Ask The Pastor

Brother Buddy recently received an "Ask the Pastor" question regarding the Pentecostal church and teachings. Here we post two of his replies to the individual, whose name has been deleted from the posts. Lines beginning with the > character and colored blue are quotes for the sender's message.

Email Response #1:

From:     "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
To:     <DELETED>
Date sent:     Wed, 4 Aug 1999 11:58:01 -0500
Subject:     Ask The Pastor page - Pentecostal Doctrine

Hi <DELETED>,

Thanks for the email. It is always my pleasure to extend a hand to those who may be struggling over doctrinal issues

> The reason I write this letter is because I went to a Oneness
> Pentecostal Church, and now I am confused (yet I am not confused??) If
> that makes any sense.

It is easy to get confused over Oneness teaching. Oneness teaching is commendable on certain issues, it often fails to provide answers to many questions that folk have.

> I went for a few services, with my friend and his parents and went
> to one of thier Bible Studies. It made my brain hurt to figure out the
> oneness of God. I almost had or think I had some sort of mental
> breakdown.

There are mysteries involved in Deity that can only be understood with the heart. It is nearly impossible to put them down on paper. The struggle is usually in how God has chosen to reveal Himself, that is, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is not merely a Oneness or Trinity issue. It is simply Biblical. While the Oneness doctrine tends to be over-simplistic, the Trinity doctrine can also be confusing because of its extra-Biblical language. (See Pastoral note #1.)
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Pastoral Note #1: If you were able to ask a very early Christian if he or she were Oneness or Trinitarian, they would probably look at you with a blank look. These terms would have been unknown to them. The earliest Church was Jewish. Their theology sprang directly out of the writings of Moses and the prophets.  
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(Response continued.....)

The ancient peoples of the Mediterranean region had a concept on how the true God worked in creation. The Greeks called it the 'Logos.' The Hebrews referred to it as 'Memra.' John brings this out when he says, "In the beginning was the Word (logos) and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

The Logos/Memra is God extending Himself in a way that Creation can recognize Him. This extension of God is called 'the Word' and/or 'the Wisdom of God.' This is why in theology the Word is often referred to as 'God's other self.'

> So I went and tried to receive the Holy Ghost, I spoke in tongues
> before but thought that maybe it really wasn't the real tongues. I
> went for about a month waiting for the Holy Ghost, but finally I
> became so fed up with the Phariseeism I left, and I haven't been
> the same since.

The primary reason I let my license drop with the Pentecostals in 1971 was over their doctrine of having to speak in tongues to be saved. This is not Biblical salvation, nor is it healthy to teach. Much speaking in tongues today is a learned experience. Then there is always the danger of a counterfeit tongue.

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Pastoral note #2: The apostles were in full agreement over what they were to preach. Pay close attention to the terms "preach" or "preached." Paul said, "If we, or an angel from heaven, should PREACH to you a gospel contrary to what WE HAVE PREACHED to you, he is to be accursed!" In another place, Paul explains what the apostles preached. He said, "But what does it say? 'The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' - that is, the word of faith WHICH WE ARE PREACHING, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Galatians 1:8 and Romans 10:8,9 respectively.) 
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> I totally understand where they come from Scripturally, but where
> is the character of Jesus Christ!?

Much Pentecostal theology is experimentally based. They strive for something that was freely given at the cross. (This is a form of works righteousness.)

> I have talked to sooo many different people. I have prayed. I
> can't get this oneness 'key' interpretation out of my head,
> thinking maybe that it is real, but how do I reconcile it with the
> Book of Hebrews and "the right hand of God" Sometimes I think that
> God is going to throw me into the pits of Hell if I keep resisting
> or talking against the church... Help me please.

It will be my pleasure to help you. Let me know what I can do. Feel free to invite any of your acquaintances who may be struggling in these areas to send their questions. I will do my best to provide sound Biblical answers.

Your servant in Christ,
Lawrence "Buddy" Martin

Email Response #2:

From:     "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
To:     <DELETED>
Date sent:     Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:58:43 -0500
Subject:     Re: Ask The Pastor page - Pentecostal Doctrine

<NAME DELETED>,

Because of the importance of our discussions, I would like to include these emails on our web site. We will edit them for clarity and won't use your name.

You said:

> Your right, I had such a love for the Lord before this, The Gospels would
> touch me so much, the Fruits of the Spirit were evident in my life. I was
> baptized because I knew it was commanded of the Lord. Whether I was
> baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, or in only Jesus'
> Name, I do not remember. I wanted to serve the Lord sooo much, and still
> want to. I get up every morning very very depressed.

The problem is misplaced faith. Go back to your first love. Paul warned the Corinthian Church about this very thing. He said, "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." (2Co11:3)

Paul then warns about 'another' Jesus being preached, and the danger of receiving a 'different' spirit. In my first email I explained that the gospel preached by the Pentecostals is not the gospel that was preached by the apostles. To check this out simply go through the Acts of the Apostles and study what the apostles actually taught in regard to salvation. There is never a mention of speaking in tongues. Isn't it odd that the doctrine of speaking in tongues, which is a cardinal doctrine of the Pentecostals, was never preached by the apostles themselves? (Compare your findings to Gal1:8,9; Rom10:8-10. Key in on the words "preach(ed).")

> Please help me understand the real baptism.

At the end of this email you will find a study on the doctrine of salvation. It will provide many of the answers you seek. [EDITOR'S NOTE: For the sake of space that study is not included on this page. However, it has already been posted on our web page and you can find it on our Teachings page entitled "Salvation".]

> Now, my next question. How did you get out of this so easily? I
> thought I was about to loose my mind. My world has turned
> completely upside down since then. I want the peace and
> security of God that once had before.

I was a pastor and an evangelist with the Pentecostals for a number of years. You can imagine what I can under when it became known that I no longer believed in their essential doctrines. But it doesn't matter. The Lord is faithful. He will see you through. Paul said, "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth." (2Co13:8) To this day I have nothing but love for my Pentecostal kinsmen. 

As for the  gospel, it reminds me of a statement made by Charles Spurgeon of yesteryear. (He was known as the Prince of Preachers.) Someone asked Spurgeon to write a defense on the gospel. His simple reply was that the gospel didn't need to be defended. It is like a caged lion. Turn it loose and it will take care of itself.

> PS. Please explain Colossians 2:11-14, and Ephesians 1:14.

Paul is addressing the process of salvation. Eph1:13,14, is a synopsis on this great doctrine. To explain it in-depth would be more than we would want to address in this email.

However, listen carefully the wording: "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

Paul is saying that in the process of hearing the gospel, you believed with your heart God's message of our redemption at the cross. In this process of believing the Holy Spirit seals the believer into Christ. In this sealing, the Holy Spirit actually takes up residence in the heart as an assurance of our salvation. He then keeps us for the day of redemption. The seal is God's seal. Even angels recognize it.

The seal carries with it another explanation, and this is where the term 'baptism of the Spirit comes in.' This is what Paul is drawing from in Col 2:11-14. For a simpler picture listen to 1Co12:13, where Paul says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Sprit."

Keep in mind that while water baptism is a commandment, it is intended for those who have already become believers. It is not the cause of our new birth. Water baptism is a physical expression and a testimony to what has already taken place in the believer's heart and life. (Cf. Rom6:1-9)

One of the difficulties in addressing the true Biblical doctrine of salvation from a Pentecostal perspective, is that Pentecostal teaching centers on minors. Speaking in tongues is the best example.

Speaking in tongues was never taught in the early church as an issue of salvation. The apostles never placed a premium on this gift. The 'three' cases where folk did speak in tongues in the book of Acts, were all sovereign acts of God. No one was expecting tongues, no one was preaching tongues, no one was praying for tongues, and there was no such teaching as that of 'praying through' to an experience of tongues. It is simply non-Biblical.

Where then do Pentecostals get the idea that speaking in tongues is essential to salvation? They get it by reading into Scriptures things that are not there. If you say it enough, soon everyone gets convinced.

I don't mean to be technical, but in Bible interpretation there are terms that explain the right and the wrong way to interpret Scripture. The right form is exegesis. Exegesis means to let the Scriptures explain themselves. It means to 'read out' of the Scriptures. This form of interpretation makes careful analysis of the Scriptures, places them in context, brings forth their content from the original languages, and thus place a true interpretation upon what is written.

The incorrect form is called 'eisegesis.' Eisegesis is what Pentecostals do as a rule, and this is why their doctrine of speaking in tongues cannot stand close scrutiny.

Pentecostals read into the Scriptures things that are not there. This is where their doctrine of speaking in tongues comes from. Speaking in tongues was never intended to be a sign of salvation. Its sole purpose was to testify to the Jewish peoples on the day of Pentecost that the Messiah had been crucified and was risen from the grave.

In two other places in the Acts, folk spoke in tongues. You can understand this as extensions of Pentecost. The Church was not to be exclusively Jewish. Other than three times, there is no other recorded incident in Acts where people spoke in tongues. This is interesting when you consider that Acts covers 30+ years of history. The truth is that none of the early church writers ever place the value upon speaking in tongues that you find with Pentecostals or Charismatics today.

As for Biblical salvation, you can review the study that follows. [EDITOR'S NOTE: This study appears elsewhere on our site entitled "Salvation".]

The Lord bless you.

Buddy
Bro. Buddy Martin - Ask the Pastor

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Lawrence "Buddy" Martin
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org

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