Spiritual Gifts part 90. Every Church Age believer is a saint!

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
March 2, 2011

Spiritual Gifts Part 90: Every Church Age believer is a saint!

The Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

C. The Baptism of the Spirit is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in placing every new believer into permanent union with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Body the Church.

The Holy Spirit is the personal divine agent who does the baptizing. He is not the substance or result.

The result of the baptism of the Spirit is our position in Christ.

We are in union with Christ forever.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, placing the believer in permanent union with the Lord Jesus Christ, is the ONLY baptism that matters in the Church Age.

Point 1. Defining our terms.

The English word “baptize” is simply a transliteration of the Greek word bapti/zw . Therefore it derives its meaning from the Greek word.

A good simple translation for this Greek verb baptizo is “to place into” or “to introduce into”.

Paul took the secondary figurative usage of baptizo and developed yet another usage for the spiritual realm, which is identification and union.

Paul uses baptizo in relation to the Baptism of the Spirit, in ROM 6:3, 1CO 12:13 and GAL 3:27.

Here he uses baptizo in the sense of “the act of identifying and uniting one person with another resulting in a permanent change of position and condition”.

baptizo in relation to the Baptism by the Spirit means the following:

“to be placed in eternal union with Christ by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation resulting in a permanent change of position.”

Point 2. The two kinds of baptisms in the New Testament.

There are two kinds of baptisms or identifications in the New Testament:
(1) ritual, and (2) real.

The Baptism by the Spirit: At the moment of salvation, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places the Church Age believer into an eternal vital union with Christ,

thus identifying the believer with Christ and making them a permanent member of the Body of Christ- the Royal Family of God, a new spiritual species, and eternally secure.

Documentation:

MAR 16:16; JOH 7:37-39; JOH 14:20; ACT 1:5; ACT 2:1-4; ROM 6:3-5; 1CO 12:13; GAL 3:26-28; COL 2:11-13; 1PE 3:21).

Point 3. The prophecy of the Baptism of the Spirit.

JOH 14:20
“In that day you will know that I am in My Father [deity of Christ], and you in Me [Baptism of the Spirit], and I in you [indwelling of Christ].”

Point 4. Definition and description of the Baptism of the Spirit.

1.The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a real baptism, an actual identification, in which God the Holy Spirit, at the moment we believe in Christ, enters the new believer in union with Christ.

By being placed in union with the Head of the body, we are thereby made members of the body of Christ, made up of all Church Age believers.

2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the means of forming the royal family of God during the Church Age.

3. The result of the baptism of the Spirit, union with Christ, is also called “positional truth” or “positional sanctification”.

The New Testament refers to positional truth in many places with the expression “in Christ” or “en Christoo” in the Greek.

Equivalent phrases are “in Christ Jesus” , “in the Lord”, “in Him” where the Him clearly refers back to the Lord Jesus Christ, and “in Whom”, likewise.

ROM 8:1
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

1CO 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

GAL 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1TH 5:16-18
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

2CO 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Sanctification means to be set apart or consecrated to God. It means belonging to God in an intimate way.

Believers become sanctified at the moment of salvation. This is known as positional sanctification.

Believers become sanctified after salvation when doctrine is resident in their soul and they are filled with the Spirit.
This is known as experiential sanctification.

And believers will become sanctified when the resurrection of their bodies takes place, and this is known as ultimate sanctification, PHI 3:21.

Believers become sanctified at the moment of salvation. This is known as positional sanctification.

Believers become sanctified after salvation when doctrine is resident in their soul and they are filled with the Spirit.
This is known as experiential sanctification.

And believers will become sanctified when the resurrection of their bodies takes place, and this is known as ultimate sanctification, PHI 3:21.

When applied to the Church, sanctification means that God has created a brand new species of spiritual royalty set apart for the maximum glorification of TLJC.