Featured Strange Fire

You know better than this Bro. Martin as it includes precisely what you have said but MUCH MORE as the "doctrine of Christ" ultimate includes "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:20) and is synonymous with "the apostles doctrine" (Acts 2:41) and "the faith once delivered" (Jude 3) so that members of the congregations would not be "tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:13-14) and "the doctrine" (Rom. 16:17) and "The doctrine of Christ" (Heb. 6:1), and "the tradition" (2 Thes. 3:6).

 

First, there actually appeared "tongues like as of fire" which actually did "sat upon each of them." This was never repeated again (except at the house of Cornelius). In the Old Testament God sent fire once at the beginning of every new house of God, that fire kindled the wood upon the altar.

Second, that fire was to be kept burning, not by God, but by the human administrators in the house of God. The continuing fire symbolized the truth of God due to the continuing human conformation to the divine pattern. What makes the ekklesia of Christ the "House of God" and pillar and ground of the truth is its continuation IN TRUTH revealed in the New Testament pattern.

 

That is a proper application of "the doctrine of Christ" as is Hebrews 6:1 but neither exhaust "the doctrine of Christ."

 

I was presenting my own view not T. Cassidy's. Yes, the context is different and that is my point!

 

Who gave you authority to say the administrator, mode, design and candidate are not all essential to Scriptural baptism when both Scripture precept and example are clear on all accounts? And who gave you authority to designate as a "true" church what can't be found in scriptures and what both precept and examples in Scripture deny???

1. The designated Scriptural Administrator is the "ye" of the Great Commission - Mt. 28:19

Note that in the text there are THREE different people types. (1) all nations; (2) "ye" (3) "them". Christ did not authorize "all nations" (the lost) to administer baptism. Christ did not authorize "them" (saved but unbaptized and unchurched) people to administer baptism. He only authorized "ye" contextually defined as "disciples" (v. 16) who "HAVE" already been through this threefold process (evangelized, baptized, and assembled to observe all things commanded). The consistent example in the book of Acts and epistles is the administrator is a baptized believing CHURCH MEMBER. Any example where SILENCE exists cannot be used to overthrow precepts plus all other positive examples.

2. The designated mode is IMMERSION - as that is the meaning of the term used. Rantizo and epicheo are NEVER ONCE used to describe the mode of this ordinance - NEVER! Moreover, baptism is designed to be a "figure" of the death burial and resurrection - 1 Pet. 3:21. The value of a figure is that it provides the EXACT FORM to convey the truth it was designed to convey and to pervert the EXACT FORM is to pervert the truth it was designed to convey. Pouring and sprinking PERVERT THE GOSPEL TRUTH both in form and in administration to unregenerate infants and therefore are preachments of a FALSE GOSPEL. Congregations composed of such is congregation by constitution that declares a FALSE GOSPEL by its very application of water as the FORM is perverted and thus the truth it is designed to convey is a FALSE GOSPEL.

3. The designated design is SYMBOLIC identification with the gospel of Christ - 1 Pet. 3:21; Col. 2:11; Rom. 6:4-5.


4. The designated candidate is a repentant believer in Christ - Mt. 3:8; Mt. 28:19; Acts 2:40; 8:35-37

There is no church in the New Testament that is not constituted with materials with this kind of baptism - IT DOES NOT EXIST in the pages of the New Testament. The church is about SERVICE not salvation and the FIRST STEP of service is BIBLICAL baptism as any other thing merely gets a person wet.

Let me spell it out. If you were sprinkled or poured you just got wet and never were baptized and therefore YOU CANNOT BE A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH IN THE PAGES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

If water was administered to you as an infant you just got wet and never were baptized and therefore YOU CANNOT BE A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH IN THE PAGES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

If water was administered to you by a kid at the swimming pool or baptized yourself or were baptized by any other person than a scripturally baptized believing member of a N.T. congregation you just got wet and never were baptized and therefore YOU CANNOT BE A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH IN THE PAGES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT as baptism makes you a FIT candidate for church membership.

If water was administered to you in order to LITERALLY remit sins or save you, then you just got wet and never were baptized and therefore YOU CANNOT BE A MEMBER OF ANY CHURCH IN THE PAGES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

And for anyone to complain on the basis that baptism is not required to be a Christian is stupid BECAUSE we are not talking about fitness to be a Christian but fitness to be a member of the Lord's churches and YOU CANNOT FIND ANY CHURCH in the new testament that received anyone lacking all four of these characteristics. So your view is based on SILENCE and in opposition to both precept and Biblical examples and we call that HERESY when dealing with any other doctrine in scripture and those who advance it as HERETICAL. Those who oppose the preceptsof the Trinity we call HERESY and those who advance it as HERETICAL. Any doctrine that opposes the clear precepts of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone without works as HERESY and those who advance it as HERETICAL. Those who advance a doctrine that opposes the clear precepts AND examples of Scriptural baptism are HERETIAL and their doctrine is HERESY.

 

The Reformed and Pentecostal view of "the baptism in the Spirit" is strange fire. Neither one can harmonize with the Biblical description or five Biblical characteristics of the baptism in the Spirit:

1. The Proper administrative order:

a. The Administrator – “he shall baptize” = Christ
b. The Subject – “I baptize you in water but he shall baptize you” = plural water baptized believers
c. The element – “with (Gr. en = in) Spirit”


2. The Proper Candidates:

a. A plural “you” – plural pronoun
b. Water baptized “you” – “I baptize you in water”
c. Repentant believers “you” – “unto repentance”


3. The Restricted time and location

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. – Acts 1:4-5

a. The chosen place - "Jerualem"
b. The chosen time - "not many days hence...when Pentecost had fully come"


4. The Audible and Visible Characteristics

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. – Acts 2:1-3

a. It came AUDIBLY - "there came A SOUND..as a rushing mighty wind
b. It came VISUAL - "APPEARED....tongues like as fire


5. Not an individual repetitive action

The very same characteristics occurred at the house of Cornelius "the Holy Ghost fell on them, AS ON US at the beginning" - Acts 11:15.

The nearest reference point that Peter could identify the baptism in the Spirit of the house of Cornelius with was not the thousands that had been individually saved SINCE Pentecost but rather only "AT the beginning" or Pentecost proving it is not a repetitive individual act but a historical action just repeated at the house of Corneilius in keeping with its historical Old Testament design - CONFIRMATION as Peter and the Jews would not have baptized them, thus accepting them as EQUAL members in the congregational house of God.

The Reformed and Pentecostal views are "strange fire" because they pervert both salvation (Reformed) and sanctification (Pentecostal).

Pentecost was God’s attestation to the church that now and henceforth to the end of the age it was to be His chosen house of witness. It was simply the repetition of God’s action when the tabernacle was raised, Ex. 40:33-35, and when the temple was completed, II Chr. 5:13-14. Twice before this the Jews had seen and recorded God’s attestation and certification of a new house of worship. Without the events of Pentecost, most Jews would not have accepted the church as God’s house of witness, or had they done so, they would have considered it vastly inferior in glory to the tabernacle and the temple. This could never be. But who could doubt that a new economy had come in when the Lord repeated His certification. – Davis W. Huckabee, Studies on Church Truth, [Old Paths Tract Society, Inc., Shoals IN, 2002], Vol. 1, p. 26

A. Like the Tabernacle and Temple of the Old Testament, the church of the New Testament was established before it was accredited, credentialed, or filled by the Cloud of God’s approving glory…The church, therefore, was established in the days of Jesus sojourn in the flesh and the work of its construction was begun with the material prepared by John the Baptist, later the twelve apostle of our Lord; and at the close of his earthly ministry we find this little band in Jerusalem began to transact business by the election of a successor to Judas. Also they were assembled together to receive collectively the Holy Spirit, and then to them were added daily such as were being saved.

1. Three Old Testament types:

a. The Tabernacle was built before the Glory cloud filled it – Exodus 40:34-38

b. Solomon’s Temple was built before the Glory cloud filled it – 1 Kings 8:10-11.

c. Ezekiel’s Ideal Temple (after Solomon’s Temple was destroyed) was built before the Glory cloud filled it – Ezekiel 43:1-6; Danile 9:24; Joel 2:28-32.

B. The church was promised the abiding glory of the Holy Spirit – Matt. 3:11-12; Mark 16:17-18; John 1:33; 7:37-39; Acts 1:8

C. The church received the promise of the Holy Spirit – Genesis 11:1-9 cf. Joel 2:28-32.” – Richard Clearwaters, The Local Church of the New Testament [quoted by Davis W. Huckabee, Studies on Church Truth, Old Paths Tract Society, Inc., Shoals, IN 2002, pp. 26-27] pp. 25-26