32-33 Then John said, “I also did not know who the Messiah was. But the one who sent me to baptize42 with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit43 come down and rest on a man. He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen this happen. I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on this man. 34 So this is what I tell people: ‘He is the Son of God.’”
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“The water does not do anything except get you wet. When you get baptized in the Holy Spirit, you get cleansed by God, and he will come into our hearts. Getting baptized means you’re telling the whole world that God has come into your heart.” Matt, 8
“The difference is when you get baptized in water, it is a symbol of being purified by God. When you get baptized by the Holy Spirit, God has brought you into his kingdom.” Caleb, 8
“The water cleans only the outside of your body, but the Holy Spirit cleans the inside.” Kiersten, 7
“When you’re baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have accepted Christ as your Savior. Why you get baptized at church is because you want to dedicate your life to him.” Riesa, 11
In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit came upon a few believers to help them do special jobs. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Moses and the 70 men he chose to help them lead Israel (Numbers 11:25). Samson became very strong when God’s Spirit came upon him (Judges 14:6).
The prophet Joel predicted that there would be a time when God would pour out his Spirit on all of God’s people (Joel 2:28-29). Jesus said that his disciples would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit “in a few days” (Acts 1:5). He told them to wait in Jerusalem to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
When the disciples received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they began to praise God in tongues, which were foreign languages they had not learned. Jews from many foreign countries gathered at Jerusalem for the Pentecost feast. When they heard the disciples speak, they understood them in their own languages. It was a miracle and a sign that God was giving his Holy Spirit to all Christians.
In the message that the Apostle Peter preached, he said that the baptism of the Holy Spirit fulfilled what the prophet Joel predicted. The time had come when God would pour out his Holy Spirit upon all believers. About 3,000 Jews trusted Christ as their savior that day and were baptized in water (Acts 2).
The baptism of the Holy Spirit with the miracles that occurred is an historic event. For the Jews, it came on the day of Pentecost. It came later for Gentiles (non-Jews). The Apostle Peter preached the gospel to a Gentile named Cornelius. Like the Jews at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon all who believed in the house of Cornelius. They spoke in foreign languages and were baptized in water. Peter saw a vision from God that told him to preach the gospel to Gentiles (Acts 10-11:18).
The miracle of Christians speaking in foreign languages they did not learn was a special sign from God that things had changed. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to leave them. Jesus knew he was going to die on the cross for our sins, rise from the dead and go back to heaven. He knew the disciples would need a lot of help to complete the job he gave them to preach the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus said to his disciples: “But the Helper will teach you everything. The Helper will cause you to remember all the things I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name” (John 14:26).
Here’s another place in the Bible where Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit: “The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, ‘If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say.’ Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit” (John 7:37-39).
Today, when people trust Jesus Christ as their savior, the Holy Spirit baptizes them or places them into the body of Christ. This is not a body with flesh and bones like the one Jesus offered as a sacrifice for our sins. This is a spiritual body. All Christians are a part of this body.
“Some of us are Jews and some of us are Greeks (non-Jews); some of us are slaves and some of us are free. But we were all baptized into one body through one Spirit. And we were all given the one Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:13).
Water baptism is a symbol of what happens to Christians when they believe in Christ. God gives us new, spiritual life. Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit comes to live inside us. The job of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how to please God. He knows what is best for us. We must listen to the Holy Spirit as he speaks to us. He often speaks through the Bible because it is the Word of God.
Have you ever been to a funeral? Dead people do not sin. There is a sense in which we died to sin when we believed in Christ. This doesn’t mean Christians will never sin again. Because God’s Spirit lives in Christians, they have the power to please God. When Christians obey God, they are not sinning.
When you go down into the water of baptism, you are saying I died with Christ. When you come up out of the water, you are saying I have the life of Jesus in me. This is the same life of the Spirit that raised him from the dead. The resurrection life of Jesus will give you all the power you need to live a joyful life that is pleasing to God. You do not have to live a sinful, selfish life anymore. Jesus wants to live his life through you (Galatians 2:20).
Think about this: The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience to seek. It’s a truth to be believed. Every Christian has been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual body of Christ. God wants to live through his people.
Memorize this truth: “Don’t be drunk with wine. That will ruin (destroy) you spiritually. But be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Ask this question: Have you been filled or controlled by God’s Spirit today?
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