Why is it that people baptized in the Holy Spirit are not in agreement on all points of doctrine?

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The baptism in the Holy Spirit always results in significant changes in the theology of those who receive it, for the overwhelming reality of the Holy Spirit tends to make many previously held beliefs and doctrines insignificant. 

But we should remember that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to be equipped with power for Christian service, not a ticket to omniscience. At many points, Spirit-filled Christians differ. But they are 100 per cent in agreement on the importance and significance of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Even the apostles did not always agree. (See Acts 15; Galatians 2:1–15.) As great and wise as Paul was, he still admitted, “For now we see in a mirror dimly….Now I know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12). 


Yet, in spite of differences, there is a very precious fellowship and unity created among people baptised in the Holy Spirit. It is a unity born of the Holy Spirit and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Many of us believe it is in the charismatic movement that the greatest hope for true Christian unity lies.


One of the delights of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the freedom it brings concerning denominationalism. The bond of fellowship created by baptism in the Holy Spirit tends to overshadow denominational differences and unite Christians at a level beyond their reach. 


We all now Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterians, Nazarenes, Pentecostal members of several varieties, as well as members of the United Church of Canada, Brethren, Moravian, Amish, and Roman Catholics, all of whom are Spirit-filled. 

And when we meet and have fellowship, the dominant concern is not which denomination is right but rather, “How can we tell more people of the love of Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit?’



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