Why I wrote this article, and why you should read it
Many years ago I had a Christian friend that I was discussing the Holy Spirit with. She said, “I’m all for having more of the Holy Spirit, I just don’t know about that tongues business”.
My purpose in writing this article is to provide accurate teaching and information about the subject of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. I realize I have a varied audience:
- Those already filled with the Holy Spirit. Hopefully I can bring you some new insight to help you know why you believe what you do.
- Those who are non-Charismatics, but are curious. Perhaps I can even persuade you seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit yourself, once you see it is scriptural and relevant for today. Even if you do not seek the experience, you will be able to better understand those who have.
- Those who have just been filled with the Holy Spirit. I hope to bring you some insight into the wonderful gift you have received and the benefits of speaking in tongues.
The Person of the Holy Spirit
When people seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit, they must realize that it is not just an experience they seek, but a deeper relationship with the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal “force” of God, or the power of God – He is God, just as much as the Father and Jesus Christ are.
The Holy Spirit has His own personality separate and distinct from the Father or the Son. He has a will (see 1 Corinthians 12:11), He has a voice (see Acts 13:2), He has emotions (He can be grieved).
Of the three members of the Godhead, we know the least about the Holy Spirit. One reason is because He has no fixed form we can identify with, such as the Son, and apparently even the Father. He is Omnipresent – meaning everywhere at once – and how could you have a fixed form and be everywhere at the same time?
Another reason why it is difficult to get a “lock” on the Holy Spirit is because He doesn’t draw attention to Himself. He doesn’t speak about Himself, but is always pointing the way to Jesus. Jesus of course is the easiest one for us to identify with, and He spoke often of the Father. In fact, Jesus said “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” But we have no example to look at when we talk about the Holy Spirit.
From what I can observe of the actions of the Holy Spirit in scripture, He is the “workman” of the Trinity. When God wishes to do something, it is the Holy Spirit who does the work. For example, Jesus accomplished His miracles by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). The Holy Spirit was active during the creation (Genesis 1:2). It requires the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about the new birth in an individual (John 3:5-8).
The person of the Holy Spirit is a subject that could fill an article all by itself. The point I want to make is that the main reason for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to get closer to God, not just to speak in funny languages.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The word baptism means to be immersed; the baptism in or with the Holy Spirit therefore means to be immersed into the Holy Spirit. It is a very real experience that is distinct and separate from salvation.
There are actually eight baptisms mentioned in the Bible. Note that Hebrews 6:2 lists “doctrines about baptisms” as one of the elementary teachings of Christ. They are:
- Israel was baptized into Moses (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)
- The baptism of John (Matthew 3:5-11)
- The baptism of the believer into Christ (Galatians 3:27)
- Christian water baptism (Mark 16:15-16)
- The baptism of Noah and his family through the flood (1 Peter 3:19-21)
- Jesus’ baptism of His sufferings on the cross (Luke 12:50)
- The baptism of fire (Luke 3:16)
- The baptism in the Holy Spirit
Another term used in the Bible that is synonymous with the baptism in the Holy Spirit is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Promise
John 14:16-17 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
The Helper was with the disciples, but He would be in them.
In John 16:7 Jesus said it was to the disciples’ advantage that He go away, for He would send the Holy Spirit in His place. Why was it to their advantage?
Jesus, ever since He took on human flesh, is localized in one place. Could you imagine what it would be like to try to speak with Jesus as the number of believers grew? You’d get a five minute appointment twenty years from now. But through the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit, He can be with and in every believer.
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:4-8 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Tarrying
The disciples were told to tarry, or wait, in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father came upon them. He told them it would come “not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). Of course we know that the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost, a Jewish feast that takes place 50 days after Passover.
Jesus was crucified the day after Passover. He arose three days later. The Bible said He appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days after His resurrection before He was taken up for the final time into heaven (Acts 1:3). Since the instructions to wait in Jerusalem were the last He gave before being taken up, that means they had to wait approximately seven days until the Day of Pentecost.
Some Pentecostal groups make a big thing about “tarrying for the Holy Ghost” – some people even wait years to be filled. But that is unnecessary and unscriptural. The only reason the disciples had to wait at all was because God was waiting for the Day of Pentecost to pour out His Spirit for the first time on all flesh, as prophesied in Joel 2:28. But now that the Holy Spirit is already poured out, we don’t have to wait for Him, we only have to receive Him.
Receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit is by faith just as receiving salvation is by faith. Do you have to wait for some kind of feeling to know you’ve been saved? No. You read the scriptures or hear them preached, believe them, then act on them by inviting Jesus into your heart.
The Purpose of the Baptism
Acts 1:8 says that “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”, and that “you shall be witnesses”. Power to be a witness: that’s not just power to do witnessing, as in telling people about Jesus, passing out tracts, etc., but power to be a witness – that your lifestyle may reflect Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit will give us power to live the Christian life so that our lifestyle will be a witness to the world.
There are a couple of ways that your lifestyle can be a witness to the world:
- Through displaying Christlike character, as in the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 3:22).
- Through miracles, signs and wonders, as in the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
You don’t have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit to display the Fruit of the Spirit (although it does help). But I haven’t heard of many people who operate in the Gifts of the Spirit that aren’t filled with the Holy Spirit.
Side note: displaying the Fruit of the Spirit is a true measure of spirituality, not operating in the Gifts of the Spirit. Indeed, the Corinthians came behind in no gift (1 Corinthians 1:7), yet at the same time Paul declared them carnal because of their divisiveness (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). In heaven, we will be rewarded for the fruit we bear, not for the gifts we operate in.
But don’t sell the gifts of the Spirit short just because they are not as important as fruit. I don’t know about you, but I want all that God has for me, and I can use every bit of help I can get!
Distinct event from Salvation
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct event from salvation. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit to a certain degree when they are born again – indeed, the new birth is impossible without the aid of the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a further and more extensive infilling.
I’ve heard an analogy that goes like this: when you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit, like a glass filled with water (water is a symbolic type of the Holy Spirit). When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, it’s like taking that glass and throwing it in the ocean (remember that the word baptize means to immerse).
In John 20:22 Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” I believe this is where the disciples were born again (unlike you and me, the disciples didn’t get born again as soon as they believed, they had to wait until Jesus rose from the dead). But then in Luke 24:49 we read that some of the last words Jesus said to the disciples was that they should wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. Luke continues this account in Acts 1:4-8, explaining that the promise of the Father was that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19:1-6, Paul finds some disciples who were saved through the ministry of Apollos. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed, and their reply was that they never heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul taught them, and they were baptized in water, then filled with the Holy Spirit.
So we see that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct and separate event from salvation.
The Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-6 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
When the Holy Spirit came down on the Day of Pentecost, there were three physical manifestations:
- The sound of a rushing, mighty wind. Notice it was just the sound of the wind – there was no wind. It was this sound that attracted the people.
- Divided tongues as of fire settled on each one of them. Some sort of manifestation of light that looked like fire danced upon them.
- They spoke in other tongues – languages that they did not know. They were speaking in languages of men, understood by the various nationals that were attracted by the sound of wind, but not understood by the ones doing the speaking. This was a source of amazement to the spectators, because they realized that the disciples were Galileans – the equivalent of country bumpkins.
Jesus said that the disciples would receive power to be witnesses when they were filled with the Spirit. There was a transformation certainly in Peter, who boldly preached a sermon to the multitude gathered, and 3000 souls were added to the Church that day.
Is the Baptism still valid for today?
Acts 2:38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
“Children” refers to the descendants of those Peter was speaking to – future generations. Those “afar off” refers to people not in any way related to those present, such as the Gentiles, and those who were afar off in the future. Finally, Peter says the promise was for those who the Lord would call, that is, to salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is to go hand in hand with salvation.
Some say that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was for the early church and there is no longer any need for it. Oh? You don’t see the need for power to be a witness? A passage often quoted by those that say tongues have passed away can be found in the “love chapter”:
1 Corinthians 13:8-10 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
There will be a time when prophecies and tongues will be done away with, for they won’t be needed any more. Certainly there isn’t any need for prophecy and tongues (tools for God communicating with us and us communicating with God) in heaven. Tongues and prophecy will fade away when “the perfect has come”.
Some say that the “perfect to come” is the canon of scripture – that is, now that we have a Bible, the perfect has come and we don’t need tongues and prophecy. However, there is a third thing that Paul says will pass away when the perfect has come – knowledge. Can you honestly say, “Now I have a Bible, I have perfect knowledge”? I should think not.
Paul explains about knowledge passing away in verse 12:
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am fully known.
When we come face to face with Jesus, when we cast off the flesh, “when we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2) – then there will be no more need for the imperfect modes of communication with God such as prophecy and tongues. We will be filled with the knowledge of God, and incomplete knowledge will be done away with.
But now, here? Buddy, we need all the help we can get!
What About Tongues?
Almost nobody objects to the idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and receiving power to be witnesses. The controversy seems to be over this “tongues business”. Through the scripture I’ll attempt to cover the following subjects:
- Tongues the initial sign of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
- What tongues are
- Different kinds of tongues
- Why every believer should speak with tongues
- How to be filled with the Spirit
Tongues the Initial Sign of the Baptism
There are five recorded instances in the New Testament where the Bible describes people being baptized in the Holy Spirit. In each instance, tongues is either explicitly stated, or implied.
(Acts 2:1-4)
We’ve already looked at this passage, describing the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. It explicitly states that they spoke with tongues.
Acts 10:44-47 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
The salvation and outpouring of the Spirit on the household of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who believed in God, and a Gentile. God wanted to show Peter that salvation was not only for the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. He did this by filling the Gentiles with the Holy Spirit, which was like a “stamp of approval” on them.
How did Peter know that they were filled with the Holy Spirit? They spoke with tongues. Peter’s testimony was that “they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” Here again, tongues are explicitly stated.
Acts 19:1-6 1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Paul came to Ephesus and found some disciples/believers. They had not received the Holy Spirit (i.e., the baptism in the Holy Spirit) when they believed because it had not been preached to them. In verse 6, Paul lays his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Acts 9:17-18 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
A disciple named Ananias is sent to Saul of Tarsus after his conversion, that he might received his sight after being blinded on the road to Damascus, and that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit (side note: any disciple can lay his hands on another believer to receive the Holy Spirit – you don’t have to be someone “high up”).
It does not say here that Saul spoke with tongues, but by Paul’s own testimony in 1 Corinthians 14:18: “I thank God I speak with tongues more than you all.”
(Acts 8:4-21) we will summarize it here for the sake of space.
(Acts 8:4-8) Phillip the evangelist, one of the original seven deacons who was promoted, held a great revival, and many were saved.
(Vs 9-13) Simon, a sorcerer, witnessed the signs and wonders performed by Phillip and also believed. Note that signs and wonders through magic arts was his business. He saw a power displayed that was greater than his own, and wanted to get in on it.
(Vs 14-24) Peter and John came down later, and prayed that these new converts be filled with the Holy Spirit (apparently Phillip hadn’t done this). It doesn’t say that they spoke with tongues.
(Vs 18-19) Simon offered Peter money to be able to do the same. He thought it was a trick or a spell that could be purchased, like his own. He’s still thinking like a sorcerer. Simon offered money when he saw that the Holy Spirit was given when the apostles laid hands on the new converts. What did he see?
(Vs 21) “….you have neither part nor portion in this matter….”
The word matter in the Greek is logos, meaning, word, speech, discourse, or utterance.
I am convinced that what Simon saw was the believers speaking in tongues. While it is not stated, it is implied.
Our conclusion must therefore be that tongues is a sign which regularly accompanies the infilling with the Holy Spirit.
To be continued in Part Two
