Page 236 - Demo

232converts to the faith of Jesus (pbuh) were hallowed with the Holy Spirit, and that there were numerous Unitarian Christians who led a saintly and righteous life. On the day of the Pentecost -that is, ten days after the Ascension of Jesus Christ (pbuh) - the Spirit of God descended upon the disciples and other believers numbering one hundred and twenty persons, in the form of tongues of fire (Acts ii.); and this number, which had received the Holy Spirit in the form of one hundred and twenty tongues of fire, was increased unto three thousand souls who were baptized, but were not visited by the flame of the Spirit. Surely one definite Spirit cannot be divided into six-score of individuals. By the Holy Spirit, unless definitely described as a personality, we may understand it to be God’s power, grace, gift, action, and inspiration. Jesus (pbuh) had promised this heavenly gift and power to sanctify, enlighten, strengthen, and teach his flock; but this Spirit was quite different from the Periqlyte who alone accomplished the great work which Jesus (pbuh) and after him the Apostles were not authorized and empowered to accomplish, as we shall see later.(d) The early Christians of the first and second centuries relied more upon tradition than upon writings concerning the new religion. Papias and others belong to this category. Even in the lifetime of the Apostles several sects, psecudochrists, Antichrists, and false teachers, tore asunder the Church (1 John ii. 18-26; 2 Thess. ii. 1-12; 2 Peter ii. iii. 1; John 7-13; 1 Tim. iv. 1-3; 2 Tim. iii. 1-13; etc.). The “believers” are advised and exhorted to stick to and abide by the Tradition, namely, the oral teaching of the Apostles. These so-called “heretical” sects, such as the Gnostics, Apollinarians, Docetæ, and others, appear to have no faith in the fables, legends, and extravagant views about the sacrifice and the redemption of Jesus Christ (pbuh) as contained in