Recently, someone asked me a very important and sometimes controversial & misunderstood question. The question was this: "If a person dies after being saved but before they were filled with the Holy Spirit, will they still go to heaven or what will happen to them"?
To answer this question, one must first ask, what does it mean to be saved? This sometimes controversial subject within christian denominational circles is generated by a question Paul asked certain Ephesian disciples in the 19th chapter of Acts and the second verse this question: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” Growing up in pentecostalism, the founders & defenders of most holiness movements interpreted that scripture out of context by teaching “second blessings” or teaching converts who had just gotten saved to come back another night to receive the fullness or be filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I do not make light of or make fun at the methods of the pentecostal saints of old. In fact, with all due respect for them and to the way in which I myself came to believe in Christ, the faith they had and the sincerity they possessed was strong, yet the theology that governed them in many cases were wrong and promoted by church fathers that took scripture out of context.
First, let me preface my response by stating this disclosure. All doctrine and beliefs must find multiple scriptural supports in the Word of God. Having said that, let us first look at the text in question. A classic mistake many saints "back-n-the-day" made as well as make now is to take single verses and somehow lift off the page or out of the setting of the entire chapter, chapters before & after and the Bible as a whole and form ideas, opinions & interpretations of the Holy Spirit’s intentions. A gifted or so called anointed preacher would then expound on the text and make what looks on the surface to make sense and captivate his or her listeners with what appears to be truth after reading scripture that seems to support their message. All one has to do in Acts 19 is read at least the first six verses to get a clearer context of what Paul was saying. The men that were asking the question, “have you received the Holy Ghost (Spirit) since you believed”, had not even been taught about being identified with Christ by receiving Christ’s baptism. Their baptism and faith was rooted in the teachings of John the Baptist who himself taught them that they should believe on the one who would come after him.
To answer this question, one must first ask, what does it mean to be saved? This sometimes controversial subject within christian denominational circles is generated by a question Paul asked certain Ephesian disciples in the 19th chapter of Acts and the second verse this question: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” Growing up in pentecostalism, the founders & defenders of most holiness movements interpreted that scripture out of context by teaching “second blessings” or teaching converts who had just gotten saved to come back another night to receive the fullness or be filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I do not make light of or make fun at the methods of the pentecostal saints of old. In fact, with all due respect for them and to the way in which I myself came to believe in Christ, the faith they had and the sincerity they possessed was strong, yet the theology that governed them in many cases were wrong and promoted by church fathers that took scripture out of context.
First, let me preface my response by stating this disclosure. All doctrine and beliefs must find multiple scriptural supports in the Word of God. Having said that, let us first look at the text in question. A classic mistake many saints "back-n-the-day" made as well as make now is to take single verses and somehow lift off the page or out of the setting of the entire chapter, chapters before & after and the Bible as a whole and form ideas, opinions & interpretations of the Holy Spirit’s intentions. A gifted or so called anointed preacher would then expound on the text and make what looks on the surface to make sense and captivate his or her listeners with what appears to be truth after reading scripture that seems to support their message. All one has to do in Acts 19 is read at least the first six verses to get a clearer context of what Paul was saying. The men that were asking the question, “have you received the Holy Ghost (Spirit) since you believed”, had not even been taught about being identified with Christ by receiving Christ’s baptism. Their baptism and faith was rooted in the teachings of John the Baptist who himself taught them that they should believe on the one who would come after him.
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