When I was at work today, some customer lady handed me this little pamphlet about the Holy Spirit living inside you. It had little cartoons and I thought it was going to be cute. So I'm reading it and first of all, it basically broke salvation into like a 3 step process. First- believe in Jesus and admit your sins. Second- be baptized. But wait! There's a catch: if you're only sprinkled, your baptism doesn't count and you won't be saved. It only counts if you're fully submerged under the water, representing you're fully submerging yourself in the Spirit. I've never thought about it like that, but it kind of made sense in an extremist way. But if that's the case, then what's the point of baptizing babies??? I don't know much about baptism, but I thought it was more of a symbol of your committment. I didn't know it was an actual requirement? Third- you'll know when the Holy Spirit enters you because you will begin speaking in tongues. Personally, I don't know many people who have ever spoken in tongues. So does that mean no one I know is saved? I just felt weird reading it, like it was some checklist for salvation. I've never thought of salvation as something that could be defined. If these are the requirements, I'm in sad shape :[ Let me know your thoughts, I'm really interested in what my elders have to say on this subject.
I bought a book at work today... again. That place is a money sucker! It's called "His Princess: Love Letters From Your King" by Sheri Rose Shepherd. I saw it on the wrong shelf and was like wow... that's a pretty cheesy book. But I started flipping through it while I was trying to find it's home and it is SO GOOD! It has a Bible verse and then a little "love letter from God" and I just read 1 or 2 and wanted to cry. I am such a dumb person but God still loves me passionately and patiently. He is so amazing!!!!!!
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Forget the Holy Ghost Lady and trash her creepy pamphlet. Obviously this conversation can't be done justice over blog postings, but I wanted to chime in. The first step seems fine: believe in Jesus and admit your sins (although I would reverse the two). But the second step (baptism) is certainly not a pre-req for salvation (the thief on the cross would be one example: "today you will be with me in paradise"). Baptism is a sign and a seal and a symbol for your faith in Christ's faithfulness, but not a requirement for spending eternity with your Creator. (The infant baptism question requires much discussion!) Regarding the third step, Paul seems to think that "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Cor. 12:7). And some are gifted with tongues, but others not, at least not in the same way (1 Cor. 12:8-11). And Paul goes even further in distinguishing the members of Christ's Body by asking rhetorically, "Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues?" (1 Cor. 12:29-30). So it seems clear that the Apostle Paul would have a problem with the cute cartoons! And Paul is not referring to the whole human race (as though all Christians should speak in tongues, but non-Christians are exempt); he's speaking very clearly of the Body of Christ (all Christian) ... and some do not speak in tongues. This just scratches the surface of the argument, but it should be a good start. So, enjoy the books and pray for your customers! Can't wait to have you back.
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