Furthermore, the idea of being “blessed” is sometimes associated with prosperity gospel teaching, where it can seem that Christianity, and even our salvation, can become self-focused—all about being #blessed.

In this post I will face my hesitations to reclaim (or reaffirm) the blessing of God.

The Blessings of the Lord

Despite my hesitations, the reality is that God does, at times, bless people. The theme is especially prominent in the Old Testament.

• “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you” (Proverbs 5:18, similarly Ruth’s husband in Ruth 1:9). My wife is surely a blessing to me!
• “The Lord blesses them with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
• “How blessed you are, O Israel! … He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword!” (Deuteronomy 33:29).
• “I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. …and I will give you long, full lives” (Exodus 23:25-26).

Overall, one can be blessed with a generally good and pleasurable life:

Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed” (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).

Wealth or Not?

Those who preach prosperity are correct that sometimes God blesses with riches and wealth:

• “The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).
• “And the LORD has greatly blessed my master [Abraham]; he has become wealthy. The LORD has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys” (Genesis 24:35).

But the blessing of wealth is not a promise for every Christian. In fact, sometimes God’s blessing means that we have what we need, even when we don’t have much. Consider what the Bible says about the Israelites when they were wondering through the wilderness for forty years.

For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing” (Deuteronomy 2:7).

That was not a time of wealth and abundance! But they were blessed.

Claiming and Declaring Blessings

All of the above blessings are not guaranteed for every Christian. God doesn’t bless everyone in the same way. That’s why I’ve used phrases above like “God’s blessings can include,” and “sometimes God blesses with riches.”

So, how can we ensure we receive God’s blessing? We can’t.

It is very clear that the Bible never says we need to claim God’s blessings as though they are all rightfully ours.

(I have no Bible verses to quote here because it isn’t in the Bible—that’s my point.)

The Bible also never says that God will bless us only if we have enough faith.

And it certainly never says that we will receive God’s blessing only if we decree or declare them over our lives.

(The Bible verse you are thinking of doesn’t work if you consider it’s context.)

In many respects, God’s blessings are not promised to us. At least not all of them. Rather, to some extent, we receive God’s blessings as gifts that come from God’s grace. The result is that we can even speak of receiving “one gracious blessing after another” (John 1:16).

The Secret to Receive God’s Blessing—For Real!

At the same time, the Bible does make it clear that many of God’s blessings are in response to what we do—and in that sense, I’m not so sure blessings are only gifts.

If there is any secret to receiving God’s blessing, it is this—living a righteous life, in obedience to God. This is a theme from the beginning to the end of Scripture.

God told the Israelites on many occasions, “You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 11:27). We also read, “You bless the godly, O LORD” (Psalms 5:12). And “The LORD … blesses the home of the upright” (Proverbs 3:33). This includes, specifically, those who are generous with the poor (Proverbs 14:21 and 22:9).

Jesus taught that those who are humble, just, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers will be blessed (Mathew 5:2-12). And in the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book” (Revelation 22:7).

In direct contrast to those who receive blessing in response to their obedience, Jeremiah informed those around him, “Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things” (Jeremiah 5:25).

I say that living in obedience to God is the “secret” to blessing, because I don’t get the sense that prosperity preachers give as much emphasis to obedience as they typically do to having faith. Having said that, if we rightly understand faith, then our faith should lead us to obedience.

The Problem of Blessing

The reality is that even godly living doesn’t guarantee God’s blessing…at least not in this present life. And a lack of blessing doesn’t necessarily point to disobedience. For example, consider that “the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life” (Job 42:12), even though he first experienced significant suffering.

I also often remind myself that some of the heroes of faith who are listed in Hebrews 11 faced a lot of challenges in life, like being destitute, mistreated, tortured, put in prison, or cut in half (verses 35-37)! This happened even though they were “too good for this world” (Hebrews 11:38). Where was there blessing?

We might call this the problem of blessing—but really it is just another instance of the problem of evil.

And to make matters worse, those who are disobedient to God, sometimes seem “blessed.” We take caution from the prophet Malachi:

You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the LORD of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.” (Malachi 3:14-15)

And, here again, the problem of blessing rears its ugly head.

Answers to the Problem of Blessing

What can we say about those who do not seem so “blessed,” especially if it seems that they are living in complete obedience to God? Maybe they are even “entirely sanctified” (if you believe in that).

I can think of at least three possible answers.

1. Maybe the person is not blessed in the same way as you, but maybe you are looking for the wrong blessing. In other words, maybe God is blessing them in ways that aren’t immediately obvious to you.
2. We trust that God in his wisdom, love, and sovereignty, knows best when it comes to how and when to bless people.
3. We understand that God will also provide blessing in the afterlife.

A Blessing for YOU

I will close this #Blessed blogpost with a blessing for you.

The Lord “will bless those who fear the LORD, both great and lowly. May the LORD richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalms 115:12-15).

Amen.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
• There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
• 10 Ways to Pray the DEMONS out of Your Heathen CAT

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Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post The Secret to Reclaiming the Blessing of God appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

The “initial” in “initial evidence” does not mean “only.” I don’t think you will find the word “initial” defined as “one and only” in any English dictionary. This distinction between “initial” and “only” is also present in both historic and contemporary Pentecostal literature.

“ The “initial” in “initial evidence” does not mean “only.”

“Only Sign?”

To be fair, the only sign of Spirit baptism that just about every classical Pentecostal denomination mentions explicitly in their statements of faith is speaking in tongues.

And historically, tongues were just about the only sign that Pentecostals were concerned with when it came to Spirit baptism. Indeed, Pentecostals went to great lengths to defend their belief that tongues signifies that believers have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

As a result of this emphasis, some Pentecostals in history have gone to the extent of saying (perhaps with over emphasis), “speaking in tongues is the only sign (or evidence) of the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (W. Akers, 1922).[1] As a result, some incorrectly think that official Pentecostal doctrine is that tongues is the “only” sign or evidence of Spirit baptism. But it is not.

Instead, what you will find often in Pentecostal history are statements like these: “Let us not make the mistake that some have made, that the only sign to be expected of the abiding baptism with the Holy Spirit is that of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. That is only the initial sign” (G. Montgomery, 1948).[2]

All in all, I actually think that these two perspectives aren’t contradictions, because I think that the first one really intends to mean that tongues are the “only initial sign” of Spirit baptism. But I could be wrong.

To further my point that tongues is not the only sign of Spirit baptism, let me point to the contemporary publications of two Pentecostal denominations.

Assemblies of God (AG, USA)

Not surprisingly, the AG position paper on Baptism in the Holy Spirit affirms that the “initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit” is speaking in tongues (p. 9, 13).

At the same time, this AG position paper includes a section that affirms a number of “continuing evidences of Spirit Baptism.” This section includes discussion of “openness to spiritual manifestations,” “righteous living,” and “power for witnessing” (p. 10-11).

Recognizing “continuing evidences” implies there is not only one evidence or sign of Spirit baptism.

Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC)

The PAOC does not have a position paper on the doctrine of Spirit baptism, but the PAOC’s Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths states, “The initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues” (p. 3).

At the same time, in 2010 the PAOC’s Enrich magazine included a sidebar which asked the question, “Is speaking in tongues the only evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and a spirit-filled life?” The answer is explicit:

Tongues are not the only evidence of a Spirit-filled life.” It continues, “enthusiasm and boldness in witnessing, divine guidance and enabling in the presentation of the gospel, and miraculous manifestations of God’s power before unbelievers may all serve as additional evidences of baptism in the Holy Spirit.”[3]

The above sources from the AG and PAOC don’t represent everyone in those denominations, and neither sources were voted on by the whole council or conference of either denomination, but they at least represent the views of key leaders in each denomination.

Why Raise the Issue?

As I explained in the original blog post, my concern is that too many Pentecostals have made Spirit baptism only about speaking in tongues.

“ Too many Pentecostals have made Spirit baptism only about speaking in tongues.

Sharing my concern, in an article from 1929 in The Pentecostal Testimony, evangelist Harvey McAlister wrote,

If you believe … tongues is the only evidence, as soon as the Holy Spirit comes within and takes control of your vocal organs and gives utterance, you will feel that you have reached a climax. But, if you believe that speaking in supernatural tongues is simply the initial or first physical evidence or result, you will not feel, upon bursting forth and speaking in tongues supernaturally, that you have reached a climax but that you have just been ushered into the supernatural realm and will continue to yield and expect additional manifestations graces and gifts.”[4]

In addition, I raise the issue because on more than one occasion I have stood at the front of my class and looked out at a student from a Pentecostal church who claims that they don’t affirm the doctrine of initial evidence. They look at me and say, “I don’t believe that tongues is the only evidence of Spirit baptism.” And they reject the doctrine because they don’t understand it.

There are multiple ways that people misunderstand the initial evidence doctrine. But if we can get those misunderstandings out of the way, then maybe they will be surprised by what Pentecostals actually believe about Spirit baptism, and initial evidence in particular (more on this in a future post).

And maybe they will find that we disagree on less than they thought we did. Or maybe not. But at least then they will be rejecting or accepting something that they understand.

“PART 1” of this article can be found here.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• PAOC Clergy on Tongues and Spirit Baptism: Changing Views
• Myth #3: “Spiritual Gifts are Dramatic and Miraculous”
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

Endnotes

[1] W. O. Akers, “Tongues,” The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate (Jan 12, 1922), 2.

[2] G. H. Montgomery, “The Sunday School Teacher,” The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate vol. 31 (April 1, 1948), 12.

[3] “Q & A on the Holy Spirit,” Enrich: The Leadership Magazine of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (Spring, 2011), 30.

[4] Harvey McAlister, “Two Sides of Truth,” The Pentecostal Testimony vol. 10, no. 5 (May 1929), 10.

The post Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism, PART 2 appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Some people believe the myth that those who are really Spirit-filled will always experience victory. This belief is a cousin to the idea that if you have enough faith you will always experience health and wealth.

Just as faith doesn’t guarantee a life free of disappointments and hardships, the Spirit-filled life is not a life free of disappointments and hardships. Jesus is the epitome of spirituality, but he never became an earthly king. Instead, “through the eternal Spirit [he] offered himself unblemished to God” so his death might give us life (Hebrews 9:14).

Biblical Victory

In the Bible, “the one who is victorious” may suffer and face poverty (Revelation 2: 9 & 11). Their victory is that they resist their culture’s anti-Christian values and are “faithful, even to the point of death.” And their “victor’s crown” is eternal life, not achieving success in the eyes of the world around them (vv. 10–11).

“ In the Bible, “the one who is victorious” may suffer and face poverty (Revelation 2: 9 & 11).

Spirit-Filled “Success” and “Failure”

The Spirit’s empowerment may at times lead to great successes, but it doesn’t guarantee them. Barnabas, for example, “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” and through his ministry “a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:22–24).

By contrast, Stephen, who was also “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5 and 7:55), was stoned to death when he preached the gospel (7:58). Similarly, Peter and Paul both had their lives threatened and were imprisoned on account of Christ, but they continued to preach the gospel because they had power and boldness from the Holy Spirit.

Today the Spirit continues to inspire people to stay committed to Christ in the face of adversity, even to the point of martyrdom.

Fallen Creation

Aside from the fact that those we minister to can “resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51) and, therefore, our Spirit-empowered ministry is not always well-received, we live in a fallen creation that is yet to “be liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). As a consequence, even though we “have the firstfruits of the Spirit,” we “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (v. 23).

Spirit of Hope

However, as we long with hope, God does not abandon us, for the “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (v. 26). As James Dunn observes, the Spirit is not only present “in the heights of spiritual rapture,” but also “in the depths of human inability to cope.”^[1]

This means that if we find ourselves outside of some experiences of victory, this is not necessarily a sign of a lack of spirituality—in fact, at those times the Spirit might be particularly active in our lives. And that is no myth.

[1] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1–8, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 38 (Dallas, TX: Word, 1988), 479.

*This is an edited excerpt from, Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, by Dr. Andrew K. Gabriel, © 2019 by Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.

Read Chapter 1 or Order Simply Spirit-Filled

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor and VP of Academics at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Myth #4: “The Spirit-Filled Life = Success and Victory” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

I am, nevertheless, concerned that many Christians who claim to declare “what the Bible promises” aren’t really declaring things that the Bible promises for them as individuals.

The Bible is not a List of Declarations

The Bible is not a God-given list of verses to declare over yourself. If it were, then why not declare over yourself

Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised.” (Obadiah 1:2)?

Or why not declare over yourself,

You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths” (Psalm 88:6)?

Of course we wouldn’t declare such things over ourselves because they aren’t God’s promises to us. But all the good things written in the Bible aren’t always God’s promises to us either.

Context, Context, Context

We have to consider the meaning of each Bible verse in context to determine if it is a general promise, or if it is something that God intended for a particular person or group of people.

Consider, for example, the often quoted text from Jeremiah 29:11.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This verse is not a promise for each individual person. Instead, it was God’s promise specifically to Israel in the midst of their exile in Babylon. The Bible makes this clear just a few sentences earlier in verse 4. Moreover, it wasn’t even God’s promise for Israel for that very day, but for the future,  after “seventy years” of exile (verse 10). Yikes! Similarly, when it comes to our lives today, it is possible that God might actually be against a person for a time.

Like the above verse, we should not assume when God said, “I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children” (Leviticus 26:22), that this was God’s intent for every individual. Instead, the verses surrounding this one make clear that this was a warning for ancient Israel, should they choose to disobey God’s commandments.

We should not just decide to claim one verse and not the other simply because one makes us feel good. But we actually shouldn’t claim either of these verses, because God didn’t mean for us to claim either of them.

“ We should not just decide to claim one verse and not another simply because one makes us feel good.

Now, this doesn’t mean that we can’t apply Jeremiah 29:11 to our lives. BOTH Jeremiah 29:11 AND Leviticus 26:22 (and the rest of Scripture) are applicable to people today in some way. But we can’t just “claim” those verses without adequately considering what they meant in their original context.

Biblical Declarations

There actually isn’t a lot in the Bible about declaring things about ourselves. Instead we read of people declaring the praises of God: “I will declare that your love stands firm forever” (Psalm 89:2).

And yet, I do think there is some value in claiming or declaring over ourselves some of the general truths of Scripture, when they are properly understood as actually applying to us. We need to realize, though, that these declarations don’t make God act or do anything. By contrast, my concern is that many people who practice “declaring” things are actually trying to “decree” things—the former simply affirms what is already true, whereas the latter is a futile attempt to try to shape the future with one’s words.

“ There is value in declaring the truths of Scripture, when they are properly understood as actually applying to us.

Rather than changing our circumstances, legitimately biblical declarations are for our own benefit. They are a means of replacing falsehood with truth, they are a way we can encourage ourselves, and they can serve as of a means of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

10 Scriptures You Can Legitimately Declare Over Yourself

All this being said, here are 10 Scriptures you can justifiably declare over yourself if you are a Christian:

1. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
2. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
3. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
4. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)
5. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
6. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
7. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
8. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
9. “But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:6)
10. “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

One thing strikes me as I read these verses. If these realities and promises are true, then I really don’t even need to declare them (even though there is nothing wrong with that). And I certainly don’t need to decree them (not that I could). Instead, I could just thank God for these things. And thankful, we should be.

Give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Is God For You…Not Against You?
• Should Christians Declare or Decree Things over Their Lives?
• How to Break Generational Curses

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. Chris Green from Pentecostal Theological Seminary (Tennessee). I ask him about how Pentecostals historically and in current scholarship have thought about the Lord’s Supper and what implications this has for when we participate in communion today.

“ Check out this video on The Lord’s Supper in current Pentecostal Theology.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Pentecostals and Altar Calls: An Evaluation
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia
• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post The Lord’s Supper in Pentecostal Theology [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

I cringed as I sat there listening to the preacher. He based his sermon on John 14:17: “…the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

The preacher declared, “The Spirit is a ‘him’, and ‘he’ lives in you.” And on account of this he boldly proclaimed to the congregation, “The Holy Spirit is a ‘he,’ not an ‘it.’ Therefore the Holy Spirit is personal.”

The preacher was both right and wrong.

Not “He”

The Spirit is not “he.” Looking at your English Bible, you might think so. But you would be mistaken.

In fact, in the Old Testament, “Spirit” (Hebrew=ruach) is a feminine noun. As a result, historically the Syrian Christian tradition spoke of the Holy Spirit as “she.” And they were biblically justified in doing so.

When we come to the New Testament, though, “Spirit”  (Greek=pneuma) is a neuter noun. And in Greek the Bible explicitly refers to the Spirit as “it” (John 14:17). Therefore, in some places the King James Version of the English Bible refers to the Spirit as “it” (for example, Romans 8:16).

Of course, in language grammatical gender doesn’t determine physical gender or sex. So, for example, the word “house” in Greek (oikos) is masculine, but a house is no more male than female. Similarly, the word “church” (ecclesia) is feminine in Greek, even though the church includes both males and females.

How did we end up with “he”?

In the fourth century a monk by the name of Jerome produced the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. This became the translation of choice in the Western Roman empire. And in Latin, the word for “Spirit” (spiritus) is a masculine noun. This is one of the big reasons that the Western Church (which includes the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions) ended up speaking of the Spirit as “he.”

“ Bible translations can affect theology.

In addition, in a few places the Bible refers to the Spirit as “he,” namely when Jesus calls the Spirit the “Paraclete.” This word is a masculine Greek noun (John 15:26). But, again, grammatical gender doesn’t really refer to sex.

What Really Matters

The Holy Spirit is not a he, she, it. The Spirit does not have a physical body, and therefore has no sex.

“ The Spirit is not a he, she, it. The Spirit does not have a physical body.

Biblically, we are justified to speak of the Spirit as it, he, or she. Nevertheless, it is a problem if we only think of the Spirit as a “he.” Some theologians have even suggested that to think of God only as a “he” is a form of idolatry (creating a human image of God).

While many English speakers aren’t comfortable with referring to the Spirit as “she,” the Bible does describe the Spirit as giving “birth” to us (John 3:5-6). And that’s not something that a “he” can do.

At the end of the day, what matters most is that we recognize that the Holy Spirit is indeed personal. The Spirit “teaches” us (John 14:26) and “intercedes” for us (Romans 8:26). And you can “grieve” the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). So the Spirit is not just a divine force or power, but personal. And you can have a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

On account of this theological conclusion, historically most theologians have preferred not to speak of the Spirit as “it” since that would seem to imply that the Spirit is impersonal. And theologically, that implication would be incorrect.

(In case you are wondering, in this post I answered two questions: “Why do we refer to the Spirit as ‘he’?” and “How can we show others that he’s personal and not just God’s active force in the world?”)

You might also be interested in my blog series called “The Holy Spirit in Life” (#HSLife).

The post The Holy Spirit is not a “He” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Many Christians have the incorrect (dare I use the H word?) idea that the Holy Spirit only works in Christians.

Even worse, some Pentecostals would say you don’t “have the Spirit” unless you have spoken in tongues. (On their better days, Pentecostals will affirm that all believers have the Spirit dwelling in them [Romans 8:9] and that all believers can be baptized in the Spirit.)

The fact of the matter is, though, the Spirit is even in non-Christians.

1. The Spirit Gives Life

Obviously, since the Spirit is divine, the Spirit is omnipresent. As the apostle Paul wrote, God is “over all, and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6), and God “fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:23).

The Spirit is present throughout all of creation giving life and breath to every human being. The Bible says that “every creature … has the breath/ruach/Spirit of life in it” (Genesis 6:17) and that God “gives breath/ruach/Spirit…and life” to all people (Isaiah 42:5).

On account of this, if God “withdrew his ruach/Spirit and breath, all people would perish together and would return to the dust” (Job 34:14-15; also Psalm 104:29-30).

As Wilf Hildebrandt observes (another Pentecostal Prof), the Bible presents “the Spirit of God as the animating principle of life …When the Spirit is removed from a human being the body returns to its lifeless, inanimate state.”[1]

2. The Spirit Leads and Guides All People

Of course, the Spirit draws unbelievers to Christ, but the Spirit does much more than this.

This thought might make you feel uncomfortable, but the Church has always had a doctrine of common grace, which affirms just this. The problem (for some) is that when we move from a generic term like “grace” and put the name “Holy Spirit” on it, it becomes more real.

How do we know where and how the Spirit is at work among non-Christians? The difficulty of answering this question might seem to suggest that the Spirit isn’t at work in unbelievers.

But the question would be just as difficult to answer if we were talking about Christians.

Wherever the character of Christ is present, there the Spirit is at work. Even more broadly, wherever we see actions that are consistent with the ways that the Spirit works throughout the Scripture, there the Spirit is at work.

So, if my non-Christian neighbor brings me a casserole when my dog dies (I don’t have a dog ), I would thank God for working by the Spirit through my neighbor. I also see the Spirit at work inspiring great creativity in works of art and music.

3. The Holy Spirit Reconciles People

I also appreciate the guidance of the Latino theologian José Comblin: “The signs of the action of the Spirit in the world are clear: the Spirit is present wherever the poor are awakening to action, to freedom, to speaking out, to community, to life.”[2]

This makes me think that as messy as the whole process is, the Spirit is at work in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation movement (concerning the relationships of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians), similar to how the Spirit was uniting black and white Christians at the Azusa Street Revival (1906) and the “Memphis Miracle” (1994).

Some people may want to limit the Spirit to the Church, but I prefer what Jesus had to say: “The pneuma/Spirit/wind blows wherever it pleases” (John 3.8). As a result, I affirm that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17).

The Spirit’s work may indeed be ambiguous in the world, not often being recognized by those in whom or around whom he works, but his work is also ambiguous in the Church” (Hendrikus Berkhof).[3]

 

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong
• The Gifts of the Spirit are not Limited to Charismatics (a video)
• Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

[1] An Old Testament Theology of the Spirit of God, p. 196.

[2] The Holy Spirit and Liberation, p. 185.

[3] The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, p. 104.

The post 3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Speaking in tongues is not the only sign that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit

Instead, he focused on the fact that this was preparation for their ministry. He said that they would receive power to witness to Jesus Christ throughout the world (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8). One sign that the early believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit must indeed be that “they spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

Another indicator of Spirit baptism was that, “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people” (Acts 5:12). The apostles also received guidance from the Spirit (Acts 16:10).

Another sign that a person had been baptized in the Spirit was that they would overflow with praise to God (Acts 10:46). Dreams, visions, and prophecy were also indicators that one had been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17).

The long discourse on the unity of the church, which occurs in Acts 2:42-47 directly after the story of Pentecost, indicates that church unity was also a sign that people were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Considering the biblical emphasis on the relationship between the Spirit and love (consider Rom 5:5 and 1 Cor 13), William J. Seymour, leader of the Azusa Street Revival, viewed love as the key sign of Spirit baptism. He wrote that if your life did not “measure with the fruits of the Spirit…you have not the baptism with the Holy Spirit.”^[1]

In light of all of the above, it would be fair to say that there are many signs of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For those who might be wondering, my credentials are secure :). The section in the PAOC Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths on Baptism in the Holy Spirit (5.6.3) mentions numerous signs of Spirit baptism (although not specifically using the term ‘sign’). And these signs are listed even before any mention of speaking in tongues.

Specifically, the statement affirms that through baptism in the Holy Spirit a person “comes to know Christ in a more intimate way and receives power to witness and grow spiritually.”

Pentecostals frequently teach that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that a person has experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but this does not mean that there are no other indicators that should be found after this initial evidence. Hence, D. W. Kerr, a leader in writing the Assemblies of God (USA) Statement of Fundamental Truths, wrote that, “We can consistently say that ‘tongues are not the only sign of the baptism,’ and yet be just as consistent in saying that ‘tongues are the sign of the baptism.’”^[2]

Similarly, James E. Purdie (founding principal of the first PAOC Bible College), wrote that evidences of the infilling of the Holy Spirit include “a much greater passion for souls; a greater reverence for the Word of God, and a greater love toward all true Christian people, as well as the deepening of the prayer life . . . [and a person’s] earnestness to help others.”^[3]

My concern is that too many Pentecostals have made Spirit baptism only about speaking in tongues. Although I regularly experience the value of speaking in tongues, I appreciate the words of Minnie Abrams (Pentecostal missionary in India), who wrote in 1911, “When I see anybody seeking to speak in tongues rather than seeking the power to save souls I am grieved.”^[4]

It worries me that so many Pentecostal sermons on the baptism in the Holy Spirit focus so extensively on speaking in tongues. These sermons often concentrate on proving that if you are baptized in the Spirit, you will speak in tongues, and then proceed to an altar call with the preface, “this is how you speak in tongues.”

I am concerned because Spirit baptism is not just about speaking in tongues and because presenting Spirit baptism in this manner makes Spirit baptism all about personal experience (“do you have it?”), or, even worse, we can present Spirit baptism as only a one-time personal experience.

In our preaching, let us not neglect the numerous signs that should follow Spirit baptism and the personal responsibility to utilize the anointing of Spirit baptism for ministry by keeping in step with the Spirit.

You might also be interested in this post: Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism, PART 2

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

[1] William J. Seymour, “To the Baptized Saints,” Apostolic Faith (Los Angeles), 1:9, June-September 1907, 2.1.

[2] D. W. Kerr, “‘The,’ ‘A,’ or ‘An’—Which?” Pentecostal Evangel (21 January 1922), p. 7.

[3] Cited in Peter Althouse, “The Ecumenical Significance of Canadian Pentecostalism,” in Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement, ed. Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse (Leiden: Brill, 2010), 72.

[4] Minnie F. Abrahms, “The Object of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” Latter Rain Evangel (May 1911), 10.

The post Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.