The Holy Spirit, spiritual baptism, and praying in tongues.
The Holy Spirit, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and Praying in Tongues
One of the central doctrines of Christianity is the Doctrine of the Trinity. It is a metaphor used to explain how we can understand God and our relationship to God. The Divine Trinity is an extremely important concept. Swedenborg has much to say about it in True Christianity. Here is a short excerpt:
The Trinity is well known to the Christian world, yet in other ways it is unknown. Only through understanding the Trinity can we gain a just idea of God; and in the church a just idea of God is like the sanctuary and the altar in a church building. It is like the crown on the head and the scepter in the hand of a monarch sitting on a throne. The entire body of theology depends on it the way a chain hangs from its hook. Believe it or not, we are even allotted our own place in heaven depending on our idea of God. It is like a touchstone for testing the quality of gold and silver, that is, the goodness and truth in us. There exists no goodness in us that brings salvation except the goodness we have from God; and there exists no truth in us whose quality does not come from that core of goodness.
For us to see the nature of the divine Trinity in full perspective, the explanation of the Trinity needs to be divided into points as follows:
1. There is a divine Trinity, which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
2. These three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are three essential components of one God. They are one the way our soul, our body, and the things we do are one.
3. This Trinity did not exist before the world was created. It developed after the world was created, when God became flesh. It came into existence in the Lord God the Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ.
4. At a conceptual level, the idea of a trinity of divine persons from eternity (meaning before the world was created) is a trinity of gods. This idea is impossible to wipe out just by orally confessing one God.
5. The apostolic church knew no trinity of persons. The idea was hatched by the Council of Nicaea. The council introduced the idea into the Roman Catholic church; and the Roman Catholic church introduced the idea into the churches that have since separated from it.
6. The Nicene and Athanasian views of the Trinity led to a faith that has perverted the whole Christian church.
7. The result is the abomination of desolation and the affliction such as has never existed before and will never exist again, which the Lord foretold in Daniel, the Gospels, and the Book of Revelation.
8. In fact, if the Lord were not building a new heaven and a new church, the human race would not be preserved.
9. Many absurd, alien, imaginary, and misshapen ideas of God have come into existence from the Athanasian Creed's assertion of a trinity of persons, each of whom is individually God.
Given the importance of a sound idea of God, it is recommended to read the entire chapter on the Trinity; the text is available at newchristianbiblestudy.org
For sake of brevity, I will summarize Swedenborg’s teaching (according to my own understanding of it.)
In the Bible, it does appear as if God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit might be individually separate, but to properly understand the Trinity we must interpret not literally, but as a symbolic metaphor. Metaphorically, the Father refers to Divine Infinite Love which is beyond our ability to conceive. The Son represents Infinite Love manifesting to us, as it were, clothed in our humanity, in a finite form we can perceive and understand. The Holy Spirit is Infinite love going forth, received in creation. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, also represent Love, Wisdom and Use. Similarly, we are composed of a finite trinity: our soul, our body, and our activities.
The Divine Trinity is a very useful idea, enabling us to grasp the idea of God, because we can recognize that it is futile to try think about the Infinity of the Divine, and instead we should instead think of God in limited, human terms. We can see God clothed in humanity as Jesus, in the Gospels. We must accept a limited concept of God, as a Divine Human (Jesus) This is why Jesus taught - “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:9. It should be kept in mind that Biblical Jesus is an account of humanity’s receptivity of the Divine, so Jesus is portrayed as going through a process called glorification, which is the uniting of His Divine Nature (Father) with His Human nature (Son). That is a subject for another time. Symbolically, The Holy Spirit, is the living, spiritual life imparting influx of Divine Love and Wisdom received after a finite capacity into our consciousness. All receive living influx from the Divine into our souls, sustaining us in basic existence, however; there are levels of receptivity. When an individual decides to walk with God, and prays for a greater influx of the Divine Presence, prays for inspiration, perception and guidance, this is the prayer to be filled with the Spirit.
This occurred with Jesus’ disciples in Acts 2: 1-4
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
If we have mundane ideas about God’s presence in our life, our experience of God will be mundane. If we desire a more full experience of the Divine in our life, that experience is available, but we must learn how to open our consciousness to receive greater influx. Our state of being needs to evolve; this evolution is called baptism in the spirit.
“We read that when Jesus was baptized the heavens opened and John saw the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32-33). This happened because baptism means regeneration and purification, and so does a dove….The Lord uses faith and goodwill to regenerate us (the spiritual evolution of our consciousness). This is the meaning of John the Baptists saying, "I baptize you for repentance with water, but the one who is coming after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16). Baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire means regenerating through the divine truth that is in faith and the divine goodness that is in goodwill. The following words of the Lord also mean the same thing: "Unless you have been born of water and spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). "Water" in this passage, and elsewhere in the Word, means truth in our earthly or outer self, while "spirit" means truth connected with goodness in our spiritual or inner self.” True Christianity n. 144
Though it seems to have been a wide spread practice in the Apostolic church, Scripture presents no detailed teachings regarding praying in tongues. Read: Luke 11:13 , Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 , 13-18, Romans 8:26,27 , Jude 20 , John 16:3. It is generally mentioned in a vague manner, as a gift of the spirit. Swedenborg does not mention praying in tongues.
I was taught about it in a Pentecostal church, and received the ability when I was 12 years old. I have been praying in tongues ever since. Even through my agnostic phase, I maintained the practice, though I didn’t have a solid philosophical, intellectual basis for doing so, I did derive indisputable mental and emotional benefit.
There is plenty of information about the practice readily available on the internet, enabling solid research. Feel free to explore the concept for yourself. There are a number of good articles about praying in tongues on walkwiththewise.org
I was taught that when one prayed in the spirit, we were allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through us in a heavenly language that was unique to each person. The result was to be drawn into closer harmony with God, especially when we were feeling alone, or in a doubtful condition. For me it is a somewhat mystical form of instant meditation, similar to the use of a mantra, but for me much easier, and far more effective. Praying in tongues is a solid element in my daily way of being. I automatically, naturally use it to quiet my mind, and it is 100% effective. Troubling thoughts instantly subside, and peace instantly replaces any emotional disruption.
For me learning how was simple and easy. A small group of believers, including my mom and dad, gathered around me, laying hands on me, praying that I might be filled with the Holy Spirit and receive the ability to pray in tongues, and they were praying in tongues. I simply agreed with them, and prayed to receive, and gave it a try. I don’t remember any misgivings or struggle. It just felt right, and came naturally. I recommend that everyone should learn how. Praying in the Holy Spirit is legit!
A very informative article about what Swedenborg says about the Holy Spirit can be found here: (copy and paste the link to your browser)
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/48666/what-is-the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-in-swedenborgs-soteriology#48698
