Cross

Being "baptized in the Spirit" acc. to Scripture
Importance for each person and for the whole Church.
Ralph Martin - 2009

The New Testament takes the issue of being baptized in the Holy Spirit very seriously. In Mat- thew 3, John the Baptist is preaching and he’s a little ticked off at the Pharisees and Sadducees who come to be baptized because he doesn’t believe they are sincere. He says don’t presume to say “we have Abraham as our Father, for I tell you God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Mt 3:9-11). This is tough language! It says your repentance had better be sincere. If you claim to be turning away from sin and turning towards God but it’s not sincere, you are going to be cut off and thrown into the fire!
We know that John the Baptist was kind of rough around the edges and that he lived in the desert and this was his language. But Jesus adopts the same language. In John 15 Jesus says that those who are bearing fruit will be pruned so they can bear more fruit. Those who aren’t bearing the true fruits of repentance, those whose faith really isn’t being expressed in good works and charity are going to be cut off and thrown into the fire!

The Word of God is a serious word—it is about life and death, heaven and hell, salvation and condemnation, and it makes a difference how we respond to this Word and how we live in accordance with it. John goes on to say, “I am baptizing you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquench- able fire” (Matt 3:11–12).There is an apocalyptic, eschatological dimension to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is intended to cleanse the human race. Those who receive its purification will bear fruit and be gathered like wheat into the Lord’s barn. But those who resist the Spirit and its cleansing run the risk of being thrown into the unquenchable fire because they’ve dried up and don’t bear fruit.

Jesus himself uses several terminologies to talk about what’s going to happen. At times he talks about the promise of the Father, or about being baptized in the Holy Spirit, or being clothed with power from on high. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them thus it was written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance for the forgiveness of sin would be preached in his name for all the nations who came from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed in power from on high” (Luke 24:46–49).

Although the disciples have three years of the best possible teaching, personal attention, personal spiritual direction, and personal formation from Jesus, and despite further instruction from the Risen Lord, Jesus tells them, “You are not ready yet.” There is something else that must happen to make it all come together. They need to receive the promise of the Father in order to fully understand and carry out the mission Jesus entrusts to them.

When Jesus meets with them he enjoins them not to depart from Jerusalem but “to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This is the language of Jesus. When they gather together, they ask him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” So despite the explanation of the Risen Lord, they still don’t get it.

Jesus tells them not to get into end time speculation, but to focus on their task. “It’s not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has established by his own authority but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

He tells them what they need to know, but they also need to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, be baptized in the Spirit and get on with the mission. So they wait and they pray. And then it happens—the day of Pentecost.

“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2:1-4).

Part II
So what does the experience of Pentecost and being baptized in the Holy Spirit mean?
“A crowd gathered and they were all astounded and bewildered and they said to one another, ‘what does this mean?’”(Acts 2:12)

Peter stands up and explains it all. He tells the crowd that this is what Moses prophesized, what the Psalms spoke about, what the prophets talked about, what Joel and David prophesized. This is it! This is the fulfillment of the Father’s plan— the outpouring of the Holy Spirit because his Son Jesus is truly the Messiah, sitting at the right hand of God. Peter quotes all the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is doing what Jesus said he would do—he is reminding people of what this is all about by recalling the words of Jesus.

People want to know how to respond; “What are we to do, my brothers?” And Peter says to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you, too, will receive this gift of the Holy Spirit. For this promise is made to you and your children and to all who are far off whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39). Immediately Peter tells them that it’s not just for them or for their children, it’s for EVERYONE whom the Lord is calling to himself. It’s important to note that this isn’t just a unique experience to get the Church off the ground. This isn’t just for the special leadership group that the Lord gathers together. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter makes a very strong proclamation that being baptized in the Holy Spirit is for everybody.

As we continue on in the book of Acts, we see that this is an important pastoral strategy of the apostles They are serious about seeing that everybody they minister to is baptized in the Holy Spirit. They are concerned that every new group of converts comes into the same experience that they had on the day of Pentecost, of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, clothed with power from on high, receiving the promise of the Father.

What were the conditions that allow the disciples in the Upper Room to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? First of all, they are taught about it. They know the truth about it even though they do not fully understand it. They believe the Word of God, they obey the Word of God to stay in the city, and they pray for the fulfillment of the Word of God. These are the same conditions that are available today. How can people get baptized in the Holy Spirit? They need to be taught about it. They need to believe it. They need to do what the Lord asks them to do—repent and believe. They need to pray for the fulfillment of it. The baptism in the Spirit is not an esoteric mystery for only some people, it is for everybody.

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:14–15). Because they are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus these Samaritans receive something of the Holy Spirit, but not enough. The apostles can tell that something is missing. Haven’t you had that experience? You’re talking to s o m e o n e and they’re a Christian, but something is missing? Recently I was teaching about the importance of being baptized in the Spirit and a Conservative Catholic (of whom I am one myself!) said, “Are you trying to tell me that I’m missing something in my Christian life?” And an Irish priest interjected with boldness beyond what I was anticipating; “You’re right that I’m trying to tell you that.” It’s true, there’s more and we shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed about saying so! The apostles, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit want people to know what’s available to them and they want us to tell them.

“Then they laid hands on them and received the Holy Spirit. When Simon the magician saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, ‘Give me also this power so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:18–19). Unfortunately, there are not a lot of magicians following bishops around these days saying, “How much would it cost for me to be able to do that myself!” The Lord wants to do more. It’s not just about being baptized and confirmed in a rote way or getting a little bit of the Holy Spirit. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is what it means to be a Christian.
Acts 10 is the story of Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman and his household. Peter is praying and the Lord tells him to go to the Gentiles. Peter says, “That’s against my religion, Lord.” The Lord essentially tells Peter that he is going to expand his notion of religion; that he wants more people to be included in salvation, so “go do what I tell you.” So Peter obeys. “While Peter was speaking to Cornelius and his household telling them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles…” ( H o w d o they know t h e H o l y Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles?) …for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God (Acts 10:44-46). There is an indication that something has been released in them that allows them to praise and worship God and manifest some charismatic gifts of the Spirit. “Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit even as we have.’”

There is a temptation to build a little shrine around Pentecost and talk about it as a special moment when the Church first began. But Peter is able to tell us NO, don’t do that! This is a permanent reality that the Lord wants to give each new group of Christians. This is something that Jesus wants to do for everyone. In Acts 11 Peter gets into trouble for baptizing Cornelius’ household. People think the cart went before the horse—that you are supposed to get baptized first then receive the Holy Spirit. Peter defends himself saying, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John bap- tized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life too’” (Acts 11:15–18).
Acts 15 chronicles the debate about if the Gentiles must follow Mosaic Law. Peter gets up and says to the Apostles, “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart bore wit- ness by granting them the Holy Spirit, just as he did us” (Acts 15:7–9). There’s a definite identification of this subsequent experience of the Spirit as being the same as what happened to the apostles. Luke is purposely showing us that it’s really important that each new group of Christian converts be brought into this experience of the Holy Spirit.
When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit we say, “This is it—this is what it is all about!” The Holy Spirit is poured out, the love of God is poured out in our hearts, and we want to tell people about Jesus. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is so important because we can’t become witnesses unless we really experience his love. I’m convinced that being baptized in the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential and important for the world and the Church. The Lord wants us to not be embarrassed or ashamed about it, but we should tell anybody we possibly can about it.
All of us are invited to renew our baptism and confirmation and ask God for more of the Holy Spirit.



Return to main page