Holy Spirit Pneumatology

                        Glossolalia covers a range of speaking phenomena, including ecstatic utterance and “angelic tongues.” Cases occasionally come up in which someone speaks an actual language—xenoglossia. The following possibilities may be kept in mind when evaluating these cases.

“And it-came-to-pass in [the] Apollos’ being in Corinth (that) Paul, having-passed-through the upper parts, came-down into Ephesus and found some disciples, and said to them, “[If] did-you-receive (the) Holy Spirit, having-believed?” But they (said) to him, “But we-did┘ not-even └know whether there-is (a) Holy Spirit.” And he-said, “Into what then were-you-baptized?” And they said, “Into the baptism of-John.” And Paul said, “John baptized (a) baptism of-repentance, saying to-the people that they-should-believe on the-one coming after, that is, on [the] Jesus.” And having-heard, they-were-baptized into the name of-the Lord Jesus. And [the] Paul having-laid┘[the] hands └on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they-began-to-speak with-tongues and prophesy. And all the men were about twelve” (Acts 19:1-7).

            B. Alternatives to be considered

                  1.   Divine

                  2.   Demonic

            If people get sick, James 5:14-15 urges them to call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with olive oil in the name of the Lord. This text raises two issues: (1) whether the procedure is restrictive or positive (cp. commandment vs. advice), which amounts to precedent vs. example; and (2) whether it is miracle or answered prayer. In the first issue, “restrictive” commandment means that specifying this way eliminates other ways; “positive” commandment means this is a good way to deal with it. If the commandment is non-restrictive, it must be an “example” (one way of approaching God for healing) rather than a “precedent” to be followed always and henceforth. These variables affect the propriety and necessity of using olive oil today for healing, of calling a plurality of church elders, and of accompanying the procedure with prayer.

            D. Applying tests to contemporary claims of speaking in languages (“tongues speaking”)

                  Several issues arise with whether baptism in the Spirit occurs today. It is then not a question that can be answered until there is agreement on a New Testament definition of terms and a correct understanding of certain gifts.

            C. Difficulties in evaluation

                  1.   Distinguishing divine miracle from other phenomena (epistemology)

II. Duration of the Supernatural Charismata

                  B. Acts 8 and the duration of miraculous charismata

 I. Passages (ἀρραβών: “earnest,” “pledge,” “guarantee,” “deposit”)

                  A.  2 Corinthians 1:22: “who [God] also sealed us and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (NIV says, “marked with a seal”; NKJV translates ἀρραβών as guarantee and deposit.)

Introduction: reasons for testing manifestations of the Spirit (1 John 4:1-4)

            D. Application of tests to contemporary claims of tongue speaking

 I. Greek Terminology for Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

                  A.  Several pertinent words not used of being filled with the Holy Spirit are γεμίζω (gemízō), ἐμπιπλάω (empipláō), ἐμπίμπλημι (empímplēmi), κεράννυμι (keránnymi, κεπάω, kepáō], μεστόω (mestóó), πλήρωμα (plērōma), συμπληρόω (symplēróō), ἀναπληρόω (anaplēróō), χορτάζω (chortázō, be filled with food), ἀνταναπληρόω (antanaplēróō), τελέω (teléō, fill by finishing).

 I. Greek Terminology for Giving

                  A.  δίδωμι:        Acts 2:4, 19; 8:18; 14:3; 15:8; Romans 5:5, etc.

                  B.  μεταδίδωμι:  Romans 1:11; 12:8

            B.  Guidance: what to do (in Christian living and ministry)

                        Four religious attitudes have been taken toward sickness. Most extreme, (1) sickness is an illusion, an idea associated with quasi-Christian groups and some Eastern thought. (2) Sickness indicates sinfulness. Passages like the following help avoid this mistake: the whole Book of Job; John 9:1-3ff.; Acts 28:1-6. There is not a correlation between a sin and a suffering (the “moralizing view of history”), nor is there a correlation between the degree of sinfulness and the degree of suffering (Psalm 73; Jeremiah 12:1-2; Malachi 3:15; Luke 13:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). (3) Sickness is a feature of Satan’s rule that is overcome in Christ; consequently, Christians are freed from what characterizes the devil’s dominion. (4) Sickness is a continuing part of human life, potentially rather always overcome by prayer or miracle; its complete removal comes at the eschaton.

            B.  Interpretation

                  The gift of interpretation corresponds with the gift of language speaking; the understanding of the one corresponds with the understanding of the other, particularly when (δι)ερμηνεύω means “translate” rather than “explain.”

                        A problem has been suggested in connection with testing miracle by doctrine. On the one hand, we say miracle confirms revelation (Mark 2:1-12; note 3:2; 20:30-31). On the other hand, we apply the doctrinal test to prophets to judge the divine origin of their message (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). In fact, Moses subjected signs to doctrinal evaluation in this statement. Prophets who gave a sign that came to pass (miracle or coincidence) were nevertheless to be executed if they urged the people on that basis to serve other gods (doctrine; Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Miracle proves doctrine and doctrine tests miracle.

            C.  Power: means of doing it 

                  The work of Christ (theory) provides the basis for salvation. The work of the Spirit picks up the process at that point and contributes to the functional aspects: conversion, guidance, and Christian growth (sanctification).

1.  The Spirit is a person, not a force, idea, emotional surge.

Introduction

     I.  Types of Occurrences: divine miracle, demonic miracle, answered prayer, psychological,

 II. Supernatural Products of the Relationship Between the Spirit and a Person

I. Pattern for Testing Christian Experience

Introduction

            1.   The Father is said to be “in” us: 1 John 4:12, 15 (John 14:23).

            The distinctive purpose of New Testament miracles was to enhance faith. That contrasts with doing miracles to entertain, to satisfy curiosity (cp. Herod in Luke 23:8-9), to escape limitations in the natural order, to make money, to get attention, or even to heal everyone. Jesus cursed the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-22 = Mark 11:12-14, 20-26) to teach his disciples a valuable lesson. Miracles were not sheer displays of supernatural power, but manifestations that verified Jesus’ proclamation and claims.

    I. Three Propositions

            A.  God’s desire to save everyone

Introduction

            Holy Spirit studies pick up where Christ’s work ended: preparing the individual for conversion in response to the message about Christ, the sanctification process for the individual in Christ (growth), and evangelism of other people to bring them to Christ (outreach).

 III. A Person in the Divine Trinity

                        Christian groups have different expectancies about “tongue speaking.” Some think the gift is as available now as in the apostolic age. Others take the more extreme position that it is a sign with all genuine conversions. The following remarks address that latter position. These notes also adopt the New Testament phraseology “speaking in languages” instead of “tongue speaking” because the latter is an undefined expression that allows people to invest it with a special meaning.

            How God works in us through his Spirit should have (1) a positive basis rather than one we cannot disprove. We should look for (2) what the prediction of the model is in which Christian operations take place. Interpersonal reality implies what is natural to interpersonal process. Feelings, urges, spontaneous ideas, and the like we should understood in an interpersonal sense rather than assigned to the Spirit in a special sense if we have no way of recognizing that the Spirit is their source to the exclusion of other possibilities. Finally, we should try to determine (3) what is left when control tests are applied. If the same experiences occur in other religions or with non-religious circumstances, we should not assign those experiences to the Spirit as directly or specially caused. If we cannot tell the difference, we should not understand them as supernatural, much less claim that they are supernatural.

            The time of receiving the Spirit naturally belongs with discussing commitment to Christ. The gift of the Spirit as an “indwelling presence” occurs at the time of personal identification with Christ, commitment to him and his values and purposes That understanding is natural if receiving the Spirit means entering a personal relationship with him. Reconciliation follows forgiveness, which removes the guilt of sin that caused the separation. If we identify with Christ (formally in baptism) and God forgives sin on the basis of that identity, then receiving the Spirit correlates with that commitment. Salvation means salvation from alienation; so in regard to the Spirit it means “receiving the gift of the Spirit,” as we say. Not only does that make sense in the nature of things, but Acts 2:38-41 presents baptism as identification with Christ, and therefore with forgiveness of sins, receiving the Spirit, and entering the body of Christ. By the nature of those items, they belong together rather than strung out over time. They are all aspects of one up-front event. We can say they have a logical sequence, but we have no reason to say they have a chronological seqence.

I. The Relationship of the Spirit’s Natural and Supernatural Operations

      The diagram above pictures at least three truths about the Spirit’s work.

                        2.   Xenoglossia

                              Glossolalia covers a range of speaking phenomena, including ecstatic utterance and “angelic tongues.” Cases occasionally come up in which someone speaks an actual language—xenoglossia. The following possibilities may help evaluate those cases.

I. METHOD OF RESEARCH