Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040711.htm

ADAPTING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT'S PRESENT MINISTRIES
Part VI: Adapting To The Holy Spirit's Baptism Ministry

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

There exists a wide range of beliefs on the baptism of the Holy Spirit that has led to much confusion and division in Christendom:

(1) Some hold that when a Christian is baptized in water "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" as Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, he is baptized "by" or "in" or "of" or "with" the Holy Spirit. Thus, unless a Christian has been baptized in water in believer's baptism, he is alleged not to be baptized in relation to the Holy Spirit (reported by C. Ryrie, The Holy Spirit, p. 74)

(2) Others hold to the Charismatic position, one described in the book, Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements by the editors Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. McGee (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1988). On pages 40-41, this view holds every believer is baptized "BY" the Holy Spirit into CHRIST at the point of faith in the Gospel, a function described in 1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV. However, the alleged [PENTECOSTAL] baptism INTO the HOLY SPIRIT described in Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 11:16 as being "WITH the Holy Ghost" in the KING JAMES VERSION ALLEGEDLY involves a LATER event accompanied by signs such as tongues speaking (as performed in Charismatic groups)!

(3) Then, to compound the subject, the great Christian leader, Dwight L Moody "taught that a person could or could not be baptized with the Spirit at the moment of regeneration . . . Once he [Moody] had some teachers at Northfield [Massachusetts] -- fine men, all of them, but they did not believe in a definite baptism with the Holy Ghost for the individual.'" (Ibid., Ryrie, p. 75)

Well, we may wonder IF we ARE "baptized" "by" or "with" the Holy Spirit when we are saved or when we are baptized in water! We may wonder if we were baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ when we trusted in Him only LATER to need a baptism WITH the Spirit associated with tongues speaking due to the wording in the KJV at 1 Corinthians 12:13, Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 11:16! We may wonder if we are NOT baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation since Dwight L. Moody taught it, or if, as some of his associates held, INDIVIDUALS are NOT baptized with the Holy Spirit! We may be confused as to WHAT are we supposed to BELIEVE so we know what to DO in relating to the Holy Spirit!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "With all of today's CONFUSION on the baptism of the Holy Spirit', WHAT is it, HOW does one GAIN it and WHY?!"
  1. INITIALLY, to clear up SOME of the confusion on this subject, we CORRECT errors EASILY VISIBLE via SCRIPTURE as follows:
    1. First, Scripture reveals that water baptism for Christians has nothing to do with the baptism related to the Holy Spirit:
      1. In Acts 10:44-48, Gentile hearers of Peter were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues before they were baptized in water!
      2. In fact, BECAUSE they were previously related to the Holy Spirit, Peter felt free to baptize them with water, Acts 10:46-48!
    2. Second, from the Greek text, we see it is erroneous to use the King James Version as a BASIS for distinguishing the baptism relative to the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:13 from that named in Acts 1:4-5 and 11:16:
      1. The three major critical editions of the Greek New Testament, the United Bible Societies, the Nestle-Aland and the Nestle-Kilpatrick eds. all read the same preposition that grammatically modifies the Holy Spirit (or "Ghost" in the KJV) in 1 Cor. 12:13, in Acts 1:4-5 and 11:16: they all have the SAME word " en," meaning "in (or with)," Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N.T., p. 257ff.
      2. Hence, the inspired text offers no basis whatsoever to distinguish what 1 Corinthians 12:13 describes from what Acts 1:4-5 or Acts 11:16 describes regarding baptism relative to the Holy Spirit!
  2. Then, we VIEW SCRIPTURE to DISCERN what baptism relative to the Holy Spirit IS, WHEN it occurs, and HOW and WHY:
    1. The baptism of the believer relative to the Holy Spirit occurs only in the current dispensation of the Church era, for it places Jew and Gentile alike into the body of Christ according to 1 Cor. 12:13, something contrary to preceding dispensations since Jew and Gentile were before separate under the Law, and since Christ's Body is formed based on His death and resurrection, Ibid., Ryrie, p. 76.
    2. Also, this baptism of the Christian relative to the Holy Spirit occurs TODAY for EVERY believer the instant he trusts in Christ:
      1. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, not all of the believers to whom he wrote were mature, nor had all of them spoken in tongues!
        1. Not all of those to whom Paul wrote were mature, 1 Cor. 3:1-3.
        2. Indeed, not all had spoken in tongues, a sign many claim is needed for baptism "with" the Holy Spirit: (a) 1 Cor. 12:30b, Paul is seen asking, "do all speak with tongues?" (b) The Greek text reveals he asked a rhetorical question that expected a negative answer like: "Of course not," for Paul used the subjunctive adverb, may with the indicative, Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T., p. 607; J. G. Machen, N.T. Greek for Beginners, p. 197.
      2. If immature believers and those who had not spoken in tongues had all been baptized relative to the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:13, then every believer today is thus baptized the instant he trusts in Christ!
    3. We must explain that happens today differs with what happened several times in the book of Acts, for God there saved various groups people before baptizing them relative to the Holy Spirit in order to PROVE they as unique groups belonged in the Church. These are explained as follows: (1) Jews were identified with the Church by a special Holy Spirit baptism in Acts 2; (2) people of mixed Jewish and Gentile blood were identified with the Church in Acts 8; (3) Gentiles were identified with the Church in Acts 10 and (4) Jews with Old Testament faith came into the Church upon further insight in Acts 19. So, in each of these events, there is a baptism with the Holy Spirit with the sign of tongues at or after faith in Christ as proof that a new group is included in the Church! After that, ALL men are baptized relative to the Holy Spirit AT faith in the gospel, 1 Cor. 12:13.
    4. The REASON we Christians are baptized "in" [and/or] "with" the Holy Spirit when we trust in Christ's Gospel is clarified as follows:
      1. This baptism makes us members of Christ's Body so we can enjoy full unity with other Christians in life and service, 1 Cor. 12:12, 13.
      2. It effects our union with Christ in His death to the sin nature so we can be equipped to live above our sin nature's power, Rom. 6:1-10.
Application: (1) May we believe in Christ as Savior from sin so the Holy Spirit will INSTANTLY, SPIRITUALLY baptize us in relation to Himself into Christ and His spiritual Body, Jn. 3:16; 1 Cor. 12:13. (2) Then, THUS (a) equipped for enjoying blessed unity with God's people in life and service and (b) equipped for enjoying victory over our own sin natures, (c) may we LIVE by the Spirit's enabling power (Gal. 5:16) to enjoy UNITY with God's people and a GODLY life and powerful service for God!

Lesson: (1) Baptism in relation to the Holy Spirit occurs ONLY in the CHURCH era, and (2) TODAY it occurs to EACH believer the INSTANT he trusts in Christ as Savior from sin; (3) it makes him part of Christ's spiritual Body so that (a) he can enjoy full unity with other Christians in life and service and (b) to equip him to be victorious over his sin nature.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Occasionally, a concerned Christian speaks to me about the alleged "baptism with the Holy Spirit" that a friend has tried to impress upon him is necessary; such a friend implies that unless he speaks in tongues and or is baptized in water, he will go to hell.

Having been an assistant chaplain at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas while attending seminary, this question makes me recall the times I have visited hospital patients who have had tubes going into their mouths where they were unable to talk and where, due to their condition, they certainly could not be baptized!

On one occasion I recall entering an Intensive Care Unit where an elderly lady had a half hour to live! She was not able to speak with all the tubes running into her, and she certainly could not be baptized. I asked her, "Ma'am, have you accepted Christ as your Savior?"



She looked me squarely in the eyes and moved her head up and down in a dramatic, strong affirmation to my question.

I then asked, "Ma'am, would you like me to pray with you?"

Again, she shook her head dramatically up and down.

After I prayed, her eyes beamed as she signaled with her hands to pull the tubes out. In effect, she was indicating, "They can just pull the tubes out now and let me go on home to be with the Lord!"

I remember leaving that room with the impression that I had just discovered what it must have been what like for the Jewish High Priest to leave the temple's holy of holies! She never spoke any words, I never baptized her with water, but the evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence in that woman in that room was enormous!

Recalling events like this has led me to respond to Christians who wonder how to answer a friend who feels they have to speak in tongues or be baptized in water to be saved. I say something like: "How can God require people to speak in tongues or be baptized in water to be saved or get the Holy Spirit if some people may have had their tongues removed due to cancer surgery, or who have come to faith on their death beds with tubes running into their mouths?

May we REJOICE in knowing we have been BAPTIZED by (and with) the Holy Spirit when we TRUSTED in Christ as our Savior. May we LIVE in joyful fellowship with God's people EVEN if they are dying and unable to speak in an Intensive Care Unit, and enjoy victory over the sin nature by the Spirit's power!