PPH Position on the Pentecostal-Charismatic Issue

2007-11-19T04:58:00.003-08:00

There are issues in Christendom which are “clear as daylight” and there are those which are the “subject of endless fights.” Those clear and unequivocal doctrines would be repeated in the gospels, Acts and the epistles. For example, concerning salvation in John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom 3:23-24. However, even when it is clear as daylight we put forth our stand with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

For issues which are the subject of argument in Christendom, we “do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor 4:6) and we remain humble and bear one another in love (Eph 4:2)

PPH Brethren Church's position is:

The following two points are the “clear as daylight” ones, and are in accordance with the PPH Statement of Faith (see www.pphbc.org/beliefs.php):

Holy Spirit indwells the believer at the point of conversion (Titus 3:5-7; 1 Cor 12:3; Rom 8:9). God’s people are Spirit people – they are given life by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit and testify by the Spirit (Gal 5:25; 2 Cor 3:3,6).

Scripture exhorts us to be constantly filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). To be filled with the Spirit is to surrender our lives and offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The focus is on “surrender”, not on “having an experience”. However, we acknowledge that the “fanning into flame” our desire to be used by God (2 Tim 1:6) can result in special experiences that may include speaking in tongues, a deep sense of God’s presence, peace, a deep sense of sin and need of repentance, a renewed desire for the Word, fervor and courage for evangelism, etc. The filling with the Spirit is for ministry, not to have an experience.

The following points are PPH’s position on issues which may have been the “subject of endless fights”. We humbly put this forward as our interpretation of Scripture.

We do not subscribe to the Pentecostal position that all believers must necessarily experience a second-blessing “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” experience following salvation, and that the initial physical evidence of such an experience is to speak in tongues. There is no clear biblical teaching that this must be the case. (See Note 1 below.)

We are also against the “cessasionist” doctrine, which believes that the gifts (particularly tongues and prophecy) of the Holy Spirit have been withdrawn from the Church. We encourage the seeking of the full range of the gifts of the Spirit. (See Note 2 below.)

We praise the Lord for those who have special experiences from the Lord. We thank God for those who receive the gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of tongues. The test is whether they become more effective servants in the church (body of believers).

Not everyone must have the gift of tongues. In “public”, tongues must always be interpreted.

People have been known to fall down under the power of God. (2 Chron 5:14; Matthew 17:6, 28:4; John 18:6; Revelation 1:17). People have also been known to have other experiences like those in point 2 above. It is God we seek, and not the experience. We do not encourage using the term, “slain in the Spirit”.

We continue to maintain the bond of Christian fellowship with those of the Pentecostal persuasion.

We recommend three good principles for peace, as advocated by John Stott:

To those who have had “special experiences” - do not "condemn" others or treat them as unspiritual if they do not have similar experiences. Don’t go around exhorting others to have similar experiences. Instead focus on using the gifts of the Spirit and let your fruit do the talking.

To those who have not had these experiences - do not use your own preconceptions and prejudices to deny that others can experience it, i.e. do not put God into a straitjacket. Instead, seek to be filled with the Spirit so that you can be more effective in serving God.

To all of us - be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is more important than whether we had or had not been “baptized” with the Holy Spirit. Continuous filling for empowerment for service, worship, witness, etc brings glory to God.

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PPH Position on the Pentecostal-Charismatic Issue