Featured Baptism in the Spirit

I thought you said "goodbye"?

This is a good bye for me. - Moriah

Show us scrpture where God's Word says baptism is a "pledge"? Not your personal opinion but scripture! Not your excuses but scritpure?

You demand scripture from everyone else when they make statements so give scripture or you are a hypocrit!

Show in this text where "baptism in the Spirit" is spoken of? The Holy Spirit came "upon" Old Testament saints. The Holy Spirit "filled" John the Baptist from His womb but neither of these acts by the Holy Spirit is the baptism in the Spirit because it Christ not the Spirit that administers the baptism in the Spirit. Acts 8:16 says "come UPON" not "baptize in".

You obviously do not know the difference between the Holy Spirit coming "upon" and "filling" a person. News flash - neither is baptism in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit can regenerate, come upon, fill, seal, annoint people but he cannot baptize anyone "in the Spirit" because He is not the administrator of that baptism - Christ is.

The only baptism the Holy Spirit administers is WATER baptism as the human administrator works as "one" under the leadership of the Holy Spirit when administering baptism:

1 Cor. 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Paul is speaking about "God" the Holy Spirit and his work using human instruments to bring the gospel and administer baptism in order to build the congregation at Corinth as a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 3:16).

Read the text before you stick your foot in your mouth and make a comment you will regret.

No, I am not! First the baptism in the Spirit has nothing to do with individual salvation as people were born again before Pentecost according to Jesus in John 3:3-9.

Second, the context is addressed to the congregation at Ephesus and its members. The purpose of this context is unity and spiritual growth so that false teachers (like yourself) will not toss them to and fro with every wind of doctrine AT THE TIME OF WRITING not in heaven (vv. 13-14).

Notice that Paul does not begin with "one baptism" in this list which would be the logical beginning point IF "one baptism" referred to SPIRITUAL UNION with Christ which is ETERNAL LIFE. No, he begins first with "one body" because the congregational body is the epitomy of PRACTICAL UNITY between Christians in this present age.

There is only "ONE" body in which the Ephesians were members of, and there is only "ONE" body that each reader would belong to as all the readers of Paul's epistles in the apostolic age belonged to the same kind of church body - local visible. This epislte was read by that kind of audiance and addressed to that kind of audiance.

Whether they do or don't does not change the nature of the New Testament congregational body and their responsibility as members regardless if they are assembled or unassembled as they are still members either way.

News flash! No congregation in the New Testament period would accept anyone who claims to be lost! Every member in every congregation had to profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and submit to water baptism IN ORDER TO BE a member of any congregation. Hence, Paul describes them ACCORDING TO THEIR PROFESSION just as you do toward those who are members of your particular congregation! Or do you come to church every Sunday and refuse recognize other members as "brother" and "sister" because they might be lost????? The language is called the language of accomodation as it is language fitting their profession and fitting members of such a congregational body as that profession is required to be a member.

He is not speaking of any kind of baptism in the Spirit, water or anything else here. He is speaking about PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION or being progressively changed by the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit just as the same Spirit worked in Abraham so that he could WALK BY FAITH.

1. Partaking of blood is forbidden in the Old and New Testament:


Acts 15:29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

2. Cannablism is not being taught here.

3. Jesus introduces these statements clearly to be METAPHORS of partaking of jesus BY FAITH in his word not literally eating or drinking anything:

Jn. 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, are spirit, and are life.64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.


If you cannot read the above scriptures and clearly see that eating and drinking were simply METAPHORS for partaking of Christ BY FAITH IN HIS WORD then I can't help you.

No they did not! I dare you to supply any scripture that teaches such a thing! They had to be BORN OF THE SPIRIT to be united with the Spirit just as Jesus told Nicodemus BEFORE Pentecost. - Jn. 3:3-9

Just as false! Spiritual union with God is obtained ONLY by the New Birth before and after Pentecost as there is no SPIRITUAL LIFE apart from SPIRITUAL UNION and that is obtained by REGENERATION or being brought into SPIRITUAL UNION with God.

 

I do not believe the Holy Spirit was released "back to earth" as he never left (Gen. 1:2) and I don't believe the Spirit works any different now within INDIVIDUALS after Pentecost than He did before Penteocst.

If there is no SPIRITUAL UNION between the believer and God before Pentecost than all who lived prior to Pentecost are SPIRITUALLY SEPARATED from God and thus SPIRITUALLY DEAD and in hell.

It is utterly impossible for Abraham to walk by faith apart from the permenant indwelling of the Holy Spirit as progressive sanctification is merely working out the new crreature "in Christ" and Abraham was "created IN CHRIST' because he was elected "IN HIM" before the world began (Eph. 1:4) and because Paul explicitly says that Abbraham was "in Christ" (Gal. 3:17).

The only candidates for the baptism in the spirit are water baptized believers (Mt. 3:11a) which Christ did in fact command them to wait at Jerusalem for this baptism (Acts 1:5) and which they did wait (Acts 2:1). It occurred ONCE for all to the Jewish congregration of baptized believers and then it was repeated ONCE so that they would receive Gentiles as candidates for water baptism and membership in the congregation at Jerusalem (Acts 11:15-16). The nearest reference point that Peter could point to for what happened in the house of Cornelius was "AT the beginning" not "SINCE" the beginning as your theory and the Pentecostal theory demands.
Abraham is given as the illustration (Gal. 3:6-17) for one who has Faith in the Gospel and the indwelling Spirit of God spelled out in Galatians 3:1-5.

The baptism in the Spirit is an INSTITUTIONAL baptism and was common in the Old Testament in the dedication of the "house of God" (Ex. 40; 2 Chron. 7) and this is simply a new house of God built out of living stones (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5).

 

I don't doubt your sincerety and I don't doubt you love sharing what you think is true. However, in the areas that really count, and I am talking about salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ, you are simply ignorant, sincere, but ignorant.

 

I was not making any reference to your personal relationship with God. My point was that your interpretation would be acceptable to Rome.

 

The Baptism in the Spirit cannot possibly be the same as Spiritual Union with God because Spiritual Separation is Spiritual death and that would mean that prior to Pentecost all were spiritual dead/separated from God.

Regeneration among many other things is spiritual union with God. It is defined as being "quickened" by the Holy Spirit and placed in direct opposition to being "separated from the life of God" - Eph. 2:1,5,8; 4:18.

Furthermore, there is no such thing as salvation OUTSIDE OF CHRIST either before or after Penteocst. All the elect were chosen "IN HIM" before the world began (Eph. 1:4) unto salvation (2 Thes. 2;13) and it is explicitly said that the covenant was made by God with Abraham "in Christ" 430 years before the law was given by Moses:

Gal. 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

The Bible no where teaches that there is salvation OUTSIDE of Christ, meaning outside of SPIRITUAL UNION with Christ.

The baptism in the Spirit is the accreditation of the N.T. Congregation as the new house of God. It is an INSTITUTIONAL baptism not an INDIVIDUAL baptism and the promise is directed toward the materials that John the Baptist made ready prepared for the Lord (Mt. 3:11a) to be formed into this new "house of God." Those materials are explicitly identified on the day of Pentecost as water baptized believing members of "the church" (Acts 2:1, 40, 48).

However, there is much more to it than merely accrediting the N.T. Congregation as the new and authorized public house of worship.

1. This is a change of public administration within the apparent kingdom of God, and thus a transfer of the keys of the kingdom from the Jewish public administration to the church administration. - Mt. 16:19 with Mt. 18:17-18; 21:43-44

2. This is a change from an Old Covenant public administration to a New Covenant public administration within the apparent kingdom of God on earth - Heb. 9:1

3. This is a change from a Jewish Mission to a non-ethnic world wide mission - Mt. 28:19; Acts 1;8

4. Within this pomise is a special application of power to the apostolic office as part of the "foundation" of this new institution. The apostolic office was first placed in the congregation of Christ (1 Cor. 12:28) and designed to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and prophetically assigned the task of completing the written revelation of God to men (Isa.8:16-20; Jn. 16:13; 1 Jn. 4:5-6; 2 Thes. 2:15; etc.) and in the performance of this task they were given power manifested as "miracles, signs and wonders" as "THE SIGN" of the apostolic office (2 Cor. 12:12) to confirm their oral and written words were from God (Heb. 2:3-4) and were "signs" to Israel that their Christ had come (Isa. 8:18; Heb. 2:12).

What Jesus calls "the promise" includes all the above. The Holy Spirit already dwelt "with" them as individuals - regenerated, Spriit indwelt; but on Pentecost the Holy Spirit would come to dwell "in" them as public corporate temple of God (see 1 Cor. 3:16 in contrast to 1 Cor. 6:17). They were individually a temple of the Spirit already but they would be a temple of the Spirit corporately. The indwelling Spirit of God within the public "house" of worship is manifested by correct public worship (1 Pet. 2:5) in offering up "acceptable sacrifices" together with a properly qualified public ministry (1 Tim. 3:1-13) maintain it as the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

The Apostolic office was foundational and thus "the signs" of an apostle were temporary because their mission was completed in confirming and completing the New Testament Canon of Scriptures.

1. No one but the Apostles performed miracles signs and wonders between Acts 2 and Acts 6.

2. No one but those upon whom the apostles laid their hands performed miracles, signs and wonders between Acts 6 and Acts 28

3. When the last living apostle died the ability to impart miracles, signs and wonders through laying on of hands ceased.

4. When the last living disciple upon whom the apostles laid hands died so did miracles, signs and wonders as gifts to men.

CONCLUSION: The baptism in the Spirit has to do with the Institutional public house of Worship; (1) its public accreditation by God as the New house of public worship; (2) empowerment of the foundational church office to fulfill their mission; (2) The confirmation of a new administrative change within the apparent kingdom of God - new custodian of the keys of the kingdom; (3) The change from an Old Covenant administration to a New Covenant administration within the apparent kingdom of God; (4) The change of mission from a Jewish characterization to a non-ethnic world wide characterization; (5) Indwelling of a new temple manifested by new qualified public ordinances, new qualified public ministry, new qualified public worship with a new qualified public mission - make disciples of all nations, baptizing them....teaching them...lo I am with you always...."

 

You are simply wrong! Think about it for a moment. What is the opposite of Spiritual union with God? That's right, spiritual separation from God. There can be no spiritual life where there is no spiritual union.

If you define the baptism in the Spirit as spiritual union with God you are assiging all people prior to Pentecost to spiritual death.

You are also denying regeneration prior to Pentecost as regeneration is "quickening" or SPIRITUAL LIFE and there is no quickening apart from union with the Spirit of God.

You are also denying progressive sanctification prior to Pentecost because without the indwelling Spirit of God there is no progressive sanctification.

Paul sums it up in Romans 8:9 "If ANY MAN have not the Spirit of God HE IS NONE OF HIS". He did not say "if any Post-Pentecost man" but "ANY MAN" and the context is referring to only two possible classes of human beings (1) those "in the flesh" versus (2) those "in the Spirit" There has never been nor shall ever be any third class of human beings.