Many Pentecostal traditions teach that speaking in tongues is the definitive sign of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This baptism or filling of the Spirit happens sometime after your conversion and is known as the “Second Blessing”. Every Spirit-filled believer, they would argue, should therefore speak in tongues. I have numerous theological problems with… Continue reading Should every Christian speak in tongues? (Part 1)
Tag: Bible
How do we give the devil a foothold?
Ephesians 4:26-27 says, ‘“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ The Devil The word “devil” only occurs again in this letter in 6:11 in the context of spiritual warfare against the “powers”. Paul, the author of… Continue reading How do we give the devil a foothold?
Why Sundays are special
Eric Liddell, Scotland’s fastest athlete at the time and a Christian, refused to run in a heat in the 1924 Paris Olympics held on a Sunday and was forced to withdraw from the 100-metres race, his best event. The schedule had been published several months earlier, and his decision was made well before the Games.… Continue reading Why Sundays are special
One of my favourite words in the Bible
In a little village in Germany in 1483 Martin Luther was born. Martin Luther was, under God, the instigator and one of the biggest drivers of the protestant reformation in Europe – with its subsequent break from the Roman Catholic Church. By the 15th Century Roman Catholicism was dominant religion in Europe. After school Luther went… Continue reading One of my favourite words in the Bible
I create disaster, says the Lord
Isaiah 45 is a very difficult passage for those who have a small view of God. Yet this same chapter is of great value to Christians. Isaiah teaches in this chapter that God is sovereign over all of nature and history, and nothing happens except as ordained by God.