Category: Charismatic

No one should deny that the Spirit dwells in the Christian. The Bible teaches that the Spirit dwells in us through our faith and acceptance of His word. The Spirit can be said to dwell within us as we manifest the Spirit’s influence upon our lives. The fact that we dwell in the Godhead, and that the Godhead dwells in us, shows the closeness of the fellowship that we have with the Godhead. However, I believe we are in error to take the position that the Holy Spirit literally dwells within us. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit all dwell in us through our faith, and operate upon our lives through the word of God.

Some people today believe that they have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues and to prophecy, to perform miracles, to heal the sick and cast out demons. Regardless of the sincerity of these individuals, these claims do not harmonize with the Bible’s teaching regarding the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were real. They were given to believers through the laying on of the hands of an apostle. These gifts were the means of equipping the church and confirming the word to unbelievers. When the last apostle died, these gifts were no longer available to mankind.

Sincerity does not make one right. One may be sincere, but be wrong before God. Jesus said so. “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (Jn. 16:2–Saul of Tarsus is a good example of this prophecy–Acts 8:3; 9:1; 26:9-11). “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:22, 23). They were sincere in their service. Like you, they believed that they were doing “many wonderful works,” but, like Mr. Long, the dead snake handler, their sincerity will not save them.

We have shown that: (1) the promise of Jesus in Mark 16:17, 18, did not extend to all believers, even in the first century; (2) the promise of Jesus includes more than tongues and healing; (3) the word was preached, and the signs confirming that word followed; (4) the word, the gospel, is to be separated or distinguished from the signs; (5) the signs have ceased, consequently no man today possesses any of them.

We take no joy in recounting the death of yet another Pentecostal preacher, Dwayne Long, who died while handling a rattlesnake during Easter Sunday church services.

That Mr. Robertson had cancer of the prostate is beyond dispute. So, why did they not call for one of his miracles working friends to heal him? Better yet, why didn’t one of them volunteer to do so? I mean, if I had such a gift, the very minute I heard that my friend, Pat Robertson, had such a serious disease, I would have insisted that I be allowed to come and pray that he might receive his healing!

Now, if ever there comes a time when everyone is saved, if there were ever a time when there were no lost sinners, if every man were forgiven, would water baptism continue? No, for its purpose would no longer be necessary. That is why the other baptisms ceased. So, water baptism would end and would no longer be practiced if everyone were saved. Obviously, that has not happened, and water baptism continues. It is, therefore, the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5.

Tongues are languages. In the New Testament, those who spoke in tongues, were miraculously enabled to speak languages, or tongues, they had never studied and never learned. In Acts 2, men from many nations heard the apostles speak in their tongues, their languages, and they understood them (Acts 2:4-11). It is one of those “things that are not debatable.” It is not being done today by the Pentecostals, nor by anyone else. And, that is “not debatable,” either!

Those who speak in tongues that are not understood produce confusion. They do not produce learning, edification, comfort, and peace. Hence, they are not to speak to others if there is no interpreter — “If any man speak in an unknown tongue (remember, an unknown tongue is simply a language not understood by the audience), let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (vv. 27, 28). Pentecostal churches violate these words of the Spirit every time they engage in what they call “tongues speaking.”

Jesus did not think that our private worship was “far more important” than our understanding of certain doctrines. He did not teach that “worshiping him privately” “is far more important” than our public doctrines or teachings. He said that when we draw near to him (whether privately or publicly) and we do so while keeping our own human traditions, that our worship is “in vain,” void [Matt. 15:8, 9, 13, 14; Cf. 7:21-27].