Qualified for Eternity

Qualification is an interesting and pervasive reality of life.  Whether one is applying for a job, looking through an online dating profile, registering for classes, or just trying to get into a night club, being qualified means that you meet the requirements necessary for whatever it is you are attempting to do or enter.  Often times, the reality is that if those qualifications are not met then admittance is refused.  And when those qualifying requirements are made plainly accesible, that refusal is just and true.

In terms of eternity, there is a steep qualification that must be met in order to enter into God's eternal presence: sin must be paid for and justified. If sin is not atoned for and propitiated, then we will be unqualified for eternal life and relegated to eternal death.  Sin is univeralsy pervasive, in that everyone is disqualified by it (Rom 3:23).

Additionally, though man would attempt to atone for his sin himself, either by doing good things in hopes that they outweigh the sin or by denying the reality of sin altogether, no one can blot out his or her sin debt; it takes a powerful work of God.  Thus, apart from the work of God in the life of humanity,  sin will remain un-atoned for and eternally damning.

Fortunately, God Himself, through the life and work of His Son Jesus, has atoned for the sin of all mankind (Gal. 1:3-5).  And now, by grace appropriated and applied by faith, humanity's sin has been expunged.  Therefore, man can become qualified to enter into God's holy and eternal presence not by man's work but by Christ's work applied to the believing man (Col. 1:11-13).  Let us then take joy in God who has qualified us by His Son to be in His eternal presence!

Post-Conversion Christianity

Conversion is not the end of the Christian life.  Quite the contrary, conversion is but the beginning, the birth of a new life in Christ.  Unfortunately, many Christians consider conversion to be the only step with little care for the follow-up steps of the faith.  God does call every believer to come to Him with a child-like faith, a wonder at who He is; however, this child-like faith should not ever be confused or with a childish faith, meaning that we should press on to greater levels of spiritual maturity.

By way of introduction, the foundation of faith is unchanging and sure: Jesus Christ crucified has taken away the wall of hostility that is sin so as to redeem and restore a right relationship between man and God for all eternity.  This is the firm foundation of faith, which undergirds every subsequent step of maturation for believers.

This process of spiritual maturation that arises out of sincere conversion is to be referred to as sanctification.  In essence, this is the continual process for the repentant believer being sanctified through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to become more like the Lord Jesus.  The essential components of sanctification are prayer, worship, fellowship, and study in the pursuit of the Lord; however, the internal root of sanctification is much more guttural.

Two-fold is the practice of sanctification.  First of all, sanctification is not a passive ordeal, meaning that it requires an intentional pursuit of the things of God by believers.  This cannot be overstated.  How are believers ever going to receive the fullness of blessings promised in and fulfilled by Jesus if they are not in a constant pursuit of Him.  Think of a child promised a gift from their grandmother.  If the child never visits the grandmother, they would never receive the gift. Similarly, if we are not in pursuit of the Lord and the things of the Lord, then we will not be positioned to receive the fullness of God's grace.

The second part of this process, which is coupled with the first part, is study, that is, the study of righteousness, meaning the study into the value of and practice of righteousness.  Training in righteousness, the practice of righteousness requires two basic elements: (1) the Word, and (2) Teachers.  The former, the Word, is perspicuous and available to every believer, only requiring consistent reading.  The latter, teachers, necessitates discipleship.  This is logical if we might equate the growth of sanctification with the study of a musical instrument: not only does the student need the materials of study (the Bible), but they also need a teacher to train them in technique so as to encourage their growth (mentors).

At the final analysis, sanctification is not a passive concept received immediately in full upon the moment of belief at conversion.  Instead, sanctification is an active and life-long pursuit of righteousness.  Luckily God has provided believers with resources to guide and to help up in the pursuit and practice of righteousness, namely His Word and teachers of it.  Lastly, because this whole process is based on striving towards God, the Holy Spirit is the prompter who compels and guides sanctification along.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The story of Acts is the continuation, sort of the sequel, to the Gospel of Luke.  In it, Luke recounts the history of the early Church, with particular focus on the ministries of Peter and Paul.  In the first chapter prologue, Luke, again addressing Theophilus, indicates that his first half, the Gospel, was about what Jesus first began to do and teach, and that this second part is a continuation of the work and teachings of Jesus, identified through the work of the Apostles and the Church (Acts 1:1-2). All this being true, the story of Acts is really the story of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts, Luke identifies the reception of the Holy Spirit by the phrase, baptized with(en) the Holy Spirit. This receiving of the Holy Spirit is only associated with conversion through repentance and belief which is met and confirmed by the reception of the Holy Spirit.  Although this is clearly put forward throughout Acts and the New Testament, what is not as clear is the modern-day application in reference to baptism to be taken from Acts.

At the onset, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, coming from repentant belief (conversion), is virtually simultaneous with water baptism.  In essence, these two concepts are synonymous.  However clear this may be, Christians still disagree about what this means.  Or, to put it more succinctly in a question, when do Christians receive the Holy Spirit?  Basically there are three views in regards to the process of receiving the Holy Spirit, each having their own variations.

The first view, common to Catholicism among others, is the Sacramental view of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  In this view, the baptism of water coincides both with entrance into the church, defined denominationally, as well as in the reception of the Holy Spirit.  This means that baptism, specifically infant baptism, infuses the one baptized with the Holy Spirit as well as bringing them into the community of the church.

The second view, common to the majority of evangelicals, is the conversion view.  In this view, conversion, marked by sincere repentance and water baptism, is the moment that the Holy Spirit indwells believers.  As per this view, the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens at conversion, which generally coincides with water baptism. This conversion experience also accounts for the believer's inclusion into the Church universal, not just denominationally, but in the greater Christian Church.

The last view is the pentecostal view, characteristic of the Pentecostals and the more Charismatic Christians.  In this view, conversion and the reception of the Holy Spirit are seen as two separate events.  In essence, one may be a converted believer yet still not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The events of Pentecost are viewed as the normative prescription of receiving of the Holy Spirit for believers today.  Thus, the reception of the Holy Spirit happens to believers and is often considered a second event from that of conversion.  This view is marked by an over-valuing of the speaking of tongues as the manifestation of the reception of the Holy Spirit.

At the final analysis, the conversion view of the baptism of the Holy Spirit seems to make the most compelling case with the strongest support from Scripture.  This being said, the differences in view on this important doctrine should not be allowed to hinder our Christian brotherhood across denominational lines.  Although there are some doctrines that, for their importance, should be defended, when dialoging with fellow Christians, the arguments should be both loving, gentle, and kind, recognizing in humility that we might actually be wrong.  The point of this discourse has been primarily informational but this is a significant doctrine to make an informed decision about.

Acts of Conversion

In the book of Acts, Luke chronicles the beginnings of the Church being birthed at Pentecost (Acts 2).  Because of the immense significance that is the moment in history that deals with the gifting of the Holy Spirit, the preaching that immediately follows offers the truest evangelism ever preached.  At this point, Peter stood up among the disciples and preached a rousing and convicting sermon, the apex being Acts 2:38-39, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."


In lieu of the historical importance of this moment, Peter offers the first post-resurrection Gospel presentation in all of salvation history.  In essence, Peter diagramed conversion, understood as repentance and baptism in the name of  Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, resulting in the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The reality of this picture of conversion and belief still rings true today.  


Salvation still demands repentance, literally meaning turning away from self and to God.  Repentance is thus the first step of belief and conversion.  When we turn away from self and towards the Lord, we are able to see truthfully how pitiful our righteousness is in the light of His holiness.  Additionally, repentance is a personal action of humility which allows for the Holy Spirit to indwell us.  Think of it in physical terms: if we are full of the junk of ourselves, then there is no room within for the Holy Spirit to fill our lives.


Following repentance is the baptism into the name of Jesus.  Names represent the essence of the person whom the name refers.  When we are baptized into the name of Jesus, we are actively recognizing that
we no longer belong to ourselves but we belong to Him.  In this way, the name of Jesus rests upon us.  Just after Pentecost, Peter sharpens this point to a razor's edge: " And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).”


The Last part of the conversion equation is the gifting of the Holy Spirit.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.  Repentance and transformational faith is the soil by which the Holy Spirit takes root in our hearts.  In reality, these necessary conditions refer not to a once-for-all-time requisite, but rather are to be understood as a constant posture, a way of life.  Let us then strive to live lives of repentance, baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit!