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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Filling

by Dan Roca

Word Count: 2689

2 of 14 Introduction There are a number of views on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Filling of the Spirit, even among those who would hold to a view that all of the gifts of the Spirit are still available in the church today. It seems that this subject is something on which Christians cannot come to full agreement. Is this a topic on which there can be any certainty from the Bible? If there is not a clear teaching from Scripture on a particular matter and where convictions concerning that matter are built on something other than Scripture (like experience or human logic), Christians should hold those views loosely and be accepting of other views that are also possible given other viable interpretations of Scripture. However, one should not be laissez-faire concerning the interpretation and convictions of any doctrine of Scripture, but seek to understand, asking for wisdom from God (James 1:5) to determine right understanding and right practice of all things.

I. Baptism of the Holy Spirit Concerning the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, there are seven passages in the New Testament which speak about someone being baptized in the Holy Spirit.1 Four of the passages are of John the Baptist referring to Jesus coming to baptize people in the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33).2 These passages do not give a clear indication that they are referring to Pentecost, nor do they establish what baptism in the Spirit is. Two passages are quoting Jesus after his resurrection (Acts 1:5, Acts 11:16),

1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 766. 2 Ibid.

3 of 14 referring to the initial reception of the Holy Spirit which is recorded in the book of Acts. The last reference in the New Testament which contains a mention of baptism in the Spirit is in the context of the Apostle Paul teaching on the unity of the church (1 Cor 12:13). The references to the Baptism of the Spirit in the Gospels and in Acts are in the context of narratives, which do not seem to give immediate understanding on just what baptism of the Holy Spirit means. However, since there is a more didactic passage which contains a reference to baptism in the Spirit, an examination of this passage may help to understand other passages, if in fact that reference is speaking of the same event as the Gospels and Acts are.

A. An Initial Examination of 1 Cor 12:13 This passage states that, in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.3 Opinions vary as to what this statement is referring. It can be clearly determined that Paul is speaking of all Christians in the previous verse. Paul uses the metaphor of a body, but rather than comparing the body with the church, he compares it with Christ, which then extends the metaphor to a broader community than just that local church to include all believers.4 There is disagreement concerning what baptism means in the passage,

3 1 Cor 12:13 (ESV) 4 Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (NTC; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 430.

4 of 14 however. Most commentaries5 and interpreters6 assume that Paul is referring to water baptism and one commentator is confident that this baptism cannot be referring to anything other than baptism in water.7 Another commentator states that if one understands baptized to be literal, then it would refer to water baptism, but it is preferable to state that Paul has in mind a figurative use of baptism as it was used in Mark 10:38.8 Yet another interpretation offers that the baptism in 1 Cor 12:13 is the same as the references in the Gospels and Acts, and apart from one small difference... all the other elements are the same: the verb is baptiz!, and the prepositional phrase contains the same words.9 However, this seems to gloss over not just the small difference of referring to the one Spirit rather than Holy Spirit, but also the added phrase of into one body. Unlike the other passages (except Acts 1:5), the verb baptize comes before the preposition, but in 1 Cor 12:13, Paul places two prepositional phrases before the verb, emphasizing unity in the Spirit, rather than the baptism, which is also in keeping with the focus of the context. Another commentator contends that the two opposing views are not mutually exclusive.10 Given the disagreement on the interpretation of the text on what baptize refers
5 Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987), 604. 6 J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology:Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living (3 vols.; Renewal Theology 2; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 199. 7 C. K. Barrett, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (BNTC; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 289. 8 Kistemaker, First Corinthians, 430. 9 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 768. 10 David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians (BECNT; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 591.

5 of 14 to and that the emphasis of the passage in context is not about water or Spirit baptism, but on their unity in the Spirit,11 one should be cautious about making the basis for any doctrine on this single verse. Nowhere else does Paul speak about baptism in the Holy Spirit. Nowhere else in the New Testament is the baptism in the Spirit referenced beside the six references in the Gospels and Acts and this reference in 1 Corinthians. Baptism in the Spirit in the Gospels and Acts should not be interpreted based on an assumption made by drawing a particular conclusion on this passage, yet when interpreting those other references, this passage cannot be forgotten or ignored.

B. Interpreting Acts Since the mentions of baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Gospels are all future facing from John the Baptist to Christ, the provision of understanding from these accounts, which are all very similar in wording and context, is limited. Acts, however, provides accounts of the pouring out of the Spirit and an interpretation by Peter which links those events to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts uses the term 'baptized with the Holy Spirit' only twice (1:5 and 11:16). However, the instance of the term in 11:16 is Peter interpreting the events of Acts, which use different language (2:4 filled, 2:38 receive, 8:17 received, and 10:44 fell) to communicate the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is important to note that in writing about these events, in most cases, Luke does not use the term 'baptism of the Holy Spirit' to describe them.12 There are several events in Acts which can be clearly understood as
11 Fee, First Corinthians, 605. 12 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 773.

6 of 14 baptisms in the Holy Spirit.13 There is the Spirit baptism of the 120 (2:4), the 3000 (2:38), the Samaritans (8:17), the house of Cornelius (10:44), and the Ephesians (19:6). In attempting to understand these events, commonality must be established. The order of water baptism and subsequence to conversion in relation to the baptism of the Spirit is not consistent in the narratives. The Spirit can come some time after baptism (10:47), in conjunction with baptism (2:38), or some time after baptism (8:16).14 Given the differences, a pattern cannot be established as far as water baptism and time lapse after conversion are concerned. Some have explained that after Pentecost all instances of the Spirit being given were not believers and then became believers at the time the Spirit was given.15 16 Dunn simply states that if the Samaritans did not receive the Holy Spirit, then they were not Christians.17 However, the argument for the Samaritans not actually being believers is unconvincing and does not seem to be keeping with the purpose of Luke in writing the accounts. There is no hint of any deficiency in their faith. Certainly Philip recognized none, else he would not have baptized them. Nor did Peter and John find anything lacking, for as far as we know, they preached nothing more to them before laying hands

13 Williams, Renewal Theology, 198. 14 John B. Polhill, Acts (TNAC 26; Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 83. 15 Ibid, 98. 16 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, PA: The Westminster Press, 1970), 55. 17 Ibid.

7 of 14 upon them.18 Some have explained the commonality in terms of the Spirit progressing forth from the Jews to the Samaritans to the Gentiles.19 Yet if that was the only strain of commonality, it would not explain why after the Spirit had been given to the house of Cornelius (a Gentile), the Ephesian believers (likely Jews) had not received the Spirit. So while this may be true, it does not fully account for what is occurring in all of these circumstances. Another explanation for the defining characteristic of the events in Acts is that some were new converts and some were being taken from an old covenant experience to a new covenant experience.20 Specifically, the Samaritans in chapter 8 and the Ephesians in 19 are thought to be conversions from the old covenant to new covenant experience. For the Samaritan pericope, there is no evidence that Philip had a deficient understanding of the gospel or that their faith in Christ was lacking.21 These were baptized believers at a time subsequent to Pentecost. The Ephesians who were disciples of John the Baptist were still awaiting the coming of the Messiah. They were believers in the same sense that John the Baptist was, but they did not even know there was a Holy Spirit. The reason why the Spirit was given at these specific times and not at the same time as Pentecost seems to lie in the unique historical situation.22 Certainly, whether the
18 David J. Williams, Acts (NIBC; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990), 156. 19 Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas, eds., The Expositors Bible Commentary: John-Acts (EBC 9; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 359. 20 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 772. 21 Ibid. 773. 22 John R. W. Stott, Baptism and Fullness (Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press, 1976), 34.

8 of 14 Ephesian disciples were believers or not, they certainly cannot be regarded as typical of Christian believers today.23 This was a unique situation, a transition from the old covenant to the new covenant. This explanation does provide an answer to the objection that these are examples of the Spirit being given subsequent to conversion, even if the circumstance was abnormal.24 This abnormality is explained in the transition from old covenant to new covenant. Christ had inaugurated the new covenant, yet it was not complete until the Holy Spirit was given to the individual believer as was promised in Ezekiel 36:27, alluding to the new covenant, And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. This explanation, however, remains incomplete to interpret the events by itself. The question of why the Spirit was not given out all at once at the time of Pentecost still remains unanswered if this is the only interpretive framework. What seems most convincing as far as interpreting the gift of the Spirit in Acts is a combination of the two historical interpretations. The book of Acts follows a pattern of the gospel going out from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). As well, in all cases of the gift of the Spirit, those who received it were either new believers, or believers who were still in the old covenant experience. So God, in his sovereignty, chose to give the Spirit to convert people from the old covenant to the new covenant in increments, starting with the Jews, then the Samaritans, then the Gentiles. This pattern had the effect of bringing unity amongst Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles in

23 Ibid. 36. 24 Craig S. Keener, Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 163.

9 of 14 the Christian church. These were truly unique experiences and seem to be historical pericopes, not imperative, nor normative.

C. A Re-examination of 1 Cor 12:13 After having examined the Baptism of the Spirit in Acts, finding the narratives to be unique to the historical situation, Paul's statement on the Baptism of the Spirit must again be re-examined. After coming to an understanding of the unique historical circumstances, there is no theological reason why 1 Cor 12:13 would have to refer to water baptism and not Spirit baptism. The promise of the Spirit being given in Eze 36:27 and Joel 2:28 as well as the promise of the baptism of the Spirit in the Gospels (Matt 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33) seem universal to all believers. Also, while not conclusively speaking about the baptism of the Spirit, Jeremiah 31:33-34 seems to speak of the effects of the Spirit being given to all. Peter, speaking in Acts 2:38 states that every one present would receive the gift of the Spirit after repenting and being baptized, which points to the baptism of the Spirit being universal to all who believe. Furthermore, no where in the Epistles, where Paul and Peter speak to struggling churches, does there seem to be an indication that the baptism of the Spirit is subsequent to conversion,25 but they do consistently point Christians to remember the grace that has already been given.26 There seems to be no compelling reason theologically to interpret 1 Cor 12:13 as

25 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 777. 26 Stott, Baptism and Fullness, 44.

10 of 14 referring to water baptism. The very concept of 'baptism' is initiatory,27 so it would fit that it is speaking about being baptized in the Spirit. The parallel of 'baptizing' and 'drinking' of one Spirit also seems to point toward this speaking of Spirit baptism, rather than water baptism.

D. Conclusion on Baptism in the Holy Spirit So it seems that the evidence points toward the Baptism in the Holy Spirit taking place at the time of conversion. Though that does not mean it's synonymous with conversion, only that it is inseparable from the time of conversion,28 especially given that the disciples were clearly saved and regenerated previous to the Spirit being given. So then, it can be concluded that all believers today have already been baptized in the Spirit at the time of conversion. It is also noteworthy that Luke himself does not use the term 'baptized in the Spirit' when giving the accounts of Pentecost or any of the other Spirit experiences in Acts. So even if the conclusion from these texts and arguments is not convincing, there still should be some hesitancy in always using the term 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' to refer to those experiences in the modern day setting.29 Given that there is also disagreement within charismatic churches on this topic, it might serve ecumenically (and without compromising any beliefs) to use other terms for that experience like being filled with the Spirit or empowerment by the Spirit.

27 Ibid, 37. 28 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 773. 29 Ibid.

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II. Filling of the Holy Spirit Though all Christians receive the gift of the Spirit at conversion, this does not mean that there is no more need for the Spirit, or that a Christian cannot be more filled with the Spirit than he is now. In fact, the New Testament gives indication that there are subsequent fillings of the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the disciples (including Peter and John) were filled with the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:4). Then later, when Peter and John were released, they prayed to God for boldness to speak His word and were again filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31). From this it is clear that there are multiple fillings of the Spirit, which there is much agreement among the charismatic30 31 and cessationist perspectives. The filling of the Spirit is an event that can (and should) occur many times in the life of a Christian.32 In Ephesians 5:18, Paul gives an imperative to be filled with the Spirit. The picture of what it looks like to be filled with the Spirit is not speaking in tongues, prophesying, nor miraculous healing, but addressing one another in song, giving thanks to God, and submitting to one another. This seems to be keeping with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Paul was not commanding that everyone engage in charismatic gifts, but to continue in sanctification, to grow in godliness. As well, it should be noted that those present in Acts 4:31 did not pray to be filled

30 Williams, Renewal Theology, 202. 31 Grudem, Systematic Theology, 782. 32 Ibid.

12 of 14 with the Spirit or to be baptized in the Spirit, but they prayed for boldness to proclaim the gospel. This points to an evaluation of the practice of having people pray for the gift of the Spirit, to be baptized in the Spirit, or to be filled with the Spirit. It certainly is not wrong to pray for a fresh filling of the Spirit, as it is something that all Christians need. However, the filling of the Spirit should not be the ultimate goal in the sense of simply seeking for a dramatic experience, or a bestowal of charismatic gifting. The goal should be godliness in empowerment for proclaiming the gospel, growth in sanctification, gifts for the edification of the church, and/or even the gift of tongues as well, provided that the goal is closer communion with God. The Spirit empowers the Christian to be more like Christ. Christ-likeness should be the desire and prayer of all Christians.

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Bibliography

Barrett, C. K., The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Black's New Testament Commentaries; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. 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, PA: The Westminster Press, 1970. Fee, Gordon D., The First Epistle to the Corinthians. New International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987. Gaebelein, Frank E. and J. D. Douglas, eds. The Expositors Bible Commentary: JohnActs. EBC 9. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981. Garland, David E., 1 Corinthians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003. Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. Keener, Craig S., Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001. Kistemaker, Simon J., Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002. Polhill, John B., Acts. The New American Commentary 26; Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992.

14 of 14 Stott, John R. W., Baptism and Fullness. Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press, 1976. Williams, David J., Acts. New International Biblical Commentary; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990. Williams, J. Rodman, Renewal Theology:Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living. 3 vols. Renewal Theology 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990.