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

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

1 Corinthians 12:13 (Part 2)

     Before taking a further look at the verse, let us look at some related information; we will dwell a bit on the word ‘baptism’, and the background of the Corinthian Church. 

     First, the word ‘baptism;’ the original Greek word that is translated ‘baptism’ is ‘baptizo’; which means to immerse or to submerge. So, to be baptized means to be immersed or submerged into something. Now, stating and stressing upon the unity of the body of Christ, the Church, in vs.12, the Holy Spirit, through Paul is reminding these Gentile converts in our leading verse, vs. 13 that they, the Corinthians, and the Jews, and others whether slaves or free persons, everyone has been ‘baptized into one body’ all alike, i.e. all have been immersed or submerged into one body; i.e. have been brought under one and the same covering, so now there remains no cause for any discrimination between any member of the one body of Christ. This is simply and clearly an affirmation of vs.12 and nothing more, further confirmed by the further exposition of this very theme in the subsequent verses down to vs.27. So where and how can one read a teaching and doctrinal stand into this verse that a special Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the requirement asked for by this verse from Christian Believers desirous of serving the Lord? No stretch of imagination can fit this ridiculous and un-Biblical misinterpretation into this verse, yet people so gullibly accept and swallow this lie as a truthful teaching of the Scripture!

     Secondly, it is also important to take a look at the background to this epistle. There is something peculiar to this letter written by Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to the Corinthians – the Church in Corinth, i.e. the Assembly of the Christian Believers in Corinth. That Church of Corinth was full of problems and sins of various kinds, and the letter was written to address and rectify those problems. The list of misdemeanors starts from the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, and goes on to the end of the epistle. Starting from divisions, groupism in the name of Church leaders and elders, misunderstanding and misinterpreting Scriptures, immature childish behavior, immorality, adultery, partaking of things offered to idols, vain glorying and ego problems, mishandling and misusing the Holy Communion, and going on to various other sinful and unacceptable things which were all present in the Church at Corinth, in the life of the ‘Christian Believers.’ And yet the Holy Spirit has Paul begin with the sentence, “To the Church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2) – these people with such abhorrent sins amongst them, are called ‘the Church of God’, ‘sanctified’, ‘saints’, and are accepted along with all other Christian Believers who call on the name of the Lord anywhere else in the world. It is very important to keep this background in mind when analyzing and interpreting 1 Corinthians 12:13 in light of the un-Biblical meaning that has been imposed upon it; the meaning being considered here in this discussion.

- To Be Continued

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