Baptism - in holy spirit

Executive summary.

1. The promise of the Father.
2. Two baptisms—in water and in holy spirit.
3. Jesus' own baptism. The first true baptism in both water and spirit.
4. The new birth—in water and in holy spirit. Both baptisms are needed to enter the kingdom of God.
5. Pentecost.

1. The promise of the Father. The baptism in holy spirit (Acts 1:5) was the promise of the Father (Joel 2:28-29) which was to be accomplished by the Son (Luke 24:49):

• Joel 2:28a: And it shall come to pass afterward, that I [Yahweh] will pour out my spirit on all flesh...
• Luke 24:49: And behold, I [Jesus] am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
• Acts 1:4-5: And while meeting with them he [Jesus] charges them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to remain for the promise of the Father, "which you heard of me, 5 seeing that John baptized in water, but you shall be baptized in holy spirit after not many days from now."

Baptized "in" vs. "with". Most modern English Bible versions translate the Greek phrase "in holy spirit" to "with the Holy Spirit" which changes the meaning ever so slightly but meaningfully. They also do this with the phrase baptizing "in water" to "with water." Given that some Christian faiths baptize by immersion and others by sprinkling, the translation of the phrase, "in water," should have importance. If the Greek is understood to mean immersion (i.e. you are "in" the water, not sprinkled by it), then the parallel phrase "in holy spirit" should take on similar meaning—that is, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is immersion "in holy spirit." It signifies the instrument, but it also expresses the surrounding influence or element in which the baptism takes place. Thus, when baptized "in holy spirit", one is surrounded by, influenced by, immersed in holy spirit. This corresponds to John the Baptist's baptism "in water." In the baptism of water one is not "sprinkled" with water, but one is immersed in the element of water. One takes a "deep dive" so to speak.

After Christ's glorification. The promise of the Father would come after Christ's glorification.

• John 7:39: Now this He said concerning the spirit which those believing in Him were about to get. For not as yet was holy spirit given, for Jesus is not as yet glorified.

The glorification of Christ occurred after his ascension (1 Timothy 3:16). This is how EGW describes it:

• DA 805.2: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” The Holy Spirit was not yet fully manifested; for Christ had not yet been glorified. The more abundant impartation of the Spirit did not take place till after Christ's ascension. Not until this was received could the disciples fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to the world. But the Spirit was now given for a special purpose. Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished.

Christ's priesthood begins after glorification. The inauguration to the priesthood in the Old Testament had a kind of dual baptism in that they were first bathed with water and then anointed with oil as was performed by Moses to Aaron and his sons. The anointing with oil being yet another symbol of the holy spirit (Zechariah 4:1-7). Symbolically, one can envision Christ in his glorification after his ascension being "anointed" with the "oil" (of the spirit) of the Father and he (Jesus) in turn "pouring out" this on his disciples at Pentecost. Thus, together with Christ, the priestly ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) begins both in Heaven with Christ and on earth with his disciples.

• Jesus' Baptism Into Priesthood: The Church Fathers Tertullian, Ambrose, and Augustine all claimed that baptism inducts the baptized person into membership in the royal priesthood of the church, and Thomas Aquinas said that baptism, by imprinting an indelible “character” on the soul, confers a share in the priesthood of Christ. This was even worked into some ancient baptismal liturgies; the actual water baptism was followed by an anointing with oil, and this was explained by reference to the anointing of priests and kings in the Old Testament.

Summary. The promise of the Father where He would "pour out" His spirit on all flesh was to be accomplished by the Son when the Son was glorified in Heaven after his ascension, 40 days after his resurrection and 10 days before the day of Pentecost.

2. Two baptisms—in water and in holy spirit. John the Baptist spoke of two baptisms: that of baptism in water and in holy spirit. He was to baptize in water and the coming Messiah was to baptize in holy spirit and fire. This declaration is recorded in all four gospels as follows (in the literal English translation of the Greek). You will note that all four gospels are in agreement as to the phrasing.

1. Matthew 3:11: For I, indeed, am baptizing you in water for repentance, yet He Who is coming after me is stronger than I, Whose sandals I am not competent to bear. He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire,
2. Mark 1:8: I, indeed, baptize you in water, yet He shall be baptizing you in holy spirit.
3. Luke 3:16: John answers, saying to all, "I, indeed, in water am baptizing you. Yet coming is One stronger than I, the thong of Whose sandals I am not competent to loose. He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire.
4. John 1:33: And I was not aware of Him, but He Who sends me to be baptizing in water, That One said to me, 'On Whomever you may be perceiving the spirit descending and remaining on Him, This is He Who is baptizing in holy spirit.'

3. Jesus' own baptism. In Jesus' baptism by John we see the first true baptism in both water (by John) and spirit (by the Father). After this dual baptism, Jesus was "full of holy spirit" (Luke 4:1). (Note that there is no "the" in the phrase "full of holy spirit" in the Greek.) And was led "in the spirit in the wilderness" for 40 days to pray and fast. At the end of the 40 days he was tempted by the devil. Then having overcome the temptations of the devil, Jesus then "returned in the power of the spirit" (Luke 4:14) to begin his earthly ministry.

• Matthew 3:16-17: And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
• Mark 1:9-11: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the spirit, as a dove, descending upon him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
• Luke 3:21-23: Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
• John 1:30-33: This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing in water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes in holy spirit.’

"like a dove." EGW describes the giving of the spirit at Jesus' baptism as being "bathed in the light that ever surrounds the throne of God." She also describes the dove-like form to be the glory of God.

• DA 112.2: ...The people stood silently gazing upon Christ. His form was bathed in the light that ever surrounds the throne of God. His upturned face was glorified as they had never before seen the face of man. From the open heavens a voice was heard saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
• YI March 1, 1874, par. 4: Never had angels listened to such a prayer. They were solicitous to bear to the praying Redeemer messages of assurance and love. But no; the Father himself will minister to his Son. Direct from the throne proceeded the light of the glory of God. The heavens were opened, and beams of light and glory proceeded therefrom and assumed the form of a dove, in appearance like burnished gold. The dove-like form was emblematical of the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
• CG 525.3: Christ bowed on the banks of Jordan after His baptism and offered up prayer in behalf of humanity, the heavens were opened; and the Spirit of God, like a dove of burnished gold, encircled the form of the Saviour; and a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

It was the Father's glory that assumed the form of a dove and encircled the Son of God. It is the spirit of God, God's spirit, which assumed the form of a dove. This same spirit of God descending on the disciples at Pentecost and assumed the form of tongues of fire in Acts 2:3-4.

"descending upon him." In Mark 1:10, some Greek manuscripts use epi ("upon") and some use eis ("to, into, toward") suggesting the idea of a descent not merely upon but into him, as if to take up its abode.

4. The new birth. In Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus we learn that entrance into the "kingdom of God" (John 3:5) was through the new birth from both water and spirit.

• John 3:5: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

The word "from" is in the Greek ek [G1537] and is suggesting from the interior outwards. Commentators suggest this is a reference back to John the Baptist's prophetic declaration comparing his baptism in water to the coming Messiah's baptism in holy spirit and fire.

• Expositor's Greek Testament (commentary on John 3:5). Lk. (Luke 7:30) tells us that the Pharisees, to whom belonged Nicodemus, were not baptised of John; their reason being that to submit to the same rite as Gentiles and acknowledge the insufficiency of their Jewish birth was a humiliation they could not suffer. To receive the Spirit from the Messiah was no humiliation; on the contrary, it was a glorious privilege. But to go down into Jordan before a wondering crowd and own their need of cleansing and new birth was too much. Therefore to this Pharisee our Lord declares that an honest dying to the past is as needful as new life for the future. To be born of the Spirit involves a dying to the past, and therefore it is only the Spirit that is spoken of in the subsequent verses; but it is essential that our past be recognised as needing cleansing and forgiveness. These two factors, water and spirit, are not strictly co-ordinate. Water is not an actual spiritual agency in the second birth; it is only a symbol. But in every true second birth there is a negative as well as a positive side, a renunciation of the past as well as a new life created. The same idea is found in Titus 3:3-5, “We were [of the flesh] but He saved us by the bath of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Ghost”. The same combination is found in Ezekiel 36:25-27, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” The water, then, is considered as that which cleanses from sin: the Spirit as the principle of the new life.

5. Pentecost. As per Jesus' command (Acts 1:4) they returned to Jerusalem and a company of about 120 persons stayed in "the upper room" (Acts 1:13-15) waiting for the promise of the Father. Then, on the day of Pentecost:

• Acts 2:2-4: And suddenly there came out of heaven a sound, even like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And they saw what looked like tongues of fire, and came to rest on each of them. 4 And they are all filled with holy spirit, and they begin to speak in different languages, according as the spirit gave them to declaim.

In Peter's sermon on that day he said,

• Acts 2:32-33: This Jesus God raises, of Whom we all are witnesses. 33 Being, then, to the right hand of God exalted, besides obtaining the promise of the holy spirit from the Father, He pours out this which you are observing and hearing.
  

The pouring out of the holy spirit is symbolic of a rain fall. The idea of a early and latter rain, mentioned in Joel 2:23 and elsewhere, fits this expression of "He pours out". Titus has similar wording:

• Titus 3:6: which He [the Father] pours out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Saviour,

Thus, the Father gives His spirit to Jesus Christ who then pours it out on the Church. REV Bible commentary on Acts 2:33, "The fact that the gift of holy spirit ultimately originated from God explains why some verses speak of God giving the gift of holy spirit (cp. Acts 2:17; 5:32; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 4:8). But the fact that God gave Jesus Christ the authority to give the gift of holy spirit to people explains why some verses say that Jesus gives the spirit (John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 2:33; Titus 3:6)."