The Baptism in the Holy
Spirit
Hermano Cisco,
Table of Contents
The
Gift of the Spirit: Given to Those Who Ask
Baptism Terminology: Confusion and Clarification
The Manifested Outflow of the Holy Spirit
Predicted in Joel for Then and Now
Receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Tongues—The Evidence of Spirit Baptism?
Two Categories of Tongues-Speaking
Spirit Baptism—Personal Testimony
Spirit Baptism—The Gifts of the Spirit
The
Use of the Gifts in the Local Assembly
Additional Spirit Baptisms—Cracked Pots Need Refilling
"The dove found no resting place for the sole of her
foot, so she returned to him…. (Genesis 8:9, NASB)."
"As he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:21-22, NIV here and verses following)."
Long
ago, the presence of Jesus in this wicked world allowed a resting place for the
Holy Spirit of God. And now, thanks
to the Blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is willing and able to come and
reside in every believer at the moment of
his conversion:
…He
lives with you and will be in you.
Romans
8:9
If
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Titus
3:5
He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit….
Although every believer
has the Holy Spirit living inside from the moment of conversion, not every
believer is filled with the Holy Spirit.
The
baptism in the Holy Spirit is normally subsequent to, and distinct from,
conversion. The baptism in the Holy
Spirit is a filling up with the “Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7;
Philippians
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will
be my witnesses….”
In this article, we will consider the reality of, and need for, a vital Christian experience commonly known as The Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Along the way, we hope to correct some persistent misunderstandings about the role of Jesus as baptizer, and about two different types of tongues-speaking.
Examples of the nature
and work of the Holy Spirit include:
The Gift
of the Spirit: Given to Those Who Ask
We see in Luke 11:5-13 (below) that
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit should be explicitly requested in prayer. To
reiterate: the gift of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the gift of salvation.
Seeking Bread from
a Friend, for a Friend
5Then he said to them, "Suppose one
of you has a friend, and he goes to him at
7"Then the one inside answers,
'Don't bother me.
The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up
and give you anything.' 8I
tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his
friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much
as he needs.
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will
be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to
you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son
asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him
a scorpion? 13If
you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
him!"
In
the above passage, we read of the need for perseverance when acting as an intermediary
between a wealthy friend and a needy friend, in order to obtain bread from the
one to feed the other.
We
conclude that, in like manner, we are to seek the gift of the Holy Spirit with
perseverance, even for the sake of others. Before Pentecost, the disciples were already
saved, and so had the Holy Spirit residing in them. Nevertheless, they did not receive the
gift of Holy Spirit Baptism until that subsequent experience at Pentecost. At that time, He was poured out on them in
power.
A
proper attitude and motive in seeking the gift of the Holy Spirit pleases and
glorifies God our Father; He is certain to reward such a seeker. Alternatively, it must be recognized that,
although God and Christ are dishonored by powerless ministry, Christ
will not pour out his Spirit on selfish hearts.
You don’t own your own
bakery, do you? And so it is that
we must go to our Father in prayer to get His bread for all those needy friends
in our life (be they Christian or non-Christian). When our request is fulfilled, the Father
will be glorified in the Son (
Baptism
Terminology: Confusion and Clarification
In the study of Scripture, confusion can arise from misread terminology and misunderstood grammatical constructions; this can occur when distinguishing the Baptism in the Holy Spirit from other baptisms.
To help rectify the
misunderstanding, please recognize that in the performance of any baptism,
there is always
The New Testament refers
to several different baptisms, three of which are:
Of
these three, the real confusion comes in differentiating between “Baptism into
the Body of Christ,” and “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” In order to successfully make the distinction,
the key question to answer is: “Who is doing the baptizing?”
The Spirit As
Baptizer
To
many, it is not at all clear that there is a distinction between Baptism by
the Holy Spirit into the Body, and Baptism by Jesus in the
Holy Spirit. It can be difficult to
recognize that these are two different baptisms; in the first, the Holy Spirit
is the baptizer; in the second, Jesus is the baptizer.
When
the Holy Spirit baptizes,
he is placing the new convert into the Body of Christ:
For we were all baptized by
one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave
or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
The
above verse clearly identifies a baptism by the Holy Spirit, wherein the
Spirit is the agent, the Body is the
element, and the new believer the candidate.
Unfortunately, this verse is often mistakenly used to support the idea
that believers also receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit at
conversion…“automatically.” 1
This
baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body at conversion
is again referenced in
Ephesians
4:4-5
“There is
one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one
hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism….”
Likewise,
this verse is not referring to being baptized in (filled to overflowing
with) the Holy Spirit.
In
contradistinction to the just referenced baptism into the Body (which is
carried out by the Holy Spirit), “the Baptism in the Holy Spirit” is a separate
baptism carried out by Jesus, and must be specifically sought and
received subsequent to salvation.
Although the initial pouring out of the Holy Spirit came on those
waiting for it in
That
Jesus is the agent of Holy Spirit Baptism can be
seen in these verses:
"I [
Luke 24:49
“I [Jesus] am going to send you what my Father has
promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on
high."
Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
The Manifested Outflow of the Holy Spirit
In the case of the
disciples at Pentecost, although the Spirit was already living in them, His
supernatural manifestation was not yet flowing out of them
(seen through speaking in tongues) until after the Spirit was poured out; until
after they were baptized (immersed) in the Spirit.
To be baptized in the
Holy Spirit is to be filled by Jesus with the Holy Spirit to the
point of overflowing.
To support this point, it
should be recalled that, prior to Pentecost, Jesus had already imparted
the Holy Spirit to his disciples; this incident occurred after his atoning
blood had been shed, and after his resurrection:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were
together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood
among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands
and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the
Father has sent me, I am sending you."
And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive
the Holy Spirit.”
This clear impartation to
them of the Spirit by Jesus was distinct from their later Baptism in the
Holy Spirit by Jesus, which he accomplished from on high at Pentecost (Acts
2). In the first experience, there was
no manifested outflow of the Spirit; in the second, there was.
Significantly, at
Pentecost the Holy Spirit took the visible form of tongues (“glossa”)
of fire. It can be recognized that the
Spirit was subsequently flowing out of these disciples by the miraculous
speaking in tongues (“glossa”) --as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
Predicted
in Joel for Then and Now
As mentioned earlier, the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit should be an unmistakable, undeniable experience. How else could the apostle Paul explicitly
ask the new believers in
Today we dare not be wishy-washy about something as vital as this divine enablement for Christian service. Today we must be convinced that Spirit baptism is available and necessary for each of us; and then we must pursue it whole-heartedly.
In Acts 2, Peter indicates that the Baptism in the Spirit at Pentecost was a fulfillment of the prophecy given in Joel 2:28-32, which states:
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those
days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD.
An examination of this passage in Joel, and Peter’s contextualization of it in Acts 2, reveals that the period of “those days” --of the Spirit being poured out--began at Pentecost (around 33 A.D.), and will continue up to the yet future “great and dreadful day of the LORD.” “Those days”--in which you and I are currently living--are sometimes referred to as “The Church Age.”
On top of that, Peter clearly assures us that this ‘pouring out’ was not restricted to the believers of his day: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
Additionally, we see in Joel 2 and Acts 2 this baptism being
accompanied by unmistakable supernatural signs, i.e., prophecy and
tongues.
The bestowal and manifestation of supernatural gifts is a normative part of this initial Spirit baptism experience. Unfortunately, in the contemporary church the more spectacular gifts of the Holy Spirit are often doubted at best, or forbidden at worst.
Receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
In spite of the apparent
contradiction between the normal Christian experience
of today with that of the first century church, we must not limit our
expectations to today’s “normal,” or we will be defrauded of God’s best for
our lives through unbelief.
In the biblical account
of the first century church, we see that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was a
work of the Spirit “separate and distinct from his regenerating work (R. A.
Torrey, 1856-1928).” And such is still
the case today.
However, unlike those
first disciples in
Nevertheless, there are
certain conditions which we suggest must be fulfilled in order to successfully
receive this baptism:
1)
The candidate must be saved.
2)
Subsequent to his conversion, he should have been water baptized by
immersion--or at least now make definite plans to be so (biblically) baptized without
delay.
3)
He should have no unconfessed sin in his life.
4)
He should pray to God, explicitly requesting this gift of the Spirit.
5)
He should search his heart in order to let go of any possible barriers,
i.e., pride, security, reputation, unbelief, distrust--thus allowing the Spirit
free access and movement in order to fill him.
6)
He should then rest patiently in expectant faith for a definite
experience.
Perhaps another believer
will be available to lay hands on the candidate seeking Spirit baptism. Perhaps not. In the Bible, we see that this baptism can be
experienced with or without a helping human intermediary.
Possibly the baptism will
come immediately upon asking. Possibly not. But
when this baptism does come, the recipient will certainly recognize it.
Tongues – The Evidence of Spirit Baptism?
This question of tongues is
controversial, and we certainly do not want it to be a stumbling block to the
candidate for Holy Spirit baptism; nevertheless it needs to be addressed.
In today’s church, we
suggest that most people who receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit probably do
not initially speak in tongues.
But let us be careful to look at this question from a biblical
viewpoint, not from the viewpoint of typical contemporary experience:
Acts 2:4
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 10:45-47
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For [they knew this because] they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep
these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit
just as we have."
Acts
19:5-7
On
hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul
placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.
1
Corinthians 14:2
For anyone
who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one
understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:18-19
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Please
note: we submit that
there are actually two different types of tongues-speaking, and that most
controversy arises from a misunderstanding of this distinction.
In
light of this fact, we further (respectfully) submit that speaking in tongues
should indeed substantiate a believer’s Spirit baptism. Please hear us out!
Two Categories of Tongues-Speaking
Tongues-Speaking as Prophecy
Also
referred to as “The Gift of Tongues,” this manifestation of the
Holy Spirit allows God to speak to man. In other words, the communication is coming down
from Heaven to earth.
This
gift is always to be accompanied by the Gift of Interpretation of
Tongues. The pair of gifts, in concert,
is functionally equivalent to the gift of prophecy:
1
Corinthians 14:5-6, 13
He
who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless
he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
Now,
brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you,
unless I [successfully] bring you some revelation or
knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction [down from Heaven
to earth]?
…
13For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should
pray that he may interpret what he says.
If
there is no one with the Gift of Interpretation present in the assembly, then
the person with the Gift of Tongues is not to raise his voice in utterance; he
is to be quiet. His use of this gift by
itself is inappropriate, and would cause confusion.
As
is the case with the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Tongues is not
given to all Christians:
1
Corinthians 12:11-12
All
these [gifts] are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to
each one, just as he determines.
The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
Tongues-Speaking as Prayer
In
complete distinction to tongues-speaking as prophecy, when people pray in
tongues, they are praying directly to God in the Holy Spirit. This gift allows man to speak to God
with supernatural fluency. In other
words, the communication is going up from earth
to Heaven.
Available
to all believers who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, “tongues-speaking
as prayer” is the self-edifying capacity to pray perfect prayers, beyond our
natural understanding, through the supernatural aid of the Holy Spirit.
When
we pray in tongues, the language used is unknown to us, perhaps precisely to
prevent our intellect from being an obstacle to God’s Spirit engaging with our
spirit. Stepping out in faith for the
initial manifestation may require an extra measure of grace—and humility.
Of
this type of tongues, Paul writes,
“I thank
God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in
the church… (1 Corinthians 14:18-19).”
Consider well: probably the greatest
Christian leader of all time was the chief tongues-speaker of his day. Does his frequent self-edification by praying
in tongues perhaps account for his biblical eminence?
This blessed capacity to pray in
tongues is also referred to as “praying in the Spirit.”
Christians were commanded:
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:18)
And
elsewhere:
"But
you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray
in the Holy Spirit." (Jude 1:20)
Speaking
to God in a tongue unknown to us is the same thing as “praying in the
Spirit.”
"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God" (1 Corinthians 14:2).
"If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?" (1 Corinthians 14:16)
Ironically,
there still exists today the same confusion as at
To
reiterate: The terms “praying in tongues,” and “praying in the spirit,” are
synonymous.
PLEASE take careful note: “…If I pray in a
tongue, my spirit prays…” (1 Cor. 14:14).
Tongues
Speaking: Conclusion and Exhortation
When Paul explicitly
asked the believers in
The capacity of tongues-speaking “as prayer” is a result of, and a confirmation of, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We
have clarified that praying in tongues is precisely the same as praying
in the Spirit. Since
believers are commanded in the Bible to pray in the Spirit, neither the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit, nor praying in tongues, can be considered optional
for the informed Christian.
Spirit Baptism – Personal Testimony
I
received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit 26 years ago in
I
no longer recall what books or articles I read that encouraged me to seek the
experience. Nevertheless, some weeks
after I began seeking it, it came.
Perhaps
it bears mentioning that my Spirit baptism happened a few hours after I arrived
home from my water baptism.
I
was alone when it happened--climbing up some stairs toward my bedroom, in
fact. It was a definite, memorable
event. However, it was not accompanied
by praying in tongues.
In
my short Christian experience I had heard people pray in tongues. I certainly didn’t understand much about the
phenomenon, but from my reading, it was evident to me that
·
Paul
did it more than others (1 Cor.
·
He
apparently wanted everyone to do it (1 Cor. 14:5).
·
It
was useful for self-edification (1 Cor. 14:4).
Also,
I was acutely aware that my own tongue was still very much “a world of evil
among the parts of my body” (James 3:6).
That
was more than enough information for me to desire this capacity.
Nevertheless,
after I knew I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, tongues simply would not
come. I recall kneeling in my room
alone, opening up my mouth, and silently praying, “You’ll have to do it for me,
Lord,” …but to no avail.
Not
long afterward, “out of the blue” at a small Bible study, a Dutch Moluccan girl
who was hosting it gave this testimony to those of us present:
“I
remember the day I began praying in tongues.
I was sitting in this very chair, meditating on the verse that shows ‘if
you ask your father for bread, he won’t give you a stone,’ and I realized I
needed to start out in faith; so I took that first small step and began….”
I
now realized tongues would take an act of my free will. I couldn’t wait to get home from that
meeting! When I did, I ran to my room,
closed the door, knelt down by my bed, and stepped out in faith. I immediately began praying very fluently in
an unknown tongue. In fact, I stayed up
all night praying in tongues.
In
my particular case, it was like a taking an audio tour of the world, because my
prayer language dramatically changed again and again through the night.
(I
now think that, because it included such a diversity of tongues, my
first experience was additionally a manifestation of the Gift of [“speaking in
different kinds of”] Tongues. And though
there was no one available to interpret, I was, after all, alone.)
Spirit
Baptism – The Gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:7
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is
given for the common good.
The following suggested
list of spiritual gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit is not meant to be
comprehensive; further, the ordering of this list is not meant to indicate any
ranking by relative importance. However
praying in the Spirit/praying in tongues (included and contrasted under Gift
of Tongues), being a foundational capability for everyone, is arguably the
most important gift of all:
Discernment of Spirits (1 Cor.
Word of Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
Word of Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
Gifts of Healings (1 Cor. 12:9)
Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
Prophecy (1 Cor.