Christian Freedom (Galatians 5:1-12)

Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Galatia because they were listening to people who told them that to be saved they had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in addition to believing in Jesus Christ. He asserted that Jesus Christ himself had called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles and revealed to him the gospel that he preached to them–that they were saved by faith in Jesus Christ and not by works of the law–and thus that their listening to the Judaizers (the name we give to the false teachers) was actually a deserting of the gospel rather than an assuring of it. With this passage he prepares for the conclusion to the letter in which he will demonstrate that the believers’ liberty doesn’t lead to license, as his opponents probably charged, but to holiness before God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV)

Although ultimately Jesus Christ came to set us free from sin and death, here “for freedom Christ has set us free” refers to his setting us free from the observances of the law which the Judaizers had told the Galatians were necessary for salvation. Paul exhorts the Galatians to “stand firm” in this freedom and not submit again to a “yoke of slavery.” “Stand firm” has a military flavor, indicating that they should hold their position and not let the enemy encroach on their territory. By “a yoke of slavery” Paul means the yoke of the law, which was viewed by Jews (and the Judaizers) as good but by Paul as slavery. Although the Galatians had not been under the law, they had been subject to “the elementary principles of the world” (4:3) or paganism (4:8-9).

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

The Galatians may have thought that their being circumcised wouldn’t mean much, but Paul warns them that accepting it would mean acknowledging that the law was necessary for salvation, which would place them under obligation to keep the whole law perfectly. By “again” Paul may be reminding them of what he had said in 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (James agrees, saying in James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”)

Moreover, they would be “severed from Christ [and] fallen away from grace” because they would be placing their trust in the law instead of in Christ’s provision for their salvation. Instead of trying to become righteous through their own efforts, they should be waiting through the Holy Spirit and by faith for the righteousness which would be theirs when they go to be with the Lord (Hebrews 12:23). (An alternate interpretation of “the hope of righteousness” is that it refers to God’s declaration that the believer will be judged righteous at the final judgment.)

If the Galatians were to be circumcised and thus “severed from Christ [and] fallen away from grace,” would they lose their salvation? Those who believe that a person cannot lose his or her salvation point to such passages as Romans 8:38-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and argue that the Galatians who accepted circumcision must never have been fully committed to Christ and thus had never experienced salvation. Those who believe that a person can lose his or her salvation point to such passages as Hebrews 6:4-6, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt,” and claim that the Galatians who were circumcised showed that they had lost their faith in Christ and thus forfeited their salvation. Personally I believe that Christians can apostatize and thus lose their salvation but am uncertain whether the Galatians’ acceptance of circumcision would constitute apostasy.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” makes it clear that Paul isn’t opposed to circumcision itself but only to it when it is required for salvation. Later he had Timothy circumcised to avoid offending the Jews (Acts 16:3) and told the Corinthians, “Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:18-19). Here he says that the only thing that is required for salvation is “faith working through love.”

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

Paul seems to have been fond of using athletic imagery to describe the Christian life (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 2:2; Philippians 2:16, 3:13-14; and 2 Timothy 4:7). The Galatians had begun the race well, but someone had cut in front of them, keeping them from obeying the truth. Paul asks rhetorically, “Who hindered you?” and then declares that it wasn’t “him who calls you,” by whom he could mean as in 1:6 (”I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel”) either Paul himself or God. The obvious answer to the question is the Judaizers, but Paul may be suggesting that just as God was behind Paul’s calling the Galatians Satan was behind the Judaizers’ hindering them.

When “leaven” is used as a symbol in the Bible, it indicates evil or corruption (except in Matthew 13:33). Here it refers to the false teaching, which like leaven or yeast grows and affects what it is part of. Paul could mean either that the Galatians accepting circumcision could lead to their accepting more of Judaism or that their accepting it could lead to other churches accepting it. However Paul is confident that the Galatians will return to what he had taught them and that the Judaizers will suffer God’s judgment.

“[I]f I…still preach circumcision” suggests that the false teachers had told the Galatians that Paul was still advocating circumcision as he had before his conversion. They may have based their claim on Paul’s expressing the view that he states here in verse 6, “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything”; or on his following the policy that he later described to the Corinthians, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20); or even on his allowing Jewish converts to circumcise their sons as he later had Timothy, whose mother was Jewish, circumcised(Acts 16:3).

“But,” Paul asks, “if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.” “[T]he offense of the cross” is generally explained by the claim of Deuteronomy 21:23, which Paul quotes in Galatians 3:13, “a hanged man is cursed by God.” However it might be that here Paul has a different idea in mind. “[T]he cross provokes offense…because it stands for the way of salvation by grace through faith in the atoning death of the crucified One, apart from circumcision and the law, over against the way of salvation by legal works” (Ronald Y. K. Fung, The Epistle to the Galatians in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988, pages 240-41). Paul implies that if he were preaching circumcision the offense of the cross would be removed and he wouldn’t be persecuted and concludes that since he is being persecuted the claim that he preaches circumcision must be false.

Paul’s wishing that the Judaizers would go all the way and “[castrate] themselves” may sound coarse but expresses well Paul’s concern for the truth of the gospel.

Hagar and Sarah (Galatians 4:21-31)

Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Galatia because they were listening to people whom we call Judaizers who told them that to be saved they had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in addition to believing in Jesus Christ. Paul responded by arguing that both Jews and Gentiles are justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law and that the Galatians’ listening to the Judaizers was actually a deserting of the gospel (and of Paul, who had presented it to them) rather than an assuring of it. In our consideration of the letter we’ve reached 4:21-31, in which Paul uses the Old Testament account of Abraham’s two wives and two sons to illustrate his argument. I’ll divide the passage into three parts in considering it: the story (verses 21-23), the interpretation (verses 24-29), and the application (verses 30-31).

The Story

Paul opens with an appeal to those wanting to live according to the law (the Mosaic law) to listen to what the law (the book of the law) actually says: “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” (ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV; references aren’t given for quotations from the passage which we’re considering, Galatians 4:21-31).

Paul then refers to the account of Abraham’s two wives and two sons given in Genesis 16-17 and 21. Because Sarah hadn’t borne Abraham any children, she proposed that he take her servant, Hagar, as a second wife. He did so and Hagar bore him a son, Ishmael. Later God appeared to Abraham and told him that He was going to give him a son, Isaac, by Sarah and that He would establish a covenant with Isaac rather than with Ishmael. As God had promised, Isaac was born. At the party celebrating Isaac’s being weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael laughing at Issac and demanded that Abraham cast out Hagar and Ishmael. He did so.

Paul makes these contrasts between Ishmael and Issac:
– Ishmael was born of a slave woman, Hagar. but Isaac was born of a free woman, Sarah.
– Ishmael was born “according to the flesh” (in the ordinary course of nature) when Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands by having a child through Hagar, but Isaac was born “through promise” when God fulfilled his promise to Abraham that He would miraculously give him a son through Sarah.

The Interpretation

Paul asserts that Hagar and Sarah represent two covenants that God made with His people:
– Hagar represents the covenant between God and Israel made at Mount Sinai in Arabia. Just as the descendants of Hagar were slaves because she was a slave, the Israelites became slaves to obey the law when they entered into the covenant at Mount Sinai.
– Sarah represents another covenant which Paul doesn’t identify. Some commentators identify it with the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 (quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12) and others identify it with the promises made by God to Abraham in Genesis 17 and earlier (see Galatians 3:15). However, as Douglas J. Moo points out, “if we do identify this second covenant as the Abrahamic covenant, we must also follow Paul’s lead and speak of the Abrahamic covenant as christologically defined” (Galatians in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2013, page 301). Just as the descendants of Sarah were free because she was free, Christians are free because of their acceptance of what Jesus did for them on the cross.

Perhaps because the Judaizers stressed their relationship with the Jerusalem church, Paul brings Jerusalem into his presentation. He connects it with Sinai because of the importance of each in Judaism, Sinai’s being where it originated and Jerusalem’s being where it was currently centered. He contrasts “the present Jerusalem” and “the Jerusalem above.” “The present Jerusalem” corresponds to Hagar because it and its children (the Jews) are slaves (to the law) as she was, but “the Jerusalem above” (the one in which Christ reigns and Christians are the citizens) corresponds to Sarah because like her it is free and our mother.

Paul goes on to observe that just as Ishmael persecuted Isaac (not described as such in the Old Testament account but suggested by Genesis 21:9), Christians were being persecuted by the Judaizers. Some commentators treat this (verses 28-29) as application rather than interpretation.

Before my study of Galatians 4:21-31 in preparing this post, I was skeptical over how much meaning the account of Hagar and Sarah in Genesis and Paul’s interpretation of it would have had for the Gentile Christians whom he was addressing. However reading the speculation by various commentators that Paul was reacting to a claim by the Judaizers–that the Jews were children of the free woman and the Gentiles of the slave woman, and thus that the Gentile Christians of Galatia could only be recognized as sons of Abraham by being circumcised–made his including the passage in his letter to the Galatians reasonable.

The Application

Just as Abraham cast out Hagar and her son, the Galatians should have nothing to do with the Judaizers and those who accepted their message “for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” This implies that we should reject not only legalism but also those who teach it.

Paul concludes: “So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.” We are not under the law but live by faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul after Acts

The Biblical account of the Paul’s life ends with him in Rome: “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30-31, ESV). Some think that he was then tried and executed but that Luke didn’t record those events because he wanted to end Acts on a triumphant note.

However writing from prison Paul told the church in Philippi and Philemon in Colossae that he hoped to visit them soon (Philippians 2:24; Philemon 22), and so he must have expected to be released. Also some of the details given in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus don’t fit into the account of his life given in Acts and suggest that he returned to Crete, Asia Minor (Turkey), and Greece after that account. Moreover tradition indicates that he visited Spain.

Here I’ll summarize what is known and surmised about Paul’s life after his stay in Rome described in the book of Acts. My main sources are “Paul’s Fourth Missionary Journey,” NIV Study Bible, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2011, pages 2028-29) and The Fourth Missionary Journey: What Happened to Paul after Acts? at The Good Book Blog, the faculty blog of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.

After being under house arrest in Rome for two years, Paul was released, possibly after appearing before Nero in fulfillment of the promise made to him in a vision by an angel that he would stand before Caesar (Acts 27:24). Both of the sources referred to above speculate that on Paul’s release he visited Spain. In his letter to the Romans written about five years earlier, he’d expressed his intention to visit Rome and Spain after delivering a gift from the churches in Greece to the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:23-29). As well Clement, writing about A.D. 96, described Paul as “reaching the limits of the West” (1 Clement 5:7), probably referring to a place west of where Clement was (Rome). Paul likely stayed some time in Spain preaching and teaching.

Perhaps on his return from Spain Paul sailed to the island of Crete, where he ministered with Titus. However he didn’t stay long enough to follow his usual practice of appointing elders in the churches and left Titus to do so, reminding him of this in Titus 1:5, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you” (ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV).

Subsequently Paul visited Miletus, Colossae, and Ephesus in Asia Minor. Some passages indicating or suggesting that he visited them are:

I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20).
At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you (Philemon 22; written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, to Philemon, master of Onesimus, who according to Colossians 4:9 lived in Colossae).
As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith (1 Timothy 1:3).

On his way from Ephesus to Macedonia (the northern part of Greece), Paul passed through Troas, where he left his cloak and parchments with Carpus (2 Timothy 4:13). In Macedonia he probably visited the churches in Philippi (fulfilling the wish that he’d expressed in Philippians 2:24), Thessalonica, and Berea, which he’d established on his second missionary journey. From there he went on to Corinth, where he left Erastus (2 Timothy 4:20), and headed for Nicopolis, the port city on the west coast of Greece where he planned to spend the winter (Titus 3:12).

However either on his way to Nicopolis or shortly after arriving there, Paul was arrested and imprisoned in Rome again. His asking Timothy to bring his cloak and to try to get to him before winter (2 Timothy 4:13, 21) suggests that he was imprisoned just before winter set in. This time he was not in his own rented house but probably in “the dank, gloomy chamber of horrors then called the Mamertine Prison” (Charles Swindoll, Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit, Nashville, Tennessee: W Publishing Group, 2002, page 316). And this time he wasn’t released but instead was executed by beheading.

As F. F. Bruce observes in his outstanding portrayal of the life of Paul (Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977, page 446), Paul’s last words have been preserved in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Paul in Rome

Although the Roman governor, Festus, couldn’t find anything wrong with him, Paul feared that Festus might turn him over to the Jews to do them a favour and appealed to have his case heard before the emperor, which was his right as a Roman citizen. Unfortunately the ship on which Paul and other prisoners were being taken to Rome was wrecked off the small island of Malta, but fortunately they along with the soldiers guarding them and the crew of the ship were all able to get to shore safely.

In this article I’ll consider Luke’s record in Acts 28:11-31 of Paul’s journey from Malta to Rome and of the first two years of his stay there. I’ll divide my account into four sections: Paul’s journey to and arrival at Rome, his first meeting with the leaders of the Jews, his second meeting with them, and his life in Rome. In my next article, the last in this series on the life of Paul, I’ll summarize what is known and surmised about Paul’s life after his initial stay in Rome.

Paul’s Journey to and Arrival in Rome

After three months in Malta, its now being safe to navigate the Mediterranean Sea (and thus probably mid February), Paul and those with him set sail for Italy in a ship that had wintered in the island. Like the ship which had been shipwrecked the ship was from Alexandria in Egypt, and probably it was also a grain ship. They put in at Syracuse at the eastern end of the Sicily, the large island southeast of Italy, and stayed there three days. From there they went on to Rhegium on the southern tip of Italy and, when a south wind sprang up a day later, to Puteoli on the Bay of Naples, a major port for Roman traffic.

At Puteoli they met some Christians, showing that Christianity had not only reached Rome but other parts of Italy. Perhaps because the centurion had business there, he allowed Paul to accept their invitation to spend a week with them, undoubtedly accompanied by a guard. As well, in the journey by road from Puteoli to Rome they were met at two places, the Forum of Appius (64 kilometers from Rome) and Three Taverns (48 kilometers from Rome), by Roman Christians who had heard about them. Seeing them caused Paul to thank God and take courage. When they came to Rome, Paul was allowed to live in private quarters (a rented house, Acts 28:30) with a soldier to guard him.

Paul’s First Meeting with the Leaders of the Jews

Three days after arriving in Rome, Paul invited the “local leaders” of the Jews (probably the elders of the synagogues) to meet with him, hoping to defend himself before them and to proclaim the Gospel to them. He told them:

Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. (Acts 28:17-20, ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV. “The hope of Israel” referred to by Paul is the coming of the Messiah; see Acts 23:6; 24:15; and 26:6-8, 23.)

They replied that they hadn’t received any letters from Judea about Paul and that none of the Jews who had come from Judea to Rome had said anything evil about him. However they knew that the Christian sect which he belonged to was spoken against everywhere and they wanted to hear about its views from Paul.

Paul’s Second Meeting with the Jews

Later an even greater number of them spent a day at the place where Paul was staying. He expounded to them about the kingdom of God and about Jesus, trying to persuade them from the Old Testament that Jesus was the messianic Son of David who would lead the kingdom of God against the power of Satan (see Matthew 12:23-29). Some were convinced by what Paul said, but others would not believe. They left after Paul quoted Isaiah 6:9-10, which he attributed to the Holy Spirit’s speaking through Isaiah, to explain their failure to accept the gospel:

Go to this people, and say,
You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.

He concluded, “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen” (Acts 28:29). However his declaration doesn’t mean that he gave up on the Jews in Rome, and undoubtedly he continued to witness to them as well as to the Gentiles.

Paul’s Life in Rome

Paul spent the next two years in Rome waiting for his accusers to come from Jerusalem to press their case against him. Living in his own rented house and providing for his expenses, he welcomed “all who came to him,” which would likely have included both Jews and Gentiles, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus with boldness and without hindrance.

John Albert Bengel observes: “A victory of God’s Word. Paul at Rome is the crowning point of the Gospel, and the end of Acts…. He began at Jerusalem; he ends at Rome….Thou hast, O Church, thy form. It is thine to preserve it, and to guard thy trust” (Bengel, New Testament Word Studies, translated from the Latin by Charlton T. Lewis and Marvin R. Vincent, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1971, volume 1, page 925).

Open Theism on the Internet

Open theism is a contemporary view of God that’s created controversy among evangelical Protestant academics. According to it, in giving us free will God limited His control over and knowledge of the future and thus the future is partly open. It has been opposed by many evangelical scholars, some even labelling it heresy. In the fall of 2012 I created this blog to explain open theism to my family and friends.

In my first post, An Introduction to Open Theism I recommended these websites on open theism, the first two supporting and the third opposing open theism:
Open Theism Information Site [http://opentheism.info/open-theism/]
ReKnew – Open Theism [http://reknew.org/topic/open-theism-essays]
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry – Open Theism [https://carm.org/open-theism]

The second of those is still available and useful but cannot be accessed by the above link. ReKnew is the website of Greg Boyd, the author of God of the Possible. It contains several items on open theism, one of which I especially recommend to anyone wanting to know what open theism is, A Brief Outline and Defense of the Open View. The other items are more advanced. To access them go to ReKnew – Browse by Topic and click on the links under “Open Theism.”

Alternatively, to get an overview of open theism, I recommend reading the descriptions of it in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Theopedia, and Wikipedia. Their addresses are:
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Open Theism
Theopedia – Open Theism
Wikipedia – Open Theism

Since I posted “An Introduction to Open Theism,” many other websites and blogs about or containing significant material about open theism have appeared or at least become known to me. My favourite so far is the open theism section of the website of John Sanders, the author of The God Who Risks. It contains these sections: Open Theism Home, containing an explanation of open theism and a timeline of it throughout history; Books on Openness Theology, Books with an Open Theistic Perspective, and Articles on Open Theism. I’d be glad to send readers links to other websites and blogs on open theism that I have bookmarked.

A few years ago I joined Facebook so that I could participate in its Open View Theists group, and after joining it I found that it hosts some other open theist groups. So far I’ve joined just one of them, the Open Theism, Moral Government Theology, Pentecostal group. The two groups are administered by Michael Faber and William Lance Huget, respectively. I recommend both to anyone who wishes to learn more about and/or discuss open theism. Their addresses are:
Open View Theists
Open Theism, Moral Government Theology, Pentecostal

I’d appreciate your telling me in a comment on this post of other websites or blogs about or with significant material on open theism.

Paul Shipwrecked

Paul ended his third missionary journey by going to Jerusalem to bring an offering to the church there from the churches he’d founded on his missionary journeys. Some Jews from Asia, thinking he’d taken a Gentile into the temple, stirred up a crowd against him. He was rescued by Roman soldiers stationed near the temple and a few days later, on their commander’s learning of a plot by some fanatical Jews to assassinate Paul, taken by military escort to Caesarea, where the governor (Felix) had his headquarters. Felix couldn’t find anything wrong with Paul but, hoping for a bribe from him, kept him imprisoned. Similarly the successor to Felix, Festus, couldn’t find anything wrong with Paul but, fearing that Festus might turn him over to the Jews to do them a favour, Paul appealed to have his case heard before the emperor, which was his right as a Roman citizen.

In this article I’ll consider the part of Paul’s journey to Rome described in Acts 27:1-28:10. In summarizing and commenting on it, I’ll divide it into four parts: setting sail for Rome, the storm, the shipwreck, and Malta. The Blue Letter Bible gives a map of the complete voyage at Paul’s Journey to Rome (https://www.blueletterbible.org/images/Acts/imageDisplay/#s=maps_paul4_b).

Setting Sail for Rome

Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a Roman centurion named Julius. With them were Luke (”we”) and Aristarchus, a companion of Paul from Thessalonica. Boarding a small coastal vessel at Caesarea, they sailed northwest for ports along the southern coast of Asia Minor. At one of those ports, Myra, they transferred to a larger ship carrying Egyptian grain from Alexandria to Italy. Making slow headway against the strong northwestern wind, they took several days to reach Cnidus on the southwest tip of Asia Minor. The wind’s not allowing them to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece, they sailed south to the island of Crete and west along its south coast, using the island as a shelter from the wind.

Sailing still being difficult, they moved along the coast with difficulty, finally coming to a small bay called Fair Havens. Because of the time they’d lost, the sailing season was almost over and Paul warned them, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives” (27:10). However, the harbour’s being unsuitable to winter in, they decided to sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix, a city farther west along the coast with a larger and safer harbour for wintering in.

The Storm

Unfortunately as they sailed along the shore a raging wind called the Northeaster swept down from the hills of Crete and they had to give way to it. Driven southwest about twenty-three miles to the small island of Cauda, they managed to get to the side of it sheltered from the wind. There they hauled the lifeboat on board, reinforced the ship with cables to keep it from breaking up, and fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars called Syrtis lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. In the next three days they threw overboard some of the cargo and the ship’s spare gear. With neither the sun and the stars’ appearing for many days and the storm’s continuing to rage, they began to lose any hope of being saved. However Paul urged them to take heart, sharing with them the message which an angel had given him not to be afraid because he must stand before Caesar and God had granted him all the men with him although the ship would run aground on a island and be lost.

About midnight of the fourteenth night the sailors sensed that they were nearing land, took soundings, and found that they were. They let down four anchors to keep the ship from being wrecked against the rocks of an unknown coast in the darkness. They also lowered the lifeboat into the sea, scheming to abandon the ship in an effort to save themselves. However Paul saw through their ruse and warned the centurion and soldiers that unless the sailors stayed with the ship nobody could be saved, and the soldiers cut away the ropes of the lifeboat. At dawn Paul reminded them that none of them was to be lost and urged them to take some food to give them strength. Encouraged by his words and by his eating some bread, they ate some food and then lightened the ship by throwing the rest of the grain into the sea.

The Shipwreck

When it was day, they didn’t recognize the land but saw a bay with a beach (now called St. Paul’s Bay) and decided to try to run the ship ashore there. They cut loose the anchors, placed the rudders back in the water to steer the ship, hoisted a small sail in the front of the ship (the beam holding the main sail had probably been lost in the storm) to the wind, and aimed the ship for the beach. However they ran aground on a sandbar, where the front of the ship stuck and the back of it was broken up by the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so that none of them could swim away and escape, but the centurion wanted to save Paul and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard and make for land and the rest to get there on planks or other pieces of the ship. All 276 of them reached shore safely.

Malta

The native people of the island where they’d landed, Malta, built a fire for them because of the rain and cold. As Paul was putting some sticks on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and bit his hand. Seeing this the islanders thought that he must be a murderer whom, although he had escaped from the sea, justice would not allow to live. However when he shook the viper off into the fire and showed no ill effects, they changed their minds and said that he must be a god.

The chief official of Malta, Publius, entertained the shipwrecked travelers for three days. His father was suffering with fever and dysentery, symptoms of an infection caused by goat’s milk called Malta fever. Paul visited him, prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. Then the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. As a result the islanders honoured the travelers and when they were ready to sail provided them with supplies for the remainder of their journey.

Richard N. Longenecker comments: “From what Luke tells us it seems that Paul may have looked on his stay in Malta as a high point in his ministry—a time of blessing when God worked in marvelous ways, despite the shipwreck and his still being a prisoner. God seems, through the experiences at Malta, to have been refreshing Paul’s spirit after the two relatively bleak years at Caesarea and the disastrous time at sea and preparing him for his witness in Rome” (”The Acts of the Apostles” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, volume 9 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1981, page 565).

19-22. The Last Things

In our last meeting the church Life group which my wife and I attend studied “19. The Blessed Hope,” “20. The Millennial Reign of Christ,” “21. The Final Judgment,” and “22. The New Heavens and New Earth” of the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador. All five current members of the group attended. We opened with Leonora, my wife, leading us in singing and prayer; we discussed additional members and study subjects for 2016-17; we considered the sheet on “The Last Things” which I’d given out the previous week, reading all the Scripture passages except Revelation 21-22 and discussing the statements; and Ray Noble took prayer requests and brought them to the Lord in prayer. We didn’t close with lunch as we usually do because we’d preceded the meeting with a meal celebrating the 21st birthday of one of our members, my son Robert. The contents of the sheet follow.

We call the study of what God has planned for the future eschatology or “the last things.” The Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador (Article V of the PAONL’s General Constitution and By-Laws, 1998) contains the following Truths about the last things:

19. The Blessed Hope

The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52). The Rapture, according to the Scriptures, takes place before what is known as the Great Tribulation. Thus, the saints, who are raptured at Christ’s coming, do not go through the Great Tribulation.

20. The Millennial Reign of Christ

The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is the blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years (Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27,30; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel (Ezekiel 37:21,22; Zephaniah 3:19,20; Romans 11:26,27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 72:3-8; Micah 4:3,4).

21. The Final Judgment

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked will be judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).

22. The New Heavens and New Earth

We, according to God’s promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21, 22).

When I’d given out the “The Last Things” sheet the previous week, I’d accompanied it with sheets called “Views on the Great Tribulation” and “Views on the Time and Nature of the Millennium.” We browsed the former when discussing 19. The Blessed Truth but didn’t look at the latter. Thus I’ll share just the former here. It follows.

Views on the Time of the Great Tribulation

The Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador says: “The Rapture, according to the Scriptures, takes place before what is known as the Great Tribulation. Thus, the saints, who are raptured at Christ’s coming, do not go through the Great Tribulation” (Truth 19). However some premillennialists hold that the Rapture takes place after the Great Tribulation. Their view is called posttribulationism and our view is called pretribulationism.

Posttribulationists make these arguments:
1. The tribulation is clearly linked with the Lord’s return in Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (ESV).
2. The New Testament nowhere clearly says that the church will be taken out of the world before the tribulation. Moreover the only passage that explicitly speaks of the church’s being caught up, “[T]he Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, ESV) seems to describe something that is open and public.
3. The idea of two separate returns of Christ, once for his church before the tribulation and seven years later with his church to bring judgment, is nowhere explicitly taught anywhere in the New Testament.

Pretribulationists make these arguments:
1. Revelation 3:10, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth” (ESV), seems to indicate that the church will be taken out of the world before the great tribulation. Other Bible passages which indicate that the church will not go through the great tribulation are Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
2. Since the great tribulation is a time of the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth, it would not be appropriate for Christians to be on the earth at that time.
3. If Christ comes before the tribulation, he could come at any time, which is consistent with the many Bible passages which indicate that he could come at any time. Some of those passages are Matthew 24:42,44; Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:35-37; Luke 12:40; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; James 5:7-9; 1 Peter 4:7).

Stanley M. Horton, an Assemblies of God scholar cautions, “[L]et us not allow differences of opinions with respect to the time of the Rapture separate believers…. A ‘crown of righteousness’ is not limited to those who have right ideas about the Rapture, but is promised ‘to all who have longed for his appearing’ (2 Tim. 4:8). The commendation that we all want to hear is ‘well done, good and faithful servant!’ So let us all be about the Lord’s business and, at the same time, keep that longing for, that expectation of Christ’s coming, which might take place at any moment.” (Our Destiny, Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1996, pages 133-34)

16-17. The Church and Ministry

In our last meeting the church Life group which my wife and I attend studied “16. The Church and Its Mission” and “17. The Ministry and Evangelism” of the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador. Four attended. We opened with Leonora, my wife, leading us in singing and prayer; we considered the sheet on “The Church and The Ministry” that I’d given out in a previous meeting, reading all the Scripture passages except 1 Corinthians 12-14 and discussing the statements; Ray Noble took prayer requests and brought them to the Lord in prayer; and we closed with lunch. The sheet follows.

16. The Church and Its Mission

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointment for the fulfilment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23).

Since God’s purpose concerning man is to seek and save that which was lost, to be worshipped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority reason-for-being of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador as part of the Church is:

A. To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16).

B. To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).

C. To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 14:12).

The Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador exists expressly to give continuing emphasis to this reason-for-being in the New Testament apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience:

A. Enables them to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31; Hebrews 2:3,4).

B. Adds a necessary dimension to a worshipful relationship with God (1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 1 Corinthians 12-14).

C. Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit, gifts and ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying of the Body of Christ (Galatians 5:22-26; 1 Corinthians 14:12; Ephesians 4:11,12; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Colossians 1:29).

17. The Ministry and Evangelism

A divinely-called and scripturally-ordained ministry is the provision of the Lord for the evangelization of the world and the edification of the Church (Mark 16:15-20; Ephesians 4:11-13).

14-15. The Sacraments

Last evening the church Life group which my wife and I attend studied “14. The Lord’s Supper” and “15. Water Baptism” of the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador. Four attended. We opened with Leonora, my wife, leading us in singing and prayer; we considered the sheet on “The Sacraments” that I’d given out in a previous meeting; Ray Noble took prayer requests and brought them to the Lord in prayer; and we closed with lunch. The contents of the sheet follow, supplemented by a few comments by me, which are italicized.

A sacrament is a ceremony instituted by Jesus Christ and observed by Christians as a sign of God’s grace or as a means for them to receive God’s grace in their lives. Like other Protestants we recognize two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Roman Catholics recognize seven). Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of his betrayal (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), and he commissioned the eleven to baptize converts before his ascension to Heaven (Matthew 28:18-20). Here is what the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador says about the two sacraments.

14. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements of bread and fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is enjoined upon all believers “until He comes.”

15. Water Baptism
Water Baptism is an outward sign, seal or expression of an inward death, burial and resurrection, signifying the believer’s identification with Christ, in that he has been planted in the likeness of Christ’s death, raised by the might of His power to walk in newness of life, yielding his members as instruments of righteousness unto God as those who are alive from the dead. It is not a saving ordinance, but is essential in obedience to the Gospel. Baptism, according to Scripture, should be administered by single immersion, and according to the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19.

I explained that we’d consider 15. Water Baptism before 14. The Lord’s Supper because a person is usually baptized in water as a sign of his or her becoming a Christian before he or she begins observing the Lord’s Supper as a Christian.

Baptism

Although there is agreement among Christians that baptism is connected with the beginning of the Christian life and of one’s initiation into the church, there is disagreement about what it means, whom it should be done to, and how it should be done.

“Water Baptism is an outward sign, seal or expression of an inward death, burial and resurrection.” Two passages which indicate that baptism symbolizes the believer’s union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection are Romans 6:3-4 and Colossians 2:12. “It is not a saving ordinance.” The reason for this assertion is that some Christians hold that baptism is a saving ordinance, Roman Catholics holding that it saves by itself and Lutherans holding that faith is a prerequisite. Some passages which seem to support their view are Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5, and 1 Peter 3:21. However I understand those passages to show that baptism symbolizes our being cleansed from sin rather that to affirm that it cleanses us from sin. Although recognizing that the passages seem to connect water baptism and salvation, the others in our group agreed with me.

Although some churches baptize the children of believing adults as well as the adults, we limit baptism to believers, those who have met the conditions for salvation—repentance and faith. In the New Testament water baptism was administered to believers when or shortly after they made a profession of faith. Some passages in Acts describing this are 2:41, 8:12, 10:46-48, 16:14-15, and 16:32-33. Those who affirm infant baptism note that the last two of those passages refer to the baptism of households, but there is no indication that those households included children.

“Baptism…should be administered by single immersion.” Although historically baptism has been done by immersion (dipping the subject under water), affusion (pouring water on the subject), and sprinkling (sprinkling water on the subject), in the New Testament it seems to have been administered just by immersion. As well the symbolism of the believer’s union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection seems to require baptism by immersion.

I noted that “Baptism…should be administered…according to the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19” was probably included in 15. Water Baptism because of the insistence by Oneness Pentecostals that baptism should be in the name of Jesus rather than in the name of the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s Supper

“The Lord’s Supper [consists] of the elements of bread and fruit of the vine.” Christians disagree on the relationship between the elements and the body and blood of Jesus Christ. We believe that the elements just symbolize his body and blood (see the next paragraph), but Roman Catholics believe that they actually become his body and blood when the priest says “This is my body” during Mass (their name for the Lord’s Supper), a view called transubstantiation. They believe that when this happens Christ’s sacrifice is repeated and that grace is imparted to those present. Although Lutherans don’t believe that the elements actually become the body and blood of Christ, they believe that his physical body and blood are present “in, with, and under” them, a view called consubstantiation.

“The Lord’s Supper…is the symbol expressing our sharing the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26).” Theologians identify additional things symbolized by the Lord’s Supper, including the benefits of Christ’s death (Matthew 26:26-28), spiritual nourishment (John 6:53), and the unity of believers (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Although Protestants generally agree that because the Lord’s Supper is a sign of being a Christian only those who believe in Christ should participate in it, some theologians argue from the meanings of baptism and the Lord’s Supper that only those who are or plan to be baptized should participate in the Lord’s Supper and some churches restrict participation in it to their own members and/or specify a minimum age for participating in it. We practise what is called “open Communion” (“Communion” is another name for the Lord’s Supper), which means that all believers present are invited to participate. However often the pastor encourages us to examine ourselves before participating, as Paul told the Corinthians to do (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). We had an interesting discussion of this paragraph. For example, we considered whether Communion should be observed in children’s services, concluding that it shouldn’t be.

Ordinarily the pastor or other leader who officiates at a church’s worship service should officiate at the Lord’s Supper too. However there doesn’t seem to be any reason why only leaders should distribute the elements and our church invites different members of the congregation to share in distributing them.

In the original Lord’s Supper a single loaf of unleavened bread and a single cup of wine were used. However often substitutes are used that retain the symbolism; our church uses wafers and small glasses of grape juice.

Throughout much of church history most of the church has celebrated the Lord’s Supper every week. However since the Reformation many Protestant groups have celebrated it less often; our church celebrates it once a month.

13. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Last evening the church Life group which my wife and I attend studied “13. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit” of the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador. Four attended. We opened with Leonora, my wife, leading us in singing and prayer; we considered the sheet on “13. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit” that I’d given out in a previous meeting; Ray Noble took prayer requests and brought them to the Lord in prayer; and we closed with lunch. The contents of the sheet follow, supplemented by a few comments by me, which are italicized.

In our study of the Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador we’ve finally come to the Truth which distinguishes Pentecostals from most other Christians:

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9). With the Baptism of the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8); a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:4, Hebrews 12:28); intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42); and a more active love for Christ, His Word, and the lost (Mark 16:20).

The Evidence

The Baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is indicated by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6).

Our Distinctive Testimony

We consider it a serious disagreement with the Fundamentals for any minister among us to teach contrary to our distinctive testimony that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is regularly accompanied by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance, and we consider it inconsistent and unscriptural for any minister to hold credentials with us who thus attacks as error our distinctive testimony.

We didn’t read the Scripture texts, my explaining that we’d read most of them in going through the rest of the sheet.

The Promise of Baptism in the Holy Spirit

During the last recorded appearance of Jesus to his disciples in Jerusalem, he told them, “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49, ESV; all Biblical quotations are from the ESV). He went on to say about the promise of the Father, “[which] you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (Acts 1:4-5). Then after leading them out to the Mount of Olives from which he was about to ascend into Heaven, he told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Purpose of Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Baptism in the Spirit is associated with power for witnessing in Acts 1:8, quoted above. Other benefits of receiving it are described in the closing sentence of the opening paragraph of the Truth 13 (see above). It also opens the door for the activities of the Holy Spirit that are commonly called spiritual gifts, “supernatural abilities given by God through the exercising of which believers are enabled to minister effectively and directly in particular situations [1 Corinthians 12:4-11]” (Truth VI, 4 of the Statement of Fundamental & Essential Truths of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada).

The Initial Evidence of Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Before his ascension, Jesus told the eleven not to leave Jerusalem but to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father which he had told them about, “for…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). Peter told the crowd which gathered on the day of Pentecost that what they had seen and heard was the fulfilment of that promise (2:33). Thus, Acts 2:1-4 comprises the first description of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (2:1-4)

Peter went on to tell the crowd that they would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit if they would repent and be baptized, “[f]or the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off” (2:38-39). Acts refers to four subsequent occasions on which ones were baptized in the Holy Spirit: the Samaritan believers (8:14-17), Paul (9:17-19), the Gentiles gathered in the house of Cornelius (10:44-48), and the Ephesian disciples (19:1-7).

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (8:14-17)

17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. (9:17-19)

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. (10:44-48)

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 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.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. (19:1-6)

We didn’t read the Scripture texts, our having read them in preparing for the meeting.

The chart below shows what preceded and marked each of the five occurrences of baptism in the Holy Spirit in Acts.

RECIPIENTS & REFERENCE — WHAT PRECEDED AND MARKED BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
the believers gathered together on the day of Pentecost (2:1-4) — preceded by a wind-like sound that filled the house and “tongues as of fire” that rested on each; accompanied by speaking in other tongues “the mighty works of God” (2:11)
the Samaritan believers (8:14-17) — preceded by Peter and John’s praying for and laying hands on them; seen to be received by Simon the magician, suggesting some unusual manifestation of the Spirit’s presence (8:18-19)
Paul (9:17-19) — preceded by Ananias’s laying his hands on Paul; accompanied or followed by the restoration of Paul’s sight and his being baptized
the Gentiles gathered in the house of Cornelius (10:44-48) — occurred while Peter was preaching; marked by their speaking in tongues and extolling God; served as evidence to Peter and the Jews that God had given salvation to them (11:18) and they could be baptized
the Ephesian disciples (19:1-7) — preceded by their being baptized and Paul’s laying his hands on them; accompanied by their speaking in tongues and prophesying

On the sheet I gave the above as a chart.

Speaking in tongues is referred to in three of the five accounts, but it isn’t mentioned in the accounts of the Samaritan believers or of Paul. However that some external manifestation such as speaking in tongues occurred when the Samaritan believers received the Holy Spirit is implied by Simon’s offering money to buy the power to impart the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. And although Acts records Ananias’s telling Paul that Jesus had sent him so that Paul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t actually say that Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit at that time, let alone giving details about how he was filled. Thus, in light of his saying later, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (1 Corinthians 14:18), Paul too may have spoken with tongues when he was first filled with the Holy Spirit.

Thus, I think that the Pentecostal doctrine that the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues rests on a solid Biblical foundation.

The others in the group agreed with me that the Pentecostal doctrine that the initial evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues rests on a solid Biblical foundation.