“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

— Matthew 3:11

#6 in The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Understanding the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not that complicated.

Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

You either have the spirit of God dwelling in you, or you don’t. Being baptized with or in the spirit is not a separate event from the born-again experience. When you hear and believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit baptizes you into the body of Christ, and Jesus immerses you into His spirit or seals you with His spirit at the same time.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

John 1:33 I myself did not know him, but 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.’

Ephesians 1:3 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

From then on, God lives in you.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

When you are baptized into the sin-removing, new creation generating authority of Christ by grace through faith, the Holy Spirit places you in the body of Christ, and Christ places His spirit in you. You are forever in-dwelt, sealed, and anointed with His spirit. You can then yield to the Holy Spirit to come upon you or fill you for fruit and power. More on this in my next sermon and article.

Baptism With Fire

What does it mean that Jesus will baptize you with fire?

Isaiah 4:4 when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

Charismatics assume fire equals power but it never meant that in the culture that wrote the Bible. Fire always denotes judgment or cleansing, never power.

“He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.—As heard and understood at the time, the baptism with the Holy Ghost would imply that the souls baptized would be plunged, as it were, in that creative and informing Spirit which was the source of life and holiness and wisdom. The baptism “with fire” would convey, in its turn, the thought of a power at once destroying evil and purifying good. The appearance of the “tongues like as of fire” that accompanied the gift of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was an outward visible sign, an extension of the symbolism, rather than the actual fulfillment of the promise.” ~ Ellicott’s Commentary

When you hear and believe the Gospel, God goes to work in you, making you a new creature. He adopts you and places you into His family by His Spirit. Jesus becomes your Lord, Savior, high priest, salvation, sanctification, and a host of other things at that moment. When God gives you a new heart, Jesus goes to work immersing you in His spirit and cleansing your mere human nature from you. His judgment on your behalf goes to work in you, making it possible for you to be given His righteousness. You do not have to wait until another point in time to receive it be baptized with the spirit. You are a vessel that is able to contain the Holy Spirit of God from the moment you believe.

When Were the Apostles Baptized with the Spirit?

This can be a confusing question. We see Jesus breathe on the disciples to receive the spirit after he is resurrected. Then He tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with power. Then the spirit is poured out of Heaven, and they hear a rushing wind, at which point Acts says they are baptized with the spirit. Then in Acts 4 we see that Peter becomes filled with the spirit as he answers his accusers. How should we understand the receiving, baptizing, and being filled with the spirit?

John 20:22 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

What does "receive" mean? It means to receive.

Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Did he tell them to wait to receive the spirit? No, He had already given them the spirit. They were waiting to be clothed with power.

Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Why did they have to wait for the power? Because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out. I can’t say I fully understand why that is so, but we do have this passage as a precedent. “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:39

We see that once the spirit is poured out in the earth, being born again, being baptized with the spirit, and being endued with power can all happen simultaneously.

From then on, it's ministered this way...

Acts 2: 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Being baptized in the name or authority of Jesus is to be born again. Receiving the gift of the spirit is to be baptized with the spirit. From that point, you can become clothed with the spirit. Being endued with power or clothed with the spirit seems to be an act of faith to access the grace/power that He placed in us.

Being filled with the spirit or under the influence of the spirit is an act of faith. Praying in tongues, experiencing the fruit of the spirit, and performing the spirit's gifts are all aspects of being filled with the spirit. How do you yield to the influence of the spirit to be filled with the spirit to experience his power in you and through you? That is the topic of my next sermon and article. Rejoice that you are sealed with the Spirit and He will never leave you or forsake you. You have been made just like Jesus so you can be confident in the last day of judgment. Until then you can be empowered by His spirit to participate in the increase of His kingdom. Watch the message above for more on this topic.

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