BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
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An Applied Theology Exercise
Presented to
Dr. Allison
The Southern Baptist Theology Seminary
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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for 27080MD
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by
Spencer Glyn Simpson
Ssimpson467@students.sbts.edu
August 19, 2018
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a challenging concept to try and understand. There are several layers of understanding the Holy Spirit which I do not fully understand. I will attempt to discuss what understanding I do have. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is one of the many events that occur in the moment of a person receiving Christ as their savior. Being baptized in the Spirit is an overwhelming submersion of the Holy Spirit which clothes in the new life and power which is not available for non-believers. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is how we are woven into the body of Christ and united as one. In the following pages there will be multiple discussions about different aspects of the Holy Spirit baptism process. First, a discussion about a delayed reception of the Holy Spirit which is found in Acts. Second, a discussion on whether conversion and baptism with the Spirit occur at the same time or if it is a multiple step process. As well as the difference between being baptized by the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit. Followed by how Jesus is involved with the baptism and when we are baptized with the Spirit we are united to the body of Christ.
Understanding Acts
The book of Acts contains passages that greatly help with our understanding of the Holy Spirit. There are two passages; Acts 8:14-17 and Acts 19:1-7 refer to a delayed reception of the Holy Spirit. This can lead to debate over whether there is always a delayed reception of the Holy Spirit or if these events were unique and only occur at those times. These examples are not convincing of the argument that baptism always occurs later. Rather, the event described in Acts 8:14-17 can be understood as God sovereignly waiting to give the Holy Spirit to these new believers until the apostles came. Which is a testament to the Samaritans being members of the church. In the Great Commission Jesus says His followers are to make disciples of all nations. The events help show the Jews and Jewish leaders the new covenant does in fact extend to all nations and is no longer exclusive to only them. The leaders needed these events to take place so that they could have a better understanding of the truth behind Christ including all nations into His kingdom.
The event in Ephesus, described in Acts 19, is different than the one in Acts 8. Here we have people who do not have a new covenant understanding. The people in Ephesus had been baptized after hearing John the Baptist preach and possibly had repented of their sins and are preparing for the messiah who is to come. However, they did not have an understanding of salvation through Christ nor about the events that took place on the day of Pentecost. Therefore, the Spirit did not come until Paul preached of being baptized in the name of the Lord and on true salvation. This shows it is not the act of baptism with water that saves a person, but a true understanding and accepting of Christ as their savior that leads to salvation. Baptism, with water, is more of an act of obedience and a public announcement of faith, not the moment where conversion takes place. There are people who are saved and whose names are written in the book of life that have yet to be baptized with water. In turn there are people who have been baptized with water, who are not saved and therefore their names are not written in the book life. Baptism is a symbol of the Spiritual baptism already taken place, not the actual act itself.
Conversion and Baptism: One Act or Two
There are many terms which seem to be interchangeable, but should not be: conversion, baptism in the Spirit, regeneration, sanctification, and so on. These terms are important in attempting to understand correctly to know how God works in the lives of believers. Conversion can be defined as the moment of true salvation where the individual confesses faith in Christ, their need for a savior due to sin and accepts Christ as their savior. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is when the Spirit enters the new believer to dwell within them for the rest of their life. This process incorporates them into the body of Christ. Conversion and the baptism of the Holy Spirit occur simultaneously. Regeneration is the work of God which brings a person into new life; they were Spiritually dead the are now alive in Christ. Sanctification is the process of a believer becoming more holy through the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them and empowers them to be righteous. In simple terms the Spirit baptizes the believer at the moment of conversion filling them and crafting them into the body of Christ. Then assists in the process of making them holy throughout their lives, with events of an intense presence that aid in moments where the individual must rely on the Spirit for strength. Personally, I think it is important not to let ourselves get overburdened with all of these theological terms and using them in precise ways. Rather, allow ourselves to have a sense of awe and wonder that these acts occur. We should marvel at the very fact that not only our God is capable of carrying out these acts but does so willingly that we may be incorporated into His family. These are mighty acts by our Lord may we never fall into a trap of making them only intellectual jargon that demotes the glory that is a result of the Lord graciously saving and claiming us as His.
Baptized Versus Filled
There is some debate about the differences which lie between being baptized in the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit. This is tricky territory especially when there can be a range of what these two aspects mean. If baptism in the Holy Spirit is the understood as the initial covering of a believer in the Spirit, the believer is filled with the Spirit when they accept Christ. The being filled with the Holy Spirit can be understood as special events carried out by the Holy Spirit through us. If this is the understanding of baptism and being filled, then the term filled is a poor words choice. A believer from the moment of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is always filled with the Holy Spirit; for it dwells within believers from that point on. There are however, events where the Spirit gives us an overwhelming intensity of its presence which gives us the ability to do varying actions that one may not be able to do in the regular day to day rhythms of life. These moments can range form speaking in tongues, to prophesy, or acting in a way that is unlike the person’s character. For example, a person who is terrified of public speaking has the ability to stand up in front of a crowd and give an amazing proclamation of Christ. The Spirit gives us the power to carry out actions that are not typical for us to perform. In these moments we are not filled any more with the Holy Spirit but rather its presence and power within us is more prevalent. Instead of saying one is filled with the Holy Spirit it may be better expressed as one is overwhelmed by the Spirit’s power.
Jesus as the Agent, Holy Spirit as the Element
The Holy Spirit is not the only person of the Trinity that is involved when a person is baptized with the Spirit. In passages such as Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33 it is understood that it is Jesus who Baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist makes a useful analogy in the above passages with water. He says that while he baptizes with water, Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Even still today pastors Baptize a now believer with water and this can help provide an illustration as to what John Baptist is alluding to. The pastor is the agent by which the baptism occurs, for he is the one who does the act of baptism. The water is the element of baptism, representing the cleansing and submersion into a newness. Jesus is the agent by which the baptism of the Spirit takes place for he is the one who baptizes is with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the element that we are baptized with, like the water is cleanses us and submerges us into the body of Christ where we are made new.
United with the Body of Christ
Paul writes “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…†in 1 Corinthians 12:13. This passage is important to remember when reviewing the idea of Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It brings a new perspective to what the Spirit does when we are baptized with the Spirit. It is easy to focus on the individual aspects of Spirit baptism and how it makes the individual new, but there is a kingdom aspect. Being baptized in the spirit is a uniting element; it is what makes the body of believers one in Christ. The Church would not be nearly as effective for the Kingdom of Christ without this uniting act of the Holy Spirit when it baptizes new believers. Keeping the big picture in mind can help created an even greater since of awe of the works in believers by the Trinity. This understanding of the verse is used in other denominations to which it supports differing doctrine.
The Pentecostals use this verse to support their argument that Baptism in the Spirit is a separate event from conversion. This argument fails because of its dependency on English translations of the Bible. In some translations the word “by†is used instead of the “in or with†Pentecostals say that the usage of the word “by†shows that the Spirit is the agent that baptism occurs and therefore is a second event. In the Greek text the word used in the place of by/with/in is almost identical to the other Biblical references that refer to this baptism as taking place at conversion. Paul is saying that when they were baptized in the Spirit, or when they became true Christians, they were adopted into the one body.
Conclusion
Briefly put when one is truly saved that person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. The key here being that we are truly saved. The baptism of the Spirit does not occur in everybody who claims Christianity as their religion. Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes only to those who has a true relationship with Christ. The ones whom He has chosen to ransom and adopt into his family. When encountering a person who claims they received a baptism of the Holy Spirit some time after their conversion, I would first ask details as to what occurred. With a better understanding of the event that took place I would then ask probing questions about whether this was an actual baptism of the Holy Spirit or a time where the presence of the Holy Spirit was overwhelmingly known and experienced. I would try to help that person understand how the actual baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that occurs at conversion and that moments of feeling the Spirit comes later are not an indicator that the Spirit is just now dwelling inside of them. Rather, it was always there form the moment of conversion. Also note that even if we disagree on what the baptism of the Spirit is, it does not mean that the person who holds a different view is not saved. Keeping that in mind can aid in that ability to have such a conversation in a loving way. Being baptized in the Spirit is not to be taken lightly but neither is loving our brothers and sisters who differ from us. Let us not forget that when discussing doctrine.