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I only really
concern myself with 'doctrine' when it is something that I feel is really
fundamental and important. I can't be bothered with endless arguments over
End-time theories, for instance. But to me, there are certain fundamentals
which the modern church seems to be willing to compromise or ignore for the
sake of "unity" or convenience.
One of the most basic things that has amazed me in the area of
'doctrine' for many years is the preaching of "Giving your heart to
the Lord" or "Asking Jesus into your life" to become a
Christian. Do we not realize that such a practice is FOUND NOWHERE IN THE
ENTIRE BIBLE? Is there ANY example of someone "asking Jesus into their
heart" (or similar) to become a Christian in the book of Acts? NO, NOT
EVEN ONE. The book of Acts is full of literally thousands of people
becoming born-again Christians. And we are often told exactly what these
people did. But there is no record of any of them doing anything like
"asking Jesus into their heart" to be saved.
Now surely, Surely, SURELY, if the church has even remotely got it's act
together, it would have this one thing right. Surely this has got to be one
of the most crucial and basic points in the whole New Testament:- How
exactly are people supposed to become Christians? What were they told to do
in the New Testament? A very simple and straight-forward question, you
would think. And so vitally important.
But incredibly, it seems like very few leaders have even bothered to ask
this question or to take on board the glaringly obvious answer. Here we
have one of the most vital, fundamental points that it is possible to have
in Christianity:- "WHAT SHALL WE DO TO BE SAVED?" And generally
speaking, our answer today is utterly, utterly different from that of the
apostles. Incredible really, isn't it? It's right there in black-and-white,
time after time! But TRADITION has blinded our eyes to the Truth. And I'm
sure that even many of you reading this will be shocked by how obvious the
truth of this matter is.
Let's start with the day of Pentecost (-a great place to begin!) As we
all know, the Holy Spirit fell on the 120, and they all began to speak in
tongues. This is officially known by all theologians as the birth of the
Church - the beginning of Christianity as we know it. And after Peter
preached his convicting sermon to the gathered throng that day, another
3000 people were added to the church. And we are told exactly what
occurred:- "... they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the
rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, WHAT SHALL WE DO?' And Peter said to them,
'REPENT, and be BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS; and you shall receive the gift of the HOLY
SPIRIT'" (Acts 2:37-38 RSV). You will notice that there are three
elements to Peter's answer:- REPENTANCE, WATER-BAPTISM and receiving the
HOLY SPIRIT. We will see this pattern repeated again and again, right
through the book of Acts (-in fact, throughout the New Testament writings)
in the most glaringly obvious way. And yet still we hear, "Just ask
Jesus into your heart" preached throughout Christendom today.
The next significant people-group to be reached by the early Christians
were the Samaritans. In Acts chapter 8, we read how Philip the evangelist
saw massive Revival in Samaria:- "But when they believed Philip as he
preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,
they were BAPTIZED, both men and women... Peter and John, who came down and
prayed for them that they might RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT; for it had not yet
FALLEN on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they RECEIVED the HOLY
SPIRIT" (Acts 8:12-17). Note the identical pattern to the salvations
on the day of Pentecost.
The next significant people-group to be reached by the early church were
the godly gentiles (-Acts chapters 10 & 11). Peter was led by God to
preach to Cornelius and his household:- "While Peter was still saying
this, the HOLY SPIRIT FELL on all who heard the word... For they heard them
SPEAKING IN TONGUES and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 'Can anyone
forbid water for BAPTIZING these people who have RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT
JUST AS WE HAVE?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ" (Acts 10:44-48). Peter later described the scene again:
"As I began to speak, the HOLY SPIRIT FELL ON THEM JUST AS ON US AT
THE BEGINNING" (Acts 11:15). He also referred to this outpouring as
them being "Baptized in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 11:16). I hope you
can see from these passages that the Holy Spirit 'FALLING' upon people is the
same experience as people 'RECEIVING' or being 'BAPTIZED' in the Holy
Spirit. Also, we see the same pattern as before in the salvation experience
of Cornelius' household - Repentant hearts, Receiving the Holy Spirit and
Baptism.
Another good example involves some disciples of John the Baptist who
Paul met at Ephesus:-
"And Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of REPENTANCE, telling
the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is,
Jesus.' On hearing this, they were BAPTIZED in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the HOLY SPIRIT came on them; and
they SPOKE WITH TONGUES and prophesied" (Acts 19:1-6). I guess I
hardly need to point out the pattern by now?
Notice too that there were no "instructional classes" to prepare
people for baptism. All the way through the book of Acts, people were
baptized STRAIGHT AWAY, as soon as they were believing and repentant. With
the Phillipian jailer, he and his entire household were baptized
immediately - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (Acts 16:32-33). With the
Ethiopian eunuch, he was baptized by Philip straight away, in some water
that they saw while traveling in his chariot (Acts 8:35-38). And the
apostle Paul himself was baptized immediately by the disciple Ananias, who
said something very interesting to Paul beforehand:- "Rise and be
BAPTIZED, and WASH AWAY YOUR SINS, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).
This verse would be treated almost like heresy by many in today's church.
How shocking to imply that baptism might have something to do with
forgiveness and cleansing from our past sins! However, there are many
verses like it scattered throughout the New Testament. Also note that Paul
was told this WELL AFTER he had had his blinding 'Damascus Road' experience. Today's
Christians might assume that Paul was "born again" during this
powerful encounter with God. Not so. Not until Paul was to be BAPTIZED was
he to have his sins "washed away". This is clearly what the
Scriptures say. Arguments, anyone?
Many Christians are taught today that Baptism is basically a 'symbolic'
act. In my youth I was raised mainly in Baptist churches, and they always
taught that baptism is an "outward SYMBOL of an inner change".
Thus baptism is stripped of much of it's significance and power in Christian
thinking. For a "symbol" is never as important as the real thing,
is it? I have studied baptism extensively in the New Testament. It is NEVER
spoken of as a mere 'SYMBOL'. Rather, it is spoken of as being a
circumcision of the heart', a "cutting off", a "burial"
into the DEATH of Christ. And it is also spoken of as being "for the
forgiveness of sins" and to "wash one's sins away". I am
convinced that in the spirit realm (from God's point of view), baptism is
seen as a LITERAL "burial into death" (-see Romans 6) which has a
profound effect on our hearts and lives. But still we preach, "Ask
Jesus into your heart", and deny many people one of the most vital
keys to living a Christian life. I am also convinced that baptism MUST be
by 'FULL IMMERSION'. Sprinkling little infants is not enough. This must be
baptism for BELIEVERS. And the original Greek word 'baptizo' actually means
"TO DIP OR IMMERSE". So people must be 'buried' under the water
in baptism, not just sprinkled.(I'm sure most of you already agree with
this).
Likewise I am convinced that Baptism in the Holy Spirit (accompanied by
'speaking in tongues') is ESSENTIAL. It is NOT just an option. As we have
seen in the book of Acts, the way that people became Christians in the New
Testament was to (1) Repent, (2) Be Baptized in water and (3) Be Baptized
in the Holy Spirit (accompanied always by 'tongues' as far as we can tell -
And modern experience bears this out). What right do we have to change the
fundamental teachings and practices of the Bible, just so we can make
things more "convenient" for new converts? Unless we are getting
people saved the Bible way, how can we claim to be getting them saved at
all?
We are forever talking about being "born again" in the church
today. But are we truly getting people 'born again' like they did in Acts?
Bearing in mind the pattern that we have seen in the New Testament, what
exactly do you think Jesus was talking about when He declared that,
"Unless a man is BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT he cannot enter into
the kingdom
of God"? (Jn
3:5). Born of WATER, born of the SPIRIT. Hmmmmmm. That's a tough one!
Baptism in water and the Spirit are never regarded as mere 'options'in
the Scriptures. In fact they are clearly ESSENTIAL experiences to begin to
walk in Christ's kingdom. There are many Scriptures on this that are often
bypassed today or regarded as "inexplicable" because they do not
fit in with current tradition. Please take the time to look up the
following:- Mark 16:16-18, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Titus 3:5-6, 1 Cor 10:1-2, Gal
3:27, Col 2:11-12, 1 Cor 12:13, Heb 6:1-2, Rom 6:2-11, Rom 8:9, Mt 28:19,
etc.
I really mean it. Please do take the time to look at the above
Scriptures if you have any interest in this issue at all. Some people write
to me with their views and opinions without ever looking at what these
Scriptures have to say.
It is my belief that there are a number of important teachings and
practices from the early church that will be restored to fullness during
the coming Revival. (-God often does this in Revivals). I am convinced that
the above teaching will be one of them. (-I have believed this for many
years). I also feel that the spiritual significance and power of partaking
in the Lord's Supper (-The early church partook daily from house to house)
plus sacrificial giving to the poor, will also be emphases that will be
fully restored during the coming move of God. No doubt there will be others
also.
I realize that I have probably shocked and provoked a number of you with
this article. Please believe me, I myself was very shocked when I first
came face-to-face with these truths some years ago. They really are very
apparent when you see them, but I was blind to them for many years. I was
amongst those who gave out tracts like 'The Four Spiritual Laws' and led
people in the "Sinner's prayer" Like many I would back this up by
mis-applying Rev 3:20 - "Behold I stand at the door and knock..."
(-which is clearly aimed at the CHURCH, not at unconverted sinners. It is
Jesus standing outside the 'Laodicean' church, trying to get in!) I am not
ashamed that I believed this. It was all I knew at the time. But I was
certainly shocked to discover how much of the basic gospel I was leaving
out. Like me, there are a number of you who will have to "search the
Scriptures to see if these things be so" like the Bereans, just as I
had to do. Believe me, I fought these truths for months before I simply ran
out of corners to back into. I knew the implications of this were huge and
I just did not want to face it. But there they are in black and white. And
this is not a trivial matter. These are key gospel truths that we are
talking about here.
After writing the first version of this article, many people wrote to me
pointing out that the THIEF ON THE CROSS was not baptized or Spirit-filled,
yet he was clearly saved. Please believe me, I had all these same
objections when I first came across this teaching. But God annihilated all
my excuses one by one. So let me deal with this "THIEF ON THE
CROSS" thing right here.
The most obvious question is:- When did this event occur - was it under
the OLD Covenant or the NEW Covenant? When Jesus proffered salvation to the
thief, was the Old Covenant still in place, or had the New begun? For
clearly, it only became possible to become an actual CHRISTIAN (-born again
- a member of Christ's body) AFTER the New Covenant had started. And for
the New Covenant to begin, Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb had to die and also
be RAISED FROM THE DEAD. The New Covenant could not begin until this
occurred. Surely we all know this? Jesus had to die and be raised from the
dead, and then ascend into heaven, sending His Holy Spirit, before the
Church could truly begin or people could start becoming born-again
Christians. That is why people in the Old Testament, or even in Jesus' own
day were not "born again" the way we are today. They simply
couldn't be. Remember, Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest
born among men, but even the least in the kingdom was greater than he. John
the Baptist couldn't become a "born-again Christian" because the
New Covenant had not yet begun. I bet he would have loved the opportunity!
Jesus died in agony and was raised again, to purchase for us this wonderful
new life in Him. Surely we all know this? GLORY TO GOD!!
Now back to the thief. Did he have his conversation with Jesus and die
under the New Covenant or the Old? The answer, obviously, is:- The OLD
Covenant. He was presumably a Jew - one of God's chosen people (though a
sinner), who received a wonderful pardon from Jesus when he repented and turned
to Him. But those were very different conditions to those that we live
under today. We now have a NEW Covenant - a NEW "agreement" with
God, very different from the Old. The Old treaty is dead and we have a new
and living way in which to walk. How do we enter into it? By being born
again - of water and of the Spirit. And this has only been possible since
Pentecost - the day the church began. I am not saying that "death-bed
repentance" is not possible today. I'm sure that God has reached down
in His mercy many times to people who have turned to Him when they were
close to death. But these are special cases. They are not the
"norm" for New Testament Christianity. Repentance, Baptism and
receiving the Holy Spirit are ESSENTIAL to enter into the New Covenant, I
believe.
Quite a few people have offered me their own views and opinions on all
this without truly becoming acquainted with the basic Scriptures on the
matter. It is important to remember that fundamental doctrines are not
about mere opinion. They are about what the SCRIPTURES SAY. I tell you, I
have put MONTHS of study and prayer into this whole subject. I could tell
that it really was THAT important. I honestly considered EVERYTHING - every
angle I could find. Please treat this with the seriousness that it is due.
This is a very crucial area. I believe these are SALVATION issues that are
being discussed here. And the case is enormously strong. Just read the
Scriptures. (-It should take less than an hour to read through the
Scriptures highlighted above). I urge any of you who are the least bit
interested in this to PLEASE read those Scriptures.
I am well aware that 'doctrine' tends to be divisive by it's very
nature. And I know that I am taking a big risk talking so openly about such
a controversial teaching. I try and keep right away from doctrinal debates
in general. It is only the most fundamental and important issues that I
bother making a fuss about. You will notice that even though this is a
'Prophetic' site, there are no debates about the 'Pre-trib'/ Post-trib
positions or the exact meaning of Daniel's 70 weeks, etc. I just find such
debates pointless and utterly dull, to be honest. I heard the arguments
many moons ago, and just cannot stomach any more. I have no desire for
nit-picking arguments. But the BIG issues, like New Testament salvation and
God's plan for His church - these things I really do care
about. For I believe the devil is robbing us blind in some of these crucial
areas. And God wants to restore these truths to the church.
Just imagine for a moment that I am right, and baptism and receiving the
Holy Spirit are a lot more important than we have been led to believe. Just
think how many thousands of believers around the world today have received
the Holy Spirit (including 'tongues') but have simply not bothered getting
baptized. After all, it's only "symbolic", right? Or perhaps,
they say, "I got sprinkled as a baby"? I myself know many, many
people in this exact position. I think it's terrible, and I believe God
does too. Not to mention all the believers who still have not been baptized
in the Holy Spirit. Don't you think God's heart breaks over all this? Why
do people ignore His commands? Our church traditions and habitual patterns
have a lot to answer for in this area. This has got to change, friends. And
I believe it will only change when the underlying doctrines are challenged.
But if I am right, the devil will fight this all the way. He likes anything
that leaves believers impoverished or still chained up in any way. This
really is crucial doctrine, otherwise I simply would not bother with it. I
have really stuck my neck on the line and jeopardized my reputation over
this. And I do not do so lightly.
I have been accused of being "legalistic" and 'majoring on
minor points' by a couple of readers. I really cannot see this. As I have
said, some doctrine is "straining at gnats" and some is really
crucial. I believe this issue falls into the second category. Others
accused me of being "too literal"! (I had to laugh over this).
Now this is basic Bible doctrine we are talking about here, isn't it? Too
literal? What on earth else should we be?
Other readers accused me of believing in "baptismal
regeneration". This is not the case. I believe that (1) Repentance,
(2) Water-Baptism and (3) Receiving the Holy Spirit, are ALL ESSENTIAL. I
do not believe in "baptismal" regeneration. These elements are
all equally important and we need to have all three to be able to call
ourselves 'New Testament Christians', as far as I can see.
Other readers have brought up the verse in Romans that says "If you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). Actually,
a number of theologians believe that this statement was used as a kind of
"baptismal confession" in the early church. I remember a
fellowship I was involved with years ago that used it in exactly this way.
To me, this verse "proves" little doctrinally, either way. It
needs to be put into context with the WHOLE New Testament to gain the
proper perspective on it. I certainly don't see it as proof for 'asking
Jesus into our heart'.
One of the most serious allegations I have faced is that I am preaching
a kind of "justification by works" by saying that baptism and
receiving the Holy Spirit are so essential. And that I am "adding to
the gospel" and taking away people's freedom like the Galatians!!
Serious charges, indeed. But let's look at this carefully.
Is baptism a "work" that I can do to myself? Is receiving the
Holy Spirit a "work"? I don't think so! These are initial
experiences that are 'DONE TO US' or GIVEN TO US - they're not things that
we can "DO" ourselves, as such. Can I baptize myself? No! And
isn't it a brief one-off act of simple faith and obedience anyway? To me,
baptism is no more a "work" than, say, the act of "praying a
sinner's prayer". The act of opening one's mouth, moving one's jaws
and praying is not seen as a work. And neither should baptism be. They only
take an instant, after all. The real question is:- Is baptism a truly
spiritual act, or is it merely a symbolic ritual? That is the real
question. This also brings up the whole issue of 'convenience'. For we love
neat little packages that are comfortable and easy in this age, don't we?
(-"Just asking Jesus in"). And baptism is so wet and messy, we
think. But at the end of the day, what it boils down to is this:- We have
to make a decision between doing things the Bible way and doing things the
modern 'convenient' way. It is that simple.
Now, onto something else that numerous people raised:- Where does FAITH
come into all this? Aren't we supposed to be saved by FAITH? Absolutely!
And faith is at a premium right through this whole thing. What happens when
someone hears the gospel and BELIEVES it? (-A crucially important moment).
Are they automatically a 'Christian' now? Just through believing what they
have heard? Or do they have to act on that belief in some way to become a
Christian? Were the Jews who were 'cut to the heart' when Peter preached at
Pentecost automatically Christians right then at that moment, or did they
have to DO something in FAITH to become Christians? Clearly, they needed to
DO something, because Peter told them, "Repent and be baptized, and
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." And it is clear that
each one of these elements involves the exercise of faith in Jesus.
However, I believe that when the Bible speaks of the "FAITH THAT
SAVES US", and being "JUSTIFIED BY FAITH", it is speaking of
the LIFE OF FAITH that we undertake after we have become a Christian. It is
'WALKING IN FAITH' day by day, moment by moment, after having become a
Christian that justifies us before God. It is the covering of the blood of
Jesus that hides our sin and makes us clean in God's sight. If we are
walking in faith, covered by the blood, we are saved, and we must continue
to walk in it. And it is clear in the Scriptures that it is only by the
POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT that we can walk in this kind of saving faith.
This faith is a gift from God -"Not of ourselves, lest anyone should
boast..." Like the love of God, this faith is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us. So how can we obtain it
without RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT? (-Which brings us back to Repentance,
Baptism and Receiving the Holy Spirit as our ESSENTIAL starting point in
the faith).
Actually, a couple of readers mentioned something quite interesting
about baptism in the book of Acts. For it is noticeable in Acts that
everyone was baptized "IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS" or in the
'NAME OF JESUS CHRIST'. Now most churches today baptize in the name of the
'Father, Son and Holy Spirit', and I guess this is a small point, but I
believe that if they felt it was important in Acts to speak the name of Jesus
Christ over people as they were baptized, then I should do it too. I am not
legalistic about the need for this, but personally these days I baptize
people "in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in
the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST". (-Just an interesting additional point?)
To sum up, it is my belief that God has been slowly restoring truth to
the church over the centuries since the dark ages when so much had been
lost. Luther's Reformation saw the restoration of 'Justification by Faith',
the Anabaptists re-introduced baptism by immersion, Wesley re-introduced a
number of important concepts, and this century the Pentecostals
re-discovered the infilling of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. (There
have been many other things over time also, but this is just a simple
overview). It is my belief that we are now at the stage where God wishes to
restore the church to her true original glory, with all the basic doctrines
and practices, "church life" and the full original gospel, the 'five-fold'
ministries, etc, etc, all intact. That is what is about to occur in the
coming move, I believe. And that is another reason why I believe basic New
Testament doctrines are important.
In past centuries, as now, the believers of that time walked in the
light that they had, and God will judge them according to the light that
was available to them. But now it is time to see the church truly restored
to fullness in many areas. And it is going to be UNCOMFORTABLE, and it will
surely leave much "SHAKEN" in it's wake. A new Reformation is
coming, and it is important that it leaves nothing undone that needs doing.
Otherwise our children are going to have to have a further Reformation to
correct all that we left undone. Let's make it as complete as possible this
time, shall we? For Christ cannot return until a glorious Bride is made
ready for Him, without "spot or wrinkle or any such thing".
Surely we live in the days of the 'restoration of all things' about which
the Scriptures speak.
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