The Baptism and The Filling: The Baptism in the Spirit and The Filling

Middletown Bible Church | 3/6/15 | Middletown Bible Church

[RaceBannon]

The Baptism and The Filling

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 The Baptism in the Spirit and The Filling of the Spirit

***A Comparison and A Contrast***

THE BAPTISM	THE FILLING
Definition: The Baptism in the Spirit is that work of God whereby the believer is immersed into Jesus Christ and into His body which is the church (1 Corinthians 12:13 and Gal. 3:27).	Definition: The Filling of the Spirit is that work of God whereby He fills and controls and enables the believer who is yielded and dependent and fit for the Master's use (Ephesians 5:18).
The BAPTISM is presented as a fact to be believed (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27).	The FILLING is presented as a command to be obeyed (Eph. 5:18).
Every believer has had this baptism (1 Corinthians 12:13-"ALL" and see Galatians 3:26-27).	Not every believer is filled with the Spirit (though he should be and this is God's will for him--see Eph. 5:17).
The believer is never commanded to be baptized in the Spirit nor is he commanded to seek this baptism.	The believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 and compare Galatians 5:16).
PAST TENSE USED: "For by (in) one Spirit were (aorist passive indicative) we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13) IT'S DONE!	PRESENT TENSE USED: "Keep on being filled (present, passive imperative) with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). IT NEEDS TO BE A PRESENT REALITY!
It is a once for all work of God never to be repeated.	It needs to be repeated. The believer who is not filled needs to be filled.
It relates to a believer's standing and position in Christ.	It relates to a believer's walk and his fellowship with the Lord.
THE RESULT: The believer is placed into Jesus Christ and into His body the moment he trusts Christ as Saviour (1 Cor. 12:13). As a result the believer is "in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17) and in His church (Acts 2:47).	THE RESULT: The believer is controlled and empowered by God for testimony (bearing witness to Christ and manifesting His life) and service (Acts 1:8).
The Condition: In order to be baptized in the Spirit the unsaved person must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31 and see Galatians 3:26-27).	The Condition: In order to be filled with the Spirit the believer must confess all known sin (1 John 1:9), depend fully on God and not on the flesh (Gal. 5:16) and yield fully to God's control (1 Thess. 5:19).
The Baptism involves POSITION. The baptized person has a brand new position. He is "IN CHRIST" (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 8:1).	The Filling involves POWER: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you" (Acts 1:8 and see Acts 4:31,33).
Spirit baptism is something each and every believer has.	Spirit filling is something that each and every believer needs and may or may not have.
Spirit baptism relates to a person's salvation. It is one of the many salvation blessings that is found in Christ (Eph. 1:3 and compare Eph. 4:5).	Spirit filling relates to a person's walk and fellowship with the Lord in time. The "spiritual" believer is the believer who consistently is filled with the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; 6:1).
A believer can never be "un-baptized." God would never take a believer out of the body of Christ (compare Ephesians 5:25-32). The believer is securely positioned "in Christ."	A believer can be "un-filled" due to sin in his life, refusal to yield to God's control or by placing confidence in self rather than placing all confidence in Christ.

 

Historically, the BAPTISM of the Spirit took place as follows:

Acts 2 - The Jews became members of the body of Christ.

Acts 8 - The Samaritans became members of the body of Christ.

Acts 10- The Gentiles became members of the body of Christ.

Today every believer becomes a member of the body of Christ at the moment of saving faith (1 Corinthians 12:13).

The BAPTISM and the FILLING may both occur simultaneously. For example, in Acts chapter 2 the believers were BAPTIZED (Acts 1:5 and see Acts 11:15-17) and they were filled (Acts 2:4).

 

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The Middletown Bible Church 349 East Street Middletown, CT 06457 (860) 346-0907

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[metmom]

Thanks for posting that.

There is TONS of confusion about terms.

I know many people who call filling *baptism*, and with it evidence of it by speaking in tongues.

[ealgeone]

Studying this topic in class this week!

[Kandy Atz]

Well done.

[metmom]

I’ve been encountering it a LOT in my reading of Tozer.

Think someone is trying to tell us something?

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

>A believer can never be “un-baptized.” God would never take a believer out of the body of Christ (compare Ephesians 5:25-32). The believer is securely positioned “in Christ.”

I don’t think that statement can be made without controversy and qualification, such as apostasy is impossible because the so-called apostate never was baptized in the spirit regardless of how sincerely one thought one was. But it does seem not to be able to be done twice (Hebrews 6:4-6) and would amount to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven (Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10).

[RaceBannon]

not my work, I just repost it :)

[RaceBannon]

The next one I post will be on eternal security

if you EVER got saved, then you will always BE saved

You are Kept by the Power of God, not your own works, but your fellowship with God is up to you

[Migraine]

So nice to be able to put the Holy Spirit into convenient charts. I wonder if anyone knows what transpired in the disicples (Apostles) on the occasion of John 20:22, when He breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost”? Do you suppose that they did?

[metmom]

So nice to be able to put the Holy Spirit into convenient charts. I wonder if anyone knows what transpired in the disicples (Apostles) on the occasion of John 20:22, when He breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost”? Do you suppose that they did?

Yes. Jesus said they had Him.

But there's a difference between receiving the Holy Spirit when you are saved, and being filled and given imbued with power from on high.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

You might try a chart contrasting the SAVED with the ELECT when it comes to apostasy.

[RaceBannon]

Those who get saved, are the elect

Those who believe

WHOSOEVER WILL COME

but, if you mean Calvinism...soon...

[Zuriel]

**The BAPTISM and the FILLING may both occur simultaneously. For example, in Acts chapter 2 the believers were BAPTIZED (Acts 1:5 and see Acts 11:15-17) and they were filled (Acts 2:4).**

They were NOT baptized in Acts 1:5. They were being prophesied to, just like John 20:22; for the Holy Ghost was not coming until Jesus Christ departed. They received the Spirit in Acts 2:4, and in Acts 11:15-17, Peter testified that it happened to those Gentiles JUST LIKE it happened him and the others “at the beginning”, when they were ‘filled’ (received the promise of the Father).

Baptized, filled, come upon.......all terms for being born of the Spirit. Staying filled is simply a term for walking in the Spirit, and not in the flesh.

Why does this teacher not bring up the Lord’s description of being born of the Spirit?.....

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou HEAREST the SOUND thereof, but canst NOT tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is EVERY ONE that is BORN of the SPIRIT”. John 3:8 (my caps).

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with YOU FOREVER......ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be IN you.....AT THAT DAY ye shall know that I am IN my Father, and ye IN me, and I IN you.......But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.....”. John 14:16,17,20,26

“”Nevertheless I tell you the TRUTH; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go NOT away, the Comforter WILL NOT come unto you; but if I DEPART, I will send him unto you.” John 16:7

“And, behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

“And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but ‘wait for the promise of the Father, which’ saith he, ‘ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.....But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you....’” Acts 1:4,5,8

**In order to be baptized in the Spirit the unsaved person must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31 and see Galatians 3:26-27).**

Acts 16:31? how about the WHOLE story of HOW to ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’?.....How do they believe on him......by a preacher sent from God......

The conversion of the keeper of the prison, in Philippi, is a story that is rarely told completely. Quote 16:31, and get out of Dodge.

The story continues with Paul speaking “unto him the word of the Lord, and to ALL that were IN HIS HOUSE. And he TOOK THEM that same hour of the night, and WASHED their stripes; and was BAPTIZED, he and all his straightway. And WHEN he had BROUGHT them INTO HIS HOUSE, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, BELIEVING in God with all his house.” Acts 16:32-34

1. We see that the keeper of the prison has brought Paul and Silas into his house, because they speak “the word of the Lord” to the man and all those “IN HIS HOUSE” (unless you think that they somehow got a message to hustle on down to the prison for church service).

2. “He TOOK THEM” (took them from his house to where, pray tell?). Well, he washed their stripes somewhere besides the house. Some place where there would be plenty of water for the messy job of washing their stripes.

3. While still AWAY from home, possibly at the same location, they were BAPTIZED, he and all his straightway.
(you can insist that that is talking about Spirit baptism only, but you can’t prove it. I believe it is water baptism, or both water and Spirit baptism).

4. He brought them back INTO his house,......he and all his “rejoiced, BELIEVING in God with all his house”.

Gal. 3:26,27 IS quite similar to 1Cor. 12:13, but they were already born again (1Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:2,6), so no mention of water baptism is needed.

1Cor. 15:29 is obviously speaking of water baptism. For Paul is speaking of those being baptized into the body of Christ, which includes those in Christ that had died by then. He is saying it would be a total waste to baptize if Jesus Christ is not risen. Why do teachers prefer to avoid that verse? (Except for the Mormans, that have it completely misunderstood.)

**Historically, the BAPTISM of the Spirit took place as follows:
Acts 2 - The Jews became members of the body of Christ.
Acts 8 - The Samaritans became members of the body of Christ.
Acts 10- The Gentiles became members of the body of Christ.
Today every believer becomes a member of the body of Christ at the moment of saving faith (1 Corinthians 12:13).**

Today?? That’s sounds like something has changed from ‘the beginning’ that Peter testified of in Acts 11. Does the writer know that saving faith is a term that MUST mean being born again? Jesus Christ said one MUST be. Acts 2:38 is where his commissions are initiated. He hasn’t changed, and neither has his word.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

2 Peter 2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
(...)
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

But the elect cannot be deceived (notice the subjunctive case):

Matthew 24:24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mark 13:22
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

[imardmd1]

Translating this verse is not so simple. A precise translation is as follows:

"And after saying this, He breathed^ into |them to begin new life|. And He says to them, "Certainly soon receive^^ Holy Spirit! Whose ever sins you* forgive~, they are being forgiven to them. Whose ever sins you* retain~, they stand retained**" (Jn. 20:22-23 APT)

Key:

^ = see Septuagint: Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 37:9 for the use of this Gk. verb εμφυσάω (emphusaoh)

| . . . | = understood from the meaning of εμφυσάω (emphusaoh)

* = second person plural; that is, corporately (not an individual determination)

~ = subjunctive

** = constative perfect

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I won't try here to expand on this, but this operation was not one of conferring the indwelt Holy Spirit as anticipating that operation that occurred on the day of Pentecost.

The translation is that from "The Gospels: A Precise Translation" which is freely available at Happy Heralds, Inc. home page (click here) where you may request a copy of the translation.

[imardmd1]

Excellent summary — thanks!

[RaceBannon]

right from the start, your argument is nothing more than picking at words trying to play gottcha

Acts 1:5 was about JOHN’S Baptism, one where dunking was the method, undeniable, and nothing wrong with referencing it, and saying that a future SPIRIT Baptism was to come on those who believed

John’s Baptism was to repentance, the Spirit’s Baptism was to salvation of those who chose to believe.

[Migraine]

I agree with you on this.

[Migraine]

I don’t think there is any more need to parse out Jesus’ breathing on them and saying “Receive ye the Holy Ghost”, than there is to parse out “And God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul”, from Genesis.

The two events are innately parallel, in my view. In the first event, man was born from below; in the second, from above. In the first event, man was born, of the earth, earthy; in the second, born again, of the Spirit, spiritually.

In other words, I believe the beginning of a new category of mankind (we call them Christian, born-again, believers) began then and there. Pentecost was a second sovereign work of additional grace, and added a transcendent dimension of empowerment to accomplish the sustained increase of the Body of Christ.

This is my best sense of it, and I base my life on it. I like the parallels and symmetries of it.

Thanks for the effort spent in the linguistic rendering of these words, by the way.

[metmom]

I like your insight on that.

I never thought of it that way before.