Were You Baptized in the Holy Spirit, Part Two

Christian, Were You Baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Part Two

The Spiritual Enrichment ConferenceSeptember 24, 2011

David H. Warren

So which view is right?

J. W. McGarvey Moses E. Lard

Alex. Campbell

James Challen

Walter ScottDr. R. Richardson


(1) The “Traditional View” of the Churches of Christ, the view of

Alexander Campbell, J. W. McGarvey, and James Challen

(2) The “Alternative view” of Walter Scott, Moses Lard, Dr. Robert Richardson (= “the Catholic View”)

6 Reasons why the Alternative View is the better view

(1) The Alternative View allows a better understanding of Acts 11:17.

Acts 11:17

“So, if God gave the same gift (tēn isēn dōrean) to them as He did to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”

Peter is saying that Cornelius, his family, and friends got “the same gift” as he and the other Apostles did on Pentecost in Acts 2.

The Traditional View

On the Day of Pentecost, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit invested the Apostles with the power and authority to speak for God.

(1) It enabled them to speak and to write with inspiration,

(2) and to pass on miraculous gifts to others in order to confirm the Christian message.

Acts 11:17“God gave the same gift them”

• The Greek word for “same” is isos.

• This Greek word isos really means “equal.”

Greek isos “equal”

The Parable of the Workersin the Vineyard

“ ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal [Greek isos] to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ ”

Matt 20:12


The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Matt 20:1–16

The landowner gave every worker the same pay, one denarius, whether they worked ten hours or just one.


Jesus is equal with God

“For this reason, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him [i.e., Jesus], because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but He also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal[Greek isos] with God.”

John 5:18


The City Foursquare

“The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. And he [the angel in vs. 9] measured the city with the reed and found it to be 12,000 stadia [about 1,400 miles] in length. Its length, width, and height were equal [Greek isos].”

Rev 21:16

An isosceles triangle has two equal sides.


Now this “same gift” is not just the gift of speaking in tongues alone (Acts 10:44), but it is also the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

More than just speaking in tongues!

44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45The circum-cised believers who had come with Peter [six men, Acts 11:12] were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles (Acts 10:44–45).

It was something that was “poured out.”

44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45The circum-cised believers who had come with Peter [six men, Acts 11:12] were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles (Acts 10:44–45).

something “poured out”Acts 2:32–33

32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear (Acts 2:32–33).

This gift was something that was “poured out.”

Acts 10:45 “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.”

Acts 2:33 “He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”


Now this “same gift” is not just the gift of speaking in tongues alone (Acts 10:44), but it is also the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and according to the Traditional View it is the very same measure of the Holy Spirit that made the Apostles the Apostles!


Question: So if God wants to prove to Peter and to the six Jewish Christians from Joppa that He (God) accepts Cornelius in his uncircum-cision, why would He do so with the greatest measure of the Holy Spirit that any human ever had?


Question: Why does God prove it by imbuing Cornelius and company with the same measure of the Holy Spirit that He gave to the Apostles to make them Apostles?

Why didn’t He just use the simple miraculous gift of speaking in tongues, as in the account of the twelve disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus in Acts 19:1–7?


Question: Were Cornelius, his family, and friends supposed to write some inspired books like the Apostles?

Were they supposed to lay their hands on others and enable them to work miracles, like the Apostles?

Where is the fulfillment of Jesus’s Promise to the Apostles?

The Holy Spirit will come and “guide you into all truth” (John 14:26; 15:26–27; 16:13).

When was this promise fulfilled?

Book of Acts Gospel of John On Pentecost? Resurrection Day?(Acts 1:4–8; 2:1–3) (John 20:19, 21–22)

John 20:19–22

“19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. . . .”

John 20:19–22 (cont.)

“21Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ 22And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ ”

Where is the fulfillment of Jesus’s Promise to the Apostles?

The Holy Spirit will come and “guide you into all truth” (John 14:26; 15:26–27; 16:13).

When was this promise fulfilled?

Book of Acts Gospel of John On Pentecost? Resurrection Day?(Acts 1:4–8; 2:1–3) (John 20:19, 21–22)

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the action that gave the Apostles their power and authority. The action of Jesus in John 20:22 did that. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 was just the coming of the Holy Spirit that was promised to take place after Jesus was glorified in John 7:39.

The Promised Coming of the Holy Spirit

John 7:37–39

“37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, . . .

The Promised Coming of the Holy Spirit

John 7:37–39 cont.

“. . . streams of living water will flow from within him.’ 39By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

The Promised Holy Spirit

Acts 2:33 He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Acts 2:38b–39 38. . . the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promised is for you and your children and for all who are afar off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.



(2) The Alternative View makes better sense of the prophecy of John the Baptist.

The Prophecy of John the Baptist

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One Who comes after me is mightier than I, . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Matt 3:11; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:16


John the Baptist here is contrasting his baptism with that of Jesus. John’s baptism did not involve the Holy Spirit. Jesus’s baptism will.

John is not comparing how he baptizes in a general way with what Jesus will do on only two occasions to a few people.


“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One Who comes after me is mightier than I, . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Matt 3:11; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:16

Matthew and Luke add “and fire.”


“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One Who comes after me is mightier than I, . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Matt 3:11; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:16

Why doesn’t Mark mention the “fire”?

“The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. And confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

The Pharisees and the Sadducees also come out to him to get baptized (Matt 3:7).

“You brood of vipers! Repent!”

Why did Mark not mention “fire”?

“I can’t baptize you, if you won’t first repent.”

“But don’t go away mad, for the Mighty One who is coming after me will make sure that all of you get baptized.”

“He will baptize you [the crowd] with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt 3:11).

Why did Mark not mention “fire”?

What is the “Fire” in Matt 3:11?

“10The ax is already at the root, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One Who is more powerful than, Whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and . . .


“. . . and fire 12His winnowing fork is in His hand, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matt 3:10–12


“10. . . cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“11He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

“12. . . burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

It is talking about hell “fire”!

Matt 3:11

Those who are not baptized with the Holy Spirit (the deposit that guarantees our salvation) will be baptized—engulfed—in the fire of Hell.


Mark omits any reference to the fire (“He will baptized you with the Holy Spirit”) because his account does not men-tion the presence of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism. His account is more abbreviated than Matthew or Luke.




(3) The Alternative View has a better explanation of the “one baptism” (Eph 4:5).

Eph 4:3–6

“3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.”

Chart

Item Bap. H.S. Water Bap. Indwelling

Baptizer Jesus anyone Jesus

Element the Spirit water the Spirit

Authority a promise a command a promise

The Same Phenomenon• Apostles in Acts 2

–“the promise” (Acts 1:4; 2:33)

–“the gift” (Acts 11:17)

• All Christians in Acts 2:38

–“the promise” (Acts 2:39)


• Samaritans in Acts 8


• Cornelius in Acts 10


The Laying on of Hands

“the laying on of hands”—a doctrine (Heb 6:2)

(1) appointment to a specific task or office (Num 8:10; 27:18; Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tim 5:22)

(2) healing (Mark 5:23; 6:5; 16:18; Acts 9:12, 17; 28:8)

(3) receiving the Holy Spirit, i.e. the indwelling (Acts 8:17–19; 19:6; Tertullian)


In uninspired writings after the New Testament, early Christians in the faithful churches continue the practices of the Apostles. Men like Tertullian, a Christian who lived in Carthage in the second century, explain how the practice of immersion is carried out by Christians, following the pattern established by the Apostles.


“We do not receive the Holy Spirit in the water. But having been cleansed in the water,

we are prepared for the Holy Spirit. . . . And then the hand is laid on us, invoking and inviting the Holy Spirit through a benediction” (Tertullian, Concerning Baptism 6.1; 8:1).

Tertullian(writing about A.D. 198)


“the laying on of hands”—a doctrine (Heb 6:2)

(1) appointment to a specific task or office (Num 8:10; 27:18; Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tim 5:22)

(2) healing (Mark 5:23; 6:5; 16:18; Acts 9:12, 17; 28:8)

(3) receiving the Holy Spirit , i.e. the indwelling (Acts 8:17–19; 19:6; Tertullian)

(4) imparting a spiritual (miraculous) gift (charisma) to another (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6)




(3) The Alternative View has a better explanation of the “one baptism” (Eph 4:5).


(4) The Alternative View allows a better understanding of Peter’s statement in Acts 10:47.

Acts 10:47

“46. . . Then Peter said, 47‘Who can forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ ”

Who are the “we” here? The six Jewish brethren from Joppa who accompanied Peter (Acts 11:12). These six Jewish brethren had the same measure of the Holy Spirit as Cornelius.



(5) The Alternative View allows a better understanding of the situation of Cornelius in Acts 10.

Can there be an exception to a law?

2 Kgs 5:6, Elisha the prophet makes an iron axhead float in the Jordan River. Does this incident destroy God’s Law of Gravity? Do you think that you can make an axhead float as Elisha did?

Can there be an exception to a law?

Heb 9:27, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that to face judgment.” Has there ever been an exception to this law? Lazarus (John 11)? Son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:14–14)? Tabitha/Dorcas (Acts 9:40–41)?

Understanding Cornelius?

When God gave the Holy Spirit to Cornelius before his baptism in water, did God break His law or did He break his promise/guarantee?

God’s Law(Acts 2:38)

Repentance Forgiveness of sins

+ = +

Water Baptism Gift of Holy Spirit

God’s Law(Acts 2:38)


+ = +


“They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!”(The Apostle Peter in Acts 10:47)

World / FleshLost

Salvation“in Christ”

(2 Cor 5:17;Rom 8:1;

2 Tim 1:9)

Where would you place Cornelius?

“16And I will ask the Father,and He shall give you another Comforter,in order that He may be with you forever,17the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive.”

(The Lord Jesus Christ in John 14:16–17)


Since Jesus said that the World“cannot receive” the Spirit (John 14:17),

how could Cornelius and his family and friendsreceive the Spirit in any manner, way, shape, or form?

World / FleshLost


(2 Cor 5:17;Rom 8:1;

2 Tim 1:9)


“9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. . . .11But if the Spirit . . . dwells in you,He . . . will give life to your mortal bodiesThrough His Spirit who dwells in you.”(The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:9, 11)


“4. . . we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit [Greek arrabōn], guaranteeing what is to come.”

(The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:4–5; also 1:22)


“13And you also were included in Christwhen you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also, having believed, you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit [Greek arrabōn] guaranteeing our inheritanceuntil the redemption of those who are God’s possession —to the praise of His glory.”

(The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:13–14)


“Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”(The Apostle John in 1 John 3:24)


“We know that we live in Himand He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

(John in 1 John 4:13)


Does making an exception destroy a rule or law?

Did God make an exception to His Law or to His Guarantee?

Did God make an exception to His Law or to His Guarantee?

Making an exception to a law does not destroy the law.

But making an exception to a guarantee does destroy the guarantee.

A guarantee is not a guarantee unless it is a guarantee!

When he receives the Spirit, is he still in the world, or is he in Christ?

World / FleshLost


(2 Cor 5:17;Rom 8:1;

2 Tim 1:9)


The General Rule(Acts 2:38)


+ = +


Balaam’s Donkey!

What verse in Numbers 22 tells us that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in Balaam’s donkey?

Misunderstanding Cornelius?

• Cornelius was righteous (Acts 10:2, 4) but lost before the Apostle Peter’s arrival (11:14).



• He, his family, and friends received “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:45) before their baptism in water (10:47–48).



• He, his family, and friends received “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:45) before their baptism in water (10:47–48).

• So if “the gift” in 10:45 = “the gift” in Acts 2:38, this would mean that Cornelius was saved before his baptism in water! ?

Why did Cornelius receive the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit proves

that Cornelius was saved before his baptism!

No, he was still lost . . .

Could Cornelius be the exception that proves the rule?

Have we made it harder for those coming from denominations to accept the truth because of our “mule-headed” insistence that God would not allow a single exception like Cornelius to His law on baptism and salvation?




(6) The Alternative View allows a more natural understanding of 1 Cor 12:13.

1 Cor 12:13

“13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

The Greek preposition en in this verse translated “by” in the phrase “by one Spirit” is the same preposition found in the references to being baptized in/with/by the Holy Spirit.

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

SEVEN PASSAGES

(1) Matt 3:11 in the Holy Sprit + Fire

(2) Mark 1:8 in the Holy Spirit

(3) Luke 3:16 in the Holy Sprit + Fire

(4) John 1:33 in the Holy Spirit

(5) Acts 1:5 in the Holy Spirit

(6) Acts 11:16 in the Holy Spirit

(7) 1 Cor 12:13 in one Spirit

1 Cor 12:13


Note the parallelism:

We were baptized in one Spirit.

We were given a drink of one Spirit.

1 Cor 12:13


Note the element in relation to each verb:

We were baptized in one Spirit.

We were given a drink of one Spirit.




(6) The Alternative View allows a more natural understanding of 1 Cor 12:13.

Different Phenomena?

• Receiving the Holy Spirit—John 7:39; 2:38; 8:15–19; 10:47; 19:2; Rom 8:15; 1 Cor 2:12; Gal 3:2, 14

• The Gift (dōrea) of the Holy Spirit—John 4:10 (= 7:37–39); Acts 2:38; Acts 8:20; 10:45; 11:17; Heb 6:4

• The Promise of the Holy Spirit—Acts 1:4; 2:33, 38–39; Gal 3:14; Eph 1:13


J. W. McGarvey Moses E. Lard

Alex. Campbell

James Challen

Walter ScottDr. R. Richardson

Christian, Were You Baptized with the Holy Spirit?