Receiving the Holy Spirit – Part 5 – Conclusion

Conclusion 

 We have studied about the veracity of various teachings often associated with the Holy Spirit, and the Receiving of the Holy Spirit. As seen in the exposition above, these commonly associated teachings with the Receiving of the Holy Spirit have no Biblical basis and are wrong. From the Word of God, the Bible we learn certain things that are necessary to always keep in mind, so as to have a clear and Biblical concept about the Holy Spirit of God. 

The Holy Spirit is God, is a person of the Holy Trinity. He has an extremely important role in the life – spiritual and physical, of every Christian Believer, a role that cannot be discounted, ignored or brushed aside as irrelevant. In the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, He is our God given Helper who dwells in us and abides with us always (John 14:16, 17), and teaches us all things, reminds us of all things (John 14:26). So critically important, so beneficial is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian Believer that the Lord Jesus Himself sent Him and stepped aside, for Him to take charge of His disciples (John 16:7), so that He could guide them in all truth and tell of the things to come (John 16:13). 

 Without the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit, no one can learn the Word of God in its truth and effective applicability (1 Corinthians 2:9-15). So anybody seriously desirous of studying and learning God’s Word, ought to make sure that the Holy Spirit is present with him to help and guide him, else he will never learn the truth, and will keep fumbling around in works of human thought and wisdom, and never actually coming to the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). 

We have seen in detail how treacherous and dangerous the implications of all the unBiblical teachings given in the garb of glorifying the Holy Spirit are. In studying God’s Word, and to draw correct conclusions, it is imperative that we study every part of every verse, and every passage, in its proper context and along with the related teachings in God’s Word to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpreting God’s Word, since all parts of God’s Word only supplement each other, never contradict each other. So anything that does not smoothly fit into the context or with the other related teachings, is something extraneous to God’s Word, and should not be accepted. Whereas the wrong teachings and false doctrines are built around taking verse or its part, or a passage out of its context and interpreting it without paying attention to other related teachings in the Bible, to make it appear as saying a particular thing. 

 Satan very well knows the importance of the Holy Spirit working in and for a Christian Believer, and how detrimental for his interests this working of the Holy Spirit through a Christian Believer is. Since Satan cannot wish away the Holy Spirit from Believer’s life, he attempts to beguile and lead people away from being obedient and submissive to this God given source of power and ability. Satan well knows that like he did with Eve, he can exploit our gullibility for seemingly beneficial, attractive and extra-ordinary things (Genesis 3:6), and thereby lead us astray from God’s Word, through his manipulations and misinterpretations of God’s Word. Therefore for understanding the role and necessity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian Believer, and to stay safe from being misguided into wrong teachings and doctrine about Him, it is very important that we well understand and firmly plant our feet on some basic truths. Any teaching or doctrine that does not readily and conveniently fit into these basic Biblical facts, anything that has to be manipulated to try and make it fit these facts is a wrong teaching, is contrived, and ought to be rejected. 

 These basic facts are: 

 1. The Holy Spirit is God: He is not under the control of man; cannot be made to function under the control or whims and fancies of man; and, cannot be pushed or moved around as per desires and expectations of man. In our relationship with God, it is always God that lays the rules and it is always we humans who follow the rules and obey God. Anything that tends to reverse or even disregard this rule cannot be from God. So any teaching wherein there is even the hint of a suggestion that the Holy Spirit can be coerced, manipulated, or made to do something that is not in accordance with God’s Word through the efforts of man, is a wrong teaching, unacceptable, and not to be entertained at all. 

 2. The Holy Spirit is a person, a part of the Holy Trinity: The Holy Spirit is not an object that can be broken in pieces, made more or made less, or expanded or contracted, or given out or received in parts and instalments. Just as none of these things can be done with you and me, since we are persons, similarly they cannot be done with Him. Wherever His presence is, it is in His entirety not in parts or segments. 

 3. The Holy Spirit does not take any glory for Himself, but directs all the glory to Christ: The role of the Holy Spirit is to testify for the Lord Jesus (John 15:26), to take the things of Lord and declare them to us (John 16:15), to teach us and to bring to our remembrance the things the Lord Jesus has said (John 14:26). So those who go around speaking of having received visions and prophecies extraneous to the Bible, through the Holy Spirit beware – they are on very treacherous grounds. People should realize and accept that, like the Lord Jesus (John 8:26; 12:49), the Holy Spirit never ever speaks on His own authority, but only that which He hears (John 16:13). And what He speaks is always to glorify the Lord Jesus, and never Himself (John 16:14). So any concept, belief, or practice that tends to glorify the Holy Spirit instead of the Lord Jesus, cannot be from the Holy Spirit, cannot be from God; since God will never contradict Himself and His Word. 

 4. As we have seen throughout this write-up, the truly Born Again Christian Believers are temples of the Holy Spirit, and not leak-able or leaking tanks through whom the Holy Spirit can leak out over a period of time, or under certain circumstances. The Holy Spirit is given to every truly Born Again Christian Believer at the very moment of their coming into faith in the Lord Jesus, and He abides in him, dwells in him, and will continue to do so till their last breath on earth. So any talk of receiving Him through some means, after having come into faith, or of incrementing the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, through any alleged “baptism” or “filling” is a misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and misapplication of Biblical truth – it just cannot happen! All a truly Born Again Christian Believer needs to do to manifest His presence in them in a better and more prominent manner is to remain submissive and obedient to Him; the more He is allowed to guide and control them, the more useful they will be for the Lord, and the more will He manifest His power through them. 

  Concluded

Receiving the Holy Spirit – Part 4 – The filling of the Holy Spirit – Part 3 – Implications

What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? – Part 3 

Implications

Accepting this unBiblical and false doctrine, once again, as for the previous false doctrine of ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit,’ serves to divide the body of Christ, His Church into two – the ‘have's’ and the ‘have not's’ i.e. those who do have the ‘filling’, and those who do not have the ‘filling.’ And this therefore brings in the divisiveness of superiority, greater ability and working, and of greater receiving of the blessings and rewards of service from God for the ‘have's’; while the ‘have not's’ are sent into an infructuous wild goose chase of somehow receiving that ‘filling’ so that they too can join the elite club of the ‘haves’ and enjoy its privileges. In either case, the net result is the decline in actual Christian maturity and effectiveness for the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) – in the ‘haves’ because of the sense of pride, superiority, and one-upmanship that it causes; and in the ‘have not's’ through the waste of time and efforts in striving for something unnecessary and vain instead of growing in faith, Word of God, and being effective in the service of the Lord.

Besides, in this seemingly innocuous wrong teaching, once again Satan has wrapped up a major conspiracy against God, and dished it out to us as something ‘pious and reverential.’ And therefore it is very important and essential that we be aware of this ploy, understand it, come out of it, and remain safe from its effects (2 Corinthians 2:11). After having received the Holy Spirit, to say that by some other means or process there can be a different ‘filling’ of the Holy Spirit to increment His effective presence and power, conveys the meaning that, in some manner the Holy Spirit can be increased or decreased, He can be given out or received in installments, i.e. be broken into parts, etc.

All of these things are not only contrary to God’s Word, but also are an attempt to negate the well-established doctrine of the Holy Spirit being God and a person of the Holy Trinity. This wrong teaching makes the Holy Spirit instead of a person of the Godhead, an object that can be broken up into parts, and can then be given out or taken up, and that too by the will and efforts of persons. The worst thing is, this doctrine tends to make the Holy Spirit a toy in the hands of human beings, so that a person through his works, behavior and conduct, can control the availability of the Holy Spirit; can determine as to when, to whom, and in what ‘quantity’ should He be given; and then, accordingly, how He will function and which works can He do or not do in the recipient!

In other words, the Holy Spirit no longer remains God but is rendered a puppet in the hands of man. And since all three of the Holy Trinity Godhead – God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, therefore either the other two have also become similar puppets as well; or it brings a division in the Holy Trinity, separating and segregating the Holy Spirit as different from the other two, being lesser than them, which means falsifying the doctrine of the Holy Trinity of God, and that in turn means falsifying the Word of God that teaches the doctrine of Holy Spirit.

Accepting this wrong teaching means that God has come under the control of man; and now man can control and use Him in whichever way he wants! May God protect us from harboring even the thought of such utter blasphemy, and may He protect us from ever falling into this deplorable deceit. All these wrong teachings are very clever and devious ways, very subtle attacks from Satan to make God and His Word a lie and to render their power ineffective in our lives; and it is absolutely essential that we be very careful to understand these satanic ploys and stay away from them, avoid falling for Satan’s deceit.

- To Be Continued

 Next: Conclusions

Receiving the Holy Spirit – Part 4 – The filling of the Holy Spirit – Part 2 – Understanding (2)

What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? – Part 2
Understanding (2)

If a person does not follow the directions of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25), does not make use of His power by being obedient to Him, then the Holy Spirit remains ineffective and inactive in his life (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Understand this through this example – you have an electric connection and wiring done in your house and the electric current remains flowing through those wires; but till the time you connect a working and appropriate electrical equipment to it and allow that electric current to do its work, till then the presence of that electric current in your house remains inactive and ineffective. The evident manifestation and proof of the presence of the electric current, its power, and its utility, will depend not only upon the type and capacity of the electrical equipment you connect to it to utilize the electrical power, but also on your allowing the electric current to flow through it. Whether the equipment is small and of a low capacity, or large and of a big capacity, the electric current flowing both of them will always be the same. The ability to utilize the power of the electric current, and manifest that power, is solely dependent upon the capacity of that electrical equipment.

Similarly, the more obedient and submissive you are to God, the more you adhere to and follow God’s Word, the higher the priority and honor in your life God and the Word of God has, the more will the power of the Holy Spirit work in your life and be evident to others. If your own spiritual life is weak, then the power of the Holy Spirit too will be that much less evident in your life. If all you can do is muster a few minutes of perfunctory reading of a Bible passage, and mumble a few routine words of prayer – and many people do not even do that, then how can you hope to have a powerful and vibrant presence of the Holy Spirit evident in your life?

Children have to regularly go to school, have to sit in classes and attentively learn that which is being taught, have to do their ‘home-work’ well, have to clear their exams, only then can they increase in knowledge and understanding, and be able to do something in life. This is not achieved by their just running through the various corridors of the school for a few minutes every day, and spending the rest of the day foe various other things. Similarly, in the spiritual classrooms as well it is necessary to sit for the requisite time and attentively spend time in learning from the Holy Spirit, and pass through the experiences of the examinations of life. Only then can the life and power of the Lord be seen in the life of the person.

Every truly Born Again Christian Believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is continually present in, dwells in every truly Born Again Christian Believer (2 Timothy 1:14). When this Christian Believer, depending upon his level of spirituality and spiritual maturity, through the power and his obedience to the Holy Spirit, is able to do something for the glory of God, that was not possible for him to do on his own, nor was possible through any human strength, or knowledge, or ability then that is working through being filled with the Holy Spirit, as we have seen above in the examples of Peter, John and Paul.

Since usually not all Christian Believers are of the same level in their faith, submission, and obedience to God and His Word as are some special people of God in their Christian obedience and maturity, therefore it appears that to be filled with the Holy Spirit to do something, i.e. to something wonderful or extra-ordinary through the power of the Holy Spirit, is only possible for certain special people, not every Christian Believer. But this is a misunderstanding, and the misunderstanding is misused to state and propagate the false doctrine of the necessity of ‘filling with the Holy Spirit’. Increase in your obedience to God, His Word, your spiritual life, and you too will be able to do things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is a very simple, straightforward, and common-sense example from everyday life, that you would never expect a person who is ill and weak with some sickness to be physically able to do the same or as much work as a healthy and strong person can do.

As long as the sickness of the things of the world and of compromising with the world for the sake of earthly gains continues to weaken the Christian Believers and keep them spiritually unhealthy; so long as we continue to weaken our souls by the habit of obeying and working for the people of the world, and to do so, continuing to put God and obedience to His Word to a lower position in our lives, making it a matter of convenience instead of an overbearing necessity, we too will never be able to do that which a spiritually healthy and strong person can do. And we will continue to be carried away, to be tossed to-and-fro by the preachers and teachers of such false doctrines (Ephesians 4:14).

God has given us the required ability through His Holy Spirit and guidance through His Word the Bible; it is up to us to make use of it and be a worthy witness of the Lord.

- To Be Continued

 Next: What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? Part 3 – Implications

Receiving the Holy Spirit – Part 4 – The filling of the Holy Spirit (2) - Understanding (1)

What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? – Part 2 

Understanding (1)

Even by common sense this is nothing mysterious, nor something that requires some extra-special understanding. As we see in Acts 2:4, along with the other disciples, Peter also received the Holy Spirit, and then in Acts 4:8 it says that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and confronted the officials opposing the Christian Believers effectively and successfully and preached the Lord to them. For Peter and John, as per their abilities, education, and status this was something very extra-ordinary and beyond their own capabilities, since they were uneducated and untrained men (Acts 4:13), and they were confronting scholars of the Scriptures and high ranking officials; but still, without any hesitation or committing any mistakes the two of them so boldly stood up to those scholars and high officials, that they could not say anything against what the two of them said (Acts 4:14) and they realized that this was possible because those two had been with the Lord Jesus.

Again it is said in Acts 13:52 that the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit – this kept on happening repeatedly, i.e. they continued working with His power; and not that the Holy Spirit would leave them and go out every few days – this could not be since the Lord had promised that the Holy Spirit would 'abide with them forever' (John 14:16); and we have already seen above that the Holy Spirit cannot be ‘topped up’ to restore Him back to a certain level, and then they had to receive Him all over again.

It is written for Paul that in Acts 9:17 he was filled with, or, received the Holy Spirit, and then again in Acts 13:9 when he had to confront the demonic power, it is written that he did so being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Word gives no indication that these people had received the Holy Spirit all over again, or of some different kind to suit the need of the hour, or in some extra quantity; nor that He had left them but then was given again to them in some excess than before; and then they ‘were filled’ and could do that work. It was the same Holy Spirit, in quantity and quality that they had received before; what was different was that as per the need of the hour, in submission and obedience to the Lord, they made an effective use of the power of the Holy Spirit available to them, and accomplished the job at hand.

Actually speaking, there is nothing unusual in the phrase “being filled with the Holy Spirit” for doing something special, neither is it something unique that is possible for only a select few people. But many preachers keep on presenting it as something unique and extra-ordinary, just to maintain a sense of supremacy, and to project themselves as unique and extra-ordinary, they keep on teaching this wrong doctrine, one that is not in any manner consistent with the facts of the Bible. The expression, “being filled with the Holy Spirit and doing”, is similar to the day-to-day common use of similar expressions in routine language.

Take note of some expressions used or experienced practically every day by all of us: whenever you either say, or read, or hear that a person, "being filled with love…", or that "he was filled with joy and…", or that "being filled with indignation, he…" etc., then how do you understand it? Do you understand it to mean that this is indicating that the person, received some kind of an unusual or different kind of love, or joy, or anger, etc. one that is not usually present in all people, and then did the thing he did? Or without any strain on your mind you readily understand that, the person used that which was already present within him, with a certain unusual intensity and did something extra-ordinary; or in a unique circumstance made a special application and use of that feeling to do what he did?

Just the same applies to using this phrase of being filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish something unusual or extra-ordinary. It just conveys using the power of the Holy Spirit already present within every true Christian Believer, to accomplish something unusual or extra-ordinary, something over and above the general capabilities and capacity of the person, as we have seen the examples of Peter, John, and Paul above.

- To Be Continued

 Next: What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? Part 3 – Understanding (2)

Receiving the Holy Spirit – Part 4 – The filling of the Holy Spirit (1) - Ephesians 5:18

What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? – Part 1 

Ephesians 5:18

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to work in the power and in control of the Holy Spirit. For this, on the basis of Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit ” it is claimed that the Bible teaches to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But if we step out of the influence of the often, and emphatically reiterated wrong teachings about the Holy Spirit, and look at this sentence according to common sense, and that too in its correct context, then there is nothing confusing here. This sentence has a simple and straightforward meaning; here the effect of wine to control a person has been expressed through a figure of speech. What Paul has written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can be understood by paraphrasing as follows, “Just as person ‘full’ of and inebriated with wine can be recognized by his dissipation, i.e. debauchery, that he is under the influence and control of the wine within him, similarly a Christian Believer has to express and demonstrate by his spiritual behavior that he is ‘full of’ and under control of the Holy Spirit” and then from verse 19 to 21 he speaks of the  behavior expected of a person ‘full’ of the Holy Spirit.

Take note of another thing in this sentence, Paul has written, ‘...be filled” i.e. let it be a continual process, always be or always remain under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit; do not make it an intermittent process. This does not and cannot mean that you will have to keep on taking measures of the Holy Spirit till you are finally ‘full’ of Him; or that since one leaks out the Holy Spirit, so whenever that happens, take a topping up dose of the Holy Spirit to restore its levels within you. This simply cannot happen at all, since as we have seen above, Holy Spirit is God, a person of the Holy Trinity, He cannot be broken into bits and pieces, He is not given out in parts or installments, He cannot be increased or decreased, and He is just the same in quantity and quality in every true Christian Believer. Since this is the truth therefore the only thing possible is that as soon as a person truly comes into the Christian Faith and receives the Holy Spirit, then at that very moment he has become ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, because over and above, or besides the Holy Spirit that has been given to him, he will never receive any extra or ever again; the Holy Spirit within him will always remain just the same in quantity and quality; now all that the person needs to do is to keep expressing the Holy Spirit within him, through his practical life keep demonstrating the influence of the Holy Spirit in him. So, what can vary is a person’s expressing or demonstrating his own obedience and submission to the Holy Spirit ‘filled up’ within him at the time of his salvation; but his behavior and conduct (as we will see shortly) is not an indicator of the ‘amount’ of Holy Spirit present within him – because that can never ever vary, in quantity or quality.

- To Be Continued

 Next: What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? Part 2 – Understanding (1)

Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 3 – Count; Implications

Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 3

How Many Baptisms? 

Implications

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a baptism to be taken or given separately; and neither have the Christian Believers been instructed to have it. The Holy Spirit, through Paul very clearly writes that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). Now, if after being saved there is the water baptism, and then, allegedly, to be effective for the Lord there is another Baptism of the Holy Spirit, then it is no longer one baptism but two, and the statement in Ephesians has become false! This means that the Holy Spirit, through whom all of the Scriptures have been given (2 Timothy 3:16), has had a lie written in God’s Word, He has contradicted Himself, He has Himself brought in an error – these are all impossibilities, even entertaining such a thought is utter foolishness.

Now, since water baptism is an established fact – that is the baptism John the Baptist gave (Mark 1:4-5, 8), the Lord Jesus took (Mark 1:9), and the Lord prescribed in His Great commission to the disciples (Matthew 28:19), and it is the one administered to all the initial Christian Believers in Acts chapter two at the birth of the Church (Acts 2:41), and is being given to all Christian Believers since then; therefore the count of one gets completed here with this water baptism. Hence teaching the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is then deliberately introducing an error in the Word of God, turning it into a lie, and misusing God’s Word simply to support ones wrong doctrine and teaching. When it has been made very clear in Acts 11:15-18, in the name of the Lord and through His teaching it has been clearly explained that receiving the Holy Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are one and the same thing, then where is the necessity of changing this and bringing in concocted teachings and instructions about it?

Pay heed that how cleverly and subtly Satan has disguised this wrong doctrine and teaching as a seemingly pious and reverential act, and has beguiled people into falsifying God’s Word and becoming disobedient to God. Therefore Paul through the Holy Spirit, warns about those who preach such wrong teachings, “Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words” (Colossians 2:4); “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). As we have seen and established in the discussions above, the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ mentioned in Acts 11:16 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 is the use of figurative language, employing a figure of speech, to express the accomplished act of bringing together all the actual Christian Believers into one body by the Lord i.e. the Church, through the Holy Spirit, to give all of them one and the same status and honor in the body of Christ; it is not an instruction that has been given for being followed in future.

There is only one baptism – the immersion water baptism, which every Christian Believer ought to take after coming into the Christian Faith in obedience to the commandment of the Lord – baptism does not give salvation (do not be misled by misinterpretations of Acts 2:38; see: Does Acts 2:38 teach that baptism is necessary for salvation?), baptism is for those who have received salvation to testify of their submission and obedience to the Lord (Matthew 28:19) – baptism was to be given to those who had become the disciples of the Lord, and not that by being baptized they became the disciples).

Implications

The body of Christ, His Church has come into existence; and those who are Born Again i.e. those who come into faith in the Lord Jesus through true repentance of sins, sincerely seeking the Lord’s forgiveness for them and actually fully submitting their lives to Him, automatically become members of the Body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit resides in them. If it were to be hypothesized that as per this verse, only those who additionally have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit become the active and effective members of the Body of Christ, then it introduces a very dangerous and very un-Biblical doctrine, of there being atleast two bodies of Christ – one composed of those who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the other of those who have not; the former being the ones useful for the Lord, while the latter cannot be useful for the Lord. Naturally then, all the rewards and benefits for eternity will go to the former group, and the latter will have to remain empty handed for eternity. So, see for yourself how destructive, abhorrent, un-Scriptural, and un-God like are the implications of this seemingly pious but utterly deplorable contention.

In addition, this is again, another way of shying away from the responsibility of telling the people the truth and explaining to them that if they are not feeling the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives, then either they are not actually saved and Born Again, and need to take a decision about it and rectify it immediately; or they are not fully submitted and obedient to the Holy Spirit and so He cannot express Himself through them, and this too needs to be properly rectified immediately.

- To Be Continued

 Next: What is the filling of the Holy Spirit? (Part 1)

Baptism of the Holy Spirit - Part 2 – 1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part 4)

What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? – Part 2 

 1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part 4)

Take another look at the verse1 Corinthians 12:13 – the phrase used is ‘we were all baptized’ – past tense; something done and accomplished; something completed. The ‘we’ implies Paul and Sosthenes (1 Corinthians 1:1) and all of Paul’s other companions, and all of the Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, free, or slave. Everyone together were immersed or submerged into the one body of Christ. Now, throughout the New Testament, is there any record that Paul or any of his ministry colleagues and companions received a separate Baptism of the Holy Spirit at any time; or that they were empowered by this Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then they set out on their world changing ministries (Acts 17:6)? Paul’s baptism, after his being saved and converted on the road to Damascus is duly recorded (Acts 9:18) ; and it is also recorded that “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). He did so with such zeal and intensity that people were amazed (Acts 9:21), and from thereon Paul continued to increase in strength and confounded the Jews more and more (Acts 9:22). Neither did Paul have to ‘Tarry’ for the Holy Spirit; nor did he ask or wait for any ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’, and yet his ministry was so intense that no one could stand before him; and therefore eventually the Jews started to plot executing him (Acts 9:23). Does not Paul’s initiation into the ministry make it clear that there is no requirement for this Baptism of the Holy Spirit before one can be useful for the Lord?

Coming back to our lead verse, 1 Corinthians 12:13, while it says “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…”, yet nowhere does it say that any of those mentioned in this verse asked for this to be done, or they waited and prayed for it to be done for them. It was something that the Holy Spirit did on its own – covered them all in Himself and joined them all together into one Body of Believers. Moreover, nowhere does it say that on some grounds, some were considered worthy of this being done for them, but others were left out since they could not qualify for it. Nowhere does it say or even hint that any new members of the Corinthian Church, or any other Church at any place, at any point of time, will also have to undergo this Baptism of the Holy Spirit, if they want to serve the Lord, or want to be useful for the Lord. Using this verse to preach all such thoughts and teachings is contrived and ridiculous. By no means can any such teaching be derived or justified through this verse.

This verse also provides an excellent example of the very selective use of Biblical words and phrases and manipulating them to propagate, and promote a false doctrine (another such example is in 1 Corinthians 14, but we will look at it at some other time, as and when the Lord wills). The proponents of the doctrine of Baptism of the Holy Spirt quite vehemently cite this verse as a proof since it says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body….” But then they very conveniently forget to say anything about the ending phrase of this very verse “…and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”

Ever heard of anyone saying, teaching, or stressing that one needs to drink the Holy Spirit too? Are not ‘baptized’ and ‘made to drink’ part of one and the same sentence? Therefore if the initial part is so necessary, that a doctrine has been built upon and is aggressively taught, then why completely ignore the subsequent part? If the subsequent part is a figure of speech, then why not give the same consideration to the initial part, and put an end to this concoction of untenable doctrines and teachings by misinterpreting and misusing Scripture? The simple and straightforward meaning of the verse through use of these two figures of speech is that every member of the body of Christ is totally surrounded – inside and outside by the Holy Spirit of God – He has us all totally covered and protected.

The plain and simple fact is that there is no doctrine of the requirement of a Baptism of the Holy Spirit for being effective for the Lord spoken of here. To push such wrong teachings is to distort the Word of God and to speak lies to mislead the gullible into a useless and fruitless endeavor.

- To Be Continued

 Next: Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 3 – How many Baptisms; Implications

Baptism of the Holy Spirit - Part 2 – 1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part 3)

What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? – Part 2 

 1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part 3)

Now, let us look further at 1 Corinthians 12:13 in its context and along with the other relevant teachings that we have seen above. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, like Romans chapter 12, is the chapter on the gifts of the Holy Spirt, but with one difference – the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in Romans 12. Paul begins by reminding them that they (the Corinthians) have been delivered from serving the dumb idols, and whatever may be their state of spiritual maturity, it is through the Holy Spirit residing within them that they are actually able to call Jesus as Lord (vs.1-3), and that gifts of the Holy Spirit have also been given to them. Then from vs. 4 to 11, Paul writes to them about the various gifts of the Holy Spirit they have received.

Keeping their above mentioned background and sorry state of spirituality, take note of something that the Holy Spirit stresses upon through Paul – irrespective of their individual state of spiritual maturity, in God’s eyes, for God’s purposes, they are all one Church, they are all of the same standing before the Lord; there is no one superior, no one inferior, no one more useful and no one less useful; they are all on the same level before God. How does Paul show this to them? 

He says:

• In vs. 4-6 the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God works all in all;
• In vs. 7 manifestation of the Spirit is given to all, for the profit of all (this is a very important point to be kept in mind when considering the gifts of the Holy Spirit – no gift, none whatsoever, is for any personal use or only for an individual’s use; they are all for the benefit of the whole Church – the common misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 notwithstanding);
• In vs. 11, after listing the various gifts of the Holy Spirit from vs. 8-10, another very important statement is given – the gifts are distributed to each one, and as per the discretion of the Holy Spirit. So we see that no one is exempt, every one of those Corinthians has been given a gift (an affirmation of Ephesians 2:10), and it is the Holy Spirit that has determined who gets what, with no mention or even hint of any discrimination of any sort on any grounds. And this is so that everyone can be useful in the service of the Lord.
• Then from vs. 12 onwards to vs. 27, this is again affirmed by the word picture of one body with many parts, but all working together as one, and dysfunction of one affecting everyone else is given.

In this whole section that provides the context of 1 Corinthians 12:13, is there any hint, let alone saying it in as many words, that for being considered for service for the Lord any discrimination was made on any grounds – even on grounds of whether or not an individual has received the so called Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it said anywhere that because of their not having received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, someone was considered unworthy of being given a gift of the Holy Spirit? Does it at any place imply or say that although every Believer is part of the body of Christ, His Church, but these powerful gifts as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in and interpreting tongues etc. were given to only those who had also additionally received the Baptism of the Holy Spirt? And the counterpart of this section in Romans 12 does not even mention the Baptism of the Holy Spirt!

So on what grounds, with what Biblical support, is it taught and claimed that for a Christian Believer to be effective for the Lord one has to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? If despite the poor spiritual state of the Corinthian Believers, they could still be considered worthy of being given such magnificent spiritual gifts, and every one of them could be considered as potentially being useful for the service of the Lord by the Holy Spirit, then how can anyone claim of it requiring a special Baptism of the Holy Spirit to be effective for the Lord?

Does it not tantamount to creating divisiveness in the body of Christ and indulging in one-upmanship, by projecting some to be better or superior to others? Is this attempt at divisiveness and discrimination in the Church then clearly not a work of Satan rather than of God? Can there be any virtue in teaching and insisting upon this deliberate misinterpretation of God’s Word regarding the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

- To Be Continued

 Next: Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 2 – 1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part - 4)