Chapter 39: Baptism in and Filling with the Holy Spirit

Transcription

1 Chapter 39: Baptism in and Filling with the Holy Spirit Should we seek a baptism in the Holy Spirit after conversion? What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem I. The Traditional Pentecostal Understanding a. Pentecostals state that they have experienced a baptism in the Holy Spirit that came after they became Christians and that brought great blessing in their lives: i. New joy in worship ii. Greater meaning and effectiveness in prayer and study of God s Word iii. New spiritual gifts (especially, and most often, the gift of speaking in tongues) b. The argument from Scripture: i. Jesus disciples were born-again believers long before Pentecost. (John 20:22). ii. The disciples waited in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upon them so they would receive new empowering for witness and ministry. (Acts 1:4-8) iii. When Pentecost came, they received a baptism in (or with) the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5; 2:4; 11:16) iv. (4) Christians today should ask Jesus for a baptism in the Holy Spirit. If we receive this, it will result in more power for ministry and will often (or always, according to some teachers) result in speaking in tongues as well. v. Support for this pattern in which people are first born again and then later are baptized in the Holy Spirit appears elsewhere in the NT. (Acts 8:4-17; 10:2, 45-46; 19:1-7) c. Three questions: i. What does baptism in the Holy Spirit mean? ii. How can we understand second experiences in Acts? iii. Do other biblical expressions better suit this post-conversion empowering with the Holy Spirit?

2 II. What Does Baptism in the Holy Spirit Mean in the New Testament? a. Only seven passages in the NT use this phrase: i. Matt 3:11: I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (ESV) ii. Mk 1:8: I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (ESV) iii. Lk 3:16: I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming...he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (ESV) iv. Jn 1:33: He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. (ESV) v. Acts 1:5: for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (ESV) vi. Acts 11:16: And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (ESV) vii. 1 Cor 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. (ESV) b. Some conclusions: i. The four gospel accounts tell us that Jesus carries out the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and he will baptize his followers. ii. The two passages in Acts specify that baptism with the Holy Spirit happened at the day of Pentecost. iii. If 1 Cor 12:13 refers to the same activity as these other passages, then this experience comes at conversion, not after. c. Does 1 Cor 12:13 refer to a baptism by the Holy Spirit rather than in the Holy Spirit? i. The language in 1 Cor 12:13 is practically identical to the other six verses, including the preposition en. ii. We should translate this as we do the other six passages. iii. As far as Paul was concerned, baptism in the Holy Spirit occurred at conversion. d. What happened at Pentecost? i. The OT ministry of the Holy Spirit was less powerful and less extensive. (Num 11:29; 1 Sam 16:14) ii. Scripture promises a more powerful new covenant ministry by the Holy Spirit. (Ezek 36:26-27; Jer 31:31-33)

3 iii. iv. The disciples do not receive this until Pentecost because they were living at the time of the transition between the old covenant work of the Holy Spirit and the new covenant work of the Holy Spirit. Believers experienced a transition from an old covenant experience of the Holy Spirit to a more powerful, new covenant experience of the Holy Spirit. III. How Should We Understand the Second Experiences in Acts? a. Acts 8:24-25: i. God sovereignly waited to empower the Samaritans in the Holy Spirit through the hands of the apostles. ii. This gave evidence that they were full members of the church. b. Acts 10: i. Adoption It s not evident that Cornelius was a believer before Peter arrived and explained the gospel. c. Acts 19:1-7: i. These disciples knew to repent but had no idea who Jesus Christ was.

4 IV. What Terms Shall We Use to Refer to an Empowering by the Holy Spirit That Comes After Conversion? a. Harm Comes to the Church from Teaching Two-Class Christianity. i. We the NT teaches no such divisions. ii. Such divisions lead to division! V. There Are Many Degrees of Empowering, Fellowship with God, and Personal Christian Maturity. a. Christians have experienced varying degrees of growth, but they should not be divided into two distinct categories.

5 b. For most Christians growth will be gradual and progressive and will extend over their whole lives c. How should we understand contemporary experience? i. A single experience may result in a large step of growth in the Christian life d. What Terms Should We Use Today? i. A large step of growth ii. A new empowering for ministry iii. Being filled with the Holy Spirit

6 e. What Is Being Filled with the Spirit? i. It results in renewed worship and thanksgiving. (Eph 5:18-20) ii. It results in increased sanctification. iii. It results in increased power for ministry. (Acts 4:8, 31) iv. It can occur repeatedly and even characterize a person s life. (Acts 6:3; 11:24) VI. What Terms Shall We Use to Refer to an Empowering by the Holy Spirit That Comes After Conversion? a. Being Filled with the Holy Spirit Does Not Always Result in Speaking in Tongues i. Many in the NT did not speak in tongues, including Jesus. (Lk 1:41-45, 67-69; 4:1; Acts 4:31) ii. The Holy Spirit gives this gift as he wills. (1 Cor 12:11)