Salvation by the sound of wind?

michael's picture

If your argument is normative, then there needs to be a literal rushing mighty wind in each case where a person is born again. This did not even happen in any other case mentioned in the Book of Acts, apart from the day of pentecost.

But if the presence of a literal rushing mighty wind is not required for being born again, then what is? Clearly, to be born again is to be born of the Spirit. When does the Holy Spirit come? Peter talked about the Holy Spirit, "whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32).It is when a man first genuinely surrenders to Christ that the Holy Spirit comes into him and He is born again. It is NOT when he has a pentecostal enduement of power. That comes later in many but not all cases.

When did the disciples first receive the Holy Spirit in some sense? Was it on the Day of Pentecost? No.

Peter answers the question of when he was born again in the following verse:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3)

Note, not through the Day of Pentecost, but through the resurrection! And it was after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, in John 20:22, that Jesus said:

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22)

This is where the disciples were born of the Spirit through the resurrection of the dead.

In a similar way, there are two different impartations of the Holy Spirit that are important for people. It is important NOT to confuse the being born again with the enduement of power, which can come later. Those who fail to observe this important distinction end up either denying the enduement of power, or denying the salvation of those who do not have the enduement of power for service. Both serious mistakes.

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