Baptism of the Holy Spirit - Part 1 Acts 11:15-18

What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? 

Part 1 Acts 11:15-18

     Another wrong teaching related to the receiving of the Holy Spirit is that to be effective for the Lord it is necessary to receive the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’, which is said to be different from having received the Holy Spirit. Once again, this concept is based on taking the phrase of the Bible out of its context, and interpreting it without paying any attention to other related teachings, simply in an attempt to prove right a pre-determined idea, and has no Biblical basis or support. Take a look at the incidence of the ministry of Peter resulting in the family members of Cornelius coming into Jesus Faith and receiving the Holy Spirit, and then Peter giving an explanation about this to the members of the Believer’s Assembly and the Elders, in Acts 11:15-18 : “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Jesus, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” From what Peter is saying here it is unambiguously clear that the giving of the Holy Spirit to the gentiles immediately on their coming into Jesus Faith, that in itself is the fulfillment and affirmation of what the Lord Jesus had said about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

     It is also apparent from Peter’s answer that this was only a fulfillment of the Lord’s words, and not an establishment of a practice or doctrine to be followed by others later on – he neither says nor implies that the other Jesus Believers too will require this ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ – it is a way of expressing self-accomplished and completed thing, rather than the setting up of a practice to be followed by others. Another important thing to be noted here is that neither here or anywhere else in the New Testament has it ever been stated or even hinted that the members of the family of Cornelius who came into the Jesus Faith and received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, started to, or, sometime later ever did anything special or extra-ordinary for the Lord under the effect of this ‘Baptism’; let alone anything special or extra-ordinary. There is no record of them ever being involved even in activities of the Jesus Assembly or in the ‘routine’ ministry like everyone else. In other words, neither is the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ a so-called separate event nor is it anything special from the Lord, and neither does this ‘baptism’ give any special power, or ability, or any prompting to anybody to do anything special or extra-ordinary. 

     Contrary to what is often said and taught for it to be, actually speaking, there is nothing perplexing in it as per the Bible; receiving the Holy Spirit the very moment one comes into the Jesus Faith and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are one and the same thing, both of these are different phrases to state one and the same thing. Therefore to build up and teach some wrong doctrinal concepts about this, that are not in the least in accordance with God’s Word, and then teach them to people, is absolutely wrong, and unacceptable; it is speaking and teaching lies in the name of God and His Word.

- To Be Continued

 Next: Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 2 – 1 Corinthians 12:13