Read more in the article:Why do I need the Holy Spirit? What is the gift of speaking in tongues? You, who were bound by fear of man, become bold, just as Peter was on the day of Pentecost. Now, that experience may come in an unusual, decisive experience after conversion a day, a week, a year, or a minute followed by subsequent outpourings or fillings or baptisms of the Spirit periodically throughout life. These are not unregenerate disciples waiting to be born again by the arrival of the Holy Spirit. You will receive extraordinary power for Christ-exalting ministry. Second, Luke says that being baptized with the Spirit is a fulfillment of the promise of Joel 2 (Wait for the promise). People everywhere are hungry for experiential reality, not just doctrinal facts or historical facts, which are affirmed with the mind. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. To answer the question about the peculiar signs, it may or may not include various signs like tongues or other unusual manifestations. Paul emphasizes, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them (1 Corinthians 12:4). So its an empowering for global Christ-exalting effectiveness. This is what it means to be a Christian: to be moved upon by the Holy Spirit in such a way that we are brought to faith and united to Jesus. This baptism with fire literally came true at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in Acts 2. Even the most faithful Christians end some days deeply wishing we had walked more worthy of our God. Paul didnt make baptism a part of his salvation speeches, and he states in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, showing that the gospel and baptism are separate. When a person asks Jesus into their heart, to use a colloquialism, the Holy Spirit indwells that person. But many people who have been baptized with the Spirit will be able to relate to what I write here: Your life is changed at one stroke. Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? But what about the baptism of the Holy Spirit? So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Some people must go through a dry period before they are baptized with the Spirit. Evangelicals disagree with this Pentecostal take, especially as it insinuates that some Christians have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and some have not. You know when you have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Find out more about herhere and on social media@alyssawrote. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. The disciples were so filled with joy that the people thought they were drunk with new wine. I think this emphasis on the experiential nature of the Spirit is precisely why the movement has been so globally dynamic and effective. Then the promise from Joel gets fulfilled and explained in Acts 2:16 and following. Are all apostles? Paul asks. He uses the filling language in Acts 2:4. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. Thats the language of Luke 24:49, where he tells them, Wait in Jerusalem till you are clothed with power from on high.. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is considered a separate experience from both conversion and water baptism. I think when he says you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, he means you will receive extraordinary power for Christ-exalting ministry. The Spirit-Filled Life: Discovering the Joy of Surrendering to the Holy Spirit by Charles Stanley. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? What prevents me from being baptized? [And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.]read more.And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. May it never be! Thus, it is to be assumed that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something all Christians experience. Paul goes on to list multiple gifts, pointing out that some will receive some gifts, others other gifts. Thats my basic premise, which would avoid a lot of confusion if people bought this. He is author of. It is considered an event in which the Christian receives the Spirits power in a new way, enabling them to more readily partake in miracles and spiritual gifts. Evangelicals point to verses such as 1 Corinthians 12:13 as evidence that all believers experience this baptism. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Thats why one of the Scriptures exhortations is:Be filled with the Spirit.Ephesians 5:18. I need a fresh filling. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself., And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Why? What Does 'Baptism of the Holy Spirit' Really Mean? And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 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. and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Do all have gifts of healing? What shall we say then? May it never be! Hes saying, When you receive the Holy Spirit, you will have power so that you can be my witnesses to the end of the world. Thats the immediate description of whats going to happen if you wait for the baptism. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age., And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.. Evangelicals also disagree with Pentecostals on the necessity of speaking in tongues. How might we think in an orderly way about Gods attributes? He lists speaking in tongues, saying, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10). So you can check it out for yourself. Theyre not consistently the same in every season of the Christian life. According to most Christian traditions, you will experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon conversion. Its important that we clarify the meaning of biblical terms like baptism in (or with) the Holy Spirit because it is a biblical term. Whether you believe that it occurs at conversion or at some different time, we can all agree that the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings us closer to God and to other believers. She is a literary agent atC.Y.L.E., the publicity manager atMountain Brook Ink, and a freelance editor withSherpa Editing Services. Its no good waiting to be baptized with the Holy Spirit while relaxing and sinning as when you were unconverted. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.. Im saying they use the same words in different ways. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. My understanding of baptism with the Holy Spirit is that Paul uses a form of this phrase to refer to what happens at the new birth. It is a common misconception among many Christians that you have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit if you havent received the gift of tongues. What Does it Mean to Not Be of the World? Third, Luke describes being baptized with the Spirit as receiving power for witness (Acts 1:8). Is there a second blessing subsequent to salvation? I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. Many Pentecostal denominations believe that the receiving of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues. Used by permission. Theyre blessing God through Jesus in the temple. Chances are you wont feel a drastic and radical change right away, but as you grow in your faith, you will learn to become more in tune with what many call the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit as He leads you deeper in faith and aligns your will with that of the Fathers. No, off to the many tasks that awaited! All rights reserved. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.. What shall we say then? It is right, I think, to ask for a fresh baptism. Are all teachers? John Piper joins me over the phone for todays question, an important one. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Are all prophets? For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Do all work miracles? John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Lets look for some answers to these and other questions regarding baptism of the Holy Spirit. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.. The Greek word for baptismbaptizomeans to dip or to immerse. This points to the traditional act of baptism, the immersion in water. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace. Thats the language of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. At times in the Old Testament, certain individuals were empowered by the Holy Spirit for short periods of time for specific acts. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one bodywhether Jews or Gentiles, slave or freeand we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Interestingly, here Paul is speaking to all, that is, all the Christians, claiming they have all been baptized by the Holy Spirit. If you feel that your life is dry and heavy, pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.. until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. Because you really need it if you have a strong desire to overcome envy, anger etc. The water also represents the washing away of sins. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.. Most Christians understand the concept of conversion, repenting of sin and pledging ones life to Christ. Clearly, then, this baptism of the Holy Spirit was not the same as water baptism. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. In Acts 2:38 Peter says, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. John answered and said to them all, As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Heres todays question, sent anonymously to us from Berlin, Germany. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.read more.Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; They were amazed and astonished, saying, Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? What is common among many branches of Pentecostalism is not a singular view of baptism in the Spirit, but rather a strong emphasis on the experiential nature of the Spirits presence in the life of the believer. No, read in the Bible, even if it seems dry, and resist the lust to become angry and irritated, for example. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.Matthew 3:11. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John the Baptist in Luke 3:16: I baptize you with water. You have Paul on Cyprus, and hes about to speak. God's power often passes through your body like a powerful current and fills you with an infinite joy and happiness. But it is not the intention that we stop completely at that great experience of being baptized with the Holy Spirit, and never move on. John the Baptist baptized unto the forgiveness of sins, but also proclaimed that Jesus would come with a baptism that would be far more extensive and deep. Baptism isnt required to be saved; passages such as Acts 15 and Romans 4 make it clear that no external act is necessary for salvation. The implication of this rhetorical question, evangelicals say, is that it should be evident that not all speak in tonguesnor do they need to. Its part of Christian experience. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives today. The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach. Instead, baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. It says in Luke 24:5253, And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. Heres a group of men worshiping Jesus. The experience can be expressed in many ways. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Copyright 2002-2022 Got Questions Ministries. Unless I go away, the Advocate [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7). For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Water! Pentecostalism is usually defined as a movement in Christianity that thinks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second experience, usually after conversion, marked by speaking in tongues. They had probably already imagined beforehand what the experience of being baptized with the Holy Spirit would be like. Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox believers have very similar views on most aspects of the Holy Spirit, with some variation of thought as relates to inter-trinitarian relations. When a person is immersed in water and then brought up again, it symbolizes that Christ died and was buried (the submersion) and then rose again (rising from the water). Well, what then does Jesus mean in Acts 1:5 and Luke 3? In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. But of course there is no set timetable for when you get this blessed baptism of the Spirit. One of the most commonly confusing topics for Christians is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Thats the stereotypical way of thinking about Western Christianity. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.read more.And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? (1 Corinthians 12:16-17), Just because a person lacks one gifting (for example, speaking in tongues) does not mean they have not been gifted with the Spirit. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. Because you have been baptized with the Spirit. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. He says, Wait for this baptism (Acts 1:45), and then when he describes it in 2:4, he says, They were filled with the Holy Spirit. For him, these are overlapping realities, fullness and baptism. We believe the doctrines, we do the behaviors, and we infer that we belong to God and that something supernatural is happening, but nobody experiences anything. Is it differenta second baptism? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers and elders of the people. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. They have great joy. Of course, there will be some points in the believers life in which one feels the Spirits presence more strongly or more dramatically than others, due to Gods constant outpouring of His Spirit into our lives. This gift often comes later, and many only receive it after a revival has broken out, and yet others receive completely different gifts. 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. And you, dear reader, who have not yet been baptized with the Spirit, but have a real longing for it, are probably also wondering what it is like. Article Images Copyright . When you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, leading and guiding you. 10 Things Men Secretly Love about Their Wives, Why Im Glad We Dont Know What the Thorn in Pauls Side Was, An Innovative and Biblical Approach to Investing. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? That really is an oversimplification. This baptism of the Holy Spirit was only possible because of Jesus death and resurrection, thus cleansing the believer of sin. Im not arguing that theres any conflict. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. 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. And he said, Into what then were you baptized? And they said, Into Johns baptism.read more.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. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. In other words, its conversion. However, mans sinful state did not allow for continual indwelling. After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. Do You Have to Pray in Tongues to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit? Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. All rights reserved. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for Gods people in accordance with the will of God. As we follow the Spirit's workings, we must suffer, and that was what Jesus meant by the fire. Now, I dont think Jesus means that his disciples will be converted from unbelief to belief in this baptism that theyre supposed to wait for in Jerusalem. What Im going to suggest is that the way Paul uses the phrase in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and the way Luke uses the phrase (or Jesus reported by Luke) in Acts 1:5 are not the same. Luke ends his Gospel with a description of the apostles before the experience that theyre supposed to wait for called the baptism of the Spirit. Its the covenant promise of prophetic power: youre going to speak with extraordinary power. Pentecostals, however, tend to take a different approach. As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The prevailing Protestant belief is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion. However, this is not necessarily the case for all who repent. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. What shall we say then? Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. He shows that there are far more diverse understandings of the Holy Spirit and his work among global Pentecostalism than we thought. I need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body (1 Corinthians 12:13). They use the same phrase in different ways. Even though you might experience one, that doesnt mean its the normative way that this baptism is to be understood. The baptism of the Spirit is an immersion of the Spirit. When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, you will receive strength, power and boldness from God to accomplish your work and overcome sin in your own life. Finally, fourth, Luke says that being baptized in the Spirit is being clothed with power from on high so that the message of Christ can be taken effectively to all the world. Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. They were not permitted to remain seated quietly with memories of what they had experienced on the day of Pentecost. Even though you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, you can easily be caught up by the world we live in and can lose something of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said, But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Is it Okay for Christians to Pray to Mary? One day you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit! Water! Then Peter answered. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Or that experience may come at the very moment of conversion followed by lifelong subsequent experiences of empowering in the Holy Spirit. And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. And thats what will happen when we earnestly pray to be filled anew, and practice what we read in the Bible. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. A brand new day dawns. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. What Should Christians Do after a Mass Shooting? Alyssa Roatstudied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University. The baptism of the Holy Spirit also connects us to God. Photo Credit: GettyImages/digitalskillet. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?read more.Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 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., but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth., And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.. and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.. Thats my language again and again as I approach the pulpit and seek to preach. The Holy Spirit indwelling each believer was better, He said, than His physical presence on earth. Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. I think the kind of filling and empowering that we receive in such experiences are needed again and again and again in the Christian life. Then throughout the book of Acts, the term filled with the Holy Spirit is a recurrent repeated experience in the believers life, not just a onetime experience. Then Peter answered. The promise of Joel 2 is not the new-covenant promise of new birth. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Ive seen churches do this and put a lot of focus on these experiences, which make me quite uncomfortable. knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, Look! Thats the stereotype, anyway, of what Pentecostalism means. Some believe that this second baptism is necessary for salvation, while some dont. Just as when the disciples were instructed to make disciples of all nations. Let me clarify each of those. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. All rights reserved. Its becoming a Christian. He goes even further to compare the body of Christ to a human body. Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?. 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Jehovah's Witnesses and Their Beliefs, Elvis Presley's Grandson Stuns The Judges With 'Love Me Tender' Audition, 30 Morning Prayers to Start Each Day with God.