Baptism in the Holy Spirit
It is a Pentecostal point of faith that all believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect and earnestly seek, the promise of God the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fire, according to the command of Jesus Christ. This is, in their point of view, a gift and an experience different from that of salvation, yet which follows salvation. They see as a proof of the baptism the gift of glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
This was, according to Pentecostals, the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:29; Acts 1:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31).
All evangelical Churches, including Pentecostals, would accept that all Christians receive the Holy Spirit at the time of their conversion or baptism, but in the more traditional evangelical point of view, and in non-evangelical churches, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is equated with this reception. Others, even outside the Pentecostal church, consider the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a separate experience. Even among those who accept this, opinion is divided as to whether all those who receive the Baptism also receive the gift of tongues.
Relevant Bible passages include Acts 8:14-17, Acts 2:1-13.
Referenced By
Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths | List of religious topics | List of religious topics (G-M) | List of religious topics (N-S) | List of religious topics (T-Z) | Pentacostalism | Pentecostal | Pentecostalism
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