Salvation The Pentecostal Way 2

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The presentation of salvation in Luke-Acts using key salvation terms is
faced with a significant limitation.  Luke often describes the
experience of salvation without using any of salvation terminology we
examined.  From an Apostolic Pentecostal perspective this results in
serious omissions.  the foundational accounts of the conversions of the
Samaritans, of Saul, Cornelius' household, and the disciples of John at
Ephesus are not present in our charts.  In these texts luke employs one
of his favorite literary techniques.  The same reality id described in
different ways using different terminology.  The omission of these texts
from the above charts supports the conclusion that for Luke salvation is
a dynamic reality whose description cannot be encompassed by a uniform
portrayal. Because of the centrality of these texts in the Apostolic
community they will now be analyzed in a separate chart.  This chart
will focus upon the initial reception of salvation, i.e. the conversion
experience, in the first Christian communities in Acts.  Because of the
length of this chart and the need to format it for e-mail, it will be
divided into 4 sections. 

Conversion in Acts Chapters 1-9

Verse	Who is converted?	What is the evidence, sign?

2:1-21	everyone (2:4,11)	prophecy, tongues
2:22-42	Jews from many nations	fellowship, praise, wonders,
				 miracles, prayer, gladness,
 				sincerity, sharing
3:1-16	crippled beggar		healing, praise
4:4	Jews			.....
5:14	Jews			.....
8:25	Samaritans		.....
8:26-40	Ethiopian		rejoicing
9:1-19	Saul			vision of Jesus	
9:32-35	those who lived		.....
        in Lydda&Sharon
9:36-42	people in Joppa		.....

Verse	Who, what brings it?	How Received?

2:1-21	the Lords name		calling, Holy Spirit
2:22-42	exalted Jesus		repentance, baptism, Holy Spirit
	(2:33)
3:1-16	name of Jesus		faith
4:4	hearing the message	believing
5:14	.....			believing
8:25	preaching		believing, baptism, Holy Spirit
8:26-40	preaching		baptism
9:1-19	Jesus			baptism, Holy Spirit
9:32-35	the healing of Aeneas	turning to the Lord
9:36-42	the healing of Tabitha	believing in the Lord

Conversion in Acts Chapters 10-28

Verse	Who is converted?	What is the evidence, sign?

10:44,	Cornelius' household	tongues, praise
   48	
11:21	people in Antioch	.....
13:48	people in Antioch	.....
14:21	people in Derbe		.....
16:13-	Lydia & her household	hospitality
   15
16:33, 	Phillipian jailer &	joy
   34	household
17:1-4	Jews in Thessalonica	.....
	God fearing Greeks
17:10-	Jews and Greeks		.....
   12
17:34	men of Athens		.....
18:7-8	Crispus & his household	.....
  	Corinthians
18:24-	Apollos			.....
19:1-9	disciples of John	tongues, prophesy
   26

Verse	Who, what brings it?	How received?

10:44-	preaching		Holy Spirit, baptism, faith (15:8), 
   48				repentance
   
11:21	preaching		turning to the Lord
13:48	preaching		believing
14:21	preaching		.....
16:13-  The Lord		baptism
   15
16:33-	preaching		baptism, believing
   34
17:1-4	preaching		persuasion
17:10-	preaching		believing
   12
17:34	preaching		believing
18:7,8	preaching, baptism	believing
18:24-	explaining		understanding?
   26
19:1-9	preaching		Holy Spirit


The first column of our chart once again demonstrates that salvation for
Luke is universal.  Salvation is received by Jews and Gentiles, men and
women, and even entire households without regard to ethnicity or social
status.

The meaning of salvation, when mentioned, is holistic involving the
entirety of human existence.  Salvation results in forgiveness of sins,
rejoicing, and eternal life (Acts 2:38; 8:39; 13:20). Salvation also
results in a new lifestyle.  In Acts salvation is evidenced by signs,
wonders, prophesy, miracles, receiving the Holy Spirit, speaking in
tongues, suffering for Christ, and continuing in the ministry of Christ
(Acts 2; 8:4; 9:34; 10:40-42; 19:6).  Salvation is living the new life
of the Kingdom of God.  Salvation is participation in the reign of God
brought by Jesus.
	
The third column reveals that the proclamation of the gospel brings
salvation.  However, salvation is also brought directly by the exalted
Jesus and through the demonstration of the power of the gospel in
healings.

The fourth and final column of our chart demonstrates the diversity of
the reception of salvation in Acts.  Salvation is received through
faith, repentance, believing, water baptism, the Holy Spirit,
persuasion, or simply turning to the Lord.  Luke provides no precise
formula for the reception of salvation.

How does Luke portray salvation in the foundational Pentecostal texts of
Acts?  The results of our second reading of Acts bear a striking
similarity to the first.  Salvation for Luke is universal.  Salvation is
holistic encompassing the entirety of human existence.  Salvation is
brought by the proclamation of the gospel, the exalted Jesus, and the
demonstration of the power of the gospel.  Salvation is received in a
variety of ways and follows no uniform pattern.

Before proceeding to incorporate the insights obtained from the
rereading Luke-Acts into a Pentecostal theology of salvation it is
necessary to note their biblical challenge to traditional Pentecostal
understandings.  In their quest to establish a precise order of
salvation Apostolic and Trinitarian Pentecostals fail to express the
dynamic and unpredictable reception of salvation in the first Christian
communities.  Acts 2 does not provide a uniform pattern for the
experience of salvation in Acts.  The disciples on the day of Pentecost
received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of speaking in
tongues.  There is no reference to their being baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-4).  Those responding to Peter's sermon are
commanded to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).  But there is no record
of these new Christians speaking in tongues.  The "formula" found in
Acts 2:38 is not repeated in the entire narrative of Acts.  The
Samaritans believed the gospel and were baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ without receiving the Holy Spirit. When Peter and John laid hands
upon them they received the Holy Spirit, however there is no explicit
mention of speaking in tongues (Acts 8:9-17). Paul received the gift of
the Holy Spirit before water baptism without the sign of speaking in
tongues (Acts 9:17-18).  the household of Cornelius received the Holy
Spirit and spoke in tongues before they were baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ (Acts 10:44-46).  The disciples of John at Ephesus were
rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ and then received the baptism in
the Holy Spirit speaking in tongues (Acts 19:1-6).  There are many
conversion experiences in Acts where the Holy Spirit is not explicitly
mentioned.  The baptism of the Ethiopian, Lydia and her household, the
jailer in Phillipi, and the group of Corinthians are examples (Acts
8:38-39, 16:15,33;18:8).  No simple harmony of the conversion
experiences in Acts can be produced "without going far beyond the
evidence of theological reflection reached by the author of Acts" (Van
Roo, 127).

Luke does not provide a sequential pattern for salvation.  Tongues are
not portrayed as the uniform evidence of the coming of the Holy Spirit. 
The Holy Spirit is not even mentioned in association with the majority
of the conversions in Acts!  The coming of the reign of God in Jesus
Christ is God's action and gift and is beyond human control.  The
missionary activity of the first Christian community must await the
coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1-2).  The Spirit is assigned prominence
in directing the mission of the church (Acts 1:8; 8;29; 10:19; 13:2-4;
16:6ff; 19:21; 20:22).  Individuals are incorporated into Christian
communities by the sovereign act of God (Acts 2,8,9,10,19).  This
incorporation is unpredictable.  The Holy Spirit descends "suddenly"
upon the 120 in the upper room (Acts 2:1).  The gospel is proclaimed in
Samaria only in the aftermath of persecution (Acts 8).  An angel appears
to Phillip and arranges an encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch that he
might receive salvation (Acts 8:26).  Jesus appears to Paul on the road
to Damascus and arranges through a vision for Ananais to meet and
baptize him (Acts 9:1-17).  Peter receives a vision preparing him to
preach the gospel to the gentiles while at the same time Cornelius
receives a vision and instructions from an angel (Acts 10:3,9-14). 
Peter's sermon to the household of Cornelius is interrupted by the
descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44).  Paul "found" certain disciples
of john who were not aware of the fulfillment of John's prophecies in
Jesus (Acts 19:1-6).  For Luke, salvation results from the unpredictable
intervention of God in human history.  The coming of the Spirit is not
bound within the fixed scheme of an order of salvation.  In Acts
salvation is received uniquely by different Christian communities. 
Salvation is the dynamic and unpredictable participation of these
communities in the reign of God!