What Is The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit

Applicable Verb Tenses in the English and the Original language For This lesson:

aorist indicative tense- ⁱ Not in English grammar but important in Greek. Translated when indicative as past tense.

Review of Text: “But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7, ASV).

1. Kindness and Love. “But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared.” When did this love appear? “Appeared” is aorist indicative. “A specific past event.” When Jesus became flesh and died upon the cross is referenced. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” John 1:14; 3:16.

2. Saved. “Saved” is also aorist indicative. A specific past action. The individuals addressed (includes “us”) were saved according to Jesus’ mercy. Our salvation is assured by this past action. However, the channel for our acquiring this salvation is “through”ⁱⁱ a new birth which had been predicted by Jesus to Nicodemus. Jesus said the rebirth was necessary for entrance into His coming Kingdom (John 3:3,5). Here, the writer says that through this new birth Jesus saved us according to his mercy.

3. Renewing of the Holy Spirit. This new birth or regeneration includes two things. Jesus told Nicodemnus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5b,6). Paul in Titus 3 explains, our birth is of (1) water (“washing (bathing) of regeneration”)ⁱⁱⁱ and (2) renovation by the Holy Spirit; cf. John 3:3, 5. The washing is the “water laver” or “water baptism”, as we have studied in previous lessons in this series.^iv The renovation is the “change into one’s new life” (Romans 6:4; 7:6; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:10) accomplished in us by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does NOT overpower one, but convicts through teaching: “He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Each one is a free moral soul and can refuse the Holy Spirit by just rejecting hearing God’s Word.

Now the Holy Spirit’s renewing is defined as “a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better” (Thayer’s Greek Dictionary). Repentance wrought by direction of the Spirit is “a change of mind.”^v According to the apostle Paul in Titus 3 this new change is predicated upon the previous “pouring out” of the Holy Spirit! This is the synonym for the baptism of the Holy Spirit!

Does this mean that each one must be baptized by the Holy Spirit? That is, must the Spirit again and again, “pour out upon” each of us for our salvation? No. It doesn’t say that. The writer points back to a specific past event when the Spirit “poured out.” Those on the day of Pentecost were told by the Holy Spirit to “repent and be baptized” (Peter’s word, Acts 2:38).

When Then Was The Spirit “Poured Out”? The verb “poured out” is aorist indicative in this passage and must refer to this specific past event, not an ongoing one.^vi The Greek scholar A. T. Robertson in his Word Pictures of The New Testament comments on the phrase as used here, “whom he poured out upon us”: “The reference is to the great Pentecost (Acts 2:33) as foretold by Joel (Joel 2:28).” This agrees with our assessment as well.

Upon Us. However, neither Paul, a Jew, nor Titus, a Gentile convert to whom the letter was originally written, were present at that Pentecost baptism, and yet that “pouring out” of the Holy Spirit made possible their new birth and salvation, as well as ours. How? What factor of the Spirit baptism would affect salvation? Would it not be the knowing to whom to “call on the name of the Lord” as prophesied and made known? It can only then be the Spirit’s teaching function (John 14:26); i.e., prophesying through the apostles and making known to all of us as to how to be saved (Acts 2:37-41).^vii

The Pentecosta audience asked the apostles, “What shall we do?” How would anyone of them know that they must be born again? How would they as well as we know that we must “repent and be baptized [in water] and receive the gift” that was offered unless Peter said so (Acts 2:38)? And how could he know to say so without guidance by the Spirit? Peter was not teaching his thoughts but was teaching the thoughts from God.

What Is Equal To Pouring Out Spirit? Most of the translations for Proverbs 1:23 are similar to this: “Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you” (ASV). This is consistent with what we have determined how God makes known His words or teachings; i.e., with the “pouring out of His Spirit” with the inspiration of the apostles.

Pouring Out Thoughts. How does God “pour out” His thoughts to man? The NIV version and the NET interprets Proverbs 1:23 as, “Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings” (Proverbs 1:23, NIV^viii). According to this interpretive version, rather than exclusively talking to people directly as some teach, God reveals His thoughts through His teachings. His thoughts for the New Testament were made known exclusively through the apostles starting on the day of Pentecost and continuing in their teaching. The people received, obeyed, and continued in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:47). So then did the later-added apostle Paul and the Gentile Titus be saved.

i http://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm

ii “by”, Greek dia, “denoting the channel of an act” (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary).

iii See previous lessons Hol Spirit #4-#6 on lavers and water baptisms.

iv Vincent’s Word Studies comments: “(The phrase laver of regeneration distinctly refers to baptism, in connection with which and through which as a medium regeneration is conceived as taking place.” Even Robinson of Word Pictures (not an advocate of baptism) admits: “[Probably] there is a reference to baptism.”

v μετανοέω^G3³⁴⁰Thayer Definition: 1) to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent; 2) to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.

vi “The aorist tense is a secondary tense, and accordingly, in the indicative mood it indicates past action.” It refers to a certain action that is not repetitive. http://www.ntgreek.net/lesson22.htm.

vii Robertson’s Word Pictures on Titus 3:6. “The reference is to the great Pentecost (Acts 2:33) as foretold by Joel (Joel 2:28).”

viii The New International Version is a meaning-to-meaning translation and not word for word and claims to compile different manuscripts.. https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/whats-the-difference-between-various-bible- versions