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Relevant Truth, Article 6: Baptism in the Holy Spirit
As we’ve mentioned in an earlier article, the baptism in water is performed by a human agent after one is converted, as a testimony of faith in two things:
1 – The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
2 – The personal death of one’s living for self, its burial (the burial of living for self), and the resurrection by the Holy Spirit to live a new, Christ-centered life.
The baptism into Christ is performed by the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion, and places a person into the spiritual body of Christ as a child of God. The third baptism relevant to the New Testament Church is that of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Many believe this experience was only for the early Church, and not for today. Others believe one must have this experience in order to be saved. Let us begin by looking at what John the Baptist said, and what Jesus said about it before His death, burial, and resurrection:
John the Baptist-
Matthew 3:11, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. NKJV
John 1:33, I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. NKJV
John the Baptist spoke prophetically about Jesus coming after him, and that He would baptize in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus-
John 7:37-39, On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. NKJV
Here (before His crucifixion) Jesus gives an all-inclusive invitation to everyone who believes in Him according to the scriptures.
[Note: The fact that He declared, “…as the Scripture has said…” is extremely important. One must believe the gospel as presented in the Bible, and not according to some other variation or version. Paul confirmed this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. NKJV
We must never lose sight of the absolute necessity of the Word of God with regards to obtaining faith for anything to do with God; whether salvation, or any other promise of God. Romans 10:17 says,faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. NKJV]
After His resurrection, and before His ascension, Jesus gave commands and both current and prophetic information to those believers in His presence:
Acts 1:4-5, 8, And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. NKJV (see also Luke 24:49)
Commands: “…not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father…”
Current information: “…which (Promise)…you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water…”
Prophetic Information: “…you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Jesus is clearly referring to the baptism in the Holy Spirit when speaking of the Promise of the Father.
Later, after the first group of believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter made reference to the same Promise. He first explains the experience to all the nonbelievers who witnessed the results of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and who were making inquiries into what was happening:
Acts 2: 32-33, This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. NKJV
When Jesus ascended into heaven, He received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, and then poured out that Promise upon the group of believers assembled together on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Later, Peter confirms the Promise of the Holy Spirit is for all believers:
Acts 2:38-39, Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. NKJV
Certainly the promised gift of salvation is for all men of all generations who believe in Jesus Christ, but so is the gift of the Holy Spirit in the form of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As Peter said, “…the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. Since God is still calling people to come to Him, we can know the promise is still valid.
Further verification is found by looking at some other incidents recorded in the book of Acts:
Acts 8:14-18, Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. NKJV
There were believers in Samaria who had been “born again” by receiving the Word of God. When Peter and John prayed for these believers, they received the Holy Spirit. This is definitely a subsequent manifestation of the Holy Spirit as they were already believers by faith in Christ, had the presence of the Holy Spirit in them, and were baptized spiritually into the body of Christ.
As the Apostles prayed for the Samaritan believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, something was evident that was noticed by a believer named Simon:
And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money. NKJV
There was something Simon “saw” that proved to him the baptism in the Holy Spirit was taking place; some kind of visible, outward evidence.
Later on in time, Peter was declaring the gospel message to a number of Gentiles:
Acts 10:34-39; 44-47, Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached…42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” NKJV
In verse 37, Peter gives a revealing statement about the preaching of Jesus Christ, and how those present and listening already knew the word “which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ.” This word “know” in the Greek is “eidos” which implies one knows because they see and understand with something like wide-eyed wonder, rather than a mechanical and unexceptional perception. In other words, these gentiles had heard about Jesus before this, and were ready to hear the word of God from Peter which would convert them. (See Peter’s rendition of this to the council at Jerusalem in Acts 11:4-16.)
As Peter spoke the Word of God to these spiritually hungry people, the Holy Spirit fell upon them and baptized them. When this happened the Jewish believers who accompanied Peter were astonished. Why? Because they heard the gentiles speak in tongues and magnify God. Once Peter realized the same experience had happened to them as the Jewish believers on the day of Pentecost, he moved to have them baptized in water as a testimony of their faith.
So we see here an outward manifestation that affirms the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, namely speaking in tongues. There is another record of this in Acts 19:1-7:
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. NKJV
Paul, the apostle, travels to Ephesus and finds some disciples of Jesus. These believers had not so much as heard of the Holy Spirit and were only baptized into John’s baptism. They were recognized as believers and disciples by Paul, but had not been water baptized after their conversion, nor baptized in the Holy Spirit. This confirms two things:
1 – A person can be a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ without being water baptized.
2 – A person can be a believer and disciple of Jesus Christ without being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
[Note: the thief on the cross is a prime example of both of these. In his unfortunate position as a condemned criminal being crucified, he could not have experienced either of these, yet Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43 NKJV You can read the whole discourse in Luke 23: 39-43.]
Paul baptized the believers in water, and laid hands on them whereby they received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. When this happened, they began to speak with tongues, and prophesied. Again, there was a manifestation of the gift of tongues, and in this case, prophetic utterances as well.
It is apparent that God gave us the records of these incidents for us to understand something: The experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all Jews and Gentiles who are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of where they live, or in what place they exist in human history. Like everything God offers us, it is to be received by faith. (John 7:38-39). The outward indication of it occurring is one’s ability to speak in tongues. The purpose of it occurring is to empower believers to live for and serve the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8)
Some ask why the baptism in the Holy Spirit was not given in the Old Testament to those who believed in the coming Christ?
There are two reasons:
1 - John 7:37-39, 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. NKJV
Acts 2:32-33, 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. NKJV
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit could not happen to the Old Testament saints because Jesus had not been raised up and glorified. Once Jesus was resurrected and went to sit at the right hand of God the Father, He was given the promise of the Holy Spirit by the Father. He then imparted the promise of the Holy Spirit to believers in the form of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
2 – Luke 24: 49, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” NKJV
Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” NKJV
Jesus explains the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for believers to receive power to be His witnesses. This makes sense when we understand the state of this fallen world and the nature of sin at work in those who do not believe in Christ to the saving of the soul. In 1 John 5:19 we read, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” NKJV (…the whole world lies in wickedness. KJV)
In other words, the whole world system is in a state of spiritual and moral degeneration under the sway of Satan. In this condition, it will only worsen and further distance itself from God and His people. Thus, the power of the Holy Spirit given by the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a great asset for believers to be witnesses as the world gets continually darker from sin and ungodliness.
Now, it is important to clarify that one does not need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit to be a successful witness of the Lord Jesus. There are massive numbers of God’s children who do not believe in this as a present day experience, and yet win many souls into the kingdom of God. The point is, this experience gives believers a measure of power and therefore potential that goes beyond the normal Christian experience. As an example, we read in 1 Corinthians 14:4, He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…” NKJV
When one obtains the gift of speaking in tongues by the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is a means of personal edification that goes beyond the normal. It does not make one any better, or special, than any other Christian. We are all one in Christ. (Ephesians 3:28) Yet, when used in the given context of scripture, it is a wonderful gift of God and a tremendous blessing. Remember, every gift from God is for His glory, our benefit, and the benefit of others with whom we interact.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1: 16-17 NKJV
The important thing to remember is that God is more concerned with our character, and how we are conforming to godliness in Christ. As Romans 8:1 declares, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. NKJV
So, if you have not experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit but are submitting yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus, there is no condemnation, but rather freedom: “…Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” NKJV
That being said however, since the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, like any other gift from God is good and perfect, I encourage you to prayerfully seek Him for the experience.
[Note: This particular gift of speaking in tongues is not the same as the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11. These are gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit at certain times to meet certain needs. We’ll cover this at a later time.]
Next article we will cover the 4th baptism relevant to us who live in this age of the New Testament Church: The Baptism in Suffering.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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