Unlearning

Ok. I was not going to get into this kind of thing, but I just read a post on Facebook written by a friend who is still part of the Oneness Pentecostal movement. He said something that is a classic example of what happens when you are taught something for so long, you don't even realize when you are saying something that simply isn't true. He had unwittingly added meaning to scripture.

Most of you that read this post either have a history in the Oneness Pentecostal movement, or you know some of my story, so you are acquainted with how intense indoctrination works (I don't mean to offend, but that is how it works--even if the indoctrination is good and true, it is still indoctrination). The problem with indoctrination (especially when it misses the mark) is that it causes the indoctrinated to read additional meaning into (in this case) scripture. For all the preaching and teaching against doing that very thing, Oneness Pentecostals are as guilty as any other group at adding meaning to scripture.

For those of you well-versed in the doctrine of salvation associated with Acts 2:38, I am going to ask you a question. Before I ask it, I want you to answer it quickly without looking at the verse in question. No cheating. In this format (rather than face-to-face), it will be easy to move right along and see the point of the question, so this may not work real well, but let's give it a go anyway.

As you are aware, Acts 2:38 says (in the KJV), "Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Here is my question for you. The men who had gathered to listen to Peter had asked a question in the previous verse (vs. 37) What was their question? Don't look (and don't read ahead). Just very quickly answer the question. What question had the men who had gathered to listen to Peter's sermon asked? What prompted Peter to say what he said? Ok. Got your answer?

If you are a good Pentecostal and learned your salvation doctrine well, you probably answered something to the effect of "What must we do to be saved?" Your answer may have varied, but you probably said something regarding "salvation." The men were asking how to be saved. Again, if this was your answer, you learned your doctrine well. That is what my friend on Facebook said in his post.

Here is the problem. The men did not ask how to be "saved." They asked, what shall we "do?" Nothing more. You may say at this point, "You are splitting hairs. Of course, the implication is that they wanted to know how to be saved, because Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation." Again, that proves my point. You add meaning to verse 37 because of what you believe about verse 38--what you've been taught about verse 38. But, Acts 2:38 is NOT the plan of salvation (gasp!). I don't want to go into any kind of extensive Bible study here on salvation (you can read my previous blog posts addressing different issues surrounding salvation--A primer on the New Birth, The baptism connection, among others, not sure of the exact titles). The point is that Acts 2:38 has meaning added to it (and so does the previous verse), so that you can't read it any other way than seeing it as the answer to the question of how to be saved.

First, please note that Peter quotes the Old Testament in verse 21, when he talks about "how to be saved" in his sermon (even the idea of "how to be saved" has loaded meaning that we will discuss shortly). You probably never learned that in your Oneness Pentecostal indoctrination--that Peter preaches "how" to be saved in verse 21. Read it. It's there. I don't think I even knew that verse 21 said anything about salvation. Second, please know that the men (and women) gathered to listen to Peter preach on the day of Pentecost, would not have asked "how to be saved" anyway--at least not in the way we in 21st century evangelical Christianity would. Those first century Jews would not have thought of being "saved" from sin so that they could avoid a lake of fire and make it to a heavenly home in the sky. That idea would never occur to them. So, whatever else they "meant" to ask by asking "What shall we do," they definitely weren't thinking of salvation as we think of it today. The question stands on its own. They were convinced by Peter's sermon, and so, in essence, ask "Now what?" Just like the men asking the question wouldn't have conceived of "salvation" as we do now, Peter's answer wouldn't have been trying to communicate some "formula" to escape Hell and get to "Heaven."

Incidentally, for Oneness Pentecostals, it is interesting to note that the one time in the book of Acts when someone does ask specifically "What must I do to be saved," the answer is simply "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 16:30, see also Acts 15:11). Again, please understand that the salvation requested in Acts 16:30 is not a salvation from Hell, it is a "deliverance from the present circumstance," (which is also the idea behind the Old Testament concept of salvation as Peter quoted it in Acts 2:21).  These Jews understood the idea of needing to be delivered, and they understood the teaching that God promised deliverance for those who called out to him in their distress. But I digress..

As I said earlier, please read my other blog posts to delve deeper into what biblical salvation is (in the sense we use it today). The point of this post is to, hopefully, help you understand how "meaning" has been added to so many scriptures for you--meaning that is not biblical, nor theologically sound. Yet, when we read Acts 2 and John 3, we are able to only understand these passages in the way we've been taught--in the way we've been indoctrinated. We seldom take the time to ask if we've been taught the wrong meaning.

So, if you feel like you fit into the category of people who have had meaning added to scripture for you, the next question is "how do I unlearn it." Well, that is a more difficult question, for which there is no easy answer. Suffice it to say, if you can first acknowledge that what you have learned may not be true, you are well on your way. Also, please be patient with yourself. It took you a long time to learn what you have learned, it will take a long time to undo that indoctrination. Think of how former Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and the like, feel when they realize that what they were taught and always believed is wrong. Even when they know it is wrong, it takes awhile to figure the "why" and "how" of it all.

I hope this post isn't too confusing. I am writing very fast as I want to get my thoughts down. I may be able to clarify any confusing points when you ask questions. Thanks for reading.