Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Baptism

BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

One of the Bible subjects most confused and misunderstood in people’s minds is baptism with the Holy Spirit. A large part of the confusion is resolved with a proper biblical definition - exactly what is baptism with the Holy Spirit? This lesson tries to do just that. When this is understood, then many of the other subjects become clear, such as:

• When is somebody baptized with the Spirit?
• How can somebody know if they have been baptized with the Spirit or not?
• Is speaking in tongues the sign that somebody was baptized with the Spirit?
• What happened in the house of Cornelius in Acts 10?
• Is baptism "with" or "in the" Spirit the same thing of baptism "for" or "of” the Spirit?
• Was Jesus speaking of the baptism with the Spirit when said to the Apostles: "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit descends on you" (Acts 1:8)?
• If there is a baptism with the Holy Spirit and a baptism in water, can we say that there is "only one baptism?

The Baptism With The Holy Spirit Was Done By Jesus, Exclusively

• 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.

Mark 1:8 "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming; whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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.’”

Note: it was not something done by men nor something done by the Holy Spirit but by Jesus.

• John (who immersed) is preaching to his listeners to repent of their sins to be saved.
• He informs them that someone greater than he was coming; therefore, the time to make their decision to repent was limited.
• John is not talking about dates or chronologies (neither the order nor when it would happen); but only about the greatness of Jesus.
• His authority would be seen in that He could baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. a. Jesus has power over the two.
• Not that the two are the same thing.
• Baptism with the Holy Spirit did not involve fire.
• The "tongues of fire" that rested on the apostles in Acts 2 were not an immersion in fire.
• These two baptisms have two different purposes.
• The baptism with fire.
• Matthew 3:12; "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
• John knew that among his hearers were two groups of people, the ones who would accept his message (the wheat), and the ones that they would reject it (the chaff).
• The ones who would accept it and repent would receive the blessing of the baptism with the Spirit.
• The ones who rejected it would receive the punishment of the baptism with fire.
• This did happen with these listeners in year 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.
• This event is not mentioned in the gospel of John, probably because John was written after 70

A.D.

• Malachi 4:1-6 is a parallel to Matthew 3:10-12.

B. Acts 2:33; “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.” C. Nobody (neither men nor the Spirit) would baptize with the Spirit. Only Jesus would do that. Men baptize in water and the Spirit gives gifts and power to be able but neither baptize with the Spirit. When we read in the Bible of a man acting or the Spirit doing something, we can know that such a thing does not refer to the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism With The Holy Spirit Was Something Done With The Spirit And Not Done By The Spirit.

• Matthew 3:11 Jesus … "baptizes with (or in) the Spirit."
• The Bible does not speak of the baptism "by the" Spirit but the baptism "with" the Spirit.
• It was not something that the Spirit did (to fill, to seal, to give power, to give gifts) but something that Jesus did with the Spirit.
• It is not the gift of speaking in languages (that is something that the Holy Spirit did and not Jesus (1

Corinthians 12:11).

• Simply, it was not something that the Spirit does, but something done with the Spirit.

The Baptism With The Holy Spirit Happened On The Day Of Pentecost And Not Before.

• Matthew 3:11 - It had not happened yet when Jesus was baptized by John.
• John 7:39 11 and 12:16, 23 - It would only happen after Jesus was glorified (after his resurrection). Acts 1:4-5
• Here, in the hour of the ascension of Jesus, they had still not received the promise from the Father (v. 4), which was the baptism with the Holy Spirit (v. 5).
• Acts 2:16-17 - On the day of Pentecost, in his sermon, Peter identifies the events of that day as being the fulfillment of the prophecy of the baptism with the Holy Spirit made by Joel the prophet.
• The Spirit had been present, acting, moving, empowering, etc. since the creation of the world but nothing that He did or that was done with Him before the day of Pentecost is called "the baptism with the Spirit".

Before Pentecost, people had been full of the Spirit and had received power from the Spirit, but none of this was called "baptism with the Spirit." E. Therefore, It is not...

• the power to do miracles (many had done miracles before Pentecost).
• the gift of inspiration (many had been inspired before Pentecost).
• to be full of the Spirit (many had been before Pentecost).
• John (Luke 1:15).
• Isabel (Luke 1:41).
• Zachariah (Luke 1:67).
• to be clothed by the Spirit since people in the Old Testament (before Pentecost) had been clothed with the

Spirit (see Judges 6:34; 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 24:20). The Baptism With The Holy Spirit Is Called The “Promise Of The Father”

• Jesus had already spoken about the promise of the Father to his disciples. The Father promised to send the

Spirit in the name of Jesus after Jesus returned to heaven.

• John 14:16,17,26 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows

Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ... "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

• John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
• John 16:7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
• Acts 1:4,5 “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; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’"
• On the day of Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Spirit on all flesh. This event was what Joel (and Isaiah) has prophesied centuries before:
• Isaiah 32:15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field and the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
• Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants.
• Joel 2:28 (Acts 2:17) "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.
• On the day of Pentecost, the Father fulfilled His promise and Jesus poured out the Spirit - Acts 2:33 “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.”

Note: Baptism with the Spirit was always a promise and never a command.

A Definition Of “Baptism With the Holy Spirit”

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is what Jesus did with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost in fulfillment of the promise of the Father - Jesus poured out the Spirit on all flesh. The Spirit since then became available to all saved people, independent of race (Jewish or heathen) or role in the government of God (priest, prophet, etc.).

Some Implications:

• This means that the Spirit was made available for all of humanity. Those who receive the benefit are those who become Christians.
• The baptism with the Spirit occurred once in history. He, the Spirit, was poured out once for all.
• In the same way that Jesus died once and for all, the Spirit was poured out once and for all. These two historical events never need to be repeated.
• Even Acts 10:45 reflects this truth. In the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles who heard the gospel. They started speaking in different languages. This event convinced the Jews that the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
• But when had He been poured out on the Gentiles? It was on the day of Pentecost. The perfect tense of the verb in Acts shows this. It indicates an act completed in the past with effects continuing in the present.

Once He was poured out, the Holy Spirit began to do His works, but nothing that He does is called "the baptism."

• The baptism with the Holy Spirit is what Jesus did with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The effect of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the same as the death of Christ. Although He died for all, only the ones who believe (commit to Christ), repent, and are baptized in water receive the benefit. Although poured out on all flesh, only the ones who believe, repent, and are baptized in water receive the benefit.
• Once He was poured out, the Spirit began to do His works, but nothing He did or does is referred to as the baptism with the Spirit. The baptism Jesus did was with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
• In practice, the effect of the baptism with the Spirit is the same as the death of Christ. Even though he died for all people of all ages, only those who believe, repent, and are baptized in water receive the benefit. Even though the Spirit was poured out on all humanity, only those who believe, repent and are baptized in water receive the benefit.
• All people of all ages were baptized with the Spirit potentially and all the saved in Christ of all ages are baptized effectively in the Spirit.

This was the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4,5). Jesus received the promise of the Father (Acts 2:33). Peter, in Acts 2:39, explained that the promise was for “you others” - those Jews present on Pentecost, “for your children”

• the Jews of future generations, and “for all who are far off” – the Gentiles (See Ephesians 2:13), for as many as the Lord our God shall call - all Christians in all ages.
• Today, if you are in Christ, you have been effectively baptized in the Spirit.

But when? On the day of Pentecost. But how? In the same way, Jesus died for you 2,000 years ago. You received the benefit of the death of Christ when you became a Christian. The Spirit was poured out on all flesh 2,000 years ago. You received the benefit of this outpouring when you became a Christian. Baptism With The Spirit Does Not Mean “Receive Miraculous Power From The Spirit”.

• 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." does not say that the promise of the Father is the same thing as “receive power”. He said that both things would so they should stay in Jerusalem. The Spirit gave power before

Pentecost but the baptism with the Spirit did not happen before Pentecost.

• Jesus gave the Spirit and the Spirit gave power but the baptism is what Jesus did and not what the Spirit did.
• Not all Christians did miracles but all Christians received the Spirit.
• Since the baptism with the Spirit is a unique historical event, it doesn’t make sense to talk about “receiving

Holy Spirit baptism”. The Bible never uses that type of phrase. How can you receive a past historical event? We can receive the Spirit or we can receive a gift from the Spirit but we cannot receive the “baptism of the Spirit”.

We Need To Distinguish Between The “Baptism With The Spirit” Which Was A Work Of Jesus, And Giving Power, Which Is A Work Of The Spirit.

• This is the most common mistake in the mind of many people - confusing what Jesus did with the Spirit (Baptized or poured out) and what the Spirit did once He was poured out or made available.
• For example, the Spirit gave miraculous powers to people to speak in other languages and heal the sick.
• He seals believers in Christ, dwells in the redeemed, inspired the apostles and prophets, comforts and guides,
• but none of this is called “the baptism.”
• The baptism is what Jesus did with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost - He poured Him out on all flesh.
• In the Bible, when the Spirit descended on someone, came on someone or fell on someone, that person received divine power
• He descended on Jesus and he did miracles

Matthew 3:16 Luke 3:22 Luke

4:18

Mark 1:10 John 1:32

• Luke 2:25-27 - Simeon prophesied
• Luke 1:35 - Mary conceived Jesus
• Acts 1:8 - the apostles received power
• Acts 2:3, 4 - They spoke in languages
• Acts 8:16 - They performed signs
• Acts 10:44, 45 - They spoke in languages
• Acts 19:6 - They spoke in languages and prophesied

Note: In Acts 8, the apostles were men especially chosen to witness the resurrection of Jesus. They had qualifications: Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8; 1 John 1:1-2 and credentials: 2 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 9:1; Acts 1:21,22; Acts 8:18. They and only they had the power to make the Spirit fall on someone by the laying on of hands (and so to give power). Compare The Baptism With The Spirit To Baptism In Water To See Which Of The Two Is The "One Baptism" Of Ephesians 4:5. Baptism In Water (In The Name Of Jesus)

• Done by men

Matthew 28:1 Acts 8:38 1 Corinthians 1:14-16

• Done with water

Acts 8:38-39 Acts 10:47

• Happened many times (with each conversion)
• Is a commandment and not a promise

Acts 2:38 Acts 22:16

• A Definition: Christian baptism is immersion in water in the name of Jesus (by the authority of Jesus) for the remission of sins. It is always preceded by faith and repentance.
• Some teachings:

• Baptism in water is necessary (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16)
• Baptism is only permitted for someone who believes (Acts 8:37-38)
• Baptism symbolizes a burial (Romans 6:3-6). It is by immersion.
• In baptism, we enter into Christ (Galatians 3:26, 27)

Ephesians 4:5 says that there is “only one baptism”. This baptism is baptism in water, because the baptism in the Spirit already happened and does not need to be repeated. Baptism in water in the name of Jesus, though, continues being done whenever someone becomes a Christian.

Some Say That "Holy Spirit Baptism" Was Promised Only To The Apostles. The "baptism of the Spirit" for these people is when somebody receives the power from the Spirit as inspiration, revelations, miracles, etc. But problems with this idea exist.

First, the expression "baptism of the Spirit" does not exist in the Bible. All the translations have "baptism with the Spirit" or "baptism in the Spirit." It is not a baptism that the Spirit does, but rather, it is a baptism where the Spirit is used. In the promises of the Old Testament, it is the Spirit that would be poured out and this would be evident by the miraculous gifts that the Spirit would give. It has to be kept in mind what was poured out – was not gifts, but rather, the Spirit. The promise was the Spirit and not the gifts that the Spirit would distribute after being poured out. Miracles and gifts already had been given well before this baptism, but what was promised only occurred on that day and not before. Until that day, the Spirit never was poured out for all people, but since that day all can receive the Spirit. The words of Jesus in Acts 1:4- 5 shows that the promise of the Father and the baptism with the Spirit were the same thing. When the apostles received the Spirit in Acts 2, Peter said in v.16 that the prophecy of Joel (the promise of the Father) was being fulfilled. This agrees with the words of Jesus in 1:4,5. In 2:33, Peter agrees with John 7:39 and he says clearly that the promise was the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. When Peter says: "this which you see and hear", he is using the manifestations of the Spirit to illustrate that the Spirit, in fact, was poured out. Jesus poured out the Spirit as was promised in the Old Testament.

Some of those who say that the promise of the baptism with the Spirit was only made to the apostles affirm that in the passages where Jesus speaks about this, only the apostles were present (for example, Acts 1:4-5). But when Jesus spoke to the apostles, this did not necessarily limit the promise. Actually, when we look at all the passages that speak about this baptism, we see that this was not so. When John the Baptist spoke, he was not only speaking to the apostles but to the multitude of Jews who went to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:112 and Luke 3:15, 16). When the apostle John spoke about the promise (that it, is the baptism with the Spirit) in John 7:39, it was not only limited to the apostles. The promise of Acts is not limited to only some, but is a promise for all the saved. One reason that some think that it was limited is because they do not understand that the baptism with the Spirit is not the distribution of gifts (ex. languages) nor a miraculous thing.

What About The Case Of Cornelius? (Acts 10-11)

In Acts 10: 44-45 Peter was called to preach to the Gentiles. While he was preaching, the Spirit fell on the Gentiles and they started to speak in languages. Does this mean that the Gentiles received the Spirit before they became

Christians? Not at all. Certainly, the Spirit already acted in some people before Acts 2. Saul in the Old Testament is an example. In 1 Samuel 10:10, the Spirit of the Lord possessed Saul and he prophesied (also see 1 Samuel 11:6). In 1 Samuel 16:14 it is said that the Spirit of the Lord was removed, but in 1 Samuel the 19:23 Spirit came upon Saul again and he prophesied. The Spirit can come upon somebody, make him prophesy (or do something else) and then remove Himself. Somebody being influenced by the Spirit, even to the point of prophesying, does not necessarily mean that the Spirit dwells in that person as was promised in the Old Testament.

In Acts, we learn about the promise of the Spirit through the preaching of Peter in chapter 2. When somebody is called by God through the gospel and becomes a Christian, this person receives the gift of the Spirit. This is possible because the Spirit was poured out on all flesh. In Acts 10, God wanted to show that this included the Gentiles, just as would be later preached: "He does not make a distinction". The Spirit fell on them before they had become Christians, showing that God accepted the Gentiles as well as the Jews who believed in Jesus as the Christ. When Peter and the others saw this, they recognized that when the Spirit was poured out, back in Acts 2 (the verb is in the perfect tense), He had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Then, without hesitation, the Gentiles were baptized, without circumcision, and, according to promise, received the Holy Spirit.