The Spirit’s Baptism

Big Idea: Every believer receives the Holy Spirit at conversion, gaining new life, identity, unity, and abilities to live transformed lives for God’s glory.

This morning, we’re going to shake things up a bit and talk about Spirit baptism. Let me start with a question: how many of you would call yourselves Pentecostal? And how many would say you’re not Pentecostal? By the time we’re done today, my hope is that everyone here will raise their hand and say, "I'm Pentecostal." Not in the denominational sense, but in the sense that we’ve all experienced Spirit baptism.

Let’s take a step back for a moment. The disciples, as a group, weren’t exactly an impressive bunch. By human standards, it seemed unlikely they would succeed in the mission Jesus gave them after his departure. But Jesus made a promise that changed everything. You’ll remember that John the Baptist said:

I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16)

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus promised the disciples in Acts 1: "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5). Both John and Jesus promised that they would experience Spirit baptism.

Now let me just interject a small point. Scholars can't agree on whether this means "baptized by the Spirit" or "baptized in the Spirit." So you know where I stand, I'm going to use the statement "baptized in the Spirit." In other words, Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit baptizing us.

Read with me what happened when this promise was fulfilled.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

Pentecost unleashed the Spirit's power. A hurricane-like roar filled the room. A fireball appeared, splitting into tongue-shaped flames that settled on each person present. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke in languages they'd never learned. Their weaknesses disappeared, replaced by supernatural powers. Timidity turned into confidence. When Peter stood to preach, three thousand responded in faith and baptism that very day.

Three Questions

Now let me ask two questions about being baptized in the Spirit. Is it for all Christians or for only some Christians? Does it happen at conversion, or at a later time? And the third question is, what difference does it make?

Is being baptized in the Spirit for all believers or only some believers?

Some people teach that not all believers have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Some believe that many who are saved and trust in Jesus Christ have not experienced the Spirit's baptism. They divide the world into three categories of people: non-Christians, ordinary Christians, and Spirit-baptized Christians.

Some teach if you are a believer, you have a choice of being an ordinary believer or a "sanctified" believer. And so they come up to believers and ask: "Have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit yet?" They ask you to then seek the Spirit's baptism, and then you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

It is my point this morning that the New Testament makes no distinction between ordinary Christians and Spirit-filled Christians.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

In the Epistles, Paul and Peter never tell a troubled church, "You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit." In Revelation 2 and 3, when our risen Lord addressed the struggling churches, he never said, "Ask me to baptize you in the Holy Spirit." The two-level or two-class view taught by all these groups does not have a solid foundation in the New Testament.

This two-tier system creates significant challenges within churches. It fosters an "us-versus-them" mindset, which can lead to pride, jealousy, and division. Spirit-baptized Christians may aim for humility, but they can unintentionally come across as more spiritually advanced than others. This can result in a harmful perception of two distinct groups within the church. I've observed people who think they are more in tune with the Holy Spirit dismiss churches or believers they see as lacking Spirit baptism. Such attitudes can undermine the unity and mutual respect that should define the body of Christ.

Friends, here’s the truth: if you are a believer, you have been Spirit-baptized. Every believer has been. That’s why I said earlier that, in a sense, we’re all Pentecostal. We’ve all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit—the gift of Jesus at Pentecost. Don’t let anyone convince you there’s a second class of Christians, as if some are more spiritual or superior. The reality is, we’ve all been given the same Spirit, the same gift, and the same standing in Christ.

All believers have been baptized in the Spirit. Question number two is closely related.

Does Spirit baptism happen at conversion, or at a later time?

Once again, some teach that Spirit baptism is a second blessing. Something that takes place after you become a Christian. At first glance, the evidence seems to support this theory. In the book of Acts, many individuals experienced a subsequent empowering of the Holy Spirit after their conversion. This pattern was repeated a number of times in the book of Acts.

In Acts 8, some Samaritans come to believe. The apostles in Jerusalem heard of this and sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 9, there appears to be a three-day gap between conversion and the filling of the Spirit. Paul believed, and a few days later was filled with the Spirit. In Acts 19, some of John's disciples were unaware of the Holy Spirit's ministry. After learning about it, they received the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, and prophesied.

The key to this question is understanding that the Day of Pentecost marked a transition from the old covenant work of the Holy Spirit to the new covenant work. The Day of Pentecost is a unique event in church history that has not been repeated, even in the book of Acts. It is the first baptism of the Holy Spirit, the initiation of the church. The disciples experienced a "baptism in the Holy Spirit" after their conversion on the Day of Pentecost due to their unique historical context.

Like the Corinthian believers, we too have been baptized into one body by the Spirit, regardless of our background—whether Jew or Greek, slave or free (1 Corinthians 12:13). The experiences in Acts are fundamentally different from Spirit baptism. God intentionally postponed the Spirit's new covenant empowerment for designated groups, each with unique purposes at heart. These instances occurred during the unique transition between old and new covenants. The New Testament never instructs believers to pursue a post-conversion second baptism experience.

Let me emphasize. "We are all baptized into one body." The baptism in the Holy Spirit is universal; it applies to every Christian at conversion. All believers have experienced the Spirit's unique work at the conception of their spiritual life. Anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their God and Savior has been spiritually baptized by him into God's family. No one is excluded. Every single one one of us is the beneficiary of this baptism. In fact, Romans 8:9 says that anyone who does not have the Spirit is not even a Christian.

Paul acknowledges that even in the immoral Corinthian church, marked by immorality and conflicts among members, "We were all baptized." Some people refer to Spirit baptism as a second work of grace or second blessing, claiming it requires spiritual readiness to receive. They may tell you that you need Spirit baptism in order to ascend to a higher plane of the Christian life.

But that's not why you need Spirit baptism. You need to be baptized in the Spirit to get you into the family in the first place. The baptism in the Spirit gives you access to everything you need in the Christian life.

All believers have been baptized in the Spirit at our conversion. This leads us to question three.

What difference does it make?

We've established that Spirit baptism is for everyone. Every believer is baptized in the Spirit at conversion. I'd like to spend the next few minutes asking, what does the baptism do for us?

Tony Evans has written of five things the Spirit gives us in Spirit baptism:

First, baptism in the Spirit gives us new life in Christ Jesus.

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5-6)

Jesus made it clear that it is the Spirit that gives us eternal life. This is the first and major benefit of Spirit baptism: new life in Jesus Christ.

Second, baptism in the Spirit gives us a new identity. This is one of the major ideas of baptism: identification. When you're baptized in water, you're identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. And when you're baptized in the Spirit, you're given a new identity.

Third, baptism in the Spirit gives us a new unity.

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

We're unique in our ethnicity, our ages, our personalities, and our preferences. But Christ baptizes us in the Spirit, and we become one body. The Spirit's baptism unites us as a redeemed community, allowing us to function as a family.

Racism has no place in the church because everyone, regardless of color or background, is equal. We are one body. That's why you can't have sexism in the church – in Christ, there's no difference between male or female. There should be no class differences in the church; everyone is equal, whether a slave or a millionaire. That's why you can't have division in the church. We're a family now.

Fourth, baptism in the Spirit brings new abilities. These are gifts of the spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul calls spiritual gifts the "manifestation of the Spirit." The gifts are his to distribute as he wills. Every believer has received divine empowerment for service. But many of us have not yet opened this divine gift.

Fifth, we are given a new nature.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

You get a brand new inner you. The Spirit moves you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. He changes your sentence of death to one of eternal life. He gives you hope when you didn't have hope, meaning when you didn't have meaning, purpose when you didn't have purpose. He gives you rivers of living water. You are given a new nature.

Let me ask you this morning: are you Pentecostal? You are a recipient of Spirit baptism, which is given to all believers after the Day of Pentecost, not in a denominational sense.

You’ve been given a new identity. So, let me ask: do people see that new identity in you? Do those who knew you before you were a Christian notice a change?

• You now have new spiritual gifts. Are you using them? Do you even know what they are?
• You have a new unity. Do you treat others as equals in the body of Christ, or do you still hold on to prejudices?
• These are the marks of Spirit baptism—identity, ability, and unity—and they should be evident in your life.

Let me end with this: Spirit baptism is not just a theological concept, it’s the gospel in action. Through the Spirit, we are united with Christ, given new life, and empowered to live for him. This is the heart of the gospel: that Jesus came to rescue us, to make us new, and to bring us into His family. Spirit baptism fulfills his promise to always be with us, equips us for his mission, and transforms us to be like Him.

So, are you Pentecostal? If you are in Christ, you are. You have been baptized in the Spirit, receiving a new identity, abilities, and unity with others in the body of Christ. The question isn’t whether you’ve received the Spirit—it’s whether you’re living in the fullness of what he’s given you. Are you walking in your new identity? Are you using the gifts he’s entrusted to you? Are you living in unity with others, reflecting the love and grace of Jesus?

The gospel reminds us that none of this is earned. It’s all a gift—a gift of grace through the finished work of Christ. So, let’s live as Spirit-filled people, not for our glory, but for his. Let’s show the world what it looks like to be a people transformed by the gospel, united by the Spirit, and sent out in his power. That’s what it means to be Pentecostal in the truest sense, living so all the glory goes to God alone.