LEAVING THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS 16A

What Is The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit? - A

baptism is immersed like a fish in water; illustrated


Definition. Synonym: “one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses” (Merriam-Webster online).

“A synonym is used to help the reader understand the meaning of a word, as it means the same as or nearly the same as the word that is unfamiliar to the English language student.” i


Five Expressions For “The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit.”

This article explores the expressions, whether they be synonyms, analogies, and/or traits, given in the Bible for the so-called “baptism of the Holy Spirit” in order to provide us with insight into its meaning.


To some Bible teachers almost every mention of “holy spirit” in the NT is interpreted to mean a “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” But to those acquainted with the word “baptism” this is a trap of fabrication and overkill.ii We only know about any NT baptisms from the writings of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5). Only two instances are verified by the apostle Peter as being the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”:


“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the Word of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If God gave to them the same gift as to us, they having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to prevent God?” (Acts 11:15,16, MKJV).


Only two definite occasions of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. First, Peter mentions the baptism is “on them”, the current Gentile audience in Cornelius’ home of Acts 10:44-48, and Second, Peter mentions a comparison to the prior one that included him [he says “to us”]. From these two occasions, what do we learn about the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”?


#1. Expression. The Word "Baptism" Means: IMMERSION.

baptism is going down into and coming up out of, chart Vine's definition of baptisma --chart

It is an immersion.iii We know what baptism is from studying water baptism in the OT and the NT. We know that baptism means an immersion. We know that John “the Baptizer” predicted to his audiences that just as he immersed in water that the one that he later identified as Jesus would immerse in the Holy Spirit and in fire (Matthew 3:11, ASV).


We know that Jesus promised His appointed apostles to be immersed in the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His appointed apostles, “Because Yoḥanan [John] truly immersed in water, but you [apostles, Acts 1:2] shall be immersed in the Set-apart [Holy]Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5, TS2009). When baptism is mentioned, we know that immersion is meant. As water completely covers one in water baptism so the Holy Spirit would completely cover one in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is only mentioned as occurring twice as #1, immersing the apostles in Acts 2 and #2 immersing the Cornelius’ group in Acts 10 + 11.


(continued . . . )

GAYLON WEST

Throw Out The Lifeline

ihttp://www.talk.edu/learn-english/grammar/vocabulary-words/word-context-clues/

iiLike, in “overkill”: “excessive use, treatment, or action; too much of something.”

iiiβαπτίζωG907 baptizō Thayer Definition: 1) to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); 2) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe; 3) to overwhelm.

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