LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 451

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CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT AND LUTHERAN T HEOLOGY

13. No member of a congregation should be Pressured into seeking
spiritual gifts or the baptism in the Holy Spirit nor be made to
feel inferior because he does not Possess or desire such gitts
and experiences, but those members who claim the baptism in the
Holy Spirit should be accepted as Lutheran Christians and be
given proper instruction from God's Word as to how they should
live with their gifts and experiences in a harmonious. edifying
manner in the local congregation

14. The pastor and elders of the church should Prayertully. carefully.
and evangelically govern the use and correct any abuse of ali
spiticual gitts in the life of the church according to the Wora
of God

15. A person is saved solely by faith in Jesus Christ as his personai
Savior from sin and not because of any special measure or expert.
ence of the Holy Spirit or because of the Presence or absence of
any spiritual gift

16. The Lord will bless any congregation that gives Christ and His
Word its highest allegiance and allows God's Spirit the freedom
to move in the lives of its members as He wills. Conversely, the
Lord will withhold His full blessing from any congregation that
places the traditions and interpretations of men above His Word
or on a par with His Word or limits the acuvity of the Holy Spine
according to past patterns ang human denmitions

Il. Biblical Analysis

Lutheran charismatics claim that their theological views supplement
rather than contradict traditional Lutheran doctrine. That clam can be
properly evaluated only on the basis of what the Scriptures teach. W'e shail
first examine the Biblical teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We
will them summarize what the Scrpeures teach concerning the Holy Spiric
and His spiritual gitts in general before eiving particular accention to St
Paul's treatment of spiritual gifts in | Corinthians 12—1 + Finally. we wail
discuss whether the Scriptures Promise extraordinary charismane sates to
the church of every ave

A. Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The distinctive doctrine and major emphasis of the neo-Pentecostal or
charismatic movement 1s the bapusm of the Holy Spirit. leis cheretorce
crucial to understand what the Scriptures say about this teaching

|. Bapasm with the Holy Spirit is an expression that occurs in 4
slightly different form in six passages of che New Testament It
appears first in Matthew 3.11 where John the Bapust. speaking to
the multitudes concerning Jesus, said. ‘1 bapuze you with water
for repentance. but He who 1s coming after me 1s mightier than [

He will baprize you with the Holy Spirit and with hire.” See
also the parallel passages’ Mark 1 8. Luke 3.16, John 1 33
Jesus emploved the same terminology shortly before His ascen-
sion into heaven. In Acts 1 $ it is reported that on the day of His

aa

your sins. and yow shall receste the gift of the Holy Spirit For the
Promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off,
every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him" 1 Acts 2:38-39
This promise is given not only to Christians in the apostolic age
but to all furure generations as well. I¢ should be noted that there
1$ nO suggestion of a time interval between baptism in che name
of Jesus and receiving the gift of the Spirit. Nor is there any indica-
Gon in this important promise that the believer, after coming to
faith, must then actively seek the gift of the Spirit before receiving
It

Lutheran theologians are generally agreed that Luke's purpose in
recording the events in Acts 8 and 10 is to relate how God ina
marvelous way demonstrated before che eyes of Peter and other
representatives of the congregation at Jerusalem that the Gentiles

also were to be received into the church even as the Jews. Ir has,

therefore, been suggested by some Lutheran exegetes that the
lapse in time between conversion and baptism with che Spirit, in
the case of the Samaritans and of Cornelius, was for the Purpose
of bringing Peter and others to the scene and making them eye-
witnesses as God poured our His Spirit on the Gentiles as He had
done on the Jews at Pentecost © Acts 11 13-18:

5. According to the Book of Acts. Christians in the apostolic church
always received the baptism of the Holy Spirit solely as a gitt.
never as a blessing achieved on the basis of human effort While
charismatics sometimes emphasize that the Spirit muse be earnestly
sought after and praved for. the major Passages in Acts constantly
refer to Him as the result of a Promise trom the Father : Acts
P45, 2.33, 2.38.39, 8.20. 10 48), bestowed on the believer when
he comes to faith

When one looks specifically at the Promise Jesus gave His discs.
ples prior to Pentecost. it 1s evident thac there were no condiaons
stated and no requirements made of them before ther would
receive the daptism of the Spirit. No menuon is made of che need
to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, noe that thes should empy
themselves of sin, surrender their wills to God. and make specral
Preparations in other ways Luke simply relates chat Jesus charged
His disciples “not to depare from Jerusalem, but to eat for the
Promise of the Father, which. He said. ‘vou heard from Me, tor
John bapnzed with water. but betore many dass vou shali be bap-
uzed with the Holy Spirit Aus base

There is no indiation here that only those would teceive the
baptism who met certain conditions Instead Jesus addressed
Himself to all His diseaples and made the general Promise. “you
shall be baptized with che Hols Spint) When the evangelist
records the fulfillment of the promise on Pentecost. he states Very
specifically that “they were all flied with the Holy Spirit Acts
24). It as signincance that throughout the Book of Acts when the

1s

departure into heaven. Jesus told His disciples “For John bap-
nized with water, but before many days vou shall be bapuzed with
the Holy Spirit

Acts 11 16 relates the reactions of Simon Peter when the Holy
Spirit felon Corneiius and his household The apostle exclaims
‘And [| remembered the word of the Lord. how He said. John
bapuzed with water. bue vou shall be bapuzed with the Hols
Spine

© these are the only passages that employ the specinc termi
ey. Ddaprize with the Holy Spine.” there are other Parts of
Scripture that describe the same concept in ditference words. for
example. “they were all tilled with the Holy Spire’ ‘Acts 24.
“55.917 Jor the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word

Acts 10 44-46. of “the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured
out even on the Gentiles Acts 10.45», or “the Holy Spirit came
oo them Acts 19:6. In each of these instances the context in-
dicates an experience similar to bapusm with the Holy Spirit

Scripture is also very clear regarding the meaning of Spirit bap-
tism in the apostolic church The promise Jesus had given His
disciples. ‘but before many days vou shall be bapuzed with the
Hoiv Spirit’ Acts 19. was tultiled on Pentecost when God
Poured out His Spirit on 120 followers of the ascended Lora,
xiving them power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samania,
and the uttermost parts of the earth A simular experience occurred
among the Samaritans when Philip preached the Gospel to them
Acts & 14-15 J and in the case of Cornelius and his family co whom
Peter brought the Gospel Acts 10 44-48) Tet was also experienced
by the discipies at Ephesus when Paul bapuzed them in the name
of Jesus Acts IY LG In each of these instances believers in
Jesus were endowed with Spestar supernatural witts Acts 2 43,
SOO SLO RT SSN TAL Ua ete: Sugnincantly. nowhere in
Acts is the cite of the Spine eiven to individuals in isolation from
the community of Christians

It wall be noted, furthermore. chat in each of these instances bap-
osm with the Spirit occurred after conversion The apostles were
Christians betore Pentecost The Samaritans had aiven heed to the
Preaching of Phibp before Perer was sent to them and prayed that
they might receive the Holy Spirit Acts & 6, 14-15 Likewise in
the case of Cornelius, he was a cevout man who feared God with
all his household” and prayed constantly to Him even betore
Peter entered into his house and preached to him with the result
that the Spirit fell on all who heard che Word. Acts 10.2, 44-48

There is noching in these narranves to indicate that Luke 1s intent
on giving the church a formula for receiving the baptism of the
Spirit, The apostle Peter had already proclaimed to his con-
scrence-stricken hearers on Pentecost Repent. and be baptuzea
every one of vou in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of

Spirit descended on a group of behevers. it as always stated or
scrongly implied that all were plled with the Spirit There is no
indication that one or more persons were ever denied che full gift
ot the Spirit due to insuthcient Preparation. Nor 1s there any sug:
gesuon ot a parual nlhing by the Spirit as if to imply that He first
enters the believers heart and lite to bring conversion and sancti-
Acation and then only later comes in His fullness and power when
the jusunied person is ready, having sought baptism of the Spirit
by earnest praver

Luther writes very forcefully on this point in his commentary on
the Epistle to the Galanans In Gal 4.5, the apostle Paul asks
Does he who supphes the Spirit to you and works miracles among
you do so by works of the law. or by hearing with faith’ Com-
menting on this verse, Luther writes that the entire Book of Acts

treats nothing else than that the Holy Spirit is noe given
through the law imen’s deeds but is ziven through the hearing
of the Gospel. For when Peter preached. the Holy Spirie im-
mediately fell on all those who heard the Word. On one day
3000 who heard Peters prociamation believed and received
the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2.41), Thus Cornelius received
the Holy Spirit, though not on the basis of the alms he gave.
but when Peter opened his mouth and was sull speaking. the
Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the Word
with Cornelius Acts 10 44 Thus Cornelius and his friends
whom he called to his house Jo nor do anything. nor do they
look to any preceding works. and yet as many as are present
receive the Holy Spirit?!

Luther understood that the eit of the Hols Spirit. which was
Promised co the church on Pentecost. 15 wven co all believers solely
by the grace of God. not because of any effort or deed on the pare
of the recipient.

To be sure. Scripture frequency urges us to pray for the gift of
the Spirit ‘Luke 1113. Acts 431.8 29-32; But these exhortations
are not intended to imply that God will withhold His Spirit from
those who do not earnestly seek Him God erants His Spirit to
all who believe Nevertheless the Lord also wanes us. His children,
to pray for this gift and thereby indicate our earnest desire to be
His temple and our humble dependence on all His gifts. Chris-
tians frequently pray for those blessings they already possess

Teas highly importance also that the church today understands what
the Scripture means when it exhorts the Christian to be tilled with
the Spirit and when it speaks of men full of the Spirit Pentecostals
and many neo-Pentecostals equate these terms with the possession

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