all for Your glory!
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