Baptism of Confusion
The Spirit and the Scripture
Baptism of Confusion
A rather perplexing phenomena of so called “movements of the Holy Spirit” make the idea of “Spirit led Christianity” quite difficult to understand. In a mysterious world of over-zealous and self-proclaimed spiritual leaders, the unfortunate result is often a confusing combination of carefully crafted ideas. When the prerogatives of self-absorbed people triumph over that which the Bible declares to be truth, one is presented with what can easily be referred to as a “Baptism of Confusion”. D.L Moody stated the following, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” Unfortunately, we are too often a people known for morbid obesity, the product of a malnourished diet of the world’s trash and the inability to discern that which belongs in the temple of our body. In short, there are many who are full of that which leaves one empty.
Kenneth Boa states the following, “We need both the fire of the Spirit and the light of the Word, but many believers and churches have made this an either-or rather than a both-and by tending to be either Spirit-centered or Word-centered. Power without sound teaching is vulnerable to shallowness and lack of discernment; doctrine without power is vulnerable to dryness and spiritual torpor.” It is this mentality that becomes the very water of “Baptismal confusion”. With a desire for “Spiritual Power” as though He is a mere it, many have lost sight of the genuine nature of the third person of the Trinity. Likewise, with a desire for Scriptural integrity, many others fail to remember that without the aiding of He who gives power, clarity, and conviction, dutiful doctrine leaves much to be desired.
Therefore, may we be a people who flee the confusion and divisiveness and cling to He who comforts. May we be a people who flee the temptation for spot-light sensationalism and cling to He who illuminates the Scriptures of truth.