Being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues (by Prof Jan Hattingh)

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The question this article focusses on is: Is baptism with the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues? A second question that necessarily accompanies the previous one is: what is the sense of speaking in tongues? The answer to these two questions may highlight the wonder and power of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The question is not about: does the believer, who does not have the experience of speaking in tongues, have the Holy Spirit? By the very nature of what a believer is, all believers (they have accepted Jesus after all) have the Holy Spirit in their lives. From biblical perspective, there cannot be a person who has accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour without the working of the Holy Spirit in his life. How else would Jesus be present and active in his life? If a believer could be without the Holy Spirit, then it could also be asked whether a born-again person is without the first person in the Trinity, the Father? Indeed, it concerns the question of the triune God’s presence in a believer’s life. After all, we read: “… for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). The assumption is that in everything it is God who works through his Spirit in a born-again person.

Original article: ats.ac.za/blog/being-filled-with-the-holy-spirit-and-speaking-in-tongues
13 Jul 2023 English South Africa Christianity · Education

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