The Role of Baptism in the Book of Acts - Essay Example

The Role Of Baptism in the Book of Acts Table of Contents The Role Of Baptism in the Book of Acts 1 Table of Contents 1 Thesis Statement 1 Introduction 3 Classical Pentecostalism 5 Understanding Spirit-Baptism Terminology 8 The Meaning of John’s Prophecy 10 Metaphorical Terminology 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13 Thesis Statement Since the discussion of Spirit-baptism began, two significant problems have continued to block the progress of reaching a consensus among scholarship on this issue. The first dilemma is the use of inadequate paradigms. The approach that one utilizes will invariably determine the theological conclusion. For example, Evangelicals regularly employ systematic theology as the primary hermeneutical approach and interpret Acts through 1 Cor 12:13. Therefore, it is not surprising that they arrive at a Pauline understanding that excludes any specific mention of Spirit-baptism as an empowering event theologically distinct from regeneration. Conversely, Pentecostals and many charismatics employ Lukan biblical theology as the correct methodology for understanding Spirit-baptism. According to their exegetical findings, the Day of Pentecost was an empowering event that is theologically separate from and subsequent to conversion. Moreover, “pattern of Pentecost” exists for subsequent events in Acts as well as for all believers throughout the church age. However, some consider the exegetical abilities of Pentecostals as one of their greatest weaknesses.1 In an attempt to investigate the role of baptism in the book of Acts, this paper will explore the prospect of Acts 2:37-39 serving as a paradigm for understanding Luke’s account of Spirit-baptism. This text has several features that make it worthy of consideration. First, this text has a close proximity to the events of Pentecost, for it is situated at the conclusion of Peter’s sermon. Second, the response given to those who inquired comes from a leading apostle who had just been “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). Third, it is the only didactic passage in Acts that contains the element of repentance, water baptism, and the gift of the Spirit. These three features are also found in subsequent corporate texts of Act (8:4-24; 10:1-11:18; and 19:1-17). Thus, in the narrative of text of Acts, in which the corporate passages that record Spirit-baptism are non-normative, including the sequence of repentance, water baptism, and the giving of the Spirit, Acts 2:37-39 appears to be the most normative text available. Introduction “Though the Pentecostal movement began in humble obscurity,….. it has grown to become a major force within Christendom.”2 Pentecostalism is not only recognized as the most powerful revival movement of the twentieth century,3 in the estimation of some it has surpassed the classification of “a mere passing movement” and can legitimately be called a major Christian tradition, second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church.4 Statistics reveal that “Pentecostalism is therefore fast becoming the dominant expression of Christianity and one of the most extraordinary religious phenomena in the world of any time.”5 Pentecostals credit this phenomenal growth to their understanding of Sprit-baptism which, along with signs and wonders, is their spiritual heartbeat.6 The Pentecostal movement eventually led to the beginning of the new-Pentecostal movement, which is commonly referred to as the charismatic movement or charismatic renewal. Though the charismatic movement is comprised of both mainland Protestants and Roman Catholics, the beginning of these parts of the movement is separated by about seven years. It resembles Pentecostalism in that dual emphases on the baptism in the Spirit and the miraculous lie at the heart of the movement. However, the charismatic movement differs from Pentecostalism, not only in its understanding of Spirit-baptism, but also in that several competing interpretations of this doctrine are simultaneously held within the movement.7 The growing influence of Pentecostalism during the last half of the twentieth century helped to compel dialogue on the topic of spirit-baptism. Thus, along with ascendancy of Pentecostalism into mainstream Evangelicalism, the controversy between Pentecostals and Evangelicals abut the nature and timing of Spirit-baptism emerged and continues until today. Though Evangelicalism has affected Pentecostalism primarily through the theological training of its academic leaders, Pentecostalism has also influenced Evangelicalism to the extent that a greater openness exists concerning the practice of spiritual gifts and charismatic worship styles in evangelical churches. This effect is evidenced by the emergence of the “Third Wave.”8 Stanley Burgess explains that “the terms Pentecostal and charismatic are often used interchangeably. Indeed, they do have many features in common and it is frequently difficult to draw a dividing line. When points of delineation are determined and connected, the resulting line is invariably crooked, perhaps broken, and sometimes split into various branches. The following investigates the inception and common understanding of Spirit-baptism in the book of Acts and see how Luke presents baptism in this important book? It also analyze the role baptism play in God’s plan of salvation. Classical Pentecostalism The beginning of the classical Pentecostal movement is traced back to January 1, 1901, to the small Midwestern town of Topeka, Kansas and Charles Parham. His premise was that Christian “experience should tally exactly with the Bible, and neither sanctification not the anointing that abideth …. Tallied with the 2nd chapter of Acts.” Parham diligently sought after “Bible evidence” that tallied absolutely with the Word,” and concluded that speaking in tongues was the proof.9 His “pragmatic” hermeneutic is seen in the association of tongues-speech with contemporary charismatic experience. His understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was passed down to infant Pentecostalism by oral tradition and afterwards accepted by church councils and codified in doctrinal statements.10 Based upon Parham’s teaching, classical Pentecostals hold to two distinctive beliefs. First, an experience with the Holy Spirit is available to every believer that is subsequent to and separate from conversion. Though subsequence and separability are interrelated issues, subsequence emphasizes the timing, while separability highlights the distinctive theological nature of the experience.11 Classical Pentecostals refer to this experience with terms such as “being baptized in the Holy Spirit,” “the baptism in/with the Holy Spirit,” or “Spirit-baptism.” Second, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by tongue-speech, which is the evidence that a believer has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Phrases like “initial physical evidence,” “initial outward evidence,” or “accompanying sign” are used to denote the evidential value of speaking in tongues. Hence, the two distinctive tenets of classical Pentecostalism are Spirit-baptism and the accompaniment of tongues, which when combined from a distinctive stage in the ordo salutis.12 Based primarily upon Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8, the purpose for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to empower believers charismatically for witness and service.13 However, while these are two fundamental doctrines of Pentecostalism, diversity exists in other areas of belief, especially in regard to sanctification and the Godhead.14 While maintaining a “pragmatic” hermeneutic, classical Pentecostals seldom though it necessary to defend their position concerning the baptism in the Holy Spirit throughout most of the twentieth century. Instead, they understood their interpretation to be “self-evident and self-authenticating.” In his analysis of the mid-century writings of Pentecostal author Carl Brumbak, Stronstad writes: “Nowhere does he analyze or explain this hermeneutic; he simply asserts it. Nowhere does he betray any self-awareness that, in a book of Pentecostal apologetics, he needs to discuss, defend, and justify his hermeneutical base for developing a ‘contemporary Pentecostal answer to that ancient Pentecostal question.’”15 However, beginning in the 1970s, Pentecostal entered into a theological dialogue about Spirit-baptism with the evangelical community. Four factors influenced the Pentecostal movement and allowed it to enter into this discussion: (1) it had sufficiently matured so that it was no longer looking for an identity; (2) it was accepted into mainstream Evangelicalism; (3) it now faced the hermeneutical challenges of the charismatic movement; and (4) its academic leadership had acquired formal seminary training.16 Understanding Spirit-Baptism Terminology In the biblical text, the reference to a “baptism in the Spirit” originates in the proclamation given by John the Baptizer. Two issues dominate the scholarly discussion of John’s prophecy: the wording of the original tradition and the meaning of the fire imagery. Three possibilities exist regarding the original wording of John’s statement. The first is that John’s preaching referred to fire alone with no mention of the Holy Spirit. Though John predicts that Jesus will judge with fire, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” While this interpretation was conflated with the original form in Matt 3:11 and Luke 3:16, it also affects Mark 1:8, Acts 1:5, 2:3-4, and 11:16 so that the only interpretation reflected in these texts is that of the early Church.17 Two major problems exist with this hypothesis. First, no extant text exists that speaks of a baptism in fire.18 Second, the allusion to Pentecost is not convincing. While Jesus does apply John’s prophecy to Pentecost (Acts 1:5), he does not include any reference to fire. The only mention of fire is in Acts 2:3, which does not state that a distribution of fire occurred, but that tongues were like fire in their dispersal among those present.19 Due to a lack of evidence, this reconstruction is speculative. The next possibility is that “fire” is a Christian pestering to its fulfillment at Pentecost.20 However, the surrounding context of both texts in Matthew and Luke contains fire imagery that points to judgment (Matt 3:7-10, 12; Luke 3:7-9, 17). In addition, the fire imagery in Acts 2:3 is simply the use of a picture and does not discuss the nature of the baptism. The Meaning of John’s Prophecy The scholarly consensus is that the meaning of the fire imagery is the key to understanding the nature of the future baptism Jesus performs in Acts. There are four possible explanations. One option is that fire is an allusion to the distribution of tongues among those on Pentecost (Acts 2:3).21 However, the fire imagery at Pentecost “discusses only the Spirit’s spreading through the crowd and does not discuss the nature of the baptism itself.”22 The third explanation states that the coming one will administer a single baptism that purges humanity and, as a result, divides humanity into two groups. Central to this view is Isa 4:4-5, which is the only text in the Old Testament to use Spirit and fire together. This passage records the purging of people so that some may dwell in God’s presence.23 In addition, other texts in Luke’s gospel seem to support this division by fire (12:49-53; 17:29-30). Thus, “one baptism is offered to the world, but it has two consequences. Which consequences a person experiences depends on the individual’s decision in regard to the baptism.”24 The repentant who accept Jesus’ baptism are purged, receive the gift of the Spirit, and enjoy the blessing of the messianic kingdom. Those who reject Jesus’ baptism will, like chaff, be burned up with unquenchable fire. Out of these possibilities, the best explanations are that of a single baptism that divides humanity and that of two distinct baptisms. Scholarship is divided between these interpretations. The syntactical argument in which a single baptism is governed presents the more convincing argument. However, when one considers the possibility that John was unaware of any chronological distinctions in the fulfillment of Jesus’ work, then the position of two distinct baptisms is equally persuasive and seems to be the best interpretation. According to this explanation, Jesus picks up on the imminent coming of the Spirit because it is the only part applicable to Pentecost (Acts 1:5). The eschatological judgment of the wicked by fire is yet to come. Metaphorical Terminology Nominal phrases such as “Spirit-baptism” or “the baptism in the Spirit” do not appear in the New Testament; only verbal forms occur. In their pursuit to understand Spirit-baptism, most scholars look to the variety of phrases that Luke uses throughout Acts to describe the coming of the Spirit. 1. To baptize (1:5; 11:16). 2. To come upon (1:8; 19:6) 3. To be filled with (2:4; 4:8; 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52). 4. To pour out upon (2:17, 18, 33; 10:45). 5. To receive (2:38; 8:15, 17, 19; 10:47; 19:2). 6. To give (5:32; 8:18; 11:17; 15:8). 7. To fall upon (8:16; 10:44; 11:15).25 These seven verbal phrases occur twenty-seven times in Acts, some of which depict the same event. All seven are used to portray Pentecost, three are employed to characterize the event in Samaria, five are utilized to explain the Gentile account, and two are made used to portray the experience of the disciple in Ephesus. This analysis indicates that these phrases “are all equivalent ways of describing the same coming of the Spirit – a coming which was such a dramatic and overpowering experience that is almost exhausted Luke’s vocabulary to find language which would give an adequate description of its richness and fullness. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, Allan H. “Introduction: World Pentecostalism at a Crossroads.” In Pentecostals After a Century: Global Perspectives on a Movement in Transition. Edited by Allan H. Anderson and Walter J. Hollenweger, 19-31. Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series 15. Edited by John Christopher Thomas, Rickie D. Moore, and Steven J. Land. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999. Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Edited by Moises Silva. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994. Dunn, James D. G. “Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Re-Examination of the New Testament Teaching on the Gift of the Spirit in Relation to Pentecostalism Today. Philadelphia: Westminister, 1970. Dunn, James D. G. “Spirit-and-Fire Baptism.” Novum Testamentaum 14 (972): 81-92. Hur, Ju. A Dynamic Reading of the Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 211. Edited by Stanley E. Porter. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001. Johns, Donald A. “Some New Directions in the Hermeneutics of Classical Pentecostalism’s Doctrine of Initial Evidence.” In Initial Evidence: Historical and Biblical Perspectives on the Pentecostal Doctrine of Spirit Baptism. Edited by Gary B. McGee, 145-67. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991. Loder, Allan Thomas. “An Examination of the Classical Pentecostal Doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Light of the Pentecostal Position on the Sources of Theology.” M.Div. thesis, Providence Theological Seminary, 2000. Manson, T.W. The Sayings of Jesus, 2nd ed. London: SCM Press, 1949. McDonnell, Kilian. “Baptism in the Holy Spirit as an Ecumenical Problems.” In the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as an Ecumenical Problem: Two Essays Relating the Baptism in the Holy Spirit to Sacramental Life. Edited by Kilian McDonnell and Arnold Bittlinger, 27-53. South Bend, IN: Charismatic renewal Services, 1972 McGee, Gary B. “Editor’s Introduction.” In Initial Evidence: Historical and Biblical perspectives on the Pentecostal Doctrine of Spirit Baptism. Edited by Gary B. McGee, xiii,xx. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991. Oss, Douglas A. “A Pentecostal/Charismatic View.” In Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views. Edited by Wayne A. Grudem, 239-83. Counterpoint Series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Parham, Sarah E. The Life of Charles F. Parham: Founder of the Apostolic Faith Movement. The Higher Christian Life: Sources for the Study of the Holiness, Pentecostal and Keswick Movements. Edited by Donald W. Dayton. New York: Garland Publishing, 1985. Stronstad, Roger. “Trends in Pentecostal Hermeneutics.” Paraclete: A Journal Concerning the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit 22, no. 3 (1988): 1-2. Synan, Vinson. “The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971. Wagner, C. Peter. “A Third Wave?” Pastoral Renewal 8, no 1 (July-Aug. 1983): 1-5. Webb, Robert L. John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-Historical Study. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 62. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991. Read More