THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
There are many and
various
ideas about Holy Spirit Baptism. These ideas range from "I don't have
any
idea" to the bizarre. Even though the Bible does not have a great deal
to
say about this subject, it tells us enough so we can come to some
definite
conclusions. We believe and will prove that there is only ONE recorded
instance
of Holy Spirit Baptism in the New Testament and the implication of one.
The
recorded instance is Acts 2:1-4; the ONE implied is Paul. Paul stated
that he
was made an apostle not by men, but by Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1). If
the
empowering that made him an apostle came through human agency, then he
was made
an apostle by men; since he denied that his apostleship was conferred
upon him
by human agency, we must assume that Jesus Himself empowered him for
his
apostleship by baptizing him with the Holy Spirit.
Since there are so
many ideas
about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it behooves us to note some
things that
Holy Spirit Baptism is not…
We can
confidently say
that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is NOT:
1. Merely the
ability to
perform miracles
2. Merely the
ability to
speak in tongues
3. Being filled
with the
Spirit
4. The "gift of the
Holy
Spirit" (Acts
5. Being born of
water and
the Spirit (John 3:5)
6. Baptism in fire
7. Merely the Holy
Spirit
being within
Furthermore,
there are
some things Holy Spirit Baptism was NOT intended to do. These are:
1. Make people
believers ‑
they were already (Matt. 16:16-28)
2. Prepare them for
baptism ‑
they had been (Luke 7:30)
3. Make people
repent ‑
they already had (Matt. 3:2; Acts 19:4, etc.)
4. Save them ‑
great
commission baptism does this (Acts 2:38; Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16)
5. Cleanse them ‑
the
Word of God does this (John 15:3)
6. Put them into Christ ‑ great commission baptism does this (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3‑4)
7. Sanctify them ‑
the
Word of God does this (John 17:16-17)
John Promised
Holy Spirit
Baptism to the Jews
Speaking to a mixed
multitude
about the coming Lord, John said, “Whenever you change your hearts, I
immerse
you in water. But there is one coming later who is more important than
I am. I
am not worthy to carry his shoes. He will immerse you in the Holy
Spirit and in
fire!” (Matt. 3:11). John preached only to the Jews. Therefore, the
PROMISE of
Holy Spirit Baptism was ONLY to the Jews. In addition, John affirmed
that Jesus
would be the Administrator of this baptism, thus it was not bestowed by
the
laying on of apostolic hands. It also should be noted that John the
baptizer is
here addressing two groups of Jews. He is addressing an obedient and a
disobedient group.
Let us go to
Matthew 3 and
commence with verse 5: “People from Jerusalem and all over the land of
Judea
and all the area around the Jordan River continued coming to John. They
were
admitting that they had sinned. John immersed them in the Jordan River.
When
John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersions, he said
to
them, You are like poisonous snakes! Who told you to run away from
God's
punishment which is coming? You must do the things which will show
that
you really have changed your hearts! Don't think this to yourselves:
'Abraham
is our father!' I tell you that God could make children for
Abraham from
these rocks here. The ax is now ready to cut the trees down. Every tree
which
does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into fire.
Whenever
you change your hearts, I immerse you in water. But there is one coming
later who
is more important than I am. I am not worthy to carry his shoes. He
will
immerse you in the Holy Spirit and in fire! He will come ready to clean
the
grain. He will separate the good grain from the straw. He will put the
good
part of the grain into his barn. Then he will burn the straw with a
fire which
cannot be put out.”
Here in these
verses, we have
two classes of people represented. One class is represented as wheat
and the
other as chaff: the wheat - the good and obedient (Matt. 13:30); the
chaff -
the no good, the disobedient, the ungodly (Ps. 1:4-6). It should be
observed in
this third chapter of Matthew that “People from Jerusalem and all over
the land
of Judea and all the area around the Jordan River continued coming to
John.
They were admitting that they had sinned. John immersed them in the
Jordan
River” (Matt. 3:5-6). But notice also that the Pharisees and Sadducees
went to
John's baptism, but John called them, “poisonous snakes” (vs. 7). He
called
them that because they were the disobedient ones.
Go with us now to
Luke
7:29-30, “All of the people and the tax collectors who heard this
agreed that
God’s command was good; they had allowed themselves to be immersed by
John. But
the Pharisees and teachers of the law refused to obey God’s plan; they
did not
allow themselves to be immersed by John.” This is conclusive proof that
John
was addressing two groups, an obedient and a disobedient group. No
wonder he
told them that Christ would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with
fire.
Friends, there is
no Biblical
record of the good and obedient being baptized with fire. Fire is for
that
which is no good. The branches that do not bring forth good fruit are
taken
away and cast into the fire and are burned (John 15:2, 6). Fire is for
the
disobedient (2 Thess. 1:7-8); for the devil and his angels (Matt.
25:41; Rev.
20:10-15). Those who submitted to John's baptism had no promise of fire
at all
(Mark 1:8).
Uniqueness of
the
Apostolic Office
The uniqueness of
the
apostolic office cannot be overemphasized. Many people believe this
office was
special, but most do not realize just how unique it truly was. On the
day of
His resurrection, Jesus breathed on the apostles and said, "Receive the
Holy Spirit. If you say some people are forgiven, then they are
forgiven. But,
if you say that the sins of some people are not forgiven, then they are
not
forgiven” (John 20:22‑23). What
did He mean by the idea of the remitting and retaining of sins? Was it
based
upon the capricious, whimsical, flighty fickleness of the apostles?
Certainly
not! He had specific reference to the preaching of the Gospel and to
the
loosing or retention of sins dependent upon the attitude of the hearer.
Those
who heard and obeyed the Gospel enjoyed the remission of their sins.
Those who
heard and did not respond were those whose sins were retained.
Akin to this is
Jesus'
statement to the apostles near Caesarea Philippi. He said, “I will give
you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have
already
been bound in heaven. And whatever you loosen on earth will have
already been
loosened in heaven” (Matt. 16:19; see also 18:18). Thus, the keys of
the
kingdom of heaven in this passage denote authority to give entrance
into the
kingdom of Heaven - the New Testament church (Matt. 16:18).
The apostles began
to
exercise this authority on the day of Pentecost after they were
baptized with
the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" point
directly to the "remitting or retention" of sins in John 20:22‑23.
The apostles were God's special spokesmen through which the Gospel was
first
announced. Whatever God had determined to loose or bind in heaven, He
would do
so on earth through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. Truly, the
apostles
were an intricate and essential part of God's plan to make known His
eternal
purpose in Christ Jesus.
The apostles
exercised an
authority enjoyed by no other individuals. For instance, to the
Corinthians
Paul said, “Someone may think he is a prophet or an inspired person.
However,
that person must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command
from
the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). How many today can claim to write the
commandments of
Christ? How many can command "by the authority of our Lord Jesus
Christ" as Paul did? (2 Thess. 3:6).
The Baptism of
the Holy
Spirit in the Book of John
We previously
mentioned that
John the baptizer introduced the subject of Holy Spirit Baptism. We
also noted
that Jesus dealt with this subject before His ascension. Now we want to
notice
some things Jesus said to the apostles the night of His arrest on the
same
subject. After the last Passover supper and before arriving at the
garden,
Jesus had a long discourse (John 13:31‑16:33) with the eleven; Judas
had
already left on his betrayal mission. The words spoken by Jesus point
directly
to the day of Pentecost and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and
the
subsequent blessings that would flow from it.
Several of Jesus'
statements
in these chapters can only be understood when we realize they were made
to the
apostles ONLY. Man truly errs when he takes the Lord's statements in
these
chapters and applies every aspect of them to man in this century. The
sayings
of Jesus in these three chapters have specific reference to the descent
of the
Holy Spirit upon the apostles (Acts 2) and the power derived there
from.
In John 14:16,
Jesus said, “I
will ask my Father and He will give you another Comforter. He will be
with
forever.” Many want to apply this verse to present day Christians. But
considering that Jesus said this Comforter was the Holy Spirit and
would bring
to their remembrance ALL things He had said to them, it is clear this
statement
was limited in its scope (John 14:26).
In John 15:26‑27,
Jesus
said, “I will send you the Comforter from the Father. He is the Spirit
of truth
who is coming out from the Father. When he comes, he will tell the
truth about
me. You will testify, too, because you were with me from the very
beginning.”
Here Christ reveals the Comforter was the "Spirit of truth," and He
(the Comforter) would testify of Him and they (apostles) would also
testify or
bear witness. This promise is limited to those that had been with Him
from the
beginning.
Does this apply to
any today?
Did it apply to Cornelius and his household? Certainly not! It is easy
to see
that this discourse focuses upon the coming power on the day of
Pentecost.
These promises of the coming “Comforter” and of the “Spirit of truth”
were only
to the apostles of Christ, and to no other people. This shows without
doubt,
the promise of Holy Spirit Baptism was made only to the apostles.
What was the
Baptism of
the Holy Spirit?
We now turn our
attention to
answering the question of exactly what Holy Spirit Baptism was. Jesus
Himself
PROMISED Holy Spirit Baptism to the apostles ONLY. Luke records, “From
the
beginning until the day when he was carried up into heaven. He talked
to the
apostles whom he had chosen. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them
what they
must do. After his death, he showed that he was alive. Jesus proved
this by
doing many convincing things. The apostles saw him several times during
40
days. Jesus was talking about the kingdom of God. Once when he was
together
with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, Wait here
for the
Father's promise that you heard me talk about (the Holy Spirit - see
John
14:26; 16:13). John immersed people in water, but in a few days you
will be
immersed in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:2‑5). Notice in verse two that the
apostles
are specified as those who were to receive it.
In these verses the
Lord
equates the "promise of the Father" with the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit.
This is the same thing He referred to in Luke 24:49, “Listen, I am
sending my
Father’s promise upon you, but must stay in Jerusalem until you are
clothed
with that power from heaven.” In this passage, Jesus introduced
something that
helps us to better understand Holy Spirit Baptism. He said they would
be
"clothed with power from heaven." Thus, the act of being
"clothed with power from heaven" was equal to the "promise of
the Father." Since the "promise of the Father" is the Baptism of
the Holy Spirit, then "clothed with power from heaven" likewise
refers to Holy Spirit Baptism.
This is what Jesus
meant in
Acts 1:8. He told the apostles, “However, when the Holy Spirit comes
upon you,
you will receive power. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all
of Judea,
in Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the world.” If this reception
of power
was not equal to being "clothed with power from heaven" (Luke 24:49),
then to whom or what does it refer? It is clear: the power of Acts 1:8
is the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. To say it another way, when the Spirit
came, the
POWER was to come (Holy Spirit Baptism); the Spirit came, thus the
power came. This
is what is meant by the term, "Baptized with the Holy Spirit."
After the Holy
Spirit came
upon the apostles in Acts 2, some were "confused,"
and all "were amazed and marveled" (Acts 2:6‑7). The apostles
were even charged with drunkenness (Acts 2:13). The inspired Peter
responds to
this false charge (Acts 2:14ff). In verse 16, He connects the events of
Acts 2
with the prophecy of Joel 2, saying, “This is the same thing which God
said
through the prophet Joel,” and then quotes Joel 2:28‑32. Peter shows it
was NOT the Person of the Holy Spirit that was poured out, but in fact,
it was
the POWER that came from the Holy Spirit that was poured out.
In Acts 2:17 we
read, “God
says: In the last days, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons
and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your
old men
will have special dreams.” The phrase "I will pour out of my Spirit"
is of utmost importance. In this phrase, the preposition "of" is
translated from the ablative preposition "apo." The ablative case was
used to denote source or origin. Thus, the Holy Spirit was the source
of that
which was poured out. He was NOT the "element" poured out.
Furthermore, the
verb
translated pour out is prefixed by "ek" which is also an
ablative preposition. Dana and Mantey says, "Verbs compounded with apo,
ek, and para in the very nature of the case take the
ablative where
these prepositions bring to the verb the idea of separation (p. 82)."
This
simply means the Holy Spirit was the "source." He was NOT that which
was poured out.
Inspiration records
the
coming of this power (Acts 2:1-4). John the baptizer and Jesus the
Christ spoke
of it as the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." By this pouring out of the
power of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, there would be the
authority to
confer spiritual gifts upon select individuals. It was to be upon all
flesh
(Acts 2:17). Their "sons and daughters" would prophesy.
"Prophecy" was one of the spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:8‑10).
Also, the young men would see visions and the old men would
dream dreams.
The "visions" and "dreams" referred to the manner is which
God would make His will known. For instance, the Lord spoke to Ananias
in a
vision (Acts 9:10). Peter received a vision (Acts 10:17).
Holy Spirit
Baptism and
the Apostles
Prior to being sent
on the
“Limited Commission,” the gift of apostleship
was given to the twelve before the death, burial and resurrection of
Christ
(Matt. 10). On that occasion Christ
strictly forbade them to preach to the Gentiles. They were told, “but
go rather
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (vs. 5-6). Thus, this mission
was “limited”
to the nation of Israel. With this commission, Christ told them to
preach “the
kingdom of heaven is at hand” (v. 7), and gave them miraculous power to
effectuate their mission. With this power He told them, “heal the sick
cleanse
the lepers, raise the dead cast out devils” (v. 8). After
His resurrection, Jesus told the
apostles to wait in Jerusalem for power (Luke 24:49). Since Jesus had
given
them miraculous power earlier (the Limited Commission), the necessary
conclusion is that this power was withdrawn once the mission on which
they were
sent was accomplished.
Christ would empowered the apostles to be witnesses of Him in
Jerusalem,
Judea and eventually the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Again, it follows
that they did not at that time have power. Thus, the apostles were
given a new
commission, the “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:18-20). On the Day of
Pentecost
(Acts 2), after being baptized with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began
to
fulfill this new commission. Their mission was to go to all nations,
rather
than just the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 28:19). The message they were to preach would also be
different. Earlier they had been told to preach the “nearness” of the
kingdom,
but now, in the post resurrection era, they were to preach the gospel
(Mark
16:15-16). This good news would include the fact that the promised
kingdom of
the Old Testament age had come, and that men could be translated into
it and
receive the forgiveness of their sins (Col. 1:13; Acts 2:38).
Inspiration tells
us that
"apostleship" was a miraculous gift (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). When
one considers the situation existing in the first century, he can truly
appreciate the absolute need for the apostolic office. The Great
Commission was
a stupendous undertaking. Twelve men from a small nation located on the
eastern
shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was to take a strange message into a
polytheistic world. This message consisted of the thought there was one
God
(the God of the Hebrews).
This one God sent
His Son
from heaven to this world by way of a virgin birth, where He lived for
some
thirty‑three years. This Son was rejected by His own people and was
ultimately crucified by the Roman authorities (a death reserved only
for the
most base of criminals). This Savior of the world was buried, but
remained in
the sepulcher only three days, being resurrected by the power of this
one God.
After about forty days, this "Son of God" was taken back into heaven
and there He reigns over His spiritual kingdom. Furthermore, it is
because of
His death that all men, Jew or Gentile, can have forgiveness of sins,
dependant
upon their willingness to come to Him in obedience to the Gospel.
No doubt, something
special
was needed to give validity to this "good news." There were many
barriers to overcome, one of which would be the various dialects and
languages
spoken by the people of the world. Another problem was how could they
prove
their message was of divine origin? Thus, we see the need for the
accurate
deliverance, the undeniable confirmation and substantiation of this
peculiar
message. Indeed, their mission was daunting, to say the least.
In His infinite
wisdom, God
anticipated every problem that would arise from the preaching of the
Gospel of
Christ. In one generation, He saw to it this message of eternal hope
“was
preached to every person under heaven" (Col. 1:23). This specific
aspect
of God's eternal purpose in Christ had its beginning at Pentecost with
the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The apostles received special powers from
the Holy
Spirit. Paul argued, “The signs of a true apostle have been done among
you very
patiently – proofs from God, miracles, and powers” (2 Cor. 12:12). What
were
these "signs of an apostle"?
The signs, and
wonders, and
mighty deeds can only refer to the miraculous manifestations of the
Holy
Spirit. But by using the term "signs of an apostle," Paul undoubtedly
was arguing for something above and beyond the other things he
mentioned. Why appeal
to them if they were not something special? Why petition these things
if they
were not unique?
The apostolic
office was
unique. They had special powers other spiritually gifted men did not
have. One
of these was the ability to impart miraculous gifts (Acts 8:14‑19).
There
can be no doubt, there had not been any like the apostles before and
there has
not been any like them since. They stood between first‑century man and
God, as the Bible stands between men of our century and God. They were
the
authority then.
There is One
Baptism
The Bible says,
“There is one
body and one Spirit. You were called to one hope, when God called you.
There is
one Lord (Jesus). There is one faith. There is one immersion. There is
one God.
He is the Father of everyone. God is above everything, through
everything, and
in everything” (Eph. 4:4-6).
It should be noted
that in
the fifth verse of Ephesians 4 we are taught that there is one baptism.
This
alone, is enough to prove that the claimants of the Holy Spirit Baptism
are
wrong, for we are taught that the one baptism of Ephesians 4:5 is the
water
immersion of Ephesians 5:25-26. Surely the great apostle Paul did not
tell the
church at Ephesus that there is one baptism, meaning Holy Spirit
Baptism in
chapter four and turn around and say there is water baptism in the next
chapter. The water baptism of Ephesians 5:26 is connected with the
great
commission for men administered it.
All that we do must
be done
by the authority (in the name) of Jesus. The only authority that Jesus
gave
respecting baptism is recorded in Matthew 28:19. When Jesus got up from
the
grave, He gave the disciples their marching orders, “Therefore, after
you’ve
gone out, make followers for me from all nations. Immerse them by the
authority
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey
everything I
commanded you. Remember, I will always be with you – even until the end
of
time” (Matt. 28:19-20). This is water immersion, for water immersion is
the
only baptism commanded.
In the face of the
plain
teaching of the Holy Spirit through the great apostle Paul that there
is ONE
baptism many are claiming three baptisms. They claim water, Holy
Spirit, and
fire. Doubtlessly they have been immersed in water, but they are too
late for
Holy Spirit Baptism and too early for the fire which all that ignore
the plain
Bible teaching will surely get. These contentions are the result of
failures to
study and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
Men could NOT
administer Holy
Spirit Baptism. Christ only could administer Holy Spirit Baptism (Matt.
3:11;
Mark 1:8; Luke 24:49). Christ commanded men to administer baptism and
the only
immersion that men can administer is water baptism. Men immersed the
Ephesians
(Acts 18:24-25; 19:1-5). Philip immersed the man of Ethiopia (Acts
8:36-39).
Paul immersed Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas (1 Cor.
1:14-15).
Since there is but
ONE baptism,
it follows that if it is Holy Spirit Baptism, it is neither fire nor
water; or
if it is fire baptism, it is neither Holy Spirit nor water, and if it
is water
baptism, it is neither Holy Spirit nor fire, for there is but ONE. The
Holy
Spirit Baptism was never commanded. The Holy Spirit Baptism was a
promise (Luke
24:49; Mark 1:8; Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:4-5). Christ was the administrator
of Holy
Spirit baptism and Christ will be the administrator of fire baptism.
The only
baptism that men can administer is water baptism (
CONCLUSION
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was a special event in God's overall
scheme
of redemption. It is sad this subject has been so sadly treated in the
religious world. But Satan never fails to use anything and everything
to turn
people from the Truth of God's Word.
Go To: Gift of Holy Spirit
Return To: Holy Spirit
Return To Home Page