I'm kinda back for a little bit at least. First of all, Wow. Great conversation while I was gone. Sensitive subject? Yes. Disagreements? yes. Name calling? No. (at least not by the time I started typing this an hour ago.)
I'll clarify a few details
1. I am a guy/male. Thank you Shrume for "defending my manhood" so to speak.
2. I pretty much refuse to use the word "saved" as a general term, so I have no interest in declaring someone saved or unsaved. I may ask you what you have or don't have, but I leave it up to you to decide how you want to label yourself.
3. What I DO want to know is:
3a) what someone believes,
3b) if they have been baptized (and how), and
3c) if they have received the Holy Ghost.
Depending on the doctrine of the person you are talking to, they will call a person "saved" after they've accomplished any combination of A and/or B and/or C.
And some people don't see the differentiate one from the other. (especially between 3a and 3c) although the bible makes clear distinctions in the examples given throughout the book of Acts...which happens to be the only book of the bible that documents the play-by-play of people receiving the Holy Ghost.
4. Stunnedbygrace is more or less correct in the importance I've presented regarding tongues. For one, I see tongues as the indicator used/observed by spectators and the church in Jerusalem in order to determine whether or not someone has received the Holy Ghost. No one has offered an alternative that fits the biblical accounts. The part we haven't actually gotten to is "what is speaking in tongues for?" which is the rest of the reason I suggest such an importance for speaking in tongues (the unknown kind, not the kind for edification of others). BUT... (see 5)
5. CAN someone have the Holy Ghost and NOT speak in tongues? I think Shrume's lightbulb analogy is kind of doing a good job of explaining that. Can you have a lightbulb without turning it on? Yes. Will you get the intended benefits of having it? only the unavoidable ones, but not the main ones. Would you be able to justify the fact that you still walk in darkness? No.
6. Eternally-grateful made an awesome clarification of his stance on faith/works/salvation on another post. I just wanted to say that because I haven’t gotten back to that thread yet.
Love in Jesus,
Kelby