Rethinking The Baptism In The Holy
Spirit
Chapter Eight
Acts Two
Now finally we get to Acts 2. Here we see a number of people waiting in
Jerusalem, as Jesus told them to do. They were waiting for that promise. They most likely
really did absolutely no doubts what was happening.
They were all in one place and of one accord when the day came. Acts 2;3 says that
there appeared tongues like fire that sat upon each of them. This is very much similar to
the dove that sat upon Jesus when John baptized Him.
Then in verse 4 it says that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in tongues. We need to recognize at this point that everyone involved knew something
was happening. Even the observers knew something was happening. If the Holy Spirit of God
comes on someone, or fills them they will know it. I don't think that you would have to
talk yourself into believing you received the Spirit. Faith is productive. Either you
received the Spirit of God or you didn't. There's no accepting it by faith. God's power
accompanies His presence. That is a fact.
So what happened here. Let's look at some verses and some words that are used. Acts 2;4
says that these people "were filled" with the Spirit. It was like they were cups
and the Father in heaven had a hose and He was filling them up. They were empty cups that
became full. They were empty because we already made the point that they did not have the
Spirit prior to this time. So even though there is no exact word saying they
"received" the Spirit in these particular verses, they did. The filling was a
giving by the Father and a receiving by the people. That is a receiving of the Spirit. If
you fill an empty cup with water you do at least two things. One. you put water in the cup
that had no water. Two, once the first drop is in the cup you fill it to the top. So the
word fill here in Acts is a good word to use for someone who did not have the Holy Spirit.
Now Peter tries to explain what happened. In so doing he quoted some verses from the
Old Testament book of Joel that said, "I will pour out my Spirit on all
flesh..." Here we have the word "pour". We can use the same cup analogy
here too. This pouring out has got to be interpreted as "giving", that is giving
the Holy Spirit. The idea of pouring is only the method the Father used to give the
Spirit.
Verse 33 of chapter two is interesting to our discussion. "Therefore being by the
right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit He has shed forth this which you now see and hear." Here we see most clearly
that the promise truly is the Spirit himself, not just an experience. We also see as I
have before mentioned that Jesus had to be exalted or glorified as John 17 puts it before
the Spirit could be given. Peter is saying that the people actually received the Spirit
for the first time here.
One last thing Peter said, and that is this, found in verse 38. "Repent and be
baptized...and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". Can it be any clearer
than that. The gift is the Spirit of God.
In conclusion to this chapter I say this. Jesus referred to this particular happening
as a baptism. He said that these people would be baptized in the Spirit. But what
happened? In the process of being baptized, they in reality received the Holy Spirit for
the first time.. My conclusion here is simple. Receiving the Spirit in this case was the
same thing as being baptized in the Spirit. That is the main point I am making in this
whole chapter and will make in others. Remember receiving is the same as being baptized.
Or another way to say it is that when these people were baptized in the Spirit they
actually received the Spirit for the first time. Hopefully if I say that enough you will
get my point.
Let's carry on to the next place in the book of Acts where such a similar thing
happened. We will go through every portion of Acts where is such an event happening as
this one.
Chapter Nine
Acts Eight
What I am doing is taking you on a trip through the book of Acts. The scriptures
we are looking at are all the scriptures that a Pentecostal would use to back up their
doctrine of the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace that is subsequent to
initial salvation. What I am in the midst of doing is showing you that this so-called
second work is really part of the first work of grace.
The next scripture we see is found in Acts 8. Here Philip meeting with the Samaritans
and bringing them to accept the Word of God.
We see that these Samaritans come to believe as a result of Philip’s preaching.
Look at what verses 14 and 15 say. "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John; who,
when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit."
Then verse 16 goes on to say, "for as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they
were baptized in the name of Jesus." Then verse 17, "then laid they there hands
on them and they received the Holy Spirit."
Here it is clear. The word receive is used twice and the word fallen once. When the
Spirit fell on them for the first time they received the Spirit. This scripture is used to
illustrate the baptism in the Spirit. You surely can say that this was a baptism. It was
like Acts 2 with different manifestations, but here again this baptism was actually a
receiving, a receiving the Holy Spirit. Thus once again the two so-called experiences are
one in this case.
There is a little twist here that I do have to point out. The people believed and were
even baptized in water but yet did not have the Holy Spirit. He was given later when two
apostles laid hands on them. Why this did not happen when Philip was with them preaching
is only speculation. The point is their salvation experience was not completed until
through Peter and John the Spirit was given. The apostles realized this to be the case or
else they would not have come to them. They knew what Paul later would say, that no one
without the Spirit of God could belong to God (Rom. 8:9). These Samaritans who only
believed could not last long in this position, for it is impossible to live the Christian
life without God's Spirit. To me their salvation experience was not complete until they
received the Spirit.
We reach the same conclusion here as we did in Acts two. Once again we see receiving
the Spirit is the same thing as being baptized in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit
"fell" on these people and they received Him at that point. The
"falling" was only the method of receiving. It is the gift that counts, not the
method of receiving the gift.
Chapter Ten
Acts Ten
In Acts 10 we see Peter at Cornelius's house preaching to him and to others the
good news. In Acts 10 verse 44 it says. "while Peter yet spoke unto them these words
the Holy Spirit fell on them..." The next verse tells us that Peter and those with
him were astonished because on these people "was poured out the gift of the Holy
Spirit," (Again the gift here is the Spirit Himself, not an experience). How did they
know this was happening? In verse 46 it says, "for they heard them speak in tongues
and glorify God." We see here too that with God's outpouring and presence comes some
kind of outward manifestation.
The point is clear here as in the last two cases. This outpouring as it says here was
actually a receiving of the Spirit by these Gentiles. They did not have Him prior to this
day. Again the word baptize is not used here other than its use concerning water baptism.
It is obvious that this is an Acts 2 type of experience so that is why many call this a
Spirit baptism and use it in defense of their teaching . This Spirit baptism was a
receiving of the Spirit. This was not a second experience for these people. It was their
conversion experience. Once again we see in this case the receiving the Spirit and being
baptized in the Spirit is the same thing.
If you should question this being an Acts 2 type of experience, and I don't know why
you would, look at what Peter thinks about it. In Acts 11;15 - 17 Peter explains the whole
event to his brothers back in Jerusalem. He says, "as I began to speak the Holy
Spirit fell on them, as on us in the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord,
how he said, John indeed baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy
Spirit. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us who
believed..." You see Peter says the gift is the Spirit not an experience You also see
he compares Acts 10 to Acts 2 and says they are the same.
We reach the same conclusion here as we did before. The baptism in the Spirit was the
same as receiving the Spirit. It was not a second experience to conversion. This was
conversion for these Gentiles.
Chapter Eleven
Acts 19
Here is the last of the four places in the book of Acts which Pentecostals use
to prove their thinking on the baptism in the Spirit. Here we see Paul at Ephesus meeting
with some disciples. Paul asked them in verse two , "have you received the Holy
Spirit since you believed?' Paul was assuming they believed in Jesus who had already died
and rose from the dead. They responded by saying that they did not even know that there
was a Holy Spirit. Paul could not figure this response out so he asked," unto what
were you baptized"? They answered, "John's baptism." At that Paul
immediately understood what was happening. They were still in pre-Jesus days. The only
thing they heard was from John that the Saviour would come. They did not know that He had
come and gone already. At this point Paul told them about Jesus and then he water baptized
them in the name of Jesus. Then he laid hands on them and as a result, "the Holy
Spirit came on them and they began to speak in tongues and prophesied."
Here we have twelve men. They heard the good news as it was told them and believed it.
Then through the laying on of hands they received the Spirit. Here as before they actually
received the Holy Spirit, which also was their baptism in the Spirit experience. Once
again it is very clear that there was one experience for these people, not two.
Chapter Twelve
Acts Nine
Acts nine is the narrative of Paul's conversion. Often this is not used in the
defense of the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace. We will look at it
anyway to see what it might say to us.
We see that there was a great light and a voice from Heaven that said (verse 4),
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me"?
Paul replies by saying, "who are you Lord?"
The Heavenly voice answered, " I am Jesus …"
Paul replied, "Lord what will you have me to do"?
Jesus answered Paul and gave him His instructions. It would seem to me that at this
point Paul began to believe in the Lord. For three days Paul was blind and was in prayer.
Verse 17 tells us that Ananias was told to lay hands on Paul that he might receive his
sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 18 says that the scales fell from his eyes and Paul received his sight and then
was water baptized. The word water is not found in the text. I am assuming that the word
baptized which stands alone here means water baptism. I say this because I believe unless
specifically stated that is how we should interpret the word baptized when there is no
adjective attached to it.
There is no mention that Paul actually received the Spirit. The text only says that he
received his sight. But we do know that Jesus told Ananias that He wanted Paul to be both
healed and filled with the Spirit. So we can safely say that he did get filled. Since he
did not previously have the Spirit that filling was a receiving for Paul.
Here once again being filled with, or baptized in the Spirit means receiving the
Spirit. To me Paul's experience is a little similar to the Samaritans. He began to believe
when he saw the light and heard the voice. His conversion package was complete when he
received the Spirit of God.
Chapter Thirteen
Recap
Let's recap these five events in Acts which we have just looked at as it relates
to believing and then to receiving the Spirit.
In Act 2 we see believers receiving the Holy Spirit by way of being baptized or filled.
There was no second work of grace here. If there was a second work, it was receiving the
Spirit subsequent to believing. That is they were already believers. For these people that
was they way it had to be for the Spirit could not have been given prior to then. Being
baptized in the Spirit and receiving the Spirit is the same thing in this case.
In Acts 8 the Samaritan "accepted the Word of God", you might say believed,
then at a later date they received the Holy Spirit, or was filled with the Spirit. Once
again, no second work here, other than receiving the Spirit was subsequent to believing.
In Acts 10 the Gentiles heard the Word, believed it and immediately received the Holy
Spirit, or was baptized in the Spirit. Here too, receiving the Spirit and being baptized
in the Spirit are the same thing, no second work of grace.
In Acts 19 certain men only knew what John the Baptist told them. They believed in
Jesus that was to come. When they heard the good news from Paul, they believed him and
received the Holy Spirit, or was baptized in the Spirit. Here again, the two are one, no
second work.
In Acts 9 Paul believed and a few days later was filled with the Spirit, or received
the Spirit. No second work here either. Receiving and being baptized in the Spirit were
the same thing
You see that in every case above that people were first believers. This be obvious. You
cannot receive the Holy Spirit unless you are a believer. Why would you even want the
Spirit if you weren’t. Simply believing is not enough. You cannot survive as a
Christian by just believing. You need the Holy Spirit inside of you. God sovereignty gave
believers His Spirit in Act 2 and 10, while in Acts 8, 9 and 19 He used men by the laying
on of hands.
In each and every case in Acts receiving the Spirit happened when they were filled or
baptized in the Spirit. The baptism in the Spirit was not a second work of grace. It was
not subsequent to receiving the Spirit. Receiving and being baptized in the Spirit was the
same thing. This should now be very clear to you.
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