Spiritual Gifts part 89. Ten facts about the Baptism of the Spirit.
Pastor-Teacher Spiritual Gifts Part 89: Ten facts about the Baptism of the SpiritThe 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. This baptism by the Holy Spirit is unique to the Church Age believer. 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 βαπτίζω. Therefore it derives its meaning from the Greek word. Baptizo had a primary (more down to earth and concrete) usage and a secondary (more figurative and conceptual) usage. 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.
Spiritual 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”. This baptism is into Christ, not into water. This baptism is universal - all believers in the Church Age. So it is not a second blessing received by a few. One result is unity among all members of the body of Christ. There is one body, one Spirit, one Lord Jesus Christ. 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.” The Holy Spirit often uses metaphor in the New Testament to describe spiritual things. God brings things down to our level so we can understand them. The Greek word baptizo is used in the New Testament in two ways.
When man does the baptizing, a ceremony is in view. Point 2. The two kinds of baptisms in the New Testament.
There are two kinds of baptisms or identifications in the New Testament: Ritual identification or baptism is the act of immersing or submerging oneself in water as in as Pre-Canon Christian water baptism, the baptism of Jesus, and the baptism of John. Real identification or baptism is God’s act of identifying one thing with another as in the Baptism by the Spirit, the Baptism of Moses, the Baptism of Fire, and the Baptism of the Cross. 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: Point 3. The prophecy of the Baptism of the Spirit. For the disciples, “In that day” was Pentecost. That was the day that the Holy Spirit indwelt believers for the first time, and the disciples were placed in union with Christ. More broadly, “in that day” refers to the dispensation of the Church Age, the age in which all believers will be indwelt by the Trinity and placed in union with Christ. “I am in My Father” refers to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. “you in Me” refers to our subject, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, permanent vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ. “I in you” refers to the indwelling of Christ in the believer. “I am in My Father” refers to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. “you in Me” refers to our subject, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, permanent vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ. “I in you” refers to the indwelling of Christ in the believer. Point 4. Definition and description of the Baptism of the Spirit. 1. In simplest terms, the baptism of the Spirit refers to God the Holy Spirit placing 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
1Co 15:22
Gal 3:28 |