This year I have been reading through the Old Testament in the book order laid out in the Hebrew ordering of Law, Prophets, and Writings. In that ordering, Ruth comes right after Proverbs instead of Judges. This is important, because Ruth is depicted as the woman described in Proverbs 31. This ordering is meant to show you that Ruth is living out what it means to be the excellent wife (in Hebrew, woman of strength/worth) described in Proverbs 31:10. Ruth is described by Boaz as a woman of strength/worth in Ruth 3:11. So it is right to read the book of Ruth and write studies on Ruth focusing on her character, faith, godliness, and womanhood. But this time reading, I could not help but notice all the ways that Boaz is described as hitting the marks of the Proverbs 31 man (see Proverbs 31:1-11, 23, 29). So this post is dedicated to looking at the marks of Biblical manhood that Boaz lived out.

First Mark: A man of strength and worth

Boaz is described as a mighty man of strength/worth in chapter 2 verse 1 (the same term used to describe Ruth). While physical strength is a characteristic of manhood, the focus here is on his strength of character. Godly character is what makes Boaz a man of strength/worth. Boaz was a righteous man, a worthy man, living in an ungodly world. He was alive during the judges, when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Yet he was not one who did what was right in his own eyes. Instead, he was a worthy man, a man who lived uprightly in the sight of God. He was a wise man, and the fruits of his life proved so. Godly men seek to live the kind of life where their strength is used in pursuit of wisdom and worth.

Second Mark: A man of faith who uses the blessings of God to benefit others

Given the fact that Boaz had fields plentiful enough to employ reapers shows us that God had providentially provided Boaz with an abundance. And yet, Ruth begins by describing a “famine in the land” (1:1). For Boaz to remain in the land during the famine showed that he was a man of faith. God had promised that land to Israel and would provide for his people. Boaz, as a man of strength and worth, trusted in God and his promises even when God’s presence and blessings appeared absent in the land. Then, when God had “visited his people and given them food” (1:6), Boaz used those providential blessings to bless others. He used his ingenuity and business acumen to not only create wealth for himself, but for others also. He created wealth for the reapers. And he wasn’t cheap or stingy. He was well respected by those he employed. He blessed them, and they blessed him in return (2:4).

Third Mark: A man who cares for the widow and sojourner

The Old Testament frequently describes the oppressed as the orphan, the widow, and the sojourner. Ruth was two of those: a widow and a sojourner. The Proverbs 31 man is described as someone who opens his mouth to judge righteously and defends the rights of the poor and needy. That is exactly what we see Boaz do for Ruth. He gave her work, though she was a foreigner. He protected her dignity by ordering the young men not to touch her. He invited her to eat and drink at the same table as the rest of the reapers. In short, he defended her rights.

Fourth Mark: A man whose strength/worth makes him known in the community

Proverbs 31:23 states, “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” Boaz is known in the gates of his community (4:1-12). He has pursued being a man of strength/worth throughout his life, which has led him to having a respected reputation in the community. The elders of the town gave Boaz a hearing. Other men of prominence respected Boaz. That is something earned through a life well-lived before God.

Advice to Men, Young and Old

Whether you just received your high school diploma in the mail or your AARP certificate of age, pursue being this kind of man. Make it an aim in life to be a man of strength/worth. Aim to be a man who is wise. Aim to be a man who uses God’s providential blessings, however great or small they may be, to bless and benefit others. Be a man who cares for the oppressed, and seek to have a good name in your community. Men, may the Lord bless you and keep you!

“What is hypocrisy?”

“Pretending to be someone you’re not.”

This is typically what we think of when we think of a hypocrite. Those who have a public persona that is honorable, but a private life that is full of shame and corruption. For Christians, our thoughts probably run to the Pharisees. They were hypocrites. They were whitewashed tombs. They looked polished on the outside, but inside were rotten, worm-eaten corpses.

That is a common, and right, understanding of hypocrisy. The hypocrite does not practice what they preach. But I want us to look at four other forms of hypocrisy that Jesus warns against. These are found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12 verse 1 through chapter 13 verse 9. These four faces of hypocrisy are the hypocrisy of profession, of practice, of impatience, and of procrastination.

If you look, you’ll see that Luke 12:1 begins this section with Jesus warning his disciples about the dangers of hypocrisy. Then, hypocrisy comes up again in 12:56, where Jesus rebukes the crowds for being hypocrites who know how to interpret weather patterns but won’t interpret the time of Jesus’ arrival. This is what is called a literary inclusio, where a similar wording or concept is placed as bookends within a passage of literature. When you hear inclusio, think include. The purpose of the inclusio is to introduce a theme that must be included when interpreting the contents between the bookends. So Luke 12:1 is the first bookend introducing the concept of hypocrisy. Then, Luke 12:56 gives us the other bookend of hypocrisy. By rules of inclusio, we must include the warning of hypocrisy to run throughout the whole section.

So 12:1-12 warns against the hypocrisy of profession. That is, you can be a hypocrite by not going public with your faith. You see, this kind of hypocrisy is not a hypocrisy of morals. The situation here is not that of a person who looks like an angel on Sundays but acts like a devil the rest of the week. Rather, this is a person whose moral life is consistent, and yet they shy away from confessing Christ before men (verses 4-12). It is a hypocrisy of profession, a failure to go public with your faith.

Then, verse 13-34 warn us against the hypocrisy of practice. Here we see a man who thinks following Jesus is a means of gaining wealth (tell my brother to give me my inheritance). Jesus does not give in for a moment, but calls him to follow Jesus. Jesus’ way of life is self-giving. The Lord is more concerned about the kind of person you are than the amount of possessions you own. The measure of a man’s life is his treasure. Do you treasure possessions, or do you treasure the glory of Christ and His kingdom? The body is more than food and clothing. A person’s life is wrapped up in how they will respond to Jesus. Will they renounce all and follow Him, live for His kingdom? Or will they be concerned solely about their own physical needs? Following Christ requires generosity, not stinginess. It requires self-giving, not self-getting. This hypocrisy is a hypocrisy of practice. A failure to practice Jesus’ way of life.

The third hypocrisy Jesus warns against is found in verse 35-53 of Luke 12. This is the hypocrisy of impatience. That is, this is the kind of hypocrite who will follow Christ for an hour, but not a lifetime. Because they have not treasured His kingdom above all else, they grow tired of waiting for it. “But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ … the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him… and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful” (vv. 45-46).

The final hypocrisy we are warned against is the hypocrisy of procrastination. Luke 12:54-13:9 teach us that there are more hypocrites outside of the church than there are inside the church. This is the hypocrisy that sees Christ, yet rejects him. The person who hears the gospel message and refuses to repent and believe, this person is a hypocrite. The consistent warning is “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (13:5).

With all the ways to be a hypocrite, it is no wonder that Jesus warns us against it.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is spoken of in the New Testament Scriptures at least seven times. Out of those seven instances, three New Testament genres are represented. Many churches today make a distinction between being a Christian, and being a Christian who is baptized in the Spirit. Furthermore, there is a divide among Christians about the nature of the baptism of the Spirit and its implications for Christian living today. Thus, this doctrine should be of special concern for the Christian. Learning this doctrine will not only provide theological clarity, it will help believers’ understand their own spiritual journey, as well as grant discernment when hearing the teachings and experiences of professing Christians from various faith traditions. Christian unity comes through doctrinal unity. I pray this helps to bring doctrinal unity regarding the Baptism of the Spirit.

I am persuaded the Scriptures teach that the Baptism of the Spirit is inseparably connected to the work of Christ in redemption, and as such is something that occurs today for every believer at the moment of their salvation.  

Pentecostal/Charismatic View

Several evangelical denominations grew out of the Pentecostal movement, including the denomination I grew up in, the Assemblies of God. In my experience, the church in which I was raised loved Jesus, lifted up his name and gospel, and was highly active in sharing that good news both locally and internationally. And yet there was also an understanding of the Baptism of the Spirit that was not biblical, leading to certain expected manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking and tongues and the interpretation of tongues.

There are three key ways the Pentecostal understanding of Baptism of the Spirit differs from the understanding I now advocate for, and these three key differences permeate the rest of their theology. The source of the difference is timing. When does the Baptism of the Spirit occur? This question leads to the second, which concerns evidence. What sign accompanies the Baptism of the Spirit? The third question is that of expectation. Should Christians expect to experience the same phenomena as did the believers in the book of Acts?

When does the Baptism of the Spirit occur?

From the Pentecostal perspective, the Baptism of the Spirit occurs sometime after conversion. It is only after faith in Christ and repentance from sins that a believer may be baptized in the Spirit. As J. Rodman Williams writes in his extensive work, Renewal Theology, “Against the background of salvation, however worded, the Holy Spirit is given…. As a community redeemed from their old life, they were told to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. Hence when the extraordinary event did occur, it happened to those who had already repented and now truly believed in Jesus Christ.” At first glance the Scriptural account would seem to give credence to this view. For example, Jesus commanded his disciples to wait for the promise from the Father saying, “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” It is clear that after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, those who believed in Him still had to wait a few days before they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. 

This was not the only time a believer experienced a delayed Spirit-baptism. In Acts 8, after Philip preached the gospel to the Samaritans, there was a gap between initial saving faith and baptism of the Spirit. The account reads, “But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” They believed the word of God, and yet they had to wait for Peter and John to come to them to pray for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, since “They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Only after the apostles came and laid hands on the Samaritan believers did they receive the Spirit. We are not told how long this delay was. The news traveled from Samaria to Jerusalem, and Peter and John needed only to travel from Jerusalem to Samaria, so we should be safe to assume the delay was only a few days to a few weeks, at most. 

The last instance of delayed Spirit-baptism is found in Acts 19:1-7. In this instance, however, we must note that the words “baptism of the Spirit” do not occur. The Pentecostal view holds that the Baptism of the Spirit is implied by the what happened when Paul laying his hands on these believers, “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other tongues and to prophesy.” Even if it is correct to speak of this event as a baptism of the Spirit, we must say that the delay between saving faith and the baptism of the Spirit was of the briefest nature that it is not worth building a case for a pattern of delay that continues on today. At least not from this passage.

What accompanies the Baptism of the Spirit?

Just as Jesus challenged the Pharisees about which is more difficult, “to say your sins are forgiven, or to say, get up and walk,” an external sign of baptism in the Spirit is clear proof that one has indeed been baptized in the Spirit. Jesus promised his band of followers that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This Holy Spirit empowered witnessing is one evidence of Baptism of the Spirit. When the disciples in Acts 2:4 were filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke in different tongues by the Spirit’s empowerment. Pentecostal theology has taught that speaking in tongues is the evidence, the proof, that one has indeed been baptized in the Spirit. “It is clear that the primary activity consequent to the reception of the Holy Spirit was that of speaking in tongues,” writes Williams. He even says, “The evidence in Acts does not allow us to draw an absolute conclusion that speaking in tongues invariably followed the reception of the Spirit; however, the texts much incline in that direction” (emphasis mine). Thus speaking in tongues is a central tenet of the Spirit-filled life according to Pentecostal theology. 

In opposition to the Pentecostal teaching, the apostle Paul seems to indicate that not all who are baptized in the Spirit speak in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, especially verse 30, he argues that those who are baptized in the Spirit become members of the Lord’s body with a necessary diversification of functions, one of which was tongues. The rhetorical question in verse 30 implies that not all who are baptized in the Spirit speak in tongues. Therefore we must not conclude that tongues ought to be held up as a primary evidence Spirit-baptism. Where should we look, then?

The Bible itself uses the language of fruit when it speaks of external evidence for internal realities. The false prophet, though a wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing, can be discovered by his or her fruit. Likewise, the evidence of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit, chief of which is love.

Should Christians today anticipate a post-conversion Baptism of the Spirit?

Christians today should not expect a post-conversion baptism of the Spirit. The key for us is noticing the transition from the Acts 8 Samaritan experience and the Acts 10 Gentile experience. Whereas in Acts 8 those who believed the word were baptized in the name of Jesus initially, and then received the baptism of the Spirit subsequently, those in Acts 10 were baptized in the Spirit before being baptized in Jesus’ name. A transition occurred from a water baptism in Jesus’ name followed by Spirit-baptism, to a Spirit-baptism instantaneously upon hearing the word followed by a water baptism. This is an indication for us that in the Acts narrative itself the delay-time between initial faith and the baptism of the Spirit decreases to become nearly instantaneous. Most instructive for us should be 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and we were all given one Spirit to drink.” This teaches that the baptism of the Spirit is the means by which Christians are baptized, i.e. immersed, into the life of the church. This is no doubt what occurs when one repents and believes in the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the complete package of redemption, which includes the baptism of the Spirit.

How does this work? Jesus is the one who baptizes in the Spirit. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34, LSB). God the Father gives God the Spirit to God the Son without measure. This is seen in Jesus’ baptism, when the Spirit descended bodily like a dove onto the Son, followed by a voice from Heaven stating, “You are my Son, in you I am well pleased.” At His baptism, the Spirit rested on the incarnate Son, and the Father gives the Son the Spirit without measure. He, the Son, is the one who baptizes in the Spirit. Jesus poured out the Spirit onto the church on the day of Pentecost. He baptized the church in the Spirit. The life of the Church is immersed in the Spirit. And when one comes to Christ, when one is engrafted into Christ’s body, the Church, that person enters into the Church which is already baptized in the Spirit. The person enters into the Spirit immersed Church. They enter into what has been baptized in the Spirit.

So, what about my experience?

For those who have experienced what they would call the Baptism of the Spirit some time post-conversion, what should they think? Should they think that they were Christians yet lacked the Spirit before that moment? Or should they think that they were not truly Christians until that moment? A third way of reflection will reap more fruit. When you became a Christian, you were truly immersed into the Church, grafted into the body of Christ which is baptized in the Spirit. You received the Spirit. You were genuinely a new creation, a true believer. Your subsequent experience was not a second baptism of the Spirit. However, it could be a true experience of the Spirit. We are commanded in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Spirit. So, perhaps a better word to describe what happened is a renewed filling of the Spirit.

Conclusion

While disagreeing with the Pentecostal teaching that baptism of the Spirit occurs some time after conversion and is accompanied by speaking in tongues, all Christians should learn from the Pentecostal movement to be eager for manifestations of the Spirit in their lives and pray earnestly to be filled with the Spirit at all times for the mutual upbuilding of the church (1 Corinthians 14:1, 12).