The Ohio Independent Baptist, August 1970

• • • , a , • 11, t tl1t r, i~ a · ,111g t tltl' <.' 111- t r't i11 ,11,t 1 .~l'l'"'1ll'll tt) l,L. "1/1e /i 1/ t1\111 i11 t/1 J-J t,· l>irit" fl fl()\\ Ctl l, tilt' ~i t f ~'L', h.111g i11 tl1ngt1c" '", 1111" t t'l' e1,ied. 1 t 1, rcr1 :1rtcd that tl1is Illl' ' c 1 11l lt I ga1n111g adherent fr 111 a1 ll'' g BJptt t . lcth di t • 1 c t, ter1an .. p1, opnlian . and c,cn a111 ng 1n1an (""nth 11 . c ar, tl)l I that the,e recruit'°\ ha, e be– ~ r11e it Jli fied , , ith ,,•hat th ir cl1ur he ha, e to ffer then1. and that in l ·1eir acceptance of the teach– in_ f Pentec tali 1n the} ha\e been - 'e into a n1ore intitnate fello,\ hip ,, ,ch the a, 1our through a more verte'- t under tanding of the mini tr)' tr the Hol~ pirit. It hould be the earne t de ire of c, er~ born-again belie, er in the Lord J e u~ Chri t to e ·perience all that God ha for them. It cannot be de– nied that there i much carnality an1ong the redeemed. and thi fact - 1 attended \\ ith tragic piritual aputh) . Before \\ e it in judgment upon tho e ,,-ho seek for wh at i called ..the bapti m in the H oly p1rir·· \,•ith its attendant gift of pedktng in tongues \\ e hould be ,, iJI1ng to ackno\\·ledge o ur own piritual deficiencies. Befor e \\ e con– demn the emotionalism of Penteco tal- 1 n1 \\ e need to examine our own hean ,, hich may at be t be o nly ··Juke,, arm··, a condition deplored by the a,,iour. Consider Two Proposi t ions In our approach to the ubject before u ,, e "' ould like to pr e en t 1,, o propo 1 tion \\ hich \\ e believe to be axiomatic in our stud)· of the • cr1prure . l. The \\ ill of God for the be- · Jie,er in Chr. t is CLEARLY R E - \ EALED ,, ithtn the pages of the Roi~ cripture . 2. An) ··experience' ' ,vhich i not cfearl) rei·ealed v.rithin ·the page of the Hol~ cripture mu t of nece It)' be of the \\ orld the fle h. or of the De, ii. The que tion ,, hich ,, e mu t face a At.; GUST, 1970 by Dr. Arthur Willi a ms 1, tl11\. l \ it tl,c \\ill o f 1 d fo r the l1c lic, cr 1n hri l t o eek Hth e bap– t1 \ t11 1n the H I) pirtl a nd to J)eak 111 tongt1e ( langt1age no t previou ly ln ,, n ? If it i od' will we h all fi nd it to be ·very clearly revealed ,vithin the p age of the Holy c rip– tt1re . W e hould expect to find e - horta tion in evera l book of the e\v Te tan1ent in upport of thi teaching. We need to a k God to give u an open heart and 1nind a we approach the Scripture for Hi divine guidance as to Hi ble sed \\ ill w ith reference to this m a tter. 1. Our L ord very definitely prom– i ed the gif t of the Holy Spirit and thi i recorded in John 14:26 and 16:7. Further, He bade His di - ciples to tarry in Jeru alem' ' until they were to be endued with power f r om on high. Luke 24:49. But we have searched the four Gospel in a in for a ingle exhortation from the lip of the Saviour for any one to eek the bapti rn in the Holy Spirit. 2 . Let u now look at the Book of Acts . I it po sible to find a ingle exhortation from the lip of the Saviour or from the Apo tle for believer in Chri t to eek a bap– ti m in the Holy Spirit? In Act 1 : 5 our Lord Jesu s declared that Hi disciples were to be bapti ed in the H oly Spirit ' 'not many days hence. " We learn from Matt. 3: 11 M ark 1: 8. Luke 3 :1 6 and John 1:33 tha t the Lord J esu Himself wa to be the Baptizer. Thj s bapti m o ccurred on the D ay of Pentecost, in fulfill– ment of its prototype as recorded in Lev. 23 :9-17. On the D ay of Penteco t ( fi f ty d ays after Hi re ur– rec tion from the dead ) our Lord fulfilled His promi e and the hurch had i t b irth. The gift of langu age \\ a a l o given to the di ciple on th1 occa io n which enabled them to add r e the multitude gathered together a t J erusalem in their O\\'n dialect: and that w ithout an inter– preter ! A c ts 2: 1-11 We f a il to find • ower n ongue a inglc c hortati o n within the Book o f Ac t~ for a nyone to eek t~1at whi ch occ t1rred on the Day o f Pcntc– co t . Thi wa the one haptis11z .. to which the Apo tie Paul referred in ph . 4 : 5, a nd wa a unrepea table a C alvary . 3. It i generally conceded by all who believe the Bible to be the Word of God that the Apo tie Pau l wa the human agent whom God e1ected to reveal His will for the hurch and its severa l members ( Eph. 3: 1-12) The Apo tie Paul wrote a long letter to the Church a t Rome . Can anyone cite a single exhortation in thi letter for believer<; in Chri t to seek ' 'the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues' '? If o , we have fai led to find it. 4. The Apostle P aul wrote two letter to the Church in Corinth. Can anyone cite a single pa age in either of these two letters in which believers in Chris t are exhorted to eek ' ' the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues ' ? Is it not a fact that the Apo tle P aul addre ed them ALL a having previously been bapti ed in the H oly Spirit, and thu m ade to be members of the · body· of Chri t? I Cor. 12:12-13. I it not true that we become member of the f amily of God by the new birth but we become member of the body of Chri t by bapti m in the Holy Spirit? But this bapti m did not con titute the recipient ''spiriti1al'' . The Apostle P aul re– proved the e very believers with gro c arnality and cited evidence o f it to prove hi contention. 5. The Apo tle P aul wrote an en– cyclical to the Churche of G a la ti a. Can anyon e cite a single pa age in thi letter exhorting believer t o eek uch a bapti m a nd gift? 6. The Apo tle Paul wrote letter to the churche of Ephe u Philippi. olo e, and The alonica. C an a n) - one find a ingle p r, age in an)' one of the e Epi tle in which believer a re exhorted to eek a ba pti m in THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPl (ST