The new things that have come; The Royal Ambassadorship and the Royal Priesthood. Part 7

The new things that have come; The Royal Ambassadorship and the Royal Priesthood. Part 7.

Friday, December 18, 2009

The responsibility and accountability of the Royal Priesthood.

4. The principle of the Baptism of fire.

Most Charismatic or Pentecostal groups teach that a person receives the Holy Spirit sometime after they’ve received Christ as Savior, but this is plain heresy.

ROM 8:9, However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are synonymous, not separate.

To further the confusion, such groups also refer to this event as a
baptism of fire.

The only baptism of fire in the Bible is the one that John spoke of when he spoke of Christ burning sinners in unquenchable fire, MAT 3:11-12.

MAT 3:11-12, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The only time a person is baptized in fire is when he is cast into the Lake of fire;
REV 20:14-15. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but sinners are baptized with fire.

The baptism of fire is defined as the judgment of the Tribulational unbelievers at the Second Advent.

Both Jews and Gentiles who are Tribulational unbelievers are involved in this Second Advent judgment.

The analogy to the baptism of fire is found in MAT 24:36-41.

The one left in the field is the believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.

The Second Advent is compared to the days of Noah when people had no time for doctrine because they were too distracted by the pleasures of normal living.

ACT 2:3-4, And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Some point to the fire (Acts 2) that appeared over the apostles heads on Pentecost as justification for the baptism of the Spirit (called as tongues of fire).

This event was unique, it occurred only once, it did not take place in either the apostles ministry or to the church ever again.

It is important for the doctrinal Bible believer to know and remember that there were no Charismatic groups around before 1900.

This whole false movement began in the year 1900 when Charles F. Parham, an American preacher was instrumental in the formation of Pentecostalism.

Prior to 1906, Parham held services in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, where baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues was often present.

On January 1, 1901, Agnes Ozman, a student at BBC, spoke in tongues. From that day forth, Pentecostal groups have taught that speaking in tongues is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In 1906, W. J. Seymour, a student of Parham’s, began holding meetings in Los Angeles.

a. Apostolic Signs and Wonders
b. Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire
c. Denial of Eternal Security
d. Unpardonable Sin
e. Women Preachers

“Amen, amen”
two participles which are very important to understand.
Actually mean surely, without a doubt, or indeed.

Whenever TLJC says “amen” or “truly” it introduces a very vital truth of tremendous importance.

This phrase “truly truly” or “amen amen” is used 25 times in the Bible and all 25 times it is found in the Gospel of John.

In JOH 1:51 to introduce our Lord’s relationship with the angelic conflict when the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascended and descended on TLJC.

In JOH 3:3, it is used to introduce the importance of being born again,
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, He cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In JOH 5:19, it is used to introduce our Lord’s equality with the Father, “whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner”

In JOH 6:26, it is used to warn us against false motivation,
Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.”

In JOH 8:34, it is used to warn us about the bondage of sin, “everyone who sins habitually is the slave of sin.”

In JOH 8:58, it is used to indicate the deity of TLJC,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

In JOH 10:7, it is used to describe the only of salvation through TLJC.
Jesus therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

In JOH 12:24 it is used to bring out the importance of losing your life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

In JOH 16:23, it is used to describe the importance of prayer.

Notice
does not
not
might not,
but
does not.