Question:
Greg,
In
the Gospels, John says that Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. Some (mainly the Pentecostal
churches) believe that they can baptize with the Holy Spirit with evidence of
speaking in tongues. I heard a
minister on TV say that they do this before their service.
What is your view on this?
Scott
Answer: Dear Scott,
The
fire that Jesus spoke of is interpreted, as you note, by Pentecostal and
charismatic churches as speaking in tongues.
However, no such direct implication is given by the passage in question.
The context of Matthew
While
speaking in tongues is spoken of as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the New
Testament, most Christians today, or for that matter since Christ, have not
received the gift of tongues. To
infer that tongues-speaking is a sign of the Holy Spirit, and that those who do
not speak in tongues are not converted, or even not as deeply converted as
others is distorting the message of Scripture.
In
Christ,