#7 Spirit Baptism: A Second Blessing?

I. Introduction
A. We’ve been talking about the Holy Spirit (HS), the Helper Jesus sent.
B. We’ve talked about the HS in history. Now we begin to focus on the nature of the Spirit’s work in our lives today. And we have so many wonderful and exciting things to talk about!
C. Specifically today we’re going to talk about the baptism of the HS, and how it relates to us.
II. But let’s begin with a little background:
A. We talked about the OT promises about the coming of the HS: Is.32:15; 44:2-3; Eze.36:25-28; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29.
B. We saw how John the Baptist and then Jesus referred to this then-soon event as the baptism of the HS and focused it on Jesus (Mark 1:7-8; Matt.3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:32-34; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,5,8).
C. Last week we looked at the Pentecost event, the day when the Spirit was poured out on the people of Christ in fulfillment of these promises, accompanied by the sound of wind, tongues of fire resting on each person’s head, and speaking in tongues (Acts 2:1-18).
1. Through the book of Acts, this great Pentecost event is referred to with many different words:
a. the "baptism in the Spirit" in Acts 1:5 and 11:16;
b. the "coming on of the Spirit" in 1:8;
c. the "filling of the Spirit" in 2:4;
d. the "gift of the Spirit" in 2:38, 10:45, 11:17, and 15:8;
e. the "outpouring of the Spirit" in 2:17,18,33, and in 10:45;
f. the "receiving of the Spirit" in 2:38 and 10:47;
g. and the "falling on of the Spirit" in 10:44 and 11:15.
2. If you take the time to look all of these up in context, I think you will see that all these expressions are being used synonymously.
D. At the center of our topic this morning is one of these expressions: the baptism of the HS.
1. This phrase ‘baptism in the HS’ is used seven times in the NT.
2. Let’s go over these 7 usages because they are very important for our study today:
a. Once in each gospel on the lips of John the Baptist saying that Jesus was going to baptize with the HS (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
b. Twice in the book of Acts, once on the lips of Peter (Acts 11:16) where he is remembering these words of John the Baptist in the gospels. And then once on the lips of our Lord (Acts 1:5) where just before His ascension He said to the Twelve, “John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the HS not many days from now.”
c. That’s six, all of which pointy clearly to Pentecost (though the one in Acts 11:16 does connect it also with the pouring out of the HS at the house of Cornelius).
d. The seventh usage, and the only other time this expression is used in the NT, is in our passage this morning, 1Cor.12:13, where Paul says, “By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
E. This great Pentecost event was followed by three subsequent outpourings of the HS in the book of Acts:
1. Acts 8:14–18 Samaritans
2. Acts 10:44–46 Gentiles in Caesarea
3. Acts 19:1–6 twelve disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus
F. But now let’s talk about more recent history, more specifically the history of the Pentecostal or charismatic movement.
1. In the early 20th century, some Christians in California began to have some remarkable spiritual experiences. These weren’t conversion experiences, but were happening primarily to those who had been Christians for a while.
2. As these believers searched the Scriptures to find an explanation for their experiences, they felt like they found in the Bible a pattern of people having two different experiences with God:
a. The 1st being conversion, coming to Christ in faith
b. The 2nd being an experience with the HS, which they usually referred to as the baptism of the HS.
3. Where did they find this pattern of a second work of grace referred to as the baptism of the HS? Primarily from incidents we mentioned in the book of Acts, for instance:
a. The Apostles' baptism in the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:2-5; 2:1-4): The Apostles themselves were certainly believers before Pentecost. Yet, they were baptized in the HS at Pentecost.
b. The Samaritans in Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 are another example of people who had a 2-stage experience. When Philip proclaimed the gospel there, they believed in the Lord Jesus and were baptized. Only days later, when Peter & John came and laid hands on them, did they receive the HS.
c. Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-2, 34-46): Cornelius was "a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household...and prayed to God continually." However, it was not until Peter came and preached that "the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message," including Cornelius.
d. The disciples of John in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6): When Paul came to Ephesus he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the HS when you believed?" Paul's question alone demonstrates that in Paul's mind it was very possible to be a believer but not have the HS. Not only that, but it is after they believe in Jesus and were baptized that Paul "laid his hands upon them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying."
III. So, how can we respond to these things?
A. The first thing to say has to do with the expression “the baptism of the HS.” We talked about its seven uses in the NT, the first six clearly referring to Pentecost itself. Well, we never really talked about the seventh, 1Cor.12:13, and it’s important here. So, let’s look at it:
1. 1Corinthians 12:13 “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.”
2. The Greek words “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” here are identical to the six references to the baptism of the Spirit in the gospels and Acts. The word translated "by" in most versions is the same Greek word translated "with" or "in" in the other six references.
3. The words "one,""all," and "into one body" are inserted by Paul into John the Baptist's formula here because Paul's point is different than John the Baptist's or Christ's. Paul is making a point about the unity of Christ's body. This is why, instead of merely saying, "In the Spirit we were baptized," Paul writes: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” But the correlation between 1Cor.12:13 and the other six references to the baptism of the Spirit is clear.
4. My point is this: 1Cor.12:13 talks about the baptism of the HS as something which has happened to ALL believers.
5. When Paul, in the midst of a passage about how God has gifted different Christians in different ways, wants to stress the fact that we are all one, his appeal is to the baptism in the Spirit. This, he says, is what binds us together: we have all been baptized in one Spirit into the one body of Christ. Therefore, there is no more distinction in Christ between Jew and Gentile, slave or free.
6. In other words, whatever the baptism of the Spirit is, it is part of what it means to be a Christian, it is what incorporates us into the body of Christ.
7. As Gordon Fee (an Assembly of God NT scholar, and one of my favorite seminary professors) says, “For Paul the reception of the Spirit is the sine qua non of Christian life. The Spirit is what essentially distinguishes believer from nonbeliever (1Cor.2:10-14); the Spirit is what essentially marks the beginning of Christian life (Gal.3:2-3); the Spirit above all is what makes a person a child of God (Rom.8:14-17). Thus it is natural for him to refer to their unity in the body in terms of the Spirit.”
8. There is also a second phrase in the verse, which I believe restates what is said in the first half of the verse. A brief examination of the last part of this verse will add insight to the meaning of the first phrase.
a. Most versions translate it this way: "we were all made to drink of one Spirit." The Greek word here translated "to make (someone) to drink" has two common meanings:
(1) to give drink to people (as here), and
(2) to water or irrigate (e.g. a garden, plant or field)
b. Paul uses both meanings in this Corinthian letter. For instance, both are used in 1Cor.3:
(1) 1Corinthians 3:2 I FED you with milk.
(2) 1Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos WATERED, but God gave the growth.
(3) 1Corinthians 3:8 He who plants and he who WATERS are one.
c. How do you know which meaning is the right one? Well, usually it’s obvious: when you’re talking about people, the 1st meaning is the natural one, when you’re talking about a field or garden, the 2nd meaning is the obvious choice.
d. Sometimes this verb is found in what is called the passive voice, where the subject of the verb is being acted on instead of acting (“to be given drink” as opposed to “to give drink,” or “to be watered” as opposed to “to water”).
e. In the NT, this verb is used in the passive voice only once: in 1Cor. 12:13. However, there are two places where this verb is used in the passive voice in the ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek (which is called the Septuagint). These both involve the wetting of land:
(1) Genesis 13:10 “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley WAS well WATERED everywhere like the garden of the LORD.”
(2) Ezek. 32:6 The land will be drenched with your dung...”
f. The only time that this Greek verb is used in the Septuagint with the word "Spirit" is in Is. 29:10, where it is a translation of a Hebrew word that always means "to pour out": “The Lord has poured out on you a spirit of sleep” (though it is sometimes translated, “The Lord has made you to drink of deep sleep.”
g. This calls to mind the OT image of the Spirit being poured out upon the dry land of men's hearts and producing a garden where a wilderness had been (Is. 32:15, 44:3; Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28; Jer. 31:12). In these verses, though human beings are in mind, the image of a field is used to symbolize people.
h. So, it is possible, and even likely that in 1Cor.12:13, Paul is using the Greek verb in the land sense and not in the person sense, meaning: “and we have all been watered with one Spirit,” picking up on these OT prophecies of how the HS will be poured out in the desert land mentioned above.
B. This fact that every Christian is the recipient of the HS is confirmed by other passages as well:
1. Romans 8:9 “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
2. Everyone who believes receives the Spirit:
a. Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
b. Galatians 3:2 “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”
C. What can we say about the two-stage incidents in the book of Acts? Well, we don’t have the time to address each of these passages in detail. But there are several considerations that help us here:
1. There was something very peculiar about the generation which received these outpourings. It was the generation bridging the old and the new. It began under the old covenant and ended under the new. Of course many of them received the baptism of the HS after they were converted! The HS wasn’t poured out until after they were believers.
2. The 3 outpourings of the HS after Pentecost certainly are smaller repetitions of what took place at Pentecost, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are part of an indefinitely repeating series. These seem to have been part of a unique complex of events that laid the foundation of the Christian church, extensions of Pentecost as it expanded from the original 120 to the uttermost parts of the earth.
3. A good analogy of this is offered by Abraham Kuyper (The Work of the Holy Spirit, pp. 123-127). Kuyper uses the illustration of a newly constructed water system. On the day of the grand opening, the pipes are opened providing water to the city proper. This corresponds to Pentecost. But subsequent to this, three other sections of the system, which are plugged into the pipes of the city and which serve three outlying areas, are opened at different times and without the fanfare of the grand opening (but to the people of those areas, it means everything!). All of the system is now available for groups or individuals to plug into, but the whole system has been officially opened and so the small subsequent openings lack the public fanfare of the first grand-opening or the three subsequent section openings.
4. In the first two cases (Acts 8 and 10), a new class of people is being reached, a new realm being penetrated with the new covenant gospel. And notice that apostles had to be at each outpouring.
a. Acts 8 Samaritans – to confirm that it was indeed God’s will for the Samaritans to be included in the gospel community
b. Acts 10 Gentiles – to confirm that it was indeed God’s will for the Gentiles to be included in the gospel community (see Acts 11:1-18)
5. Acts 19 Disciples of John – Like most people, there is a lot I don’t understand about this passage. But I don’t think it helps the Pentecostal position any more than it helps the non-Pentecostal position.
a. For instance, immediately upon hearing that they had not heard that the Spirit had come, Paul's knee-jerk reaction is to ask, “Into what then were you baptized?” In Paul's mind there was a direct connection between baptism and the reception of the HS. He seems to have been thinking: If these men knew not the reception of the Spirit, then how could they have been baptized into Christ?
b. If Paul had been Pentecostal in his theology, this response would not make sense, for the Pentecostal way of thinking does not link baptism into Christ with the reception of the Spirit as Paul and the other NT writers do.
c. Directly after hearing their answer, Paul, after one of the shortest evangelistic messages on record (19 words in Greek), proceeds (in v.5) to baptize these men into the name of Jesus and they receive the HS. Here, once again, we can see the close link in Paul's mind between faith in Christ which expresses itself in water baptism and the reception of the Spirit. It seems to me to be reading too much into this passage to find a separation between the baptism and the reception of the Spirit. They are both part of the same conversion/initiation.
6. In spite of these three aftershocks, there is no pattern in the NT of Jesus pouring out His Spirit over and over again in the sense He did at Pentecost.
a. There is no indication that the other churches Paul planted had this kind of mini-Pentecost.
b. There is no indication that the HS came like this upon the new converts on the day of Pentecost.
c. Not once does the HS come like this upon an individual.
7. It’s not that each one of us is a believer like the apostles and then each one at some point has a Pentecost experience. Pentecost is redemptive history, not necessarily a model for our experience.
IV. Conclusion
A. I’d like to go back to a point we made weeks ago about what it means to have the HS. Some argue something like this: You either have the HS or you don’t. You can’t have a little of Him or get more of Him. He’s a person, you can’t have a little of Him.
1. Well, of course, the HS IS a person. But when the Bible tells us we have the HS, it doesn’t mean that the HS is LOCATED inside of us. It means that the HS is manifesting Himself in us, that the HS is at work in us. And therefore it is true that the HS sometimes works more in one context than in another, and the HS sometimes manifests Himself more in one place than in another.
2. For example:
a. Eph.5:18 commands us to “Be filled with the Spirit.” The Greek verb here is present tense, implying continuing action.
b. Acts 6:5 “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”
(1) Everyone had the HS. But Stephen was FULL of the HS.
c. In John 3:34 Jesus is said to have the Spirit without measure [“He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He (God) gives (Him) the Spirit without measure.”] This suggests that the rest of us have the HS in a more limited sense.
(1) “There is an implied limitation when we are told that ‘to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it’ (Eph. 4:7; both Augustine and Calvin draw attention to the importance of this verse).” – Leon Morris
(2) There was also a well-known rabbinic saying which probably predated Christ which said that the Hebrew prophets only had God’s Spirit “with measure” (i.e. to a limited degree). If so, the statement in John 3 that Jesus had the Spirit WITHOUT measure was given with this rabbinic saying in mind, to contrast Jesus with the prophets.
B. We’re not against 2nd works of the HS in our lives. We want 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 99th works of the HS . We want more & more help from the Spirit. We want to be filled with the HS (Eph.5:18).
1. What we’re saying is that the Bible says that all those who are in Christ have the Spirit.
a. We have the Helper. We have His power accessible to us. He is ours. He’s been given.
b. All those who are in Christ have access to the power of the Helper Jesus sent.
2. We also recognize that it is easy for believers to be blind to this great power which is ours. We see this in Ephesians 1:18–20 where Paul prays: “...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know ... what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places...” (Cf. Colossians 1:29)
C. Though we disagree in some matters with our Pentecostal brothers/sisters, this doesn’t mean we don’t give thanks to God for wonderful ways He has used and is using the charismatic movement.
1. It has reminded us of the vital role the HS plays in our lives.
2. It has reminded us that the HS is not done with His work in our lives as soon as we become Christians. The Christian life is meant to be a dynamic one. It is supposed to be a life of change and continuous rearrangement and transformation and encountering Jesus Christ through the HS. It is not enough to be in Christ, we must grow in Christ.