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The Baptizing Work of the Holy Spirit
W e come now
to the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. This work of the Holy
Spirit is captured in Pauls first letter to the Corinthians:
For even as the body is one and yet has many
members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and
we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
(1 Corinthians 12:1213)
In these verses, Paul also mentions another work of
the Holy Spirit. He states that we were all made to drink of one spirit.
This is the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. We will save that
ministry, until later. So, I am explaining the first three phrases of
verse 13.
In my opinion, there
is much misunderstanding surrounding the terms the baptism in/by/with
the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, controlled by the Holy
Spirit, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, etc. As I have studied these terms
and their corresponding biblical references, I have determined that the
authors are describing various facets of the work of the Holy Spirit. To
reduce the confusion and strive for clarity, I have developed and I am
going to use different terminology than is used by others. I do this in
an attempt to be as clear as possible and to standardize my terminology.
So, when I use the
phrase the "baptizing work of the Holy Spirit," I will be discussing
what Paul is talking about in this passage before us, i.e. 1 Corinthians
12:1213. This is the fourth work of the Spirit in the chart I gave to
you earlier.
Let me begin by
differentiating between 1 Corinthians 12:1213 and Acts 1:45. Luke
wrote:
Gathering them
together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for
what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from
Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now."
(Acts 1:45 emphasis
mine)
I readily admit that
Paul could be describing the same work that Luke is describing in Acts
1:5, and I accept those who hold to a doctrine in keeping with that
possibility. But, after much study, I dont believe that is the case.
Let that suffice for now and be aware of the fact that I am not
discussing Acts 1:45 in this chapter. I am only discussing 1
Corinthians 12:1213.
From Denomination to
Reformation:
An Introduction to Biblecostalism
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