This morning my wife and I had been talking about church and I said to her, “I am not charismatic.” This surprised her. I guess she thought I was. Perhaps, others who know me might feel the same. But no, I am not charismatic because I do not believe or hold to three things that are prevalent within Charismatic circles.
1. Slain in the Spirit. – I do not see anywhere in the Bible of any example of anyone being “slain in the Spirit.” When people start to fall down backwards laughing or in some catatonic state, I am amused more than amazed. I am yet to be shown anywhere in the Bible one example in the New Testament church of any example of this taking place. This is why I cannot embrace this.
2. Baptism of the Spirit - The way Charismatics interpret this is like a second work of grace. Once a person is saved, then subsequently (time will vary) the Holy Spirit will baptize a person (come on him or her) and evidence of this will be praying in tongues. Examples of this are given in Acts 2, 10 and 19. But this is not at all the baptism of the Spirit. If you want to know what the baptism of the Spirit is, then you go to 1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. . .”
Notice some key observations:
First, the baptism of the Spirit includes “all” – not just some.
Second, the baptism of the Spirit has to do with being placed by the Spirit into “one body” (i.e. the church, the spiritual body of Christ).
Third, the word “baptized” in the Greek is in the aorist tense, meaning that it is an act that occurs once and for all time, never to be repeated. Since the bible teaches that “all” are baptized and since this baptism involves being placed into the body of Christ, we concur that it refers to a time when one puts his faith and trust in Christ at the moment of salvation. It is at this time a person is baptized by the Spirit, placed into the body of Christ, and such an act is never to be repeated again. There is no such thing as a person getting saved and waiting subsequently for the baptism of the Spirit.
Fourth, the preposition, “by” can also be translated “in” or “with.” I think this is better rendering. In other words, the Spirit does not do the baptism, instead the Spirit is the means by which the baptism occurs.
Well then, who does the baptizing? Listen to how John the Baptist puts it: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11).
Notice it is Jesus who does the baptizing “using” (with) the Holy Spirit. The first part of the passage above, John says, “I baptize you with water. . .” Did the water do the baptism? No, it was John who did so using water. So it is with the baptism of the Spirit. Jesus does the baptism using the Holy Spirit. There is no baptism by the Spirit. Jesus is the baptizer!
So I believe the baptism of or with the Spirit, occurs at the moment of salvation, placing a person into the body of Christ and not subsequently for power. I think the average Charismatic confuses the baptism of the Spirit with the filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-20).
One more thing, ask yourself this: Were all the Corinthian Christians baptized by the Spirit? According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, “all” are baptized. Now answer this: “Do all Christians (or the Corinthian Christians) pray or speak in tongues?” No (see 1 Cor. 12:30). Therefore, the baptism of the Spirit that subsequently comes upon a believer with the evidence of praying or speaking in tongues is not supported by the Bible.
3. Praying in tongues. The third reason why I am not charismatic is because I do not pray in tongues. I use to do so in the past for several years, but I understood it to be fake and full of emotions.
Let me simply add a few comments here.
First, give me just one example anywhere in the New Testament (or Old Testament) of anyone praying in a tongue. There are examples of people speaking in tongues – known languages that were given by the Spirit to a person who had not learned the language (Acts 2, 10 and 19). But no one praying in a tongue.
What is the difference between praying in a tongue and speaking in tongues? Speaking in tongues is a legitimate gift by the Holy Spirit given to a few in the body of Christ for the purpose of proclaiming the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11) and a sign to unbelievers that God was present (1 Cor. 14:22).
Praying in tongues is simply jibberish talk with no coherent meaning. It by-passes and disengages the mind and allows the spirit or emotions to simply run wild. I cannot find support anywhere in the Bible where we Christians are allowed to shut down our minds and operate independent of it. We are to love the Lord with all our minds (Matt. 22:37), except when praying in tongues? See 1 Cor. 14:14 – where Paul says to pray in a tongue means the mind is “unfruitful”). Paul says that in the church (among and in the presence of other believers), better to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others, than ten-thousand words in a tongue (that carries no meaning or understanding) – see 1 Cor. 14:19).
I personally reject anything that encourages me to perform in a way that causes me to shut down the use of my mind. To do so, I risk opening up to demonic intervention.
Now, let me add this: I believe in the use of all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible – Romans 12, Acts 2, 10, 19; 1 Cor. 12-14; 1 Peter 4. Some gifts are categorized as “sign gifts” (tongues, healings, miracles, etc.), which I believed are still active and given by God today, but not as prevalent. Other gifts are known as serving and edification gifts (prophecy, teaching, helps, administration, etc., which are more prevalent today.
I close with this: To my brothers and sisters who are charismatic, good for you. We ought to know that being Charismatic or non-Charismatic is not an issue of salvation. Jesus is the issue regarding being saved. I can serve along side of and love my Charismatic brother and sisters. I hope they feel the same about non-charismatics.
But it is for these reasons that I consider myself non-Charismatic.
See you in heaven!
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