Beyond the Water: A Biblical Investigation into the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. D. Forrest Mills

Transcription

1 Beyond the Water: A Biblical Investigation into the Baptism of the Holy Spirit D. Forrest Mills THE 6120: Systematic Theology II: Sin, Christ, Salvation, Holy Spirit 10/03/15

2 1 Perhaps the greatest danger of all for Christian people is the danger of understanding the Scriptures in the light of their own experiences. 1 Introduction Whatever Christians may feel, they should let Scripture interpret their experiences, not vice versa. 2 More specifically, didactic teaching should take precedent over narrative passages, especially if the narrative may not be normative. 3 Throughout church history, many have raised their own personal revelation, experience, or tradition over Scripture. At worse, they created heresy; at best, they became satisfied with less than what God had to offer. 4 One of these movements emerged in the twentieth century: Pentecostalism. This movement broke away from Christian tradition by practicing miraculous gifts, like tongues and healing, and by seeking a post-conversion experience called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This movement spread quickly, especially in Latin American, leading contemporary Christians to seriously investigate the biblical teachings on the Holy Spirit. Baptists especially needed to consider the biblical teaching of the baptism of the Holy Spirit because it related to their distinctives of believers baptism and congregational polity. Careful study of the biblical evidence reveals that Pentecostalism does not properly understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the 1 D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, The Baptism and Gifts of the Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994), Anthony A. Hoekema, Holy Spirit Baptism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1972), 3 Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., The Baptism in the Holy Spirit as the Promise of the Father: A Reformed Perspective, in Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views, ed. Chad Owen Brand (Nashville: B&H Publishers, 2004), 16; Office of the General Assembly, Report of the Special Committee on the Work of the Holy Spirit: To the 182 nd General Assembly, the United Presbyterian Church, in the United States of America (New York: Office of the General Assembly, 1970), 7; John R. W. Scott, Baptism and Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today, 2 nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InverVarsity Press, 1979), 31; Merrill F. Ungar, The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 25; Hoekema, Lloyd-Jones,

3 2 Holy Spirit, symbolized by water baptism, serves as an initial and universal Christian experience where the Holy Spirit baptizes the new believer into the body of Christ. Biblical Foundations The first place for any theological investigation should be Scripture. Therefore, what does Scriptures say about the baptism of the Holy Spirit? From the start, one will discover that Scripture never uses the exact words baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, Scripture passages contain illusions to the Spirit s baptism, and seven verses specifically link the Holy Spirit with baptism. 5 To begin, the prophets of the Old Testament promised a future out-pouring of the Holy Spirit with the advent of the new covenant on all of God s people regardless of qualifiers like age, rank, and gender. 6 The baptism would differentiate the new era from the old, giving believers a new heart that would allow them to follow God. 7 In Acts 2, Peter quoted Joel 2 and announced that Pentecost had fulfilled those prophecies. 8 In addition to Old Testament predictions, various New Testament passages just assume that Christians have received the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit and speak on the applications of this truth. 9 Therefore, the Old Testament predicted the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the New Testament assumes that it has taken place. 5 W. A. Criswell, The Baptism, Filling, and Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1973), 7; Hoekema, 17; Office, 7, Hoekema, 16; Office, 5, Kaiser, 17-18; Lloyd-Jones, 21, Hoekema, For examples, see John 14; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 3, 6; 2 Corinthians 13; Colossians; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1, 5; 1 John 3:5, 5:6-8; Criswell, 11-12; Hoekema,

4 3 While various Scripture passages allude to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, seven passages speak of the baptism εν πνευματι, or in the Spirit, six of which reference a prophecy of John the Baptist concerning the Messiah. 10 To begin, in all four gospels, John the Baptist predicted that the Messiah was going to baptize with the Holy Spirit, a far superior baptism compared to his own. 11 Whereas his baptism of repentance only prepared people for the Messiah, Christ s baptism would truly transform lives. 12 In Acts 1, Jesus placed this prediction concerning the Messiah on himself and announced that the appointed time would happen a few days later. 13 In Acts 11, Peter quoted Jesus words from Acts 1and said that the baptism had already occurred. 14 Presumably, Peter was referencing Pentecost, though Acts 2 does not use the term baptism. 15 Along with these references in narrative passages, one didactic passage also contains the phrase. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul argued for the unity of the church based partly on the one baptism of the Holy Spirit. 16 If the Spirit s baptism came as a special gift or blessing, then Paul was defeating his own argument. 17 Paul taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit not only created a universal experience amongst believers but spiritually linked them into one body in Christ. 18 All 10 The verses are Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, Acts 11:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13; Hoekema, 22; Kaiser, 19; Scott, Eric Bodson, The Seal of the Spirit and Christian Initiation: A Source of Ecumenical Embarrassment? One in Christ 49, no. 1 (2015): 96; John S. Hammett, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (class lecture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina, October 10, 2015), 133; Hoekema, 18; Lloyd-Jones, 15, Office, 30-31, 43; Stott, Office, 32, Hammett, 133; Hoekema, 16, 18; Kaiser, 17, 20, Office, 30; Stott, Criswell, 10; Hammett, 133; Hoekema, 18; Kaiser, 20; Office, 30; Stott, Kaiser, 17; Office, Hammett, 133; Office, 30; Stott, Hoekema, 22; Stott, Criswell, 18; Kaiser, 21.

5 4 believers participate in the body of Christ; therefore, all have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 19 Therefore, seven scripture passages specifically address the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, only one occurs in a didactic passage, and it teaches that the baptism serves as a universal Christian unifier. Taking all of the relevant passages into account, Scripture therefore teaches that the predicted baptism of the Holy Spirit marked a new eschatological era in church history, where new covenant believers become baptized into the one body of Christ. Historical Misunderstandings While the above statement may broadly define the baptism of the Holy Spirit, nevertheless, specific issues need exploring and certain caveats need stating for the sake of clarity and biblical fidelity, including the relationship of the baptism to salvation, to fillings, and to tongues. First of all, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, while happening at conversion for New Testament believers, does not bring salvation. In other words, God has saved people in the past and not baptized them in the Holy Spirit. 20 Most notably, Old Testament saints, including the prophets, received salvation but never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 21 In addition, God worked his salvific purposes in the midst of the Samaritans through the work of individuals such as Philip before baptizing them with the Holy Spirit after the arrival of the apostles Peter and John. 22 Finally, the apostles themselves received God s salvation because of their faith before 19 Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3 rd ed (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 801; Criswell, 7; Hoekema, 21; Ungar, John H. Osteen, He Heard God Speak, in Baptists and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, ed. Jerry Jenson (Los Angeles: Full Gospel Businessmen s Fellowship International, 1963), 5; Kaiser, 17, 32; Lloyd-Jones, 21; Ungar, Lloyd-Jones, Kaiser, 35; Lloyd-Jones, 28.

6 5 they received the Spirit s baptism at Pentecost. 23 Salvation brings the believer from death to life; whereas the baptism places that life into the body of Christ. Salvation occurs with the transformation of a person into a child of God; baptism places that person into the household of God. 24 Nevertheless, the Bible reveals baptism normally occurs at the moment of salvation for all post-pentecost believers. 25 For example, at the beginning of Acts 2, one hundred twenty believers received the Spirit in the upper room after waiting ten days; at the end, three thousand received the Holy Spirit at conversion. Since the second group believed after Pentecost, logically they represent the norm. 26 Pentecostals often point to the Samaritan Pentecost mentioned above as proof that a delay can still occur. However, John R. W. Scott, Millard Erickson, and John Hammett all claimed that this situation probably represented an unusual occurrence. God delayed the pouring of his Spirit until the arrival of the apostles in order to demonstrate to the apostles that God will receive all people into his church as equals. 27 Pentecostals also point to the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 11 and the conversion of the Ephesians in Acts 19 as further proof of a possible delay in the Spirit s baptism. However, both groups did not receive salvation until hearing the gospel from an apostle. Cornelius was not already a Christian because Jesus told him to seek Peter in order to receive salvation. 28 The 23 D. Martin Lloyd-Jones argued that God baptized Paul with the Holy Spirit after Ananias laid his hands on him. However, this passage remains contested because it uses the word filled and not baptized. Lloyd- Jones, 26, 29; Criswell, 13; Erickson, Criswell, 14-15; Ungar, Hammett, 136; Lloyd-Jones, 31; Office, Scott, Erickson, 801; Hammett, 136; Stott, Erickson, 801; Scott, 37.

7 6 Ephesians had only received a baptism by John the Baptist; they had not yet heard the gospel. 29 Therefore, both groups received the Holy Spirit at conversion. Because salvation and the baptism normally occur simultaneously now, Erickson could boldly claim that the Spirit baptism can stand as a synonym to New Testament conversion. 30 In modern times, if the baptism of the Holy Spirit ever does occur at a time other than at conversion, then it will constitute not only an abnormal event but an event of epochal importance because delayed baptisms have only occurred during the transition period from the old era to the new. While advocates of the traditional view have sometimes fused salvation with the baptism of the Spirit, Pentecostals wrongly conflated the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the filling of the Holy Spirit. In actuality, they represent two distinct roles of the Spirit. 31 To begin, the word baptized in both Acts 11 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 rests in the aorist tense and not the present tense, which means it probably is not a continual occurrence. In addition, God has never commanded anyone to seek the Spirit s baptism. 32 On the other hand, he has commanded Christians to continue to let themselves be filled with the Spirit. 33 Indeed, W. A. Criswell insisted that the tremendous emphasis of the Scripture is not upon the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit but upon the filling. 34 The Spirit can be grieved by sins, so the Christian can lose 29 Hammett, 136; Scott, Erickson, Ungar, The filling command in Ephesians 5:8 used the presence tense to imply a continual or habitual action. Contrarily, Acts 11 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 used the aorist tense to describe the Spirit baptism. Though this does not require a one-time past event, it definitely does not emphasize a continual action. Criswell, 16, 22; Erickson, 801; Scott, 44, 50; Ungar, Kaiser, 21; Scott, Criswell, 22.

8 7 the filling. 35 However, Scripture never says that he or she will lose the baptism. Keeping this in mind, Scripture also teaches that neither the baptism nor the filling come because of piety or merit. 36 Merrill F. Ungar wrote that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs because of the faith of a non-believer and the filling occurs because of the faith of a believer. 37 Therefore, Paul can assume that the Corinthians had all been baptized because they were all believers, while at the same time differentiating between spirit-filled and carnal Christians. 38 Pentecostals have responded by pointing to Jesus baptism that involved a filling of the Holy Spirit. However, just because Jesus was baptized in water does not mean he received the baptism of the Spirit. Jesus already lived full of the Holy Spirit; the Spirit was anointing Jesus into his Messianic ministry. 39 Reflecting the Old Testament consecration of the priests, the Holy Spirit consecrated Jesus as both the sacrifice and the high priest. 40 Therefore, Scripture teaches that all Christians have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but not all have the filling of the Holy Spirit. Once one understands that the baptism and the filling constitute two separate roles of the Holy Spirit, then one can understand their functions. Once the Christian has received the baptism of the Spirit then he can continually receive the filling of the Spirit, which empowers the Christian life. 41 In other words, the baptism makes one a New Testament Christian so that the Holy Spirit can fill the believer with the power for particular tasks, including missions, 35 Ungar, Ibid., Ungar, Criswell, 18; Stott, Office, Criswell, Ungar,

9 8 evangelism, exhortation, prayer, and worship. 42 This also explains why Acts 2 pronounced the disciples as filled with the Holy Spirit. God baptized them into Christ s body and filled them in order to empower their evangelism. 43 Conclusively then, the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes as an initial Christian experience that enables the filling of the Holy Spirit to continually empower Christians to live their life on mission. While conflating the baptism of the Spirit with the filling of the Spirit, classical Pentecostalism also wrongly conflated the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of tongues. To be sure, speaking in tongues occurred at Pentecost. However, speaking in tongues does not constitute the definitive sign of the Spirit s baptism. When just looking at the narrative passages it might seem so; however, one must consider the didactic teaching as well. As already discussed, in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul argued for the unity of the church based partly on the universal baptism of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, when speaking on spiritual gifts later in his letter, Paul assumed that not all Christians spoke in tongues. Logically, this means Paul did not see tongues as the definitive sign of the Spirit s baptism. 44 When the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, he gives the new believer gifts and gradually leads the believer through a process of learning and sanctification where the gifts are realized and strengthened. 45 Therefore, though the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit both come at conversion, no single gift signals that the baptism has occurred; indeed, the gifts of the Spirit may not be fully realized until some point after the baptism. 42 Criswell, 7, 24-25; Kaiser, 32; Scott, 49; Ungar, Stott, Hammett, 135; Kaiser, 30, Office, 7, 44, 46; Scott, Kaiser, 34.

10 9 Thus, one should not confuse the baptism of the Holy Spirit with salvation, the filling of the Spirit, or the gifts of the Spirit. While traditionally Christians have mixed salvation with the Spirit s baptism, Pentecostals have erroneously conflated the baptism with the filling and the gifts. Though interconnected, they serve different functions. Notably, the baptism allows for the filling and the gifts. All in all, one should not confuse the baptism of the Spirit with the Spirit s other works. Contemporary Formulations Pentecostal Formulation After looking at the biblical evidence and some common misunderstandings, one can now look at the positions of the contemporary groups and see whose view stands closest to Scripture: Pentecostalism or the traditional view. To begin, all Christians agree in the centrality of the baptism of the Holy Spirit for the church. In addition to this, Eric Bodson argued that all can also agree that the baptism of the Holy Spirit culminates the transformation of someone from a worldly life to a Christian life. 46 While Christians may agree on these, they differ concerning the issues of timing and results. 47 According to Timothy Tennent, Pentecostals possess a unique view of the Spirit s baptism, unique enough to be one of their three distinctives. 48 Frank D. Macchia agreed, calling it the hallmark of the movement. 49 While agreeing with traditional 46 Bodson, Bodson, 103; Kaiser, John R. Church, The One Baptism that Jesus Offers (Louisville: Herald Press, 1940), 34; Timothy C. Tennent, Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is Influencing the Way We Think About and Discuss Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 166; Office, Frank D. Macchia, The Kingdom and the Power: Spirit Baptism in Pentecostal and Ecumenical Perspectives, in The Work of the Spirit: Pneumatology and Pentecostalism, ed. Michael Welker (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006), 109.

11 10 denominations that water baptism serves as an initiation rite into the church on earth, Pentecostals saw water baptism as symbolizing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit instead of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 50 While the traditional view sees the baptism of the Holy Spirit as primarily ecclesiological, Pentecostalism saw it as primarily eschatological; God is giving people in this world the power of the next. 51 Pentecostalism proposed that the Spirit baptism occurs at some point after conversion as a form of a second grace. 52 The first grace takes away the penalty of sin and makes the believer a child of God. 53 This occurs passively at conversion. However, Pentecostalism recognized that Paul taught that Christians should live holy lives and that the Holy Spirit gives them the ability to do so. 54 Therefore, they taught God wants Christians to actively pursue sanctification, with the reception of the Spirit s baptism as a reward. Thus, Pentecostalism urged Christians to actively seek the baptism by becoming sanctified through good works. 55 After sanctification, the second grace takes place in order to complete the process. 56 The second grace brings purity, or entire sanctification in the words of John R. Church. 57 Macchia called the second grace a high voltage experience with God that was the 50 James D. G. Dunn, Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Re-Examination of the New Testament Teaching on the Gift of the Spirit in Relation to Pentecostalism Today (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970), 3; Bodson, 103; Macchia, Macchia, Church, 29; Kaiser, 31; Office, 3; Tennent, Church, Ibid., Church, 42-43, 46; Tennent, Bodson, 105; Macchia, 109, Church, 29-30; Dunn, 2.

12 11 crown jewel of Christian experience. 58 In a life-changing moment, the Holy Spirit takes away the power of sin, while also bestowing special power and gifts like visions and tongues for witness and worship. 59 Indeed, because they claim these miraculous gifts, Pentecostals pride themselves on having robust missions and vibrant worship. 60 Indeed, the missional efficiency of Pentecostals probably stems from their focus on the Holy Spirit, which allows them to tap into the special power of the Spirit that the church has historically ignored. 61 In the end, Pentecostals claimed that the second grace brought them closer to God in their personal lives, edified their churches, and helped spread the gospel. 62 In order to argue their position, Pentecostalism emphasized the narrative passages of Acts, especially the Pentecost passage in Acts 2, and conflated the baptism of the Holy Spirit with other functions of the Holy Spirit, as discussed earlier. 63 Adherents to Pentecostalism believed the Acts narrative remained normative for Christians today. Following the narrative passages, they espoused that the baptism of the Holy Spirit involves an intense experience which drastically changed the believer s life. 64 After looking at the Samaritan Pentecost and the Gentile Pentecost as well as the stories of the Ephesian believers and of Apollos, they decided that the baptism did not always come at conversion. 65 While arguing from the Acts passages, 58 Macchia, 112, Bodson, 97, 103, 105; Church, 38, 40; Dunn, 1; Macchia, 109, , 121; Hoekema, Hammett, Ibid. 62 Jerry Jenson, What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? in Baptists and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, ed. Jerry Jenson (Los Angeles: Full Gospel Businessmen s Fellowship International, 1963), Tennent, 166; Ungar, Kaiser, Church, 46, 50.

13 12 followers of this view also conflated other functions of the Holy Spirit. As discussed above, Pentecostals saw the filling of the Spirit as a synonym for the baptism of the Spirit. Since Paul taught that Christians should seek the filling of the Spirit, Pentecostals therefore seek the baptism. 66 In addition, classical Pentecostals saw tongues as the sign of the baptism. This primarily distinguished them from Neo-Pentecostals. 67 Because Pentecostals believed that the baptism of the Holy Spirit came after sanctification, finalizing sanctification, they conflated the Spirit s work now with his work in the eschaton. The misinterpretation of Scripture by Pentecostals has probably come from the elevation of experience as a hermeneutical factor. Indeed, many Pentecostals have revealed that their experience with the power of the Holy Spirit helped shape their interpretations of passages like the ones in Acts. 68 John R. Church admitted that three aspects equally contributed to his belief in neo-pentecostalism: biblical texts, his past experiences, and his present experiences. 69 He claimed it ultimately had to be true because it happened to so many people. 70 He also claimed that he wanted desperately to avoid a past unpleasant situation of attending a dead church, stating decisively I had rather have some wild fire than no fire at all. 71 Whereas experience can serve as a minor witness, Scripture should stand as the primary test for all ideas. Therefore, Pentecostals argued their position mostly from the book of Acts, seeing it as normative; however, they also allowed their experience to become a hermeneutical factor in their interpretations. Taking emotional experiences out of the equation, 66 Ibid., Dunn, 2; Office, Dunn, Church, Ibid. 71 Ibid., 60.

14 13 Pentecostalism did not fit very well with the biblical texts; it ignored Paul s teaching on church unity and spiritual gifts so that it could see the Acts passages as normative. While not having a solid biblical base, time has shown other more practical weaknesses of the Pentecostal view. To begin, Pentecostalism taught a form of Christian perfectionism, where one becomes released from temptation. This can lead to confusion and doubt because Christians will always face temptation on earth. 72 It also generated a new class of Spirit- Baptized, Super-Saints, separating those worthy of the baptism from those unworthy of it. 73 In addition, Pentecostals often experienced the Holy Spirit apart from the work of the church body, but the Holy Spirit usually works within the church to change lives. The Bible teaches that the church and the Spirit possess a special connection. Therefore, living outside of the church generally involves living outside of the work of the Holy Spirit. 74 One can also look at the effects of beliefs and see if they produce godly results. The Holy Spirit seeks to bring Christians together, not set them apart. If the Pentecostal movement truly comes from the Holy Spirit, then it will bring the church back into harmony. 75 However, the rise of Pentecostalism has caused confusion and division and has led some to seek an individual spiritual experience instead of focusing on witnessing to others, serving God, and fellowshipping with other believers. 76 It has even led in some cases to unhealthy actions and fanaticism. 77 Finally, the view also changes the gospel. For example, belief in the gospel now only brings a basic form of salvation. Full 72 Hammett, Ungar, Paul VI, God s Gift The Holy Spirit! (Boston: Daughters of Saint Paul, 1978), 13, Paul, 46, Ungar, Ungar, 36.

15 14 salvation comes through works not faith. Because it generates a form of works-based salvation, Christians can begin living legalistically for selfish reasons; they want an emotional reward. Contrarily, God called Christians to obey him because they love him. 78 In addition, followers of this view can often lack assurance of their salvation because the proof of their salvation rests in an experience based on merit and not on faith in the cross. Though all can feel this way when not in an emotional high, those who have never experienced this baptism especially lack assurance and can even distress over why they remain too unworthy. 79 Therefore, Pentecostalism not only lacks biblical evidence but also can produces some negative side effects that can serve as further evidence of its invalidity. Traditional Formulations The traditional position holds that the Scriptures teach two things about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. First, the books of Acts details a transition period. 80 Therefore, Pentecost constituted an important historical event that does not have to repeat itself today. 81 All new converts should receive their baptism at conversion now. 82 W. A. Criswell wrote that Pentecost came as another part of salvation history. It occurred at a specific time and place in order to inaugurate the New Testament church. 83 John R. W. Stott agreed, saying that Pentecost 78 Ibid., Ibid. 80 Erickson, Bodson, 102; Hammett, Erickson, 801; Hoekema, Criswell, 10.

16 15 inaugurated a new age. 84 Anthony A. Hoekema likewise wrote that Pentecost was a historical event of the greatest importance unique, unrepeatable, once-for-all. 85 Along with believing in the uniqueness of the Pentecost event, the traditional view states that Spirit baptism brings a believer into Christ s body, marking that person as a Christian. 86 The baptism does not involve a bestowal of gifts but a drawing of a new believer into the church. 87 This baptism normally occurs at the moment of salvation, serving two purposes. 88 First, it functions as an initiatory rite. 89 Baptism of non-jews initiated them into the covenant community; Jesus baptism began his public ministry; and the Spirit baptism initiates people into the church. 90 As well as serving as the initiary rite, baptism also forms a unifying factor for Christians. Indeed, James D. G. Dunn saw this unifying factor as the primary purpose of the Spirit s baptism. 91 Though the Spirit gives Christians different spiritual gifts, nevertheless all Christians have the one baptism of the Holy Spirit and participate as part of the single universal church. 92 Therefore, the traditional position states that a careful exegesis of Scripture reveals Pentecost as an important part of 84 Stott, Hoekema, J. G. Davies, The Spirit, the Church, and the Sacrament (London: Faith Press, 1954), 93; Bodson, 102; Criswell, 17; Dunn, 4; Kaiser, 21, Office, Wayne E. Oates, The Holy Spirit and Contemporary Man (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1968), 106; M. G.Robertson, Directed of the Lord, in Baptists and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, ed. Jerry Jensen (Los Angeles: Full Gospel Businessmen s Fellowship International, 1963), 26; Criswell, 13; Davies, 93; Dunn, 276; Lloyd-Jones, 22-23; Paul, 56; Ungar, Kaiser, 16, 35; Lloyd-Jones, Bodson, 98-99; Dunn, 276, Stott, 37, Criswell, 25; Dunn, Dunn, Paul, 56; Office, 44.

17 16 salvation history where the baptism of the Holy Spirit first occurred, and this baptism brought the believers into Christ s body, uniting them as the first Christians. Though traditional denominations may agree on the function of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Catholics and Protestants differ substantially on what confers the baptism. First of all, Catholics merge water baptism, Spirit baptism, and salvation so that they occur at the same time. 93 Jesus told Nicodemus that one enters into the Kingdom of God through water (or baptism) and the Spirit. 94 Therefore, water baptism confers aspects of salvation, including the baptism of the Holy Spirit. At baptism, God regenerates the new believer, giving them a new nature, a first glimpse into their future glorification. In addition, baptism cleanses the believer of both original sin and actual sin. 95 During baptism, the new believer becomes ontologically united with Jesus, allowing the church to continue the role of the Incarnation. 96 Thus, the Catholic Church conflated water baptism and the Spirit s baptism so that baptism by water brings the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Contrary to Catholics, Protestants believe that the Holy Spirit s baptism comes at the moment of conversion, so they believe that water baptism only symbolizes the Spirit s baptism. 97 Water baptism does not channel grace, nor does it bestow the Holy Spirit. Water baptism simply serves as the public entrance into the local church community. 98 Because one cannot tell for sure in Acts whether water baptism came before or after the baptism of the Holy Spirit, most 93 Bodson, ; Davies, 89, 94; Dunn, 224; Macchia, Paul, 44, Davies, Davies, 91-92, 98; Paul, Bodson, 99; Macchia, Dunn, 4, Stott, 43.

18 17 denominations see no problem conducting water baptisms before the Spirit baptism. 99 For example, Presbyterians practice paedobaptism because they are bringing the baby into the covenant community where they can receive instruction that will lead to regeneration. Indeed, the baptism might actually prepare the individual for the baptism of the Spirit, or even help him or her to work out a saving faith. 100 These denominations usually practice affusion because it best represents the washing away of sin and bestowal of the Holy Spirit. 101 While acknowledging that baptism helps faith, Baptists believe that valid water baptisms only occur after the Spirit s baptism because the reality should precede the symbol. 102 Furthermore, they see the mode of immersion as best representing the uniting of the believer into Christ s body because immersion best represents the believer s death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus. Therefore, Protestants all agree that water baptism symbolizes the Spirit s baptism; however, they disagree over whether or not the symbol can precede the reality. Conclusion Therefore, the biblical evidence reveals that the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings a new Christian into the body of Christ and thus serves as a uniting element amongst Christians. In light of the biblical evidence, the Pentecostal position fails largely because many of them base their belief on experience. Pentecostalism must rely too heavily on the narrative passages of Acts that may not remain normative to Christians today while ignoring Paul s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:13. In the end, all Christians should remain grateful that their Pentecostal brothers 99 Office, Dunn, Stott, Ibid.

19 18 have emphasized an aspect of the Christian life that has largely remained dormant through church history, namely tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit. However, Pentecostalism also serves as a warning not to allow experiences to affect heavily interpretation of Scripture. Ultimately, the traditional position holds much more strongly to the biblical text. However, even within the traditional position, errors exist. For example, Catholics conflate ecclesiology with pneumatology, and most Protestants perform the symbolic rite of water baptism too early, welcoming children into membership of the physical church before the Spirit has brought them into the spiritual church. Therefore, the Baptist position of believer s baptism by immersion most closely follows the biblical picture of the ecclesiological rite symbolizing a pneumatological reality. Because water baptism symbolizes the Spirit s baptism, this has two practical applications for churches. First, water baptism should symbolize a reality; therefore, churches should make sure that they only baptize into the local church those who have already been baptized into the universal church. Along with water baptism serving as a physical sign of a spiritual reality, the unifying factor of the baptism of the Holy Spirit bolsters church unity and congregational polity. Since the Holy Spirit has baptized all Christians into the body of Christ, and since this baptism remains the same amongst all Christians both quantitatively and qualitatively, then major decisions for a local body of Christ should involve the equal input of the whole baptized church membership. Therefore, the correct view of the baptism of the Holy Spirit not only clarifies the rite of water baptism but also promotes membership equality within congregational polity.

20 19 Bibliography Bodson, Eric. The Seal of the Spirit and Christian Initiation: A Source of Ecumenical Embarrassment? One in Christ 49, no. 1 (2015): Church, John R. The One Baptism that Jesus Offers. Louisville: Herald Press, Criswell, W. A. The Baptism, Filling, and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Davies, J. G. The Spirit, the Church, and the Sacrament. London: Faith Press, Dunn, James D. G. Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Re-Examination of the New Testament Teaching on the Gift of the Spirit in Relation to Pentecostalism Today. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 3 rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, Hammett, John S. The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Class Lecture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina, October 10, Hoekema, Anthony A. Holy Spirit Baptism. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Jensen, Jerry, ed. Baptists and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Los Angeles: Full Gospel Businessmen s Fellowship International, What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? In Jensen, 3-5. Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit as the Promise of the Father: A Reformed Perspective. In Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views, edited by Chad Owen Brand, Nashville: B&H Publishers, Lloyd-Jones, D. Martin. The Baptism and Gifts of the Spirit. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Macchia, Frank D. The Kingdom and the Power: Spirit Baptism in Pentecostal and Ecumenical Perspectives. In The Work of the Spirit: Pneumatology and Pentecostalism, edited by Michael Welker, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Oates, Wayne, E. The Holy Spirit and Contemporary Man. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1968.

21 20 Office of the General Assembly. Report of the Special Committee on the Work of the Holy Spirit: To the 182 nd General Assembly, the United Presbyterian Church, in the United States of America. New York: Office of the General Assembly, Osteen, John H. He Heard God Speak. In Jensen, Paul VI. God s Gift The Holy Spirit! Boston: Daughters of Saint Paul, Robertson, M. G. Directed of the Lord. In Jensen, Stott, John R. W. Baptism and Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today. 2 nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InverVarsity Press, Tennent, Timothy C. Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is Influencing the Way We Think About and Discuss Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, Ungar, Merrill F. The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Chicago: Moody Press, 1974.