Theology of the Baptism in the Spirit and Gifts of the Spirit in the Thought of Martyn Lloyd-Jones and His Differences, Similarities, and Contributions in Comparison to Pentecostal Interpretation

Abstract

The article explores the theology of the baptism in the Spirit in the context of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ position and the Assemblies of God Pentecostal movement. Besides including the short historical and contextual overview of the theology of the baptism in the Spirit in the Pentecostal movement and Lloyd-Jones, the article also provides insight into their primary emphases. Both sides claim that the baptism in the Spirit is an experience separate from the new birth. Assemblies of God believe it is crucial to point out that baptism in the Spirit opens up possibilities of new experiences, sanctification, and speaking in tongues. Lloyd-Jones mostly agrees with this, with the exception that baptism in the Spirit is the same as the sealing we see in the Epistle to the Ephesians, where he sees the sealing with the initial sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the firm assurance of what we already have (sonship) and a strong experience of God’s love, which is the motivation for powerful preaching and witnessing. According to Lloyd-Jones, his interpretation of the gift of speaking in tongues does differ from the understanding of Assemblies of God. Tongues are not necessarily the initial sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and their use is not under a person’s control but under the control of the Spirit’s sovereign work. The article explains these differences and similarities and calls for dialogue and consideration of Lloyd-Jones’ thought in his contribution to the Pentecostal theology of the baptism in the Spirit.