Baptism in the Holy Spirit

When we believe in Jesus, we are born again. The Holy Spirit comes inside us, and our spirits are joined to the Holy Spirit.

“He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17).

When we are born again we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

“Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13b).

Every believer has the Holy Spirit inside because he belongs to Jesus. Each Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”(1 Cor. 6:19).

The indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to understand the Bible, experience God’s presence, know God’s leading, and bear fruit. The Holy Spirit is a precious gift for every Christian.

It is impossible to be born again apart from the Holy Spirit, because we are born again by the Holy Spirit. All those who belong to Christ have the Holy Spirit inside them the moment they are born again.

“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9)

However, being born again is not the end of our experience with the Holy Spirit. It is only the beginning.

God wants every Christian to also be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

“John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16)

People baptize people in water. Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is one of the basic principles of Christianity.

According to Hebrews, there are several basic principles of Christianity, and these include more than one baptism.

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Heb. 6:1-2)

There is water baptism, and there is Holy Spirit baptism. Both baptisms are essential for Christians to reach maturity in Christ.

The 120 Early Disciples

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4)

The 120 disciples were already believers. They were born again. They were baptized in water. And like all born again believers, they had the Holy Spirit inside. This is emphasized when “Jesus breathed on them, saying receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).

Although the disciples were born again and had the Holy Spirit inside them, they were still limited. They did not have much power for ministry, and they were unable to be effective witnesses for God. (They even rolled dice to select ministry leaders!) Jesus told them to wait in the Upper Room until they had a further experience – the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to minister for God. It enables us to be his witnesses. Jesus called it “being clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

Jesus is our model. Although Jesus already had the Holy Spirit inside him, when he was 30 years old the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. After this, the Bible says that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1). Then he began his public ministry.

We also need to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish effective ministry. We need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

The 120 disciples waited for 10 days in the Upper Room. Finally, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit, the initial portion of the Holy Spirit that we receive at the point of salvation is made fuller, larger, and more real to us. We are better able to understand spiritual things, can bear more fruit of the Holy Spirit, can operate the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and are able to be better led by the Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the initial filling of the Holy Spirit. This is why Acts 2:4 says “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Peter’s First Sermon

As a result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit, Peter and the other disciples were empowered to be witnesses for God. They burst out of the Upper Room, Peter powerfully preached the gospel, and 3,000 people were saved. Peter told them,

“Repent, and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)

Repent, believe the gospel, be born again, and be baptized in water.

Afterwards,Peter said, you will receivethe gift of the Holy Spirit.

The order of events is clear from the tenses of the Greek verbs used here.

1. Repent (aorist) and be baptized in water (aorist). These events are to be made part of one’s past experience. When these events are done, then the next event will happen.
2. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (future).

The New Living Translation captures this.Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“The gift of the Holy Spirit” does not refer to the initial portion of the the Holy Spirit which everyone receives when they are born again. These people would have received that prior to being baptized. Instead, it refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, something that would happen afterthey were born again.

Peter went on to say that the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every place, for all time.

“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:39)

The Samaritans

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” (Acts 8:5-6)

Philip went to Samaria and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Samaritans believed, were born again, and were sealed with the Holy Spirit.

“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (Acts 8:12)

After believing the gospel and being born again, the Samaritans were baptized in water.

Later, Peter and John came to them.

“who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:15-17)

The Samaritans had already been born again and baptized in water. They already had the Holy Spirit inside them, like all born again believers.

It is the Holy Spirit that causes people to be born again (John 3:5-8). If someone does not have the Holy Spirit inside him, he is not born again, and he does not belong to God (Rom. 8:9). These Samaritans were born again and had the Spirit inside them prior to being baptized in the Holy Spirit, because Philip would not have baptized unbelievers.

Later, through the laying on of hands, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Saul/Paul

On the Damascus road, Saul met the glorified Lord Jesus. He was struck blind by the power of God, and his life was transformed. Here, he called Jesus “Lord.”

Saul went to Damascus. There, Jesus had told a Christian man named Ananias to go and lay hands on Saul and pray for him that his eyes might be healed.

Prior to meeting Ananias, Saul had already been born again. We know this because Ananias called Saul “brother” when he first met him. Saul would not have been Ananias’ spiritual brother if he had not been born again.

“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 9:17)

Jesus did not send Ananias to preach the gospel to Saul. He sent him instead to lay hands on Saul so he could be healed and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Saul was already born again. Now he needed to befilled orbaptizedwith the Holy Spirit. (The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the initial filling of the Spirit – Acts 2:4).

After this, Saul was baptized in water.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit alwayshappens after salvation, and usuallyhappens after water baptism. In this instance, Saul was baptized in the Holy Spirit before he was baptized in water, but he was baptized in the Holy Spirit afterhe was born again.

Cornelius’ Household

In Acts 10, Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius, his family, friends, and neighbors. As Peter preached, many of them believed the gospel. Almost immediately afterwards, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.” (Acts 10:44-46)

It is possible to be baptized in the Holy Spirit almost immediately after being born again, and this is what happened at Cornelius’ house.

Ephesus

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (Acts 19:1-6)

When Paul came to Ephesus, he found some disciples. Something about these disciples told Paul that they had not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit. There was something missing in their spiritual walk. Paul asked them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”

He was not asking if they had been sealed in the Spirit at the moment of salvation, for that would have been a meaningless question. Everyone who believes the gospel and is born again is sealed in the Spirit. Instead, Paul was asking if they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Paul was surprised to learn that they had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. Then he found out they were only disciples of John the Baptist!

Paul quickly shared the gospel of Jesus with them. They believed in Jesus and were born again. Then they were baptized in water.

Then Paul laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Throughout Acts, people heard the gospel, believed it, were baptized in water, and then were baptized in the Holy Spirit. There are a couple of instances when people are baptized in the Holy Spirit before being baptized in water, but no one was baptized in the Holy Spirit before they were born again.

Many believers today are born again and baptized in water, but they have never been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Some think that they were automatically baptized in the Holy Spirit when they were born again, but this is not what the Bible teaches.

Just like being baptized in water is distinct from and subsequent to being born again, so beingbaptized in the Holy Spirit is distinct from and subsequent to being born again.

Each born again believer should ask Jesus to baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13)

Jesus was talking about the children of God. He said that God’s own children need to ask God to receive more of the Holy Spirit. They need to ask him to baptize them in the Holy Spirit.