What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Part 2
Picture from Wallpapers.com -twodazza
We have already looked at how the Bible refers to the baptism by the Holy Spirit, and we have touched on Jesus' own Holy Spirit baptism. Now, I think I will tackle trying to figure out the nature of that baptism and how it comes about.
In the case of Jesus' baptism, we see that there are two separate and distinct baptisms that happen. First, Jesus is baptized with water by John the Baptist. Now, John the Baptist was performing a baptism of the repentance of sins, as we see in Matthew 3:11a where he states clearly that, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance", and he goes on to state that he is preparing the way for One who is much greater than him.
This leads my thoughts to whether or not Jesus needed the baptism of repentance. This is another aspect to an earlier series of articles that I wrote on this subject; in that series I had not considered if the baptism of repentance was required by Jesus. If you are interested in that series, it discusses the nature of the divinity of Jesus, whether Jesus was always perfect or if He attained perfection, and what the ramifications of that thought experiment may be. I want to emphasize that that series was a thought experiment, so please read it as such and come to your own conclusions, based on Scripture. But let's shoot that rabbit and get back to business!
It is only after this water baptism of repentance that Jesus experienced another baptism, but it was immediately after; this second baptism was that of the Holy Spirit. I have already mentioned that we know that both John the Baptist and Jesus Himself saw the Spirit descend and alight on Jesus in a form like a dove, but we don't actually know if anybody else saw it, and I don't know if that holds any significance. What I do want to point out is that there are two distinct baptisms that take place here; in Jesus' case, they just take place in short order. So if Jesus' baptism by the Holy Spirit was a separate act from His water baptism, does that mean that it is the same for us? Let's see what the Scriptures tell us.
It comes to my mind that there are two distinct and different stories of baptism and Holy Spirit baptism in the book of Acts, and it is likely of some value to examine both of them. I want to start with what we read in Acts 19:2-6. The context of this passage is that Paul was travelling and came to Ephesus where he found some followers of The Way, which is what those who followed Jesus were called. We read, "He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying."
In this passage we see two things. First, these were already followers of Christ whom Paul came upon and they had already received the baptism of water, which is the baptism of repentance of sins; a turning away from the previous way of life. But they had not experienced the baptism by the Holy Spirit. In fact, they didn't even know to expect or pursue it. The Holy Spirit was known to the Jews through the stories of their Scriptures, which are included in our Christian Old Testament, but we don't know if these followers of Jesus were Jewish Believers or Gentile Believers. Regardless of their previous religious affiliations, they didn't understand that the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believed on Jesus' sacrifice.
This is where the second thing that we see comes up, and unfortunately, there is some ambiguity about what actually happened. The passage tells us that these Believers "were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus". Does this mean that they underwent another water baptism in the way that we do now, where we are baptized in the names of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as Jesus instructed the disciples to do in Matthew 28:19? I think that we may have to assume as much given that we have very little context to work with, but how often have we witnessed modern water baptism that has the same result as what we read about here, where those who were baptized "began speaking with tongues and prophesying"? I have never witnessed it myself, but I will also admit that I have spent most of my life in decidedly non-Pentecostal churches. It is entirely possible that our own biases will inhibit the actions of the Holy Spirit. If we are not Pentecostal, we will not be moved upon to act in Pentecostal ways. Are we missing something in our baptism ceremonies, or is there more to this? I don't have the answer to that...yet.
What we do know is that these Believers had received the water baptism of repentance, but that this did not automatically lead to them receiving the baptism by the Holy Spirit, so this shows us that there is no necessary correlation between those two baptisms.
Let’s look now at what we read in Acts 10 about Peter's experience. The context of this passage is that Peter has been called by the Spirit to respond to a yet coming invitation to visit a Roman Centurion, Cornelius, a Gentile and not yet a Believer. Cornelius was a God fearing man, but he had not yet been exposed to the gospel message of Jesus. This invitation to Paul was also inspired by the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish His will. When Peter arrives at the home of Cornelius, he hears the story of how he came to be brought there and he shares the gospel message with all who were in the house.
This is where we read that, "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" (Acts 10:44-47).
So while Acts 19 shows us that water baptism is not synonymous with being baptized by the Holy Spirit, Acts 10 shows us that water baptism is also not a prerequisite for Holy Spirit baptism. These Gentile Roman citizens received the Holy Spirit baptism simply upon their belief in the gospel message as presented by Peter, and only received the water baptism afterwards. So we see belief, then Holy Spirit baptism, which is followed by water baptism. In effect, the Holy Spirit Himself attested to the heartfelt acceptance of the gospel message in these new Believers, potentially even prior to them knowing of a Holy Spirit baptism.
So while we can see that there is no correlation between water baptism and the receipt of the Holy Spirit, we also see that there is not necessarily a correlation between belief on Jesus as the Messiah and the receipt of the Holy Spirit in what might be called a baptism. The Believers in Acts 10 were Spirit baptized upon belief; the Believers of Acts 19 were not.
I think that, while there is Scriptural evidence of an indwelling of the Holy Spirit at the time of regeneration, or receipt of salvation, there is also Scriptural evidence for then additionally the potential for a baptism by the Holy Spirit in power to engage the practise of spiritual gifts and to empower ministry. These are two separate experiences. And notice that I say that there is potential for a baptism by the Holy Spirit. One does not necessarily always lead to the other.
So when and under what circumstances does the Holy Spirit come upon someone in what we might refer to as a baptism? We understand that God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit know our innermost thoughts and desires. Given this understanding, is it not logical that the Holy Spirit will recognize if we have a desire to go deeper with God, with the Spirit, and He can act according to our inner desires, whether or not we know to seek or request it?
This leaves us in a place where there is no specific point in a Believer’s walk that we can say that Spirit baptism will take place. There is no time frame for it, nor is there a milepost of belief or action that will initiate the baptism by the Spirit. However, the Spirit knows if the one whom He is indwelling is ready and willing to walk in the power that He is able to provide us.
John Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, spoke to the dual nature of the Spirit living or working in us. In reference to the initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon confession and the resulting faith walk, he has said that “That’s the stereotypical way of thinking about Western Christianity. We have a list of doctrines; we have a list of behaviours. We believe the doctrines, we do the behaviours, and we infer that we belong to God and that something supernatural is happening, but nobody experiences anything.” [a] I want to challenge you to think about if you are currently, or if you have ever walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what Mr. Piper is talking about in the interview from which this quote is taken. You are a saved Believer with the Holy Spirit inside you, but does the Spirit empower you?
Mr. Piper talks about the differences in the references to the Holy Spirit in regards to the Christian walk, comparing how Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”, to how Luke talks about it in Acts 1:5, “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” His position agrees with mine (or perhaps rather my position agrees with his); that there is an initial indwelling upon confession of faith, yet there can also be a baptism with power that generally happens at some later time; be that an hour, a month or even years later.
My own testimony speaks to this. I have been a Christian for my entire life, but Mr. Piper’s description fit me to a tee; “we infer that we belong to God and that something supernatural is happening, but nobody experiences anything.” I believe that I was lead by the Spirit in certain directions and decisions throughout my life, but I could not claim that I felt His leading until the Holy Spirit revealed Himself to me in a different way. Prayer was talking to God and expecting that He would just make things happen in the way that He saw fit. There was no expectation of hearing an answer or sensing a specific leading. This is the faith that I was taught. It was no fault of anyone teaching me; they simply knew no better themselves.
There came a point in my life, though, when the Spirit must have sensed that I was open to experiencing more in my faith walk, and He acted in such a way as to get my attention. I can even point to the moment when this happened, and that would be the first time that I heard His almost audible voice speak two words to me; “It’s time.” I actually looked to my left in a dark and empty room, because that is where I heard the voice come from. This was in reference to a decision that would change the course of my life and start me on a path towards self-employment. This is a path that, had I not embarked on it, I would not have learned or experienced the things that I have, both good and bad.
Even as I write this, I think that I am beginning to understand that just as God revealed Himself gradually to humanity, and Jesus also revealed Himself gradually to His disciples and the people around Him, the Holy Spirit will also gradually reveal Himself to us as we agree to walk alongside Him in the path that He sets before us. This is not a one-time experience, though there can be an initial baptism, but it is more likely repeatedly accomplished and increasingly revealed, possibly in the face of a specific task to be done as we saw in the Old Testament, but even as we minister to others.
I guess I haven’t yet figured out the actual nature of Holy Spirit baptism. We have seen that when Jesus was baptized by the Holy Spirit, He acted in union with the Holy Spirit; going where He was lead to go, speaking to whom He was lead to speak and saying what He was lead to say, and performing miracles. We may want to claim that He was able to do this because Jesus was God incarnate, but what does Jesus tell us? “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12). He prefaces this statement with the reason why He is able to perform such works, which we read in verse 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”
Jesus states that the reason He accomplishes what He does is because God is in Him. We have that same inheritance when the Holy Spirit abides in us, which is, I think, a result of Holy Spirit baptism. When we are in tune with what God wants from us at all times and we act according to that leading, that is when we are walking in the Spirit, and I believe that that is the evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. If you are not familiar with living like that, perhaps you need to consider that you may not have received Holy Spirit baptism as yet.
This is not to say that you are not saved. My understanding is “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). If this were not the case, then the thief on the cross would not be saved, but Jesus tells him that he will be with Jesus. My assertion throughout my writings is that there is an initial act of salvation which gains you access to Heaven, but that is just the first step of a long journey of learning and refinement and growth that we are all called to embark on.
Far too many Christians are still stuck in the place where they took that first step. This is not a judgment on them, but rather it is a judgment on the church. We have failed to disciple them correctly. We get them in the door and then we leave them there, probably because we haven’t progressed any further ourselves. We bring them to what we know; we have no capacity to bring them farther.
Have you ever wondered why there are Christians who seem to be able to accomplish and act in such greater ways than you can and how it is that they are able to do this? Doesn’t it make sense that they have just pressed into God harder and more intentionally, and in reference to what I am talking about here, they have sought the Holy Spirit baptism that allows the Spirit to use them as a conduit through which to work?
A former pastor of mine used an object lesson and gave a small token to the men in the church many years ago. He was speaking specifically to the men, but this applies to everyone. He talked about what copper is used for, specifically it is used to conduct electricity in wires and it is used to transfer water. It is a conduit, and a very good one. The token that the pastor had prepared for the men to carry with them everyday in their pocket was a short piece of copper water pipe. It was to be a reminder to us, everyday, that we are to be conduits of the Holy Spirit, delivering to the world whatever it is that the Spirit would have us deliver.
I carried that piece of pipe in my pocket for a long time, though I have since somehow misplaced it. It is easy to replace it, and perhaps I should. I carried it in the same pocket that I have my change in. Every time I paid for something I ended up pulling it out and seeing it. I’m sure some people thought it strange that I had that in my pocket, but I was a tradesman for a number of years, so screws, nails and any other bit of something is not uncommon to find in a tradesman’s pocket. I think that I understood the message that that pastor was delivering that day as much as I could at that time, but my current understanding of faith and the Spirit leads me to understand it on a different level. We can only truly be a conduit of the Spirit if we are baptized by the Spirit.
So perhaps we need to start using different phraseology around the different aspects of Holy Spirit influence in the life of a Christian. Maybe we need to clarify that a Believer is “indwelt” by the Holy Spirit upon his or her confession of faith, but that “Holy Spirit baptism” is a separate empowerment of the individual by the Holy Spirit, in support of the practise of spiritual gifts and the expansion of that individual’s Spirit lead ministry.
I want to point out one more thing that I thought of in the course of my research thus far. In Genesis we read that after God formed man from the dust of the earth, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7b). An alternate translation for the word “being” is noted as “soul”. It was at this moment, when God gave man life, that He also imbued man with a soul that would guide us and lead us to Him. Jump ahead to a time after Jesus was resurrected and He was in the presence of His disciples. This was the first time that He revealed Himself to them since He rose from the dead. Part of what Jesus did is what we read in John 20:21-22; “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Adam was the first born of creation and by the breath of His lungs God gave humanity life and a spirit; Jesus is the first born of the resurrected (Colossians1:18), and by the breath of His lungs He prepared His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. What a picture of the continuation of God’s creation story!!
I still have so much to say on this topic, so there will be another article forthcoming. I hope that you will watch for it and we can continue this journey of exploration together.
[a] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-the-baptism-of-the-holy-spirit
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