THE BAPTISM OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Lesson 7
1. Holy Spirit baptism is a unique
experience, distinct from, and usually occurring after, salvation;
2. Holy Spirit baptism is an experience whereby the totality (fullness) of the Spirit is possessed by a
Christian;
3. Holy Spirit baptism is an experience,
which empowers a Christian in a new way for witness and service;
4. Holy Spirit baptism is an experience
which Christians are urged to seek.
Classes are sometimes held to teach people how to get this experience;
5.
Holy Spirit baptism results in a full bestowal of the gifts of the
Spirit and the initial historical evidence of the baptism is that a person
speaks in tongues.
There
is a new movement which had its beginnings in the 1980's called the ÒThird
WaveÓ headed up by Peter Wagner.
The Third Wave people believe all the spiritual gifts are in operation
today in the church but they deny that the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens
sometime after conversion to Christ.
Quite often charismatics
give forth an elitist attitude thinking they are more spiritual than those who
have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They have this superiority attitude because they speak in
tongues due to the baptism of the Spirit.
Their fellowship is not around Christ but an experience.
Our task in this message is
to test these basic tenets of charismatics by the Bible alone, for the Bible is
our only rule of faith and practice.
ÒThe body is a unit, though
it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one
body.Ó In the preceding verses, Paul has been showing that God has given
spiritual gifts to every member of the universal church. In spiritual gifts, there is unity in
diversity because, although there are many gifts, there is one Spirit. Although there are many services, there
is one Christ who gives opportunity for ministry. And although there are many supernatural results in the
workings of gifts, there is one God.
Paul also shows there is diversity yet unity, for there are many kinds
of spiritual gifts, many degrees of spiritual gifts being manifested through
various personalities, but it is the Spirit of God who distributes these gifts
and unifies them to be used for the common good of the church.
In I Corinthians 12:12, the
Apostle uses the analogy of a body to help us understand how the church should
function. The stress is upon how
every part of the body is dependent upon another part and how all are dependent
upon the head if the body is to function properly.
ÒSo it is with Christ.Ó Paul applies the functioning
of the human body to the functioning of the church, the body of Christ, with
Christ as its Head. ÒAnd
he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church (Col. 1:18).Ó What Paul is saying is that
Christians are part of Christ, forming His spiritual and mystical body, the
church. Christians constitute the
means whereby Christ functions within this world today.
Now the question would naturally arise as to how Christians get into this body. We are not physically born into it, or water baptized into it, nor do we join it. As a matter of fact, we are joined to the body of Christ, the church, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul is clear that Holy Spirit baptism happens at conversion to Christ, being a once and for all event and putting a person into the body of Christ.
ÒFor we were all baptized by
(in, with) one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free.Ó This verse clearly teaches
that every Christian is baptized by, in, or with the Holy Spirit into the body
of Christ, the church. This
literally says, ÒFor we were all baptized in one Spirit.Ó The ÒinÓ can be translated ÒwithÓ or Òby.Ó All other references in the New
Testament to the baptism of the Holy Spirit also say Òin the Spirit.Ó This is the only place in the whole
Bible that actually tells us what the baptism is and when it occurs. This is a didactic (teaching) passage
and not a historical or narrative context as in the Gospels and Acts. In interpretation, didactic passages
take precedence over historical and narrative passages.
Meaning of Spirit Baptism.
All
scholars agree that the primary meaning of ÒbaptismÓ is to dip. Yet there is a secondary meaning to the
word ÒbaptismÓ which is to identify (Mk. 10:37,38; Matt. 3:11; Lk.
11:50; Eph. 4:5; Rom. 6:2). A
clear reference to this secondary meaning is in I Corinthians 10:2. ÒThey were all baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the seaÓ (I Cor. 10:2).
They were not dipped into but identified with Moses their leader and
he took them across the Red Sea.
Taking the secondary meaning, the baptism of the Holy Spirit means Òto
be identified withÓ or Òto be put into union withÓ the person of Christ so as
to form the body of Christ, the church.
Promise of Spirit Baptism.
The
initial promise that Christ would baptize men and women came to John the
Baptist. Notice that Jesus is the cause of the baptism and the
Holy Spirit is the instrument of baptism.
ÒI would not have known him,
except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ÒThe man on whom
you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with (in, by)
the Holy SpiritÓ (Jn. 1:33).
John was told that this is
the One who baptizes in (with, by) the Holy Spirit. Later he told the Jews that Messiah would come and would
baptize with (in, by) the Holy Spirit and fire.
ÒI baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I,
whose sandals I am not fit to carry.
He will baptize you with (in, by) the Holy Spirit and with fireÓ (Matt.
3:11).
In
Acts 1:4-5, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of
the Holy Spirit.
Ò.. he (Christ) gave this
command: ÒDo not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,
which you have heard me speak about.
For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized
with (in, by) the Holy SpiritÓ (Acts 1:4-5).
Time
of Spirit Baptism. Our Lord
told the original band of disciples (120) to tarry in Jerusalem until they were
baptized by the Holy Spirit. They
were told that the baptism would happen Òin a few days.Ó This happened ten days later at
Pentecost. No Old Testament saint
or any person who believed in Christ while He was on earth was baptized by the
Holy Spirit. This is a phenomenon
consistent only with the church.
Acts 11:16 confirms the testimony of Acts 1:5.
ÒAs I began to speak, the
Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had
said: ÒJohn baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit. So if God gave them the same
gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think
that I could oppose GodÓ (Acts 11:16)?
The Apostle Peter recounts
the conversion of Cornelius and confirms that just as the Holy Spirit fell on
the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost ten days after Christ promised the Spirit
would come, so Cornelius and others were Spirit baptized. The baptism of the Holy Spirit,
therefore, began on the Day of Pentecost and as far as we know, is unique to
the church age.
What happened at
Pentecost? That day many works of
the Holy Spirit were present - indwelling, sealing and filling. However, the most important act at
Pentecost was that the New Testament church began. Believers were united to Christ, forming the church, the
body of Christ. On that day, the
Apostles and others spoke in tongues but this was not the result of the baptism
of the Spirit. They spoke in
tongues because they were filled with the Spirit. ÒAll of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled themÓ (Acts 2:4).
Historically the baptism of
the Holy Spirit came into being on the Day of Pentecost, but when does the
baptism of the Spirit happen for Christians since the Day of Pentecost? It occurs at the moment of conversion
according to the Apostle Paul. ÒFor
we were all baptized by one Spirit into one bodyÓ (1 Cor. 12:13).
This is an aorist tense in the Greek and can mean, Òonce and for all baptized,Ó and this could only occur the moment a person believes in Christ as Savior and Lord. At that moment a Christian is put into vital, dynamic, organic union with Christ and is identified with him as His church. While the act of baptism by the Spirit is not experienced, the results of having been baptized are experienced. If baptism occurs there will be mighty change. If there is no change, a person needs to wonder if the baptism of the Spirit really took place at all.
The moment we believe in
Christ, we are identified with Christ, placed into union with Him, and
thirty-four wonderful things happen to us like: we are adopted, placed in GodÕs
family, forgiven, reconciled, made positionally righteous and many other
wonderful things take place because we are Òin ChristÓ. ÒIn ChristÓ is the key to understanding
the theology of the Apostle Paul.
Extent of Spirit Baptism.
First
Corinthians 12:13 says, ÒFor we were all baptized by one
Spirit into one body . . .Ó Every Christian has been baptized by the Holy
Spirit. It is universal among
Christians. Even these carnal
Corinthians were baptized by the Spirit, so it is not just the mature or
spiritual who are baptized by the Spirit.
There is only one baptism of the Spirit and it is for all Christians.
ÒThere is one body and one
Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one
faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all
and in allÓ (Eph. 4:4-6).
This is obviously a
reference to Spirit baptism, which unites all Christians and occurs at
conversion.
Position of Spirit Baptism.
Since
the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens to all Christians at the moment of conversion,
then it is a positional act and cannot be experienced. It is an eternal fact. Since it is an act of God, it is
neither based on nor derived from experience. This does not mean, however, we will not experience the
results of having been baptized.
Christians are never
commanded or exhorted in the Bible to be baptized by the Spirit. Why? It is a fact, actual and positional for all Christians. Union with Christ due to the baptism by
the Spirit is a mystical union and will result in experience, but the baptism
itself is not experienced. What
then is experienced? We experience
the filling of the Spirit. ÒDo
not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the SpiritÓ (Eph. 5:18).
Spirit baptism is a once and
for all act. The filling of the
Spirit is a continuous and repeated work.
The baptism of the Spirit is a past and positional fact; the filling of
the Spirit is a present experience.
The baptism of the Spirit is for all believers. The filling of the Spirit is only for
yielded believers.
There have been many great
men of God like D.L. Moody who had a life-changing experience. There was a time in his life when he
and his ministry were revolutionized.
He fell on his face in a hotel room for a long time. When he arose from the floor, his
ministry was changed and so was he.
He had an experience with God.
He did not get the second blessing or the baptism of the Spirit or a
second work of grace, but he did get a powerful filling of the Spirit, which
changed his life and ministry.
Results of Spirit Baptism.
The
Bible says there are two results that come when a person is baptized by the
Holy Spirit. First, the Christian
is placed into union with Christ. ÒFor
all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with ChristÓ
(Gal. 3:27). As a result
of this union with Christ, one shares the death for sin and resurrected life of
Christ, becoming a joint heir with Him in all He possesses. ÒNow if we are children, then we are
heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, . . .Ó (Rom. 8:17). Second, the Christian is placed into
the body of Christ, the church.
Each Christian becomes one with Christ and one with one another. All depend upon Christ, the Head, and
there becomes an interdependency on one another.
ÒAnd we were all given the
one Spirit to drink.Ó -- This may refer to the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit for
every believer, or it may mean that the Holy Spirit has bestowed gifts on every
believer. We drink of the Holy
Spirit by faith so that our spiritual gifts can function in the power of the
Spirit and not in the flesh.
The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Pentecost
was much more than an individual event of ChristÕs disciples. It was a point of transition between
the Old Covenant work of the Holy Spirit and the New Covenant ministry of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was
at work in the Old Testament in such acts as filling and empowering, but as a whole,
it was a work of lesser intensity than that of the New Covenant. For sure, the work of the Holy Spirit
in the Old Testament was primarily confined to the nation of Israel but in the
New Testament, it is for the Jew and Gentiles of the world.
All the disciples of Christ
while converted had an Old Covenant experience of the Holy Spirit before
Pentecost. At Pentecost the
disciples entered into the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) to experience a new,
more powerful working of the Holy Spirit.
They received power according to Acts 1:8 for witnessing and for living
the Christian life not known previously by any Old Testament saints or
followers of Christ.
The Day of Pentecost was a
remarkable transition in the history of redemption - it marked a new age with a
new power. Pentecost did not
happen by accident, it was planned by God and predicted in the Old Testament
(Joel 2). So, what happened at
Pentecost? There was a new and
more powerful work of the Holy Spirit - indwelling, sealing and filling of the
Spirit. But the main act of the
Spirit was that of the baptism of the Holy Spirit even though it is not
mentioned in Acts 2. It was at
this point that the Holy Spirit put believers into Christ Himself, forming the
body of Christ, the church.
Pentecost will never be
repeated because it was part of the redemptive plan of God to bring in the New
Covenant predicted in the Old Testament.
How then do we explain what appears to be Òsecond experiencesÓ after
salvation in Acts in Acts 8, 10 and 19?
Were these the baptism of the Holy Spirit subsequent to conversion? Acts is a transitional book and it is
difficult to build a theology on Christian experience on the Book of Acts. Events happened in Acts that will never
and can never happen again.
Acts
8:14-17. Acts is a book of
transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant ages. The Samaritans were half-breeds, part
Gentiles and were not fully Jewish.
They had a rival system of worship to Jerusalem. The Jews and the Samaritans hated one
another and both claimed to be the true followers of Jehovah-God. The gospel coming to and accepted by
the Samaritans was a historical fulfillment of Acts 1:8: ÒBut you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earthÓ Acts 1:8). It took at least three years for the gospel to get to Samaria. While we are not told the baptism of
the Holy Spirit took place with the Samaritans, we may assume that if it did it
was three years after the Day of Pentecost. This would be the first recorded incident.
There was a need to delay
the baptism of the Holy Spirit (putting these Samaritan believers into the body
of Christ) so as to avoid two rival factions in the Christian church. They were separate, regenerate believers
in Christ but Old Covenant style much like the 120 had been before the Day of
Pentecost. There was a need to
make a connection between the believers in Samaria and the believers in
Jerusalem.
Peter and John came from
Jerusalem to lay hands on the believing Samaritans, identifying them with the
Apostolic ministry and at the same time they were put into the body of Christ
by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Had not this been the case, there would have been two churches - a
Samaritan one and a Jewish one which would have destroyed the unity of the
infant Christian Church. The
baptism of the Spirit was delayed so the Jewish believers would not think the
Samaritan believers were second class citizens in the church.
There is no mention of tongues in the passage, although there were probably manifestations of the Holy Spirit present (including tongues) because Simon saw some kind of manifestation when hands were laid on the Samaritan believers.
Acts
10:44-46 And 11:15-16. While
Peter was preaching to the Gentiles (CorneliusÕ household), the Holy Spirit
fell on them, causing them to believe in Christ. They were not believers and they were converted and baptized
by the Holy Spirit at the same time, not on two separate occasions. This all symbolized that the Gentiles
are brought into the body of Christ fulfilling the historical consequences of
Acts 1:8: ÒBut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you
will be my witness . . . to the
ends of the earthÓ (Acts 1:8).
It is interesting to note
that since the Day of Pentecost when the first occurrence of tongues appeared
there was a gap of about eight years
between the time the Gentiles were given tongues. In eight years, there are two recorded instances of tongues
and it was always connected with a new extension of the gospel. We may conclude that tongues are not
that important in the Book of Acts and Christians today who stress tongues as
an evidence of salvation, the presence of the Holy Spirit or the result of
being truly filled with the Spirit do not have the biblical emphasis on
tongues.
What occurred in Acts 10 and 11 to the Gentiles was the same thing that occurred to the Jews at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. They were baptized by the Holy Spirit and brought into the body of Christ. When the 120 spoke it tongues, it was the result of the filling of the Spirit not the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:4).
Acts
19:1-6. These Ephesians were
caught in the transition between the Old and New Covenants. They had been saved through John the
BaptistÕs gospel that promised the Messiah who was coming. They were Old Covenant believers and
knew nothing of the Holy Spirit.
They believed in Christ.
Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied (obvious manifestations of the Spirit).
The Ephesians did not have
New Covenant faith or understanding, and they certainly did not have New
Covenant empowering by the Holy Spirit.
These disciples of JohnÕs are not models for today. There is only one generation where the
Holy Spirit was received after conversion and that was the first century when
there was Old Covenant believers who needed to be put into the body of Christ
by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This fourth mention of
tongues speaking occurred over twenty
years after Pentecost. These
manifestations were the result of the filling not the baptism of the Spirit.
Not Always Evidenced by
Speaking in Tongues.
We
know from I Corinthians 12:13 that all Christians receive the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. Yet, I Corinthians
12:29-30 (the same chapter) says that tongues is just one of the spiritual
gifts and all do not speak in tongues.
In the Greek, each of these questions expects a ÒnoÓ answer.
ÒAre all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpretÓ (I Cor. 12:29-30)?
Therefore, we can conclude
that speaking in tongues is not an evidence of the baptism of the Spirit. Yet there are many sincere Christians
who believe it is; however, in my opinion they are sincerely wrong.
Not A Special Form of Power.
Charismatics want to translate Acts 1:5,
Òin
a few days you will be baptized with the SpiritÓ as ÒwithÓ or ÒinÓ,
making it refer to receiving special power in a Spirit baptism experience. Yet, charismatics have to admit that I
Corinthians 12:13 must be translated Òby the Spirit,Ó for it is by the Holy
Spirit that a Christian is put into Christ. In every place the baptism of the Spirit is mentioned in the
New Testament, it should always be translated Òby the Spirit.Ó Also, if the charismatics are right on
Acts 1:5 and I Corinthians 12:13, then there are two kinds of baptisms of the
Holy Spirit which would not make any sense at all.
Whatever else we many
conclude about tongues or other spectacular gifts, we may say that the
charismatic movementÕs position on the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurring
sometime after conversion does not meet the biblical criteria. Therefore, to call what they are
experiencing the result of the baptism of the Spirit is incorrect.
What has happened when
people claim to have had an experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that
has brought great blessing into their lives? They claim some special work of grace has occurred in their
life after they were saved. It
cannot be denied that they have experienced something but it, in my opinion, is
not the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Most often when people
receive what they call the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are told to confess
all known sins, commit every aspect of their lives to Christ, yielding fully to
Him and believe He is going to empower them in a new way and equip them with
new gifts of ministry. This is a crisis
experience, which will bring a significant growth in sanctification and deeper
fellowship with Christ.
For many the so-called
second blessing is really the first blessing, bringing salvation. Before this, they were experiencing
dry, dead religion but not the power of the Holy Spirit, which comes at
salvation. Professing Christians,
especially those in mainline liberal denominations, experience saving faith for
the first time. They call it the
baptism of the Holy Spirit because they do not know the biblical teaching on
the subject. In reality, they have
experienced the excitement of the new birth. Suddenly they experience the presence of God in their
lives. Worship becomes an
experience of deep joy and excitement, and they begin to experience spiritual
gifts like helps or teaching or sometimes tongues which they had not known
before.
In actuality what happens to
professing Christians who are not saved or real Christians who are experiencing
very little of God is a new empowering of the Holy Spirit, a refreshing from
God, a large step of spiritual growth.
God wants and expects Christians to experience the power of the Holy
Spirit individually and collectively.
What many claim as a baptism of the Spirit is in reality a dynamic
filling of the Holy Spirit. The
baptism of the Spirit occurs once at conversion but the filling of the Holy
Spirit occurs many times after conversion.
In response, it must be said that, if the terminology Òbaptism is the
Holy SpiritÓ is changed for something more representative of New Testament teaching,
there should be no objection at all to people coming into churches, and to
encouraging people to prepare their hearts for spiritual renewal by sincere
repentance and renewed commitment to Christ and by believing that the Holy
Spirit can work much more powerfully in their lives. There is nothing wrong with teaching people to pray and to
seek this greater in filling of the Holy Spirit, or to expect and ask the Lord
for an outpouring of more spiritual gifts in their lives, for the benefit of
the body of Christ. In fact, most
evangelical Christians in every denomination genuinely long for greater power
in ministry, greater joy in worship, and deeper fellowship with God. Many would also welcome increased
understanding of spiritual gifts, and encouragement to grow in the use of them
(Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology).
While Acts 2:4 teaches that
the 120 disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues, it does not
logically follow that everyone who is filled with the Spirit speaks in
tongues. Jesus was filled with the
Spirit many times but did not speak in tongues. Elizabeth was filled but did not speak in tongues. In the Book of Acts, all references to
the filling of the Spirit, except acts 2:4, there are no speaking in tongues. In Ephesians 5:18-21, the Apostle Paul
commands the Christian to be repeatedly filled with the Holy Spirit and gives
results like singing, sincere thanksgiving and submission to the brethren but
tongues is not mentioned.
Therefore, while an experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit may
result in the gift of speaking in tongues or the use of some other gifts that
had not previously been experienced, it also may come and usually does without
the gift of speaking in tongues.
Christians should never be
afraid of the Holy Spirit. The
Spirit can only do us good and not harm.
Christians are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to
experience the presence of Christ in their lives. Christians should shy away from emotionalism but not be
afraid of the Holy Spirit genuinely moving their emotions for the glory of
God. God created us to experience
Him! We must seek Christ with all
our hearts and the Holy Spirit will bring us the spiritual gifts He wants us to
have. Seek the giver of gifts not
the gifts themselves.
It is tragic that many
Christians have robbed themselves of blessing because they distrusted, feared
or despised this movement. They
have been satisfied with a low level of spirituality. They have not allowed God to release them in prayer and
praise and personal relationships, from the imprisonment of age-long
inhibitions. They have not
expected to see God at work in conversions, in changing tough lives, in
healing, in explicit guidance.
They have forgotten that the manifestations of the Spirit in the New Testament
had an uncomfortably concrete nature (Michael Green, I Believe in the Holy Spirit).