THE ONLINE SEMINAR
How to Have the Living Water of Peace, Hope,
and Purpose that Jesus Promised Us
Session Seven: Our New Lifestyle
Part 2
Some years ago in the French Quarter of New Orleans, there was a controversial street preacher who would grab tourists by the sleeve and ask, “Are you saved, brother? Are you saved, sister?”
That street preacher’s bold approach raises an interesting question for us today: Are we, as Followers of The Way, “saved“? For that matter, what does the word “saved” mean? More importantly, what’s the relationship between being “saved” and being immersed in the Spirit (being baptized in the Spirit)?
Actually, we saw the answers to all of these questions back in Session Six. In that session, we saw Peter speaking to the crowd of pilgrims in the street on Pentecost morning, explaining to them what baptism (immersion) in the Holy Spirit is. And we saw the pilgrims being filled with remorse and crying out, “But, brothers! What should we do?”
Let’s now look at Peter’s instructions to the pilgrims again. But this time, let’s pay special attention to the word “saved” in his instructions. Peter began his instructions by quoting the prophet Joel’s ancient prophecy of the Day of Pentecost in which Joel said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be ‘saved‘.”
“Each one of you must repent of your selfish habits and be immersed in the Holy
Spirit by the Name and Authority of Jesus Christ and have your selfishness forgiven.
Then you’ll have for yourself the same gift of the Holy Spirit that we have – because
God’s promise of immersion in the Holy Spirit is for you and your children and for
all people everywhere – for all whom the Lord our God may call … ‘Save‘ yourselves
from this corrupt generation!”[2. Adapted from Acts, chapter 2, verses 38 through 40.]
As we know, 3,000 of the pilgrims in the street were then immersed in the Spirit and joined Peter and the other disciples as new Followers of The Way. After that, the written record of the Day of Pentecost closes with these words, “And the Lord added to their group daily all those who were being ‘saved‘.”[3. Adapted from Acts, chapter 2, verse 47.]
Now, notice that the italicized word “saved” appears three times in the record of what happened at the Feast of Pentecost. Why does it appear so often? It appears that often because Peter and the other disciples were using it as an interchangeable term for being immersed in the Spirit (for being baptized in the Spirit). Indeed, Followers of The Way used the word “saved” that way for the entire early history of the movement.
In other words, Peter and the other disciples used the word “saved” as a synonym for being baptized in the Spirit and becoming a Follower of The Way. And since Peter and the other disciples used the word “saved” as a synonym for being immersed in the Spirit, it’s important for us to slow down and understand what “synonyms” are and how they work.
The word synonym (pronounced “sin’-uh-nim”) is the English form of an ancient Greek word that can be translated as “the same meaning.” So synonyms are words that have the same meaning. They’re words so close to one another in meaning that they can be used interchangeably in writing and speaking.
For example, we might say, “Susan is such an attractive and cute person!” If we did that, we’d be using the words “attractive” and “cute” as synonyms – as interchangeable words with the same meaning. We’d be describing Susan’s personal appeal with duplicate words.
Why do people use synonyms? They use them to express their ideas in repetitive ways, hoping their audiences will get a clearer understanding of their message. Thus, synonyms are colorful, interesting, and fun, and all of us use them. But there’s a danger when we use synonyms to describe complex and important Spiritual experiences. That danger is this: When we use synonyms to describe Spiritual experiences, we risk making our listeners think we’re talking about two different subjects, instead of the same subject.
In the “Susan” example above, if our listeners weren’t familiar with the word “cute,” they might think “attractive” and “cute” were two different features of Susan’s appeal. They might understand the idea that Susan was attractive. But they might also think she had a second feature they weren’t familiar with – a feature called “cute.” And they might end up confused about her appeal. But confusion wasn’t our intention. Our intention was only to describe Susan’s appeal with duplicate words.
Why is all this important? It’s important because when we’re discussing complex and important Spiritual experiences, we need to be sure our listeners and readers understand the synonyms we’re using. We need to be sure our synonyms are understood as duplicate words for the same Spiritual experiences – not separate words for different Spiritual experiences.
All this leads us back to the word “saved.” Peter, the other disciples, and the pilgrims in the street used it on the Day of Pentecost as a synonym for immersion (baptism) in the Spirit – and they knew they were using it as a synonym. However, in the centuries that have passed since the Day of Pentecost, some people have forgotten that the word “saved” is a synonym. And as we’re about to see, that can be tragic. But first, let’s factually verify what the word “saved” means and what it’s a synonym for.
Today, twenty centuries after the Day of Pentecost in 30 AD, some religious leaders teach that being “saved” and being “baptized in the Spirit” (having our inner spirits immersed in the Holy Spirit) are two different Spiritual experiences. These leaders teach that being saved and being baptized in the Spirit can occur at different times in people’s lives and that, as a result, people can have one without the other. In other words, people who’re “saved” may not be “baptized in the Spirit” and, worse, they may never be “baptized in the Spirit,” unless they pray a special prayer, or read a special book, or attend a special worship service, or request special counseling from a pastor or priest.
Said yet another way, some religious leaders teach that people can be “saved” and ready for heaven, but while they’re on earth, they don’t have the inner power of the Holy Spirit to give them peace, hope, purpose, and Spiritual gifts in daily life. Imagine the damage such a teaching can do to Followers of The Way. Imagine the stress, guilt, confusion, and anger such a teaching can create. That’s the tragedy we mentioned above that’s caused when people forget about synonyms. But that tragedy can be avoided if religious leaders remember that the terms “saved” and “baptized in the Spirit” are synonyms for the same Spiritual experience.
So now let’s summarize this important principle: To Peter, the other disciples, and the pilgrims in the street on the Day of Pentecost, as well as the thousands who came after them in the movement, the terms “saved” and “baptized in the Spirit” were synonyms. Peter and the other First Century disciples taught that if you’re baptized in the Spirit, you’re saved. And if you’re saved, you’re baptized in the Spirit. The two terms described the same Spiritual experience; namely, the experience of being made a Follower of The Way. Let’s pause to quickly prove that.
The First Century Greek word that we translate into English today as “saved” is the verb sozo (pronounced “sowed’-zoh”). This is the word that Peter, the other disciples, and the pilgrims in the street used on the Day of Pentecost.
Sozo means to “rescue” something (something such as a human soul) from death. It means to “restore” something to life (such as a soul). It means to “keep” something from harm (such as a soul). It means to “deliver” something from judgment (such as a soul).[4. The First Century Greek verb sozo (“sowed’-zoh”), as it’s used in Acts, chapter 2, verses 21, 40, and 47, means to rescue, restore, keep, and deliver something – such as a human soul – from death, harm, danger, and judgment. These meanings are confirmed by such reference books as Vine’s, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words; and Arndt’s and Gingrich’s, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.]
Notice that these are the exact same things that baptism in the Holy Spirit does for a person when he or she is made a Follower of The Way. That is, both the term “saved” and the term “baptism in the Spirit” describe the rescuing, restoring, keeping, and delivering of a person’s inner spirit when he or she is made a Follower of The Way. This factually verifies that the two terms are duplicate (repetitive) descriptions of the same Spiritual experience. Two thousand years ago, Followers of The Way used the two terms as synonyms – and Followers of The Way should use them as synonyms today.
Next, continuing our discussion of synonyms, let’s look at another popular First Century synonym for becoming a Follower of The Way. It’s the odd term born-again.
The most famous use of the term “born-again” occurred one night in Jerusalem when a rich aristocrat by the name of Nicodemus (“nick-uh-dee’-mus”) had a secret meeting with Jesus. Nicodemus had come secretly to find out if Jesus was really from God. And at one point in their meeting, Jesus turned to Nicodemus and said:
“I tell you the truth, unless a person is ‘born-again,’ he or she can’t experience
the Kingdom of God.”
However – the problem with Jesus’s remark to Nicodemus is how it’s translated in most Bibles. The words “born-again” are a weak translation of the original First Century Greek. A better translation of what Jesus said to Nicodemus is this:
“I tell you the truth, unless a person is ‘born from above‘ (or ‘born from
heaven,’ or ‘born from a higher place‘), he or she can’t experience the
Kingdom of God.”[5. Adapted from John, chapter 3, verse 3. The two most important Greek words in this verse are usually weakly translated into English as “born-again.” The first word is the Greek verb gennao (pronounced “geh-nah’-oh”), meaning “to be born.” The second word is the Greek adverb, anothen (pronounced “aan’-oh-thin’), meaning “from above,” “from heaven,” or “from a higher place.” Thus, Jesus wasn’t referring to being “born-again” in the sense of having a second human birth. He was saying that people must be Spiritually “born from above,” “from a higher place,” or “from heaven.” That is, people must be indwelled by the Holy Spirit and have their inner spirits immersed (baptized) in supernatural power and awakened to Spiritual life. The New International Version of the Bible recognizes that the words “born-again” are a weak translation and it translates them as “born from above” in a footnote. The term “born-again” in various forms is used at least fourteen times in the early Christian letters. It appears in John 1:13 and 3:3-8. It appears in First John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, and 5:1-18. It appears in Galatians 4:29. And it appears in First Peter 1:3-23.]
Thus, like the term “saved,” the term “born-again” is simply another First Century synonym for being baptized in the Spirit and made a Follower of The Way. People are “born-again” when the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven and indwells them, awakening their Spiritually “dead” inner spirits to Spiritual life. That’s the way people are born from above, or born from heaven, or born from a higher place, and made into Followers of The Way.
The truth is that there are many other synonyms for being baptized in the Spirit in First Century writing. In addition to being “saved” and “born-again,” being baptized in the Holy Spirit can also be called being: “converted,” “redeemed,” “regenerated,” or “evangelized.” Today, we even use terms like: “inviting Jesus into your life” and “having Jesus in your heart.” But there’s no need to discuss all these synonyms in detail. All we need to remember is the principle that all these terms are repetitive (duplicate) descriptions of the same Spiritual experience.
However, there is one more synonym for being baptized in the Spirit that we need to discuss in more detail. In fact, it’s the most popular and controversial synonym of all. It’s the synonym “Christian.”
It surprises some people to hear that Matthew, Mark, John, and Peter, with Jesus’s mother, half-brothers, and half-sisters; together with all the other disciples on the rooftop and all the pilgrims in the street, didn’t know, and didn’t use, the word “Christian” on the Day of Pentecost. Indeed, Jesus didn’t know it or use it, either.
As we said earlier, the word “Christian” didn’t exist for over 30 years after the Day of Pentecost. Only two of the disciples ever used it at all, and they didn’t use it until over 30 years after Pentecost. Luke used it twice in a letter written 31 years after Pentecost. And Peter used it once in a letter written 33 years after Pentecost.[6. In 61 AD, Luke used the word “Christian” twice: in Acts 11:26 and 26:28. In 63 AD, Peter used the word “Christian” once: in First Peter 4:16. The word “Christian” wasn’t used by Jesus and wasn’t used by Peter, the other disciples, and the pilgrims in the street on the Day of Pentecost. In fact, it wasn’t used by Followers of The Way anywhere in the world for over 30 years after Pentecost. Thus, the word “Christian” isn’t the original name for people who’re indwelled by the Holy Spirit and who’ve had their inner spirits baptized in His power. The original name for such people is: “Followers of The Way.” Their name was changed to “Christians” by the non-believers in the city of Antioch, Turkey in 31 AD.]
The historical truth is that the word “Christian” wasn’t coined as a new synonym for immersion in the Spirit until 61 AD. And even then, it was a group of non-believers who coined it. Let’s tell that important story now.
By the middle of the First Century, thousands of Followers of The Way were living in the Roman city of Antioch (“an’-tea-ahk”) in Turkey. Paul lived there for several years. And Peter, Barnabas, and other key disciples in the movement either visited Antioch periodically or lived there for brief periods of time.
However, in 61 AD, something important happened to the Followers of The Way in Antioch. The non-believing citizens of the city (the non-Followers) became irritated because Followers of The Way talked so much about “Christ” on the streets and in the shops. And in those days the citizens of Antioch had a reputation for giving people nicknames. So it wasn’t long before the non-Christian citizens (whose language was Latin) began to jeer at Followers of The Way and call out “Christiani! Christiani!” when they saw a Follower of The Way on the street or in a shop.
“Christiani!” (“chris-tea-ah’-knee”) was an insulting term in Latin that roughly meant, “Belonging to Christ!” or “Little Christ!” The term stuck, and over the years it became the source of today’s word “Christian” – with the result that today, the word “Christian” is the best-known international synonym for a person who’s been baptized in the Holy Spirit and made into a Follower of The Way. In other words, Followers of The Way are known internationally today as “Christians,” not as Followers of The Way.
But that’s a huge problem. There’s a serious problem with using the word “Christian” as a synonym for Followers of The Way. That huge and serious problem is this: Since the term “Christian” was invented by non-believers as an insult, the term “Christian” doesn’t accurately describe who Followers are and what Followers do. It takes everyone’s eyes off of the supernatural behavior that Followers are supposed to have – and instead focuses everyone’s eyes on the behaviorally neutral religious title of “Christian.”
Let’s go even deeper. Several times in this seminar we’ve asked the question, “What is a Christian?” We can now answer that question in detail: He or she is a Spirit-baptized person, a saved person, a person who’s been born from above. He or she is a Follower of The Way. He or she has been issued a passport to the Kingdom of God on earth. He or she is a member of the fraternity of the Body of Christ. He or she is different from all other people because he or she has has a second inner motivator with the potential to create Spiritual behavior in him or her. Most briefly, He or she is a uniquely Spiritual person on planet earth. Said still another way, being a Follower of The Way isn’t just being a member of one of the religions on earth. If Followers of The Way release the supernatural power within them, they possess a Spirituality unlike any other group of people.
However – the nickname “Christian” (coined by non-believers) doesn’t say any of those things. It’s simply a religious title like all the other religious titles around the world. That’s why Followers of The Way have gradually forgotten over the centuries who they really are. (We talked about that forgetfulness in Session One with the story of “The Lost Safety Pin.”)
Today, many Spirit-baptized people are unaware of what unique people they can be and are unaware of the potential power within themselves. The result is predictable: Many Spirit-baptized people today behave exactly the same way that non-believers behave. And that’s why the national polls consistently show that today’s average Christian is no more Spiritual than a non-believer. That’s the biggest Spiritual disaster in human history.
But now let’s see some proof of this Spiritual disaster. Let’s see some proof that many Spirit-baptized people today have forgotten who they really are. Let’s turn to Part 3 and see a true story that proves it.
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