Baptism with the Holy Spirit

According to the New Testament, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience sent by Jesus Christ. As recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus describes it as "the Promise of the Father", through which believers in Jesus Christ receive "power from on high" () Ananias completed what he was sent by God to do. With this experience comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowing of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (.

Reformed view

Reformed theology views the baptism with the Holy Spirit as a "once-only" event that occurred at Pentecost. In contrast to the Pentecostal/Charismatic view, Reformed Theology sees the baptism with the Holy Spirit not as an "empowering" or "gifting" experience received by individual believers, either at the time of salvation or subsequent to salvation, but rather as part of a "once-for-all," completed accomplishment for the church as a whole. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is seen as a "seal" of the Spirit of Christ given to the church as a whole, at one specific point in history. It is not an experience to be individually repeated among believers. At Pentecost, according to the Reformed view, the baptism with the Holy Spirit was received at once for all Christians then and future – a completed fulfillment of the "Promise of the Father" of bibleref2|Acts|1:4, when the Holy Spirit was "poured out on all flesh" (bibleref2|Acts|2:17) for all time.

Wesleyan view

John Wesley spoke of the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" and as an expression of this baptism practiced "groanings which cannot be uttered". His personal secretary wrote an eyewitness account of this practice which is completely consistent with the modern practice of Tongues. However the bulk of his followers, the Methodists, have historically disagreed about how Wesley defined this baptism. While "mainstream" Methodists (such as The United Methodist Church and its precedent bodies) have tended to agree with most Christians in the belief that the Holy Spirit is conveyed in some manner to all people, and certainly all Christians (see Prevenient Grace), other Wesleyans have argued that Wesley was referring to Entire sanctification despite his own writings to the contrary, the belief that after one's sins are forgiven, a Christian can be actually cleansed of sinful corruption. These Wesleyans founded the Holiness movement and are today found in the Church of the Nazarene, the Salvation Army, and other denominations. See The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley for a chapter exploring Wesley's interpretation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Development of the term

The term "baptize with the Holy Spirit" is encountered in each of the four gospels in descriptions of John the Baptist's prophecies of the coming Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (bibleref2|Matthew|3:11, bibleref2|Mark|1:8, bibleref2|Luke|3:16, bibleref2|John|1:33). Jesus is quoted using the phrase "baptized with the Holy Spirit" in bibleref2|Acts|1:5, where he commands his followers to wait in Jerusalem for this experience, which he also referred to as the "Promise of the Father" in bibleref2|Acts|1:4. In bibleref2|Acts|11:16, the Apostle Peter terms the experience of the household of Cornelius (described in bibleref2|Acts|10:44-46) as being "baptized with the Holy Spirit", declaring that the experience was "the same gift that [God] gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ" at Pentecost (see bibleref2|Acts|11:17 and compare bibleref2|Acts|2:1-4). Other terminology in the New Testament may refer as well to the baptism with the Holy Spirit: the language of "filling" (bibleref2|Acts|1:4 and bibleref2|Acts|9:17); other language of the Holy Spirit being "poured out" (bibleref2|Acts|2:17-18 (referring to bibleref2|Joel|2:28-29), bibleref2|Acts|2:33 and bibleref2|Acts|10:45); the language of "receiving" the Holy Spirit (bibleref2|Acts|8:15 and 17), the "falling" of the Holy Spirit on individuals (bibleref2|Acts|8:16 and bibleref2|Acts|10:44), and also descriptions of the Holy Spirit "coming upon" individuals (bibleref2|Acts|1:8 and bibleref2|Acts|19:6). Members of the Holiness churches have also referred to the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" as a "second blessing" or "second work of grace." This language and practice eventually evolved into the modern Pentecostal movement, and Pentecostals adapted the Holiness usage of the term as they understood it.

Baptism with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues

Biblical scholars note the close association of Biblical references to "baptism in the Holy Spirit" with descriptions of "speaking in tongues." In the Acts of the Apostles, there are three specific references to individuals speaking in tongues: bibleref2|Acts|2:4, bibleref2|Acts|10:46and bibleref2|Acts|19:6. Each of these instances of tongues-speaking is immediately subsequent to or contemporary with an experience of being "baptized in the Holy Spirit." The experience in bibleref2|Acts|2:1-4, which included tongues-speaking (see bibleref2|Acts|2:4), may be connected with the prediction by Jesus in bibleref2|Acts|1:5 that the disciples would be "baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." This experience was referred to later in retrospect by Peter as well, as being "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (bibleref2|Acts|11:16).

The description of Cornelius' household receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Peter and his companions in bibleref2|Acts|10:46, which included a reference to their "speaking in tongues," is later associated by Peter with the Pentecost experience of the disciples, relating that Cornelius and his friends and family were "baptized with the Holy Spirit" as the disciples had been at Pentecost (bibleref2|Acts|11:16) and bibleref2|Acts|19:6, which includes reference to individuals in Ephesus "speaking in tongues," although not specifically using the term "baptized with the Holy Spirit," states that the "Holy Spirit came upon them" when the Apostle Paul laid his hands upon them. Pentecostal tradition points to these passages to affirm what it believes to be adequate scriptural basis for their view that "speaking in tongues" is the initial physical evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

References

Bible references

* : "..".He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit..."
* : "."..He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit..."
* : "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit..."
* : "."..stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (see fulfillment in ).
* : "."..the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."
* : "."..the Promise of the Father..."; "."..you will be baptized with the Holy Sprit..."
* : "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages..."
* : "."..I will pour out my Spirit..." (quoting Joel 2:28 and 29).
* : "."..they were all filled with the Holy Spirit..."
* : "...prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit..."; "."..as yet the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them..."; "."..they received the Holy Spirit..."; "."..the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands...".
* : "."..Jesus...has sent me...that you may...be filled with the Holy Spirit."
* : "The Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word..."; "."..the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out..."; "."..people who have received the Holy Spirit..."
* : "."..the Holy Spirit fell upon them..."; "."..you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit..."
* : "Did you receive the Holy Spirit...?"; "."..the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied..."

External links

* [http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm "CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Second Edition"] by Credits: Preparation for Internet done by Charles Borromeo Parish, Mississipi, USA
* [http://www.scborromeo.org/index2.htm "I'm Glad You Asked"] St. Charles Borromeo Catholic ChurchPicayune, Mississippi
* [http://www.babylonfalls.org/forchristians/baptism_hs22july06.html "The Baptism in the Holy Spirit"] by Hermano Cisco of babylonfalls.org
* [http://onegodonepeople-sadhuselvaraj.com/SEC1%20(56-86).htm#14 "One God One People - An Invaluable Compendium of God's Secrets"] by Sadhu Aiya
* [http://www.churchofgod.org/about/declaration_of_faith.cfm Church of God doctrinal summary]
* [http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/index.cfm Assemblies of God doctrinal summary]
* [http://promiseofthefather.blogspot.com/ "The Promise of the Father"] an examination of the various theologies of Spirit Baptism and the historical influences behind them.
* [http://www.wordsoftestimony.com/from-catholic-to-holy-ghost/ Personal testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost]