Acts 5:32 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:32 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

[For the complete thought, please refer to my article entitled “Acts 5:12 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit”]  http://churchofchristarticles.com/blog/administrator/acts-512-and-the-gift-of-the-holy-spirit/

The second passage after Acts 2:38 to which an appeal is made to prove the gift of the Holy Spirit must be non-prophetic is Acts 5:32. It reads:

“And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The argument made from this verse rests upon this argument:

Is there a prophetic component to the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

Is there a prophetic component to the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

  1. The Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit were not given to all saints.
  2. The “Giving” of the Holy Spirit of Acts 5:32 is applied to all “those who obey Him.”
  3. Therefore, the gift received by all “those who obey Him” must be non-prophetic.

If one accepts point #1 as true, a reading of Acts 5:32 seems to support the idea proffered and so would eliminate any prophetic or spiritual gift from consideration in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

However, argumentation from this verse is flawed in several ways:

It Requires a Limited Distribution of Spiritual Gifts.

It is axiomatic among proponents of a non-prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit that the spiritual gifts were only sporadically given among the early saints.  That position is often asserted and assumed – never proven.

The text shows otherwise:

  • The promise of the coming of the spiritual gifts (Joel 2:28-32) states that “all flesh” inclusive of rich and poor, young and old, sons and daughters, and rich and servants would be able to see visions, dream dreams, and prophesy.
  • In Acts 8, all that were scattered from Jerusalem preached the word everywhere they went. I wonder how they did that without being gifted and possessing no Bibles?
  • Also, in Acts 8, as soon as the word bore fruit outside of Jerusalem, Peter and John were dispatched to Samaria to ensure that those who believed were given gifts.
  • In Acts 10-11, all the house of Cornelius (not just Cornelius himself) is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
  • In Acts 19, Paul finds 12 disciples who needed to be baptized and he meets that need. He then immediately lays hands on all 12 disciples and they all speak in tongues.
  • In Acts 21, Phillip, who was a prophet himself, is said to have 4 virgin daughters. How many of them prophesied?  All four.
  • In 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul uses the words “each, every, and all” over a dozen times to describe the possession of gifts in Corinth.

Where again does the text indicate that only a few people were empowered by the gifts?

Surely, as the church grew, and the apostles aged and died, the numbers would have worked against the apostles.  However, by that time, the gifts would have been nearing their end anyway.  It remains true that in the earliest days of the church (certainly in Acts 5 as the whole church resided in Jerusalem at that point) the apostles could have (and by the indication of the text “would have”) distributed the gifts freely.

It Misapplies the Word “Given.”

However, even the universal distribution of the gifts is not needed to meet the demands of the language of Acts 5:32.  This verse is not the first time that God is said to have “given” His Spirit to His people.  Nehemiah 9:20 states, “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna . . .”

So, God “gave” His Spirit to Israel in the wilderness.  Did all 600,000+ men of “war” age plus all the members of their families possess the Spirit?  No, far from it.  The count is:

  • Moses (Numbers 11:17)
  • Joshua (Deuteronomy 34:9)
  • Oholiab and Bezalel (Exodus 35:30-35)
  • The 70 elders upon whom Moses laid hands (Numbers 11:24-25).

Less than 100 people are recorded as being “given” the Spirit in wilderness.  Yet, Nehemiah states that God had, indeed, given the Spirit to His people.  Nothing in the language of Acts 5:32 demands that each individual has personally received the Spirit any more than the language of Nehemiah 9:20 does so.

It Fails to Account for the Purpose of the Spirit’s Bearing Witness in Acts 5:32.

Perhaps even more importantly is that the function fulfilled by the given Spirit is that He “bears witness.”  This view does not have a tangible allowance for how the Spirit “bears witness.”  To bear witness one must provide testimony.  By its nature, testimony must be evidentiary. Current views inside churches of Christ will not allow for the Spirit’s witness to be evidentiary or objective in its manifestation.  His witness must hide in the convenient shadows of ambiguity and mysticism.

That distinction is arbitrary and will not suffice for long in mainstream churches of Christ.  Simply because the idea of uncertain, clouded testimony is no bearing witness at all. We are already moving to a place where preachers feel free to express what, in my opinion, they have long believed: The Holy Spirit is providing them with a personal, evidentiary witness to their faith. Their voices will continue to grow both in numbers and volume.

Further, the biblical text already affirms how the Spirit bears witness.  There are at least eight clear references in Acts (outside of Acts 5:32) to the testimony confirming the exalted Christ borne through or by the Holy Spirit:

  • Acts 1:8 – “ . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . .”
  • Acts 2:40 – “And with many other words he bore witness . . .”
  • Acts 3:15-16 – “And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name . . . has given this man perfect health in the presence of you all.”
  • Acts 4:33 – “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
  • Acts 10:39 – “And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and Jerusalem. . . ”
  • Acts 10:43 – “To him all the prophets bear witness . . .”
  • Acts 14:3 – “. . . speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
  • Acts 15:7-8 – “. . . that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word . . .And God . . .bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,”

There should be no difficulty understanding the nature of the Holy Spirit’s witness in the book of Acts. His witness is not some personal testimony to convince others to have faith based on the outcome of one’s life. His witness is not even some internal validation one has within the depths of his heart. The witness of the Spirit is borne by prophets and apostles. It is expressed in inspired words which are confirmed in the demonstration of the Spirit’s power in the signs and wonders He granted to the early church. Acts knows no other witness from the Holy Spirit.

The given Spirit in Acts 5:32 is providing witness to the risen Lord and is doing so with signs, wonders, and words.  Is that what you believe the indwelling of the Spirit is providing for you?

It Fails to Account for “How” God Gives the Holy Spirit.

Also lacking in this view is that it does not address the issue of “how” God gives the Spirit. There is only one verse in the Bible that explicitly states how the Holy Spirit is given to Christians: “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money” (Acts 8:18).

[As a side note, the most nearly similar passage to this is found in Deut. 34:9. In which Joshua is said to be “full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him.” Two different covenants, but one identical manner of giving and receiving the Holy Spirit]

The consequence of the Spirit’s being given is that men received Him. There are a few texts that reference how men received the Holy Spirit:

  • In Acts 8, prayer and the laying on of hands is credited with allowing men to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15, 17, 19).
  • Acts 19:2-6 connects prayer and the laying on of hands from Paul for the reception of the Holy Spirit in Ephesus.
  • More broadly, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit would come on the apostles in Acts 2 from “on high” and provide them “power” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
  • Paul states that the “gift of God,” which is equated to “receiving the Spirit” in Acts 8, was in Timothy through the laying on of Paul’s hands (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

The pattern here is easily seen. In passages which specify the manner the Holy Spirit is given, He is either given directly from Heaven, or He is provided in a specific distribution from the apostles’ hands. In all cases, the effect of the giving and the reception of the Holy Spirit is prophetic.

If there were no “how” about the Spirit’s being given, one could just assert that He is given in baptism and be done with it.  But Peter does not say that one receives the Spirit in baptism.  He states that if one would be baptized, he “shall” receive the gift of the Spirit.  Other than baptism’s preceding the gift, no direct connection of time is made in the verse.

Given that scripture then states a clear method of giving not just the spiritual gifts of the Spirit, but the Spirit himself (Acts 8:18 says that Simon saw that the Holy Spirit – not His gifts but His person – was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands), is not the most consistent application of Acts 5:32 to connect Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:18?  Other than the doctrinal dilemma into which that connection places most current views of the indwelling of the Spirit, what reason exists to reject it?

Conclusion:

Acts 5:32 does not have the necessary force to reject the idea that spiritual gifts existed in the saints outside the apostles before Acts 6:3-6.  In order to use Acts 5:32 to establish that position, it is the case that not even one of the above points can have any possibility of being true.  If any of the above items rises at all above being impossible, then one cannot know for sure that Acts 5:32 excludes the prophetic before Acts 6:3-6. As the claimed certainty from Acts 5:32 evaporates, so does much of the argumentation against a prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit.

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7 ways Christians must handle Transgenderism

7 ways Christians must handle Transgenderism

I have a confession to make. Years ago the thought of transgendered individuals caused me to inwardly shudder. In my thinking, that lifestyle was so abnormal that my brain had a hard time processing anything other than shock and revulsion.

Having studied the subject and spent some time with individuals who suffer from gender dysphoria, I have grown a lot. Not into a position of complete tolerance and acceptance, but into a view of compassion and love. These individuals—like all of us—need Jesus. They desperately feel trapped inside a biological body that does not feel right, and so they seek freedom and change. What they often don’t realize is that Jesus Christ is the only one who can bring true freedom and change.

Everyone needs Jesus.

Everyone needs Jesus.

Transgenderism is on the rise—which speaks volumes about our culture and our desire to please self rather than God. What was once considered strange or an abomination is now becoming normalized. We are living in a culture in which everything is permissible, and it is considered hateful (or sinful) to tell someone “no” or to point out that a particular behavior is wrong in the eyes of God. And thus, men rely on their own hearts to discern what is right and what is wrong. If we are going to win this battle we must stop looking upon transgender people in revulsion and start looking at them as lost souls.

The first step in our battle plan should be to reach out in love and welcome them to our worship services. Many of these individuals are hurt. They feel isolated and rejected. They are desperately seeking relationships. As Christians, we need to offer them the one relationship that can cure all their struggles.

Yes, this may take some “training” in our home congregations. We may even need to be reminded in sermons about what it means to truly love our neighbors. And it certainly will kick most people outside their normal comfort zones. But again, remember these people are hurting and lost. These are some of the very individuals Jesus would have ministered to during His time here on Earth. If we truly love them we will reach out and help them—not shake a finger and condemn.

The second frontline battle we must wage is in our own homes. Our children need to be taught clearly and plainly that God created males and females. (Yes, there are extremely rare cases in which individuals are born with both male and female anatomy, but those are mutations and not lifestyle choices.) Our children need to be warned that there are books out there teaching error. They need to know that the media often promotes immorality. Christian parents must teach their children God’s original plan and encourage them in that direction from a very young age.

The third battle we must consider is that those who are transgender are not rejecting us, but rather they are rejecting Jesus. When we disagree with a person’s lifestyle or what they are involved in we often take it personally when they argue or refuse to give it up. We get angry or offended. We shield our children’s eyes and talk negatively about them behind their backs. Friends, we must stop and realize that they are not rejecting or offending us—they are rejecting and offending Jesus Christ. The truth is all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and we are all in need of a savior! So stop taking it personally and think about their soul.

God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He created us male and female (Genesis 1:27) and declared that it was very good (v. 31). God, in His infinite wisdom did not make these biological sexes interchangeable. Additionally, God created males and females to compliment each other so that we can become one flesh and have children (Genesis 1:28; 2:23-24). This was all by God’s design and is good. When someone rejects the biological sex God gave them, and His incredible blueprint for men and women, they are not rejecting us—they are rejecting God and His design. Remember when Jesus was asked about marriage He took the Pharisees all the way back to the Garden of Eden and pointed out God’s original plan (Matthew 19:4-6):

“And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

Andrew Walker, in his book God and the Transgender Debate, observed: “Don’t miss what Jesus is saying here:

1. We are created people.

2. We are created male or female.

3. A man is someone who is able to become one flesh—have full sexual intercourse—with a woman, and a woman is someone who is able to become one flesh with a man.

4. What God does people should not seek to undo. (pg 59).

By rejecting their biological sex that God gave them they are trying to assert their own authority over God—just like Adam and Eve in the garden. Ultimately, transgender individuals are rejecting Jesus.

Fourth we must establish that there are absolute truths—we need to reveal the overall foolishness of allowing anyone to “identify” as anything they so desire. There was a popular YouTube video that went viral several months ago that showed a relatively short white man telling college students that he was a 6’5” Chinese female. He clearly was not. But these students had been so indoctrinated with the idea that you can be anything you claim to be that many were okay with it.

Friends, there are things that are absolutely true. We get this in things like engineering and technology. Just because someone identifies a piece of cardboard as a bridge does not mean it will function as one and support the weight of an automobile. Likewise, just because someone declares an airplane tire an engine does not mean it will function in such a way to get you off the ground safely. Just because someone “identified” it as such does not make it so. (And I seriously doubt all those college students would want to fly in an airplane in which 3 out of 4 engines were actually tires that someone “identified” as engines.)

Our culture needs to be reminded that there are things that are absolutely true even if it goes against their opinions or hurts their feelings. John 8:31-33 says, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A few chapters later Jesus was praying and said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The fifth battle we must wage is revealing that ALL of our hearts are impure—the question is will you give in to every impulse? The feelings of gender dysphoria are very real for some people. (Granted, there are many now who are simply following the crowd and seeking attention. However there are some who are truly distressed.) Their heart’s desire is for them to be different from their biological sex. They stay up at night in tears stressing over it. However, a quick scan across our culture reveals that many people are up at night struggling with things in their heart. For example, some struggle with alcohol or illegal drugs Others struggle with adultery or greed. For many the struggle is worldliness or gambling. The question is should we feed or act on those feelings just because the heart believes it will bring joy or happiness? Jeremiah recorded, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

We cannot rely on our own hearts to relieve pain and suffering or to bring about true joy and peace. Those can only be done through Him. We must admit that not every indulgence should be embraced. We should constantly be asking ourselves which desires are okay to fed and which desires should be starved. There are those who believe no desire should ever be starved, however ask them how they would feel if someone else’s desire was to rape them or molest their children. Certain behaviors and desires are wrong and should be starved.

People suffering from gender dysphoria believe having sexual reassignment surgery will “fix” their feelings of distress and sadness. But we should ask: How do you know what your heart is telling you will ultimately bring you joy and peace? Remind them that their own decisions in the past have led to heartache and problems. Ironically, research has shown that trying to change biological sex does not bring more happiness. Paul McHugh reported research in the Wall Street Journal that revealed people who undergo sex reassignment surgery do not, statistically, report higher levels of happiness (see Paul McHugh, 2016, “Transgender Surgery Isn’t the Solution,” WSJ online). We cannot rely on our own hearts to bring us joy and peace.

The sixth battle we must wage is who is the source for our authority? In this cultural debate Christians must realize that the two sides start at a different place when thinking about sex/gender. We need to first back up and realize the other side is coming at things from a totally different worldview. Their worldview has nothing to do with God. Therefore, they base all of their decisions on themselves. It’s the “Me, Myself, and I” mentality.

So we should engage them in a loving manner and ask: “Where do you get your standard for right and wrong if the only people you consult is yourself?” What happens when every person on the planet is their own source for authority or for right and wrong?! We must demonstrate the foolishness of this approach. We must help them realize what happens to communities and nations where people decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Lastly, we must show them there is a source that is trustworthy, demonstrates more compassion, and is all-knowing. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Seventh, we must remind our culture (and the news media) that hormones and surgery cannot change sex. Realistically the term transgender is inaccurate. You can’t change someone’s gender with a scalpel or pills. Men are born with XY chromosomes in our cells. Women are born with XX chromosomes in their cells. Men have reproductive systems and hormones that can be altered, but it does not change the fact that every cell still declares that person a male. In addition, there are secondary sex characteristics that reveal physical differences such as broader shoulders, increased height, deeper voice, larger Adam’s apple, and larger hands. Women are usually shorter in stature, have higher voices, smaller Adam’s apples, and have wider hips that God designed for childbirth. Anatomically speaking you can certainly make physical changes, but you can’t separate true gender from their biological sex.

Many of these individuals are miserable in their bodies. Christians need to remind them that the relief they so desperately are seeking will come with they are given a beautiful incorruptible body (1 Corinthians 15). Help them to see that this world is temporary—like a vapor—but there is a time coming when every knee will bow and we will be judged.

While there are many other battles we must engage in, the eighth is over pronouns. Yes, proper names can be “gender-neutral,” but pronouns cannot be. If God created a little boy, that boy and his parents may choose to dress him like a female, but God made him a male. And for me to call that boy a “she” is actually going against God’s creation. Many companies are now making it mandatory for employees to refer to their coworkers by whatever they identify as. While this may seem like a small thing that Christians should just give up on, please understand that what they are doing is taking an area that was once black and white and making it a fuzzy shade of gray. God’s creation has a purpose. He is all wise and all knowing. For us to come along behind Him and try to verbally change part of His creation is pitting us against God. God’s Word does not sever sex from gender.

At last count Facebook had 51 different gender identities that people could select from to describe themselves. Words like “Cis,” “Non-binary,” “Intersex,” and “Genderqueer” are making their way into our vocabulary. I firmly believe this debate will only get bigger in the coming years.

The question is, will Christians sit back quietly as our culture redefines male and female the way they redefined marriage? Will we allow the opposition to paint us as unloving hate-mongers? Or will we reach out with a loving hand and offer these people what they really need—Jesus Christ

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The Kingdom of His Beloved Son

The Kingdom of His Beloved Son

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

The church of Christ is the kingdom of Christ.  We know this for several reasons:

Are you a citizen of His kingdom?

Are you a citizen of His kingdom?

  1. It had been prophesied that God would set up a kingdom during the days of the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:1-44).
  2. During the days of the Roman Empire, John the Immerser and Jesus preached that the kingdom “was at hand” (Luke 3:1-2; Matt. 3:1-2; 4:17, 23).
  3. Jesus prophesied that the kingdom would come during the lifetime of his followers (Mark 9:1).
  4. When asked about the kingdom after his death and resurrection, Jesus talked about his apostles receiving power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:6-8).
  5. This occurred ten days later on the Jewish holiday of Pentecost, the day the church of Christ began (Acts 2:1-47).
  6. From that point on, the kingdom is always referred to as having already come and presently existing, and is referred to interchangeably with being a part of the church (Acts 8:12; Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:12; Rev. 1:4, 6, 9).

Having established that the kingdom is manifested in the church, let us examine the high honor and privilege it is to be a part of the kingdom of Christ, his church.  Today’s Scripture shows us how blessed we are to be a part of his kingdom, in that God took us out of the darkness of our sins (Eph. 2:1-10) and put us into his Son’s kingdom, thus redeeming us and forgiving us.

He did this when we obeyed the gospel, when we acted on our faith by obeying his commands to repent and be baptized into his Son’s kingdom which is his body, the church of Christ (Acts 8:12; 3:19; 2:38-41; 1 Cor. 12:13; cf. Col. 1:18).  We remain in this kingdom by being penitently obedient (1 John 1:7-10; Matt 13:41-43; 2 Pet. 1:5-11), and thus will be a part of it when it is returned in glory to the Father for all eternity (1 Cor. 15:24).

Are you a citizen of the kingdom of Christ?

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Acts 5:12 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

Acts 5:12 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

Outside of any specific argument from Acts 2:38, there are three significant passages to which appeals are made to exclude prophetic or miraculous components to the gift of the Spirit: Acts 5:12; 5:32; and 6:3-6.  In the name of any semblance of brevity this article will examine only the first of these passages as they appear in the order of the text – Acts 5:12. The other passages will be examined in subsequent articles.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit by how and who?

The Gift of the Holy Spirit by how and who?

According to those that see no prophetic component to the gift of the Spirit, the most common construction of events following Pentecost is as follows:

  1. The Gift of the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost and so all believers possessed it.
  2. All of those who obeyed the gospel were given the Spirit (Acts 5:32).
  3. Yet, no one outside of the apostles was able to use any spiritual gift (Acts 5:12).
  4. The seven men chosen in Acts 6 were “full of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3).
  5. They were the first people upon whom the apostles laid hands (Acts 6:6).
  6. It is only after Acts 6:6 (in the person of Stephen) do saints outside the apostles use spiritual gifts (Acts 6:8-10; 7:55).
  7. Therefore, one receives the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism (Acts 2:38). At which point God gives him the Spirit (Acts 5:32). He is then “full of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3). That filling of the Spirit or indwelling of the Spirit does not grant one spiritual gifts. It is the same gift that all Christians are given to this day.

The role in which Acts 5:12 is used to support this argumentation is to prove that prior to Acts 6:8-10, no saints outside the apostles possessed any spiritual gifts.  It reads: “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico” (Acts 5:12).

Admittedly, at first reading, it appears this verse does confirm the needed supposition. It draws a distinction between the apostles and the rest of the believers in that signs and wonders “were regularly done by the hands of the apostles.”  It seems to prove that only the apostles had access to spiritual gifts.

However, a closer examination of the verse shows this conclusion to be an assumption, at best. Consider the following elements of the verse:

  1. The Verse Makes No Direct Statement that Only the Apostles Worked Signs and Wonders.

It does affirm that the apostles worked signs and wonders.  It does not state that “only” the apostles worked signs and wonders.

  1. The Verse States that “Many” Signs and Wonders were done by the Apostles.

Is it not possible that a “few” signs and wonders were done by other saints?

  1. The Verse States that “Signs and Wonders” were done by the Apostles.

Not all the spiritual gifts need be characterized as “signs and wonders” – (ex. Wisdom – 1 Cor. 12:8. Compare to Acts 6:3). Is it not possible that other saints had access to these gifts?

  1. The Verse States that Signs and Wonders were done “Regularly” by the Apostles.

Is it not possible that signs and wonders were done occasionally or infrequently by other saints?

  1. The Verse States that Signs and Wonders were done “Among the People” by the Apostles.

“Among the people” means that the apostles’ signs and wonders were public events. Is it not possible that other saints used, for example, the gift of prophecy to teach the apostles’ doctrine while breaking bread in some of the daily meetings taking place in the homes of the saints (Acts 2:46)?

  1. The Verse States that Signs and Wonders were done “By the Hands” of the Apostles.

“By the hands” suggests acts of power such as the healing of the lame man at the temple gate in Acts 3:7: “He took him by the right hand and raised him up. . .”  Many of the spiritual gifts (tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, wisdom, etc.) cannot fairly be characterized as being done “by the hands.”  Is it not possible that miracles such as Acts 3 were reserved only for the apostles, while other saints had access to the numerous other spiritual gifts?

The needed distinction in the supremacy of the apostles’ authority does not necessitate the absence of all spiritual gifts in other saints.  If it does before Acts 6, why would not their authority be diminished after Acts 6 when supposedly those powers begin to be shared with the other saints?

Understand the importance of even one of these objections being true. Acts 5:12 is seen as definitive in proving the limited distribution of “gifts” among the saints.  We are told that from Acts 2:38 to Acts 6:6, only 12 men were gifted.  After that point only 19 were gifted and so on.  The consequence of establishing this limited distribution of gifts is to establish that the “universal” statements about the Spirit in Romans 8 and elsewhere, simply cannot be prophetic. In turn, Romans 8 is seen as the “proof” that the “universal” statements of Acts 2:38-39; 5:32, etc. cannot be prophetic.  Acts 5:12 is the glue in this circle of argumentation. Yet, if even one of the six listed points has the possibility of being true, the claimed logical adhesion claimed from Acts 5:12 loses its grip.

The above objections show that the language of Acts 5:12 is simply too qualified, limited and precise in its presentation to exclude all other saints from having access to every spiritual gift.It may not be correct that all six points listed are true. However, it is also true the text simply will not invalidate all six points. Acts 5:12 does not support the burden placed upon it by proponents of the non-prophetic “gift of the Holy Spirit.”

If even one point of the six above is possible, then it would also be possible that any/all saints from Acts 2:38 forward were given spiritual gifts. That would mean that the “giving” of Acts 5:32 could be prophetic.  Without the certainty that Acts 5:32’s “giving” excludes the miraculous or prophetic, then no clear distinction between it and the “giving” of Acts 8:32 can be drawn. Further, no distinction between the “gift of God” in Acts 8:20, the “gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 10:45 and Acts 2:38’s “gift of the Holy Spirit” can be sustained. Nearly all admit that the “gifts” of Acts 8:20 and 10:45 are prophetic.  If no textual reason exists to exclude “gifted” saints between Acts 2:38 and Acts 6:3-6, why not simply allow all the expressions in these three passages to have the same meaning.  Doing so would create a much simpler, clearer, and more understandable exposition of these texts. The only problem it would create is to force people to reexamine their understanding of Romans 8 and other texts. While inconvenient, that reason is insufficient to nullify the argument made in this article. The most common construct for understanding the spread of the prophetic gifts among the saints cannot be sustained without the support of Acts 5:12.

To make the challenge of this article clear as possible, one question is offered: “Which phrase of Acts 5:12 would exclude the possibility that Stephen’s being ‘full of the Spirit and of wisdom’ was a product of the prophetic influence of the Holy Spirit?”

We know that every reference to being “Full of the Spirit” prior to Acts 6:3 is a statement of inspiration (please see this author’s article entitled – “Full of the Spirit”).  We know that “wisdom” was one of the gifts given by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). We know that Stephen’s speaking with wisdom and the Spirit in Acts 6:10 is a reference to his empowerment by the Spirit.  So then, specifically, how does the language of Acts 5:12 prohibit Stephen from being a gifted saint from any point from Acts 2:38 onward?

If no specific answer can be found, supporters of the non-prophetic “gift of the Holy Spirit” must acknowledge the challenge that he and the other six men of Acts 6 create to their position.

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Clothing and Biblical Worldview

Clothing and Biblical Worldview

Every now and then there is a push on the part of some advocating for little or no clothing. Whether advocating, in the name of liberty, for the right for females to walk around topless, or for individuals to wear as little as possible, whether at the beach or elsewhere, there are those who think modesty is an artificial construct which goes against nature. Even in the church, one will sometimes find those who think that the more “natural” you can be, the better. For these reasons, it seems appropriate time to say a few words about modesty.

What you wear is based your worldview.

What you wear is based your worldview.

Yet, before we deal with the specific issue of modesty, let’s say a few words about world-views.

Many of the great social battles boil down to competing world-views on the stage of ideas. While it is to be hoped that those who hold different view-points strive to get along with each other, oft times different philosophies are simply incompatible.

One popular world-view held by a great number of people at this moment in history is that of Darwinian-humanism: a belief that man is nothing more than a highly evolved animal, and that there is no entity higher than man to which man must answer. Contrasted with this are those theistic world-views such as Christianity, Judiasm, or even Islam.

When discussing issues such as modesty, these different world-views are going to clash rather handily. To the humanist, clothing is an artificial sort of thing, obviously not found in nature, and is therefore completely a matter of personal choice. There is no practical difference, in such a world-view between a person walking around without a stitch of clothing on, and a horse, dog or cat walking around likewise unclothed. In a debate about clothing, this sort of thinking will have no problems pointing to various times and places where little to no clothing was (or is) worn by certain cultures or individuals, and say, “see, if they did it, we should be allowed to as well.”

A theistic thinker should, if true to their believes, approach the subject quite differently.  One whose world-view is shaped by the Bible, for instance, should consider first whether God has anything to say on the subject.

Biblically speaking, man is not an animal. While we certainly, share biological features in common with animals, man was always meant to be something more. We are created in the image of God, and were given dominion over the earth. Only man, of all the creatures on earth, can be called sons of God. (cf. Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8; Matthew 5:9) To relegate man to the level of a mere animal is to denigrate God and the gifts God gave to man.

It is somewhat interesting, that following the fall of man in the Garden, one of the very first issues God deals with is that of modesty. As they grew more spiritually aware, Adam and his wife realized they were naked and tried to do something about it (cf. Genesis 3:7). They sewed some leaves together, making clothing which could best be described as aprons, or loin-clothes. When God saw the clothing they had made, He replaced their leaves with garments of leather. (cf. Genesis 3:21) The word used to describe the garment God provided denotes a tunic which extended from the shoulders to at least the knees.

Tellingly, we might note that God did not apply one standard for women, and another for men, but rather clothed them both similarly. While the Bible has one especial warning directed at women concerning the need for modesty (eg. 1 Timothy 2:9) there is no double standard concerning what is modest for men or for women. Indeed, in the Old Testament, the ones who were warned most severely about the need for modesty were the priests of God, who were uniformly male. (cf. Exodus 28:42-43) If caught being immodest in the tabernacle worship, the implied penalty was death. Clearly God took the issue seriously.

If God took the issue seriously, then those who take God seriously should do likewise. Obviously, those who reject God as being relevant to their philosophy and point of view are going to have a very different opinion on the subject, but that is only to be expected. When listening to various arguments, pro and con about issues such as modesty, we should be mindful of where those arguments originate, that is – what world-view is shaping the arguments. And, for the believer, arguments based on culture, biology and current events should always take a back seat to the simple question: what does God think about the issue?

 

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