|
|
|
TONGUES-SPEAKING:
BIBLICAL OBSERVATIONS It
should be recognized that there are some things the church can learn from the
current Holy Spirit phenomenon. There is a crying need in the church for a great
infilling with the Holy Spirit, for greater fervor in our worship, and for more
personal relationships with Jesus. All Christians should want to live more
Spirit-filled lives, and we should welcome whatever will help us to walk more
fully in the Spirit. Yet
our main concern as Bible-believing Christians must always be to remain true to
the teachings of God's Word. We must not begin with a certain type of religious
experience and then proceed to build a doctrine upon it. Our doctrines must be
based, not on experience, but on the teachings of the Scriptures. We must, therefore,
subject tongue gifts of the Holy Spirit to the test of Scriptures. In this
lesson, we will set forth some Biblical observations in regard to tongues-speaking.
This applies to all miraculous gifts. Holy Spirit Baptism The main support gifts of the Holy Spirit
believers use for believing this phenomenon is still with us are the passages in
the New Testament relating to Ho1y Spirit baptism. The expression “baptize
with the Holy Spirit” is used four times in the gospels and twice in Acts. By
looking at these passages we can discern what the New Testament teaches about
Holy Spirit baptism. The
four references to Holy Spirit baptism in the gospels are all instances where
John the
Baptist is reported as saying that Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit. (Matt
3:11, Mark l:18, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). The first three of these are
parallel passages. The Luke passage reads as follows: “John answered,
saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I
cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” John 1:33 reads: “And I knew him not: but he that sent me
to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the
Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the
Holy Ghost.” The
opening chapters of the book of Acts make it clear that each of these verses in In these
passages, the phrase, "to be baptized with the Holy Spirit" does not
refer to an experience that Christians at large are to undergo, but rather to a
historical event that took place on the Day of Pentecost. Was this Pentecost baptism ever repeated? There is one other reference
in the Scriptures to Holy Spirit baptism in Acts 11. Peter is recounting what happened to him at the house of
Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, a few days earlier: “And as I began
to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16Then
remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us,
who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18When
they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then
hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:
15‑18). This
was a repetition of Holy Spirit baptism the same baptism as that which the
apostles received on Pentecost. When Cornelius and his friends received this
baptism of the Spirit, they spoke with tongues and magnified God, as did the
apostles on Pentecost (Acts 10:46). Peter's statement in Acts 11: 15 indicates
that nothing like this had happened since the beginning, that is since
Pentecost: “As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.” Peter went all
the way back to Pentecost to point out that the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius
just as He had on the apostles at the beginning. Peter did not mention any case
between this time and Pentecost because, evidently, there had been no others. Both
of these occasions (Pentecost and Cornelius) were necessary in order to fulfill
the prophecy of Joel quoted in Acts 2:17: “And it shall come to pass in the
last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:”
“All flesh” would include both Jew and Gentile. The Jews, through the
apostles, received the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost; the Gentiles
received it through Cornelius in Acts 11. Thus, "all flesh" had rec It seems apparent that this outpouring of the Spirit in these instances was for special or extraordinary purposes. The purpose of Holy Spirit baptism for the apostles was two‑fold: (a) it enabled them to preach the gospel with the guidance of the Spirit as Christ had promised in John 16: (b) it enabled them to speak in foreign languages: and work miracles which became a sign to those that heard that they were men of God . The special reason for Holy Spirit baptism in Cornelius' case was also for a sign. The ability of the Gentiles to speak with other tongues became a sign to Peter and the other Jewish brethren that God would also accept Gentiles into the church. (Acts 10:44-47). Therefore,
in neither of these instances of Holy Spirit baptism is there any indication
that any other Christians were expected to have these experiences. When the Holy
Spirit had been poured out on "all flesh", Jews and Gentiles as well,
the promise concerning Holy Spirit baptism had been fulfilled. The Samaritans Contemporary
tongues-speakers cite two additional passages as examples of two The
Samaritan incident is recorded as follows: “Then Philip went down to the
city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6And the people with
one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing
the miracles which he did. 7For 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. 8And there was great joy in
that city.” . . . “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that
Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who,
when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy
Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. 18And when Simon saw that
through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them money, 19Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I
lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20But Peter said unto him,
Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may
be purchased with money.” (Acts 8:5-8,14-20). Notice
the sequence: Philip, a deacon of the Jerusalem church, had gone down to Samaria
to preach. He not only preached but he also worked miracles. As a result, many
believed and were baptized. Later two apostles, Peter and John, made the long
trip from Jerusalem to Samaria, and prayed for these Samaritan converts, While
the passage nowhere says the Samaritans spoke in tongues, we can agree with the
Pentecostals that they probably did, because there was public evidence of their
having received the Spirit. No doubt the Samaritans received, by the apostles’
hands, not only the gift of tongues,
but also other miraculous gifts, including prophecy, revelations, healings,
etc. Where this account differs markedly from the
other accounts we have noticed is that the baptism of the Spirit in both the
case of the apostles and Cornelius was administered directly from heaven without
any human mediator; but here in the case of the Samaritans these miraculous
gifts came only through the laying on of the apostles’ hands and prayer. And
it is clear that only the apostles had the power to bestow these miraculous
gifts. In Acts 6:6 we are told the apostles laid hands on the first deacons of
the Jerusalem church, including Philip, giving them power to perform signs and
wonders. Philip used this miraculous power in connection with his preaching to
the Samaritans: “And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things
which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” Ephesian Disciples The case of
the twelve disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19) is another example, not of Holy Spirit
baptism (it is never called that in the passage), but of the ability to speak in
tongues being imparted by the laying on of the apostles’ hands. Note the reading: “And it came to pass, that,
while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came
to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2He said unto them, Have
ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have
not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3And he said
unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s
baptism. 4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should
come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5When they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6And when Paul had laid
his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied. 7And all the men were about twelve.”
(Acts 19:1-7). When Paul discovered that these disciples knew
nothing at all about the Holy Spirit, he knew something was wrong with their
baptism. They would at least have known about the Holy Spirit if they had
received proper Christian baptism because that baptism is “in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Since John the Baptist’s baptism was no longer
valid, Paul immersed them into Christ, and then the passage says: “And when
Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake
with tongues, and prophesied.” (Acts 19:6). Note once more that it
was the laying on of an apostle’s hands that gave the power. This was not
administered directly from heaven as it had been with the apostles and
Cornelius, and it is not called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When the last apostle died, and the last person upon
whom they had laid their hands died, these miraculous spiritual gifts
necessarily ceased. There was apparently no other plan for their being conferred
or continued. There are only two clear-cut instances of Holy Spirit
baptism in the New Testament: the apostles (Acts 2) and Cornelius (Acts 11). The
cases of the Samaritans and twelve disciples at Ephesus are significantly
different. While they did receive miraculous gifts through the apostles’
hands, it is no where affirmed that this was a baptism of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 There are a few other
isolated verses in the New Testament where tongues-speakers see a reference to
Holy Spirit baptism, but they are mistaken in their interpretation. 1
Corinthians 12:13 is one of these: “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.” Those
who believe the Holy Spirit still gives miraculous gifts believe the reference
here is to Holy Spirit baptism, but it actually is water baptism. Notice that
Paul says “for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” The
baptism of this verse was experienced by all Christians. And even those who
believe Holy Spirit baptism is still present in the church do not teach that all
Christians must be baptized by the Spirit. In this passage, Paul
pictures the oneness in Christ that all Christians enjoy by virtue of the Holy
Spirit’s work in conversation by leading them through the Word of God to
become Christians and be baptized into one body. “For
by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body.” The baptism of this
verse is the baptism that puts us into the one body, and that has to be water
baptism because the purpose of Holy Spirit baptism, even to those who claim it
still exists, is never to put one into the body. Acts
2:38 Another passage that is
mistakenly understood by some to refer to Holy Spirit baptism is Acts 2:38: “Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost.”
The claim is made that “gift of the Holy Spirit” here means Holy
Spirit baptism, accompanied by tongues-speaking. But this cannot be, for the
promise of the “gift of the Holy Spirit” is made to everyone who would
“repent and be baptized.” All of those in the New Testament who received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues, but we do not read of any of those
3000 who were baptized on Pentecost speaking in tongues, hence, they did not
receive Holy Spirit baptism. But Peter had promised that all who would be
baptized would receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit.” If “gift of the Holy
Spirit” means “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” then all baptized believers
would have spoken In tongues. But all baptized believers did not speak in
tongues (1 Cor 12:30),
therefore “gift of the Holy Spirit” in this verse cannot be a reference to
Holy Spirit baptism. In this passage, “gift
of the Holy Spirit” means that all scripturally baptized believers receive the
Holy Spirit as a gift, in the indwelling measure; it has no reference to the
miraculous gift of tongues or other miraculous gifts. John
3:5 One other passage that is widely misinterpreted in
this connection is John 3:5: 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 this cannot possibly
be reference to Holy Spirit baptism should be clear by Christ’s statement that
this birth of the Spirit is absolutely necessary to enter the kingdom. But
tongues-speakers do not claim that one must receive the baptism of the Spirit in
order to enter the kingdom. Christ, in John 3:5, is saying the same thing Peter
was saying in Acts 2:38. the “birth of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5 is
the same as “being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit” in
Acts 2:38. Remember, the “birth of the Spirit” in John 3:5 is something
which, according to Jesus was absolutely necessary in order to enter the
kingdom. “Filled
with the Spirit” Apart from these
specific passages, tongues-speakers find in the expression "filled with the
Spirit" which occurs, often in the Scriptures, a reference to Holy Spirit
baptism and tongues-speaking. They argue that since all Christians are commanded
to be "filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5: 18), all should seek the
baptism of the Spirit and tongues. But
the phrase, "filled with the Spirit" cannot be accurately interpreted
as referring to "Holy Spirit baptism" and tongues-speaking. Many
persons in the book of Acts are described as being "filled with the
Spirit," or "full of the Holy Spirit" where there is no mention
whatever of tongues-speaking. Only once in Acts is the expression "filled
with the Spirit" applied to people who received the gift of tongues, and
that is in reference to apostles' on Pentecost. In the other instances where the
expression "filled with the Spirit" is used in Acts, tongues-speaking
is not mentioned or inferred. Pentecostals themselves claim that the Day of Pentecost was the first time God baptized anyone with the Holy Spirit. But Luke 1:41, thirty years before Pentecost, states: “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:” Even for Pentecostals, "filled with the Holy Spirit” in this verse cannot possibly refer to baptism of the Holy Spirit. Why then, must it in all these other passages ? The expression
normally refers to a life completely surrendered to Jesus. Conclusion As
one looks carefully at Holy Spirit baptism as it occurred in New Testament
times, he comes to the conclusion that the promise Christ made of Holy Spirit
baptism has already been fulfilled. The purpose of God, in bestowing Holy Spirit
baptism on the apostles at Pentecost and on Cornelius at his conversion, was to
fulfill His promise of pouring out His Spirit on "all flesh." When the Jews, through the apostles, and the Gentiles,
through Cornelius, had received the baptism of the Spirit, God had poured out
his Spirit on all flesh. As far as the New Testament record is concerned, the
Holy Spirit was never again manifested in this way after the baptism of Cornelius in
Acts 10. By
the time Paul wrote Ephesians (60 A.D.), which was approximately twenty years
after the conversion of Cornelius Paul was able to state, "There is one
baptism" (Eph. 4:5). Since there is no question but that the "one
baptism" is water baptism, which is commanded for salvation, it is evident
that, even by the year 60 A.D., Holy Spirit baptism was no longer in existence.
It had served its purpose and it had ceased. References: Anthony A. Hoekema, What About Tongue Speaking? Eerdmans, 1966. Garth Black, The Holy Spirit. Abilene: Biblical Research Press, 1967. James D. Bales, The Holy Spirit and the Christian. Shreveport: Gussie Lambert, 1966. |