The Spirit’s Baptism
- this morning we’re going to stir the pot a little
- we’re going to talk about Spirit baptism
- I want to begin by asking this morning how many present are Pentecostal
- could you raise your hands please?
- how many here would say they’re not Pentecostal?
- by the time you leave this morning, I want everyone to raise their hands and say that they’re Pentecostal
- I don’t mean Pentecostal in the denominational sense, but I mean Pentecostal in that we all know we’ve experienced Spirit baptism
- now let’s back up a little
- the disciples were a sorry lot
- taken together as a group, they were less than inspiring
- when Jesus left this earth, there was every reason, humanly speaking, to expect that the disciples would fail in the assignment that Jesus had given them
- but Jesus promised something that would make all the difference
- you remember that John the Baptist said:
- (Luke 3:16) John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
- before leaving this world, Jesus promised the disciples in Acts 1:
- (Acts 1:5) For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
- so 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
- (Acts 2:1) When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
- (Acts 2:2) Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
- (Acts 2:3) They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
- (Acts 2:4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
- this was the original Spirit baptism
- a noise like a hurricane filled the ears of those present
- a large “ball” of fire appeared and spontaneously separated into smaller flames, each in the shape of a tongue that came to rest on each person in the room
- each of the individuals was “filled with the Holy Spirit”
- they spoke in tongues or in different languages
- immediately their human frailties were transformed into supernatural gifts and abilities
- their reluctance turned into bold confidence
- Peter preached and three thousand were saved and baptized that day
- now let me ask some 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?
- QUESTION NUMBER ONE: 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 teach that there are many who are saved, and have trusted in Jesus Christ, but 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’re 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
- (1 Corinthians 12:13) 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.
- nowhere in the Epistles do we read of Paul or Peter telling a church that is having problems, “You all need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit”
- when our risen Lord spoke to the troubled and weak churches in Revelation 2 and 3, nowhere did he say, “Ask me to baptize you in the Holy Spirit”
- the two-level or two-class view taught by all of these groups does not have a solid foundation in the New Testament
- but there’s another, more practical problem
- think of the damage that this two-tier system can create in churches
- it can lend itself to a “we-they” mentality in churches, and it can even lead to pride, jealousy, and divisiveness
- even if those who claim to be Spirit-baptized Christians are awash with humility, there is an implied superiority to normal, ordinary Christians
- there develops a view of two groups within the church
- I have witnessed this firsthand: people who claim to be more in touch with the Holy Spirit literally making fun of churches and people who, in their minds, have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit
- friends, here is the reality: if you are a believer, you have been Spirit-baptized
- all believers have been
- that’s why I said in the beginning that in a sense, we’re all Pentecostal
- we’ve all been baptized in the Holy Spirit
- we’re all recipients of the gift of Jesus at Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit
- don’t let anyone ever create a second class of Christians, a class better than ordinary, run-of-the-mill believers
- we all have received the gift of the Holy 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
- look at all the people in the book of Acts who had a second experience of the empowering of the Holy Spirit after conversion
- this pattern was repeated a number of times in the book of Acts
- in Acts 8, Samaritans 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 disciples of John declared themselves unaware of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and subsequently received him, spoke in tongues, and prophesied
- the key to answering this question is to realize that the Day of Pentecost was a time of transition between the old covenant work of the Holy Spirit and the new covenant work of the Holy Spirit
- the Day of the Pentecost is unique in the history of the church, and has never been repeated, even in the book of Acts
- it is the first baptism of the Holy Spirit, the initiation of the church
- the disciples certainly did experience a “baptism in the Holy Spirit” after conversion on the Day of Pentecost, but this happened because they lived at a unique point in history
- we are in the same position as the believers in the church in Corinth, to whom Paul said:
- when we became Christians we are all “baptized in one Spirit into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
- even in the book of Acts, the second experiences don’t appear to be the same thing as Spirit baptism
- a better understanding is that God, in his provision, sovereignly waited to give the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit to these special groups for special reasons
- in addition, these too took place in the transition period between the old covenant and the new covenant
- there are no New Testament texts that encourage us to seek a second experience of baptism that comes after conversion
- 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
- all who have received Jesus Christ as their only God and Savior have been spiritually baptized by Christ in the Spirit into the family of God
- no one is excluded
- every 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
- even in the immoral Corinthian church, where there was immorality and litigation between members, and divisions and fights, Paul says, “We were all baptized”
- people who want to make Spirit baptism a later work often call it a second work of grace or a second blessing, and emphasize that you must be spiritually primed in order to receive it
- they may tell you that you need Spirit baptism in order to ascend to a higher plain 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
- this leads us to question three
- I hope you’re still with me
- WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
- we’ve established that Spirit baptism is for everyone
- we’ve also established that ever believer experiences Spirit baptism 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:
- Spirit baptism gives us new life in Christ Jesus
- (John 3:5) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- (John 3:6) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
- 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
- Spirit baptism also 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
- Spirit baptism has also given us a new unity
- (1 Corinthians 12:13) 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.
- (Ephesians 4:3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
- God takes all of us
- 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 purpose of the Spirit’s baptism is to bind us together as the community of the redeemed so that we function as family
- that’s why you can’t have racism in the church – in the church, there’s no difference between people of any color or background
- 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
- that’s why you can’t have class differences in the church – in the church, there’s no difference between a slave and a millionaire
- that’s why you can’t have division in the church
- we’re a family now
- not only do we get a new unity, we get a new set of abilities when we are baptized in the Spirit
- they are spiritual gifts
- in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul calls spiritual gifts the “manifestation of the Spirit”
- the gifts are his to distribute as he wills
- every believer here has received divine empowerment for service
- but many of us have not yet opened this divine gift
- there’s another deal we receive when we’re baptized in the Spirit
- we get a new nature
- (2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- 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
- so let me ask you this morning
- are you Pentecostal?
- you had better be: not the Pentecostal denomination, but you’re Pentecostal because you’re a recipient of Spirit baptism, given to believers at conversion after the Day of Pentecost
- you’ve been given a new identity
- so let me ask you
- do people see your new identity?
- do people who knew you before you were a Christian see a change in you?
- you’ve been given new abilities
- do you use the spiritual gifts you’ve been given? do you know what they are?
- you’ve been given a new unity
- do you treat others as equals in the body of Christ?
- do you cling to any prejudices?
- let’s pray
