Greetings!
There are two audio teachings that I have prepared in respect to this article.
There
are some that understand the oneness of God to mean that God is Jesus only.
In other words, they think that Jesus is the Father, is the Son, and is the
Holy Spirit. This doctrine goes on to conclude that salvation comes in stages
and unless all stages are properly fulfilled one is not “fully” saved. The
stages are:
1. Repentance
2. Baptism in the name of Jesus
3. Becoming “filled” with the Spirit of
God (which is Jesus Christ) with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
They base this concept on the interpretation that the
following verse describes the three step process to obtain "full"
salvation.
“Then Peter said unto them, (1) Repent, and (2) be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and (3) ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)
The problem we immediately run into is why one would
conclude that these three steps define "full salvation." The previous
verse outlines the question that Peter was responding to. What one would expect
to find is a question asking: "what must I do to be saved?" This is
not the question that is asked. The question is asked: "What shall we do?" This is
very different. Peter wasn't telling the bare essentials for salvation, he was
explaining how to walk out into the fullness of the experience that the
disciples in the upper room had at Pentecost. If he was explaining the bare
essentials for salvation, his testimony would line up with scripture: "In
whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise"
(Ephesians 1:13). The question Peter responded to is as follows:
"Now when they heard this, they
were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the
apostles, Men and brethren, what shall
we do?" (Acts 2:37)
Here is the case in point. On another
occasion in the book of Acts, the actual question that is asked is phrased:
"what must I do to be saved?" In response to this question, the
apostle gives the answer which should also be in our mouths. He tells the man
to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved."
Neither water baptism, nor the reception of the "gift" of the Holy
Spirit is referenced, proving the point.
"Then he called for a light, and
sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought
them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do
to be saved? And they said, Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
(Acts 16:29-31)
This is why the Bible is clear that
we must believe to inherit eternal life.
"For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16)
"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one
that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." (1
John 1:5)
In the book of Romans, what it means
to "believe" is clarified. It is brought out that the believing must
be done with the heart, as opposed to the head. A mental assent does not grant
salvation. In addition, verbal confession bearing witness to the heart (or
subconscious level) belief in Christ is required.
"That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
(Romans 10:9-10)
In any case, according to the belief of some, unless
all three steps outlined in Acts 2:38 are true of an individual they cannot go
to heaven. This means that every denomination or group of Christ followers that
has ever lived without embracing the spiritual gifts (or at least the gift of
tongues) is damned to hell. Moreover, anyone that is not baptized in water with
the verbiage “In the name of Jesus Christ” is also damned to hell. However, at the
center of this concept is the idea that there is no triune God, but that Jesus
is the only God; the Father and the Holy Spirit are simply pseudonyms for
Jesus. This is in contrast to the idea that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy
Spirit are the three persons that form the Godhead, together being one God.
A major problem with the concept that Jesus is the
Father and that Jesus is also the Holy Spirit is the biblical definition of
being or becoming “one.” There is no doubt that Jesus says that He and His
Father are one (John 10:30) and that if we have seen Him then we have seen the
Father (John 14:19). The Bible says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4)!” However, biblically
speaking, being “one” does not mean or imply the complete fusion of one into another.
For instance when a husband and wife come together
they become one flesh. The reading is literal.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis
2:24)
When a man and a woman consummate marriage the
connection between them becomes both physical and spiritual. They are
henceforth “one flesh.” However, to say that from this point forward the man is
the woman and the woman is the man is absolutely ridiculous. They maintain
their original personalities, and they continue to have their own “minds.” While
they are one flesh, they remain unique in their individuality.
This point becomes increasingly clear when we look at
the Hebrew word that is translated "one." Echad (Strong's 259) means united, one, first, alike, altogether,
only, etc. It denotes a united oneness. This is in contrast to the
Hebrew word Yachid, which denotes a solitary
or numerical oneness. Interestingly enough, both Genesis 2:24 and Deuteronomy
6:4 employ the use of the word echad.
This is no coincidence. The Old Testament clearly reveals to us the nature of
God's oneness in the word use of the original language. Furthermore, in quoting
both of these passages Jesus uses the Greek word hen which also means united oneness in contrast to the Greek
word mono which denotes solitary
oneness. The Greek language is just like Hebrew in that it employs different
words to indicate what type of oneness is being acknowledged. Matthew 19:5 (a
quote from Genesis 2:24) reads, "And said, For this cause shall a man
leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be
one [hen] flesh." Matthew 12:29 (a quote from Deuteronomy 6:4) reads, "And
Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one [hen] Lord." (More detail on this point can be found
at http://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-yachid-vs-echad.htm).
We find an additional problem with the idea that Jesus
is the Father and that He is also the Holy Spirit in that the Bible is clear
that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have their own minds. By
definition: a person is defined as a self-conscious or rational being. In
other words a person must have a mind that is unique unto themselves in order
to be defined as a person. Even when a single human body houses more than one
personality, the condition is called "multiple personality disorder"
or more recently "dissociative identity disorder" because it has been
found that the individual personalities sharing the body have distinct
identities, names, memories and personalities. It could be said that each
personality has its own mind—meaning the nature of the condition
is best recognized as multiple persons
sharing the same body. Only if the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have the
same mind could it be rightly argued that they are all the same person.
However, when it is proven that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all have
their own minds it becomes concrete evidence that they exist as unique persons.
If all of them were Jesus, they would by definition have to have the same mind
and not be individually self-conscious. From the clear reading of Scripture it is
absolutely irrefutable that the mind of the Father contains information that is
not present in the mind of Jesus Christ. This must mean that the Father
has a mind that is unique from the mind of Christ.
The mind of the spirit
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in
our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. Now He who searches
the hearts knows what the mind of the
Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to
the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
The mind of Christ
“For “who has known the mind of the LORD
that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2:16)
The mind of the Father
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit all have their own
minds. Clearly, this means that they can’t all be defined as the same person.
There are clear differences between the mind of the Father, the mind of Christ,
and the mind of the Spirit. The most notable difference is that the Father
knows the day and hour of the return of Jesus while Jesus does not even know
this information.
Another problem with defining Jesus as the Father and
Jesus as the Holy Spirit are additional scriptural comparisons used in relation
to being “one.” Put simply, these scriptures cease to make sense when we assume
that Jesus is actually the Father. The way Jesus compares the unity He shares
with the Father to the unity that awaits the church is found in John 17. We can
glean a lot of truth from this comparison, especially when we refer back to
point number one and realize that the Greek word translated as "one"
is hen.
“Now I am no longer in the world, but
these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name
those whom You have given Me, that they
may be one [hen] as We are". (John 17:11)
Jesus
prays that we would be “one” in the same way that He and the Father are one. In
order to comprehend this beyond the clear meaning of the Greek word hen, we must begin by understanding that the body
of Christ is not one member but many.
“For in fact the body is not one member
but many.” (1 Corinthians 12:14)
If Jesus is comparing the oneness that He shares with
the Father to the oneness that He desires for the church then He is saying one
of two things.
1. He wants to make us into one giant
mesh of flesh, bones, and blood; strip us of all individuality; give us a
single brain (and mind);and make us one organism just like Him and the Father “are
one” since He is actually the Father.
2. He wants us to be united, being of
one mind concerning the things of God and His plans and purposes for us (2
Corinthians 13:11), though being many members working together as one unit to
the edification of the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:27). He wants us to come to
the unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)
Obviously the correct understanding is number two. It
is irrefutable that the reason for the comparison is to illustrate the extent
to which we should be “working as one.” Therefore, why would we conclude that
Jesus is the Father, and that He is also the Holy Spirit? There is no doubt
that we serve “one God.” But to try to understand this fact as the concept that
Jesus is the Father and that He is also the Holy Spirit does not align with a
scriptural understanding of the concept of being “one.” This is why in Genesis
chapter 1:26 God is recorded as saying, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the
cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth.” The words “us” and “our” are clearly plural.
Moreover, the conclusions that a flawed understanding
of the oneness of God leads to such as “not being fully saved” or “all people
that don’t speak in tongues will go to hell even if they are earnestly seeking
after Jesus and have completely surrendered their lives to Him” is absolute
nonsense (in my humble opinion). It is also a sword of division within the
greater body of Christ that will have to be removed if the church is ever to
attain to the mandate of Ephesians 4:13. Salvation comes by grace through faith
and not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). To turn salvation into a three step process
is turning salvation into works. This is unscriptural, and leads to a cult mentality. Those that believe this
way sever themselves from the greater work that God is doing in the earth and
inevitably find themselves at odds with any Christian that does not believe
exactly as they do.
More scriptural evidence dealing with the
misunderstanding of oneness deals with the oneness that we share in the spirit
with God. When we are saved we receive the Holy Spirit into our spirit. This is
what the Bible says about this activity:
“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one [hen] spirit.” (1
Corinthians 6:17)
Does this mean that once we are joined to the Lord,
the Spirit of God replaces our spirit? Could it be that the spirit that was
born into my body ceases to exist for all eternity the moment I am saved? No.
If this were true we would all be perfect upon salvation and all Christians
would lose their individuality and uniqueness. Furthermore, the Bible would
not go on to say that we need to cleanse our spirits of filthiness since
our spirits would be entirely perfected upon salvation. The apostle would not
say "let us" if he did not have a revelation that though he was saved
his spirit still needed periodic cleansing.
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
What actually happens when we are saved is that the
Holy Spirit begins to live in our spirit. He becomes the seal of God in us unto
the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30) and begins to guide us into all truth
(John 16:13). Our spirit maintains a unique personhood and identity from the
Spirit of God. When the Holy Spirit is in our spirit the Bible qualifies this
as “one spirit”. In this we see the biblical definition of “oneness.”
Pictorial Evidence of
the Nature of God
A picture that clearly speaks to the triune God is the
baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17). Although there have been attempts to
explain this away in favor of the idea that Jesus is really all three at once,
it becomes exactly that—explaining it away.
It is difficult to say that Jesus came out of the water, descended upon Himself like a dove, and then spoke to Himself out of an opening in heaven referring to Himself as His own Son. However, this is exactly what some choose to believe. The fact of the matter is that God is one, but defining Him as Jesus only is a flawed perspective. The reading is clear that the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and the Father spoke from heaven saying “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Furthermore, when we have direct biblical revelations of heaven we find that two distinct persons are clearly described. Shortly before Stephen was stoned he gave his testimony of heaven.
"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55)
It is one thing to develop a philosophy about how one could stand at the right hand of themselves in a symbolic manner. However, when a clear spatial divide is described between two beings that are actively being observed we must conclude that we are looking at two distinct persons. There is no other logical option. This is why when referring to the Father and Himself Jesus used the word "we."
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:26)."
This is also why in the book of Revelation we again find a spatial distinction being made between Jesus (represented by the Lamb) and the one who sits on the throne. After the Lamb proceeds forth from the midst of the throne to take a book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the creatures bless both the one that is presently sitting upon the throne and also the Lamb that was slain.
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne... And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." (Revelation 5:6-7, 13)
At this point we must answer a very relevant question.
If we do not understand the Holy Spirit as Jesus, then what model are we to
follow in regards to what it means to “receive the Holy Spirit”? What does it
really mean to be saved?
The Answer
We must understand that it is one thing to be “born of
the spirit” which means to receive salvation (John 3:5) or the new birth
(becoming born again). It is a whole other step entirely to “receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38) which means to have the baptism of the Holy
Spirit with evidence of speaking in other tongues (Acts 1:5). This becomes
something that happens subsequent to the salvation experience (or new birth).
This can be clearly observed in Acts 8 when Philip is
seen preaching the gospel.
“Then
Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed
unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles
which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many
that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame,
were healed. And there was great joy in that city…But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both
men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he
continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which
were done. Now when the apostles
which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed
for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen
upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then
laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 8:5-8,
12-17)
In this passage
Philip goes forth and preaches Christ. The people give heed and are all
baptized in the name of Jesus. According to Mark 16:16, this means that they were
saved.
“He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned.” (Mark 16:16)
Furthermore the Bible says that we are born again by
the Word of God as an incorruptible seed which is sown into our spirit.
“Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter
1:23)
In the passage of Acts 8, the people received the Word
of God through Philip’s ministry. This is when they were saved. They were not
baptized in the Spirit until they were visited by Peter and John. In fact, the
whole reason that Peter and John went to Samaria was because the apostles
became aware that people in Samaria had already received the Word of God. The
Samaritans were already saved.
“Now when the
apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God…” (Acts 8:14)
It is clear that salvation was granted prior to the
ministry of Peter and John according to the straightforward reading of the
Scripture. This leads into the three main types of baptism mentioned in the Bible.
Before going through the three main types of baptism we must keep in mind that
one of the doctrines of Christ is the "doctrine of baptisms". The
word baptisms is also plural in the
original Greek. The means that the Bible expects us to understand that there is
more than one baptism and to be prepared to rightly divide the Word of God on
this issue.
"Of the doctrine
of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment." (Hebrews 6:2)
1. Baptism into the body of Christ
"For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)
The first baptism a person will
experience in their journey with Jesus is a baptism into the body of Christ.
This is the same as being born of the spirit (John 3:5) and being translated
from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13).
This is what the following verse is referring to.
“One Lord, one
faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5)
Even if one were to believe that no
one is saved until they speak in tongues, they have to answer the question:
does Ephesians 4:5 refer to baptism in water or baptism of the Holy Spirit? In
reality the answer is neither. It is the baptism into the body of Christ. Only
one baptism grants us salvation, and it is the one that allows us entrance into
God’s kingdom. It is the one that baptizes us into the body of Christ.
This is the inward work that is to be
reflected by the outward show of baptism in water. This also helps us to
understand the importance of baptizing in water with the verbiage "In
Jesus name." Since we are spiritually baptized into Jesus, it is important
to reflect that fact with the verbiage we use during the outward work.
2. Baptism in water
“And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew
28:18)
Jesus commanded His disciples to
teach and baptize all nations. It is true
that every place in the Bible where baptism is conducted; it is being done with
the verbiage “In the name of Jesus,” and not “In the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost.” In this passage Jesus clearly commands it “in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Ghost.” The name of the authority, character, and power of
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is the name of "Jesus." On this note,
it is one thing to perform baptisms in the name of Jesus because that’s how it
was done in the book of Acts. However, it is something else entirely to say
that those that are baptized as disciples of Jesus Christ with the verbiage “in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,” are unfortunately going to
hell since they are not “fully saved”. The Bible says this:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
(John 3:14-17)
Salvation (meaning obtaining eternal
life) is based on believing in Jesus as the Son of God. The Scripture is very
clear about this. It doesn’t say “whosoever believeth, gets baptized in Jesus’
name, and speaks in tongues shall not perish.” It says that whosoever “believes”
in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life. This leads to another
question: Is baptism in water a requirement for eternal life? In other words,
is baptismal regeneration a doctrine that is scripturally valid?
The following passage has been argued
as evidence that baptism is necessary for salvation.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.” (John 3:5-6)
It says that except a man is born of
water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. According to
the interpretation of some water is indicative of the baptism in Jesus name and
the spirit is indicative of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of
speaking in other tongues. This passage is central to their understanding of
the doctrine of "full salvation." Is “water” in this passage implying
the baptism in Jesus’ name? If we read the context, Jesus tells us exactly what
he means by water. He says, “That which is born of flesh is flesh.” Water is in
reference to the natural birthing process of humans. Shortly before delivery, a
woman’s “water” will break. Shortly thereafter, “flesh will give birth to flesh”.
The spirit that lives in the body must later experience the “new birth” in
order to inherit eternal life. Does being born of the Spirit imply the need to
speak in other tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? This will
be dealt with in section 3.
Another passage has also been argued
as evidence that baptism is necessary for salvation:
“He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16)
Damnation is delivered to those that
believe not. It does not say that those that believe and are baptized with the
wrong verbiage shall be damned. It also does not say that those that believe
and are unable to be baptized will be damned. It says that “those that believe
not shall be damned”. If someone is on their death bed (which has happened) and
their dying words are “I repent of my sins Jesus, I believe that you are the
Son of God and that you died for my sins. I receive you today as my personal
Lord and Savior,” there is little doubt that they will be saved by God even if
they die before they can be hauled over to a baptismal pool and made to speak
in other tongues. Our evidence is the thief on the cross who joined Jesus in
paradise even though there is no way he could have been baptized before he died
(Luke 23:39-43). This does not take away from the fact that the Bible says “those
that believe and are baptized will be saved”. Baptism in water is a commandment
that should not be ignored under any circumstances if at all possible.
Still another passage that has been
pointed out as evidence for baptismal regeneration is as follows:
"By which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once
the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like
figure whereunto even baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer
of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1
Peter 3:19-21)
The true understanding of this
passage actually informs us that baptism is not required for salvation, but that
it is a powerful step forward in our faith after we have been justified by the
blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9). Noah found grace before God and was justified
before God prior to the Lord sending the flood (Genesis 6:8-9). This is a blatantly
obvious shadow of the believer receiving justification in Christ prior to water
baptism. When the flood came it eliminated the external sin problem that took
place all around Noah, but the flood itself was not the justifying factor in
Noah's life. Of this baptism is the like figure, whereby it has the power to
overcome (or save from) the sin problem in the new believer (more on this in Notes
on Romans 6 section). However, just like after the flood the external sin
problem returned to the earth, after baptism the new believer will have to
choose to continue to work out their own salvation (Philippians 2:12). Evidence
that the external sin problem returned was that Noah was alive during the time
of Nimrod, the builder of the tower of Babel.
This is why the passage tells us:
"(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward God,)." This could be rephrased to say: "[the
baptism which now saves us is] the answer of a good conscience toward God, not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh." The baptism in water is not
what actually solves the problem of sin spiritually, but it does help the new
believer to overcome their sinful ways. Therefore baptism is actually the
answer of a good conscience towards God: the answer of a conscience that
desires to be obedient to Jesus and to live free of the weight of sin. Peter,
the same one who spoke in Acts 2:38, is clear about what actually remits sin in
Acts 10:43. He said, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through
his name whosoever believeth in him
shall receive remission of sins."
Believing in Jesus Christ (not as a
mental assent but as a subconscious conviction) allows the blood that He shed
to cleanse us of our sins and grant us redemption (Colossians 1:14).
3. Baptism of the Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is what occurs when we are “filled” with the
Holy Spirit. This is evidenced when we begin to speak in other tongues. While
(1) the baptism into the body of Christ is performed by the Holy Spirit, and
(2) the baptism in water is performed by men, (3) this baptism is said to be
performed by Jesus.
“John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with
water; but one mightier than I cometh [Jesus], the latchet of whose shoes I am
not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with
fire” (Luke 3:16)
The first baptism of the Holy Spirit happened on the day of Pentecost.
Prior to this Jesus told His disciples.
“For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence…ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:5, 8)
The disciples were to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and receive power
once the Holy Spirit came upon them. The question is: did the upper room event
also constitute their salvation?
By definition, salvation is what happens when an individual has the
Spirit of God. If we have the Spirit, we are a son of God, and hence we have
salvation.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the sons of God.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15)
Therefore to define the salvation experience for the apostles, we have to
define it with their initial reception of the Spirit of God. This happened
prior to the day of Pentecost according to the following passage.
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent
me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost”
(John 20:21-22)
This means that from this point forward the disciples had the Spirit of
God “in” them. However, the Spirit of God had not yet come “upon” them. The
Spirit of God must first be in us before
He can come upon us. The gift of the Spirit is when the Holy Spirit comes upon
us, which is what Peter is actually referring to in the following verse.
“Then Peter said unto them, (1) Repent, and (2) be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and (3) ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
(Acts 2:38)
Practically speaking, when ministering the baptism of the Spirit
(something that I minister on a periodic basis) the Holy Spirit rises from
within the person’s belly area until He rises so high that they begin to speak
in other tongues. This is confirmed by the following Scripture. The Holy Spirit
is like water bubbling up from our belly, which is physiologically where our
spirit seems to be located.
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of
living water” (John 7:38)
The Holy Spirit cannot rise within a person if He is not already there.
Furthermore, if the person is not ready to receive tongues, it will often
happen that the Spirit will only rise to their chest or throat and stop. How
does this make any sense if we pretend that the Holy Spirit is making His way into
their life for the first time? It doesn’t. Our theology must be proven by
practice. If I invent a theology that says demons no longer exist, it is only
good until a demon manifests. At this point the theology must be discarded as
false because it means that I have falsely interpreted the truth and turned it
into a lie. The same is true here. It is impossible to get someone filled with
the Holy Spirit if they are not saved first. The Spirit of God must first be within a person before He can
come upon a person.
“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49)
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
A scripture that has been used to argue that those that are saved must
speak in new tongues is found in Mark 16:17-18. It reads as follows: "And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." It
has been argued that since this verse says that they shall speak with new
tongues, speaking in tongues must be a defining characteristic of someone that
has truly been saved. However, this is horrific exegesis. If this verse is used
to be a mandate for the activity a true believer must manifest, then it would
follow that no one is "fully" saved until they have also cast out
demons, taken up serpents, drunken deadly things, and laid hands on the sick
that they might recover. That's quite a list. Since most agree that voluntarily
letting poisonous snakes bite us according to this verse is ridiculous, we can
also toss with it the idea that this passage is evidence that one is not saved
unless they speak in new tongues.
The conclusion of the matter is that while we understand that God is one,
we are not to understand this to mean that God is Jesus only. Furthermore, while the gift of the Spirit and speaking
in tongues is something God desires for every believer, it is not a
prerequisite for salvation. Also, while baptism is best done “In Jesus name,” this should not lead us into a cult
mentality thinking that salvation is a three step process and that if a person
is not “properly” baptized in water they will be damned to hell. God is
gracious and long suffering. He is not willing that any should perish but that
all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Moreover, “if being evil we know
how to give good gifts to our children, how much more shall the Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that Ask (Luke 11:3)?”
Notes on Romans 6
Having said all of this I find it
necessary to delve deeper into the topic of baptism in order to fully explain
the implications of water baptism in light of the reality that it is not a
prerequisite to salvation. Baptism is notably a difficult topic. Many have
argued in an attempt to define what water baptism actually accomplishes. I believe
part of the reason for this is because many passages that discuss what baptism
means are layered in revelation. In other words, at the most basic level they
are actually referring to what occurs during our spiritual baptism into the
body of Christ. On the second level they have practical application because
they reveal what can be activated by
faith during water baptism. Passages like Romans 6 deal with both the baptism
into the body of Christ and baptism in water.
"What shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Knowing this, that our old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin." (Romans 6:1-6)
Paul speaks about being baptized into
Christ Jesus. This is what happens when we believe and receive Jesus as our
Lord and Savior. It is at this point in time that the Holy Spirit baptizes us
into the body of Christ spiritually (1 Corinthians 12:13). What follows is the
baptism in water. When we baptize in the name of Jesus we are actually
activating all of the promises that deal with being "in Christ" to
give the new believer a great leap forward in their walk with Christ. What
promises are associate with being in Christ? A few are listed below:
"Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
(Romans 3:24)
"There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 8:39)
"So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every
one members one of another." (Romans 12:5)
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same
vail untaken away in the reading
of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ." (2
Corinthians 3:14)
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus." (Galatians 3:26)
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27)
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
These are just a few of the many promises that are to be found in Christ
Jesus. However, just because we have spiritual promises doesn't mean that we
walk in them automatically. 1 Peter 2:24 says that by His stripes we were healed
but that doesn't mean we can't get sick. What is true in the spirit must be
brought into manifestation in our lives. When we baptize in "Jesus' name"
we are applying our faith to the spiritual baptism that has literally placed us
into Christ. By doing so the wonderful promises associate with being in Christ
are being brought into greater manifestation our lives. This is why there is
power in water baptism, but also why it is not regenerative.
When it comes to the "old man" of Romans 6:6 and the body of
sin being destroyed, this speaks to the spiritual body of sin being put to
death and raised with Christ in newness of life (Romans 6:4). What the person's
spirit has experienced is brought into manifestation in their lives through
water baptism. There are only two other locations in the Bible that mention the
"old man"
"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." (Ephesians 4:22)
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man
with his deeds" (Colossians 3:9)
In all three cases that the "old man" is mentioned it is always
in reference to a former nature that has been done away with. This means that
whatever changed in us at salvation eliminated the old man. This forces us to
accept that the old man refers to our spirit man, who after being baptized into
the body of Christ, is raised up in newness of life (being born again).
Bringing this reality into manifestation is a process that we must walk out for
the rest of our lives. However, according to the practice of water baptism, we
are able to activate the promises that are associated with being in Christ in
the lives of new believers so that they can begin to walk in them immediately.
In light of the power that baptism has to set people free in a new level of
freedom in Christ, it is understandable why those in the early church described
it as washing away sins. One case involves what Ananias told Paul.
"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name
of the Lord." (Acts 22:16)
This is why baptism is compared to circumcision. Circumcision is the
removal of undesirable flesh.
"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."
(Colossians 2:11-12)
The circumcision of Christ is the operation that is performed during
baptism. Spiritually this occurs when we believe in Jesus and the Spirit
baptizes us into the body of Christ. On a practical level the sins of the flesh
that are operating in our lives are removed during water baptism by activating
all of the spiritual realities present in us by faith. This is why water baptism
is extremely important in the Christian faith.
Notes on Isaiah 9:6
In closing out this study it is necessary to include notes on one final
verse. It has been suggested that because Isaiah 9:6 says that the coming
Messiah would be called the Eternal Father we should conclude that Jesus is
actually the Father.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
After the volume of evidence that has already been expounded upon one
would not think it necessary to debunk the oneness claims for this single
verse. Nonetheless, it is a deal closer regarding the discussion. The following
is a quote from http://ezek27.truepath.com/oneness.html:
"Isaiah 9:6 is another verse that Oneness theology uses to
substantiate its doctrine. Referring to Christ's title, "everlasting
Father," the apostolic feels justified in drawing the conclusion that
scripture has affirmed his position that the Father and the Son are one and the
same.
However, the word "Father" is merely the tool used to address
Christ's deity, just as the word "Son" depicts His humanity.
Moreover, the Hebrew word for Father 'ab' is used in accordance with a custom
usual in Hebrew and in Arabic, where he who possesses a thing is called the
father of it. Thus Abialbon (II Samuel 23:31), "father of strength,"
means "strong"; Abiasaph (Exodus 6:24), "father of gathering,"
means "gatherer"; Abigail (I Chronicles 2:16), "father of
exultation," is a woman's name meaning "exulting"; and so
forth." Therefore, in keeping with the Hebrew custom the title
"everlasting Father" or as it has also been translated, "Father
of eternity" would simply be stating that Christ is eternal. (Albert
Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament and Practical: Isaiah, Vol. I, Grand Rapids,
MI.: Baker Book House, 1950 reprint, pg. 193, as quoted in Robert M. Bowman,
Jr., "Oneness Pentecostalism and the Trinity", Forward, The News and
Research Periodical of the Christian Research Institute, Vol. 8, Number 3,
1985, p. 23-24.)"
