An Exposition into The Baptism with The Holy Spirit

I recently had a friendly online debate with a gentleman whom pastors a local Assemblies of God church here in the Ozarks in regards to the biblical meaning of being "Baptized with the Holy Spirit". This or similar phrases appear in the text in many different locations and contexts, in both New and Old testaments, and has been the center piece for debates between denominations for years.

According to the local AOG church, this is the evidence that you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. (source: church website)

The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of Christians in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the initial physical sign of speaking in other tongues (unlearned languages) as the Spirit of God gives them audible expression (Acts 2:4).

Let's look at Acts 2:1-4

¹ When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now, we all know that there is more to this particular story. Let's read on...

⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

2 things jump out at me. 1) Each man heard his own native language. 2) They heard them speaking of the "Wonderful works of God."

Let's go back a bit in Acts to get some more Context. Lets look at Acts Chapter 1:4-8

And being assembled together with them, He (JESUS) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Question. Why did they (the disciples) need to wait in Jerusalem?

Answer: To be "baptized by the Holy Spirit" and after which to receive the "power" to be witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Look again in Acts 2.

Question: What happened when the Pentecost came and they (the disciples) were baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Answer: They (the Jews from all over the world who happened to be in Jerusalem) heard the "Glory of God" being witnesses to them, in their own native tongue, from Gentiles. (Other tongues, i.e., "power")

I believe, and many commentators with me, that this act on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) was a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 28:11-12, Joel 2:28-32, John 15:26, Acts 1:4-8) and the speaking of tongues was a power given unto the disciples as a sign to the Jews.

Greek Commentator Kenneth S. Wuest addressed this issue in Volume III of "The Greek Studies of the New Testament".

~One might say "I am a Christian, but I do not have the Holy Spirit because I do not speak in tongues," quoting Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6. But lets us be careful to note the Acts 2:4 refers to the languages of the individuals mentioned in Acts 2:8-11, that the speaking of tongues in Acts 10:46 was an evidence for that time given to the Jews, that the Gentiles had also received the Spirit, the need for which is now past, and that Acts 19:6 has to do with a special case where Jews had come into salvation under the Old Testament dispensation of law and were now receiving the added benefits of the Age of Grace, a case which cannot occur today.~

It's worth noting that the text that Peter quotes in Acts Chapter two is from the Prophet Joel. He quotes to the Jews present in Jerusalem Joel 2:28-32, which is clearly a prophecy focused on the Age of Grace that came at Pentecost.

¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Paul tells us through his letter to the church of Corinth that tongues are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers.

1 Corinthians 14:21-22

²¹In the Law it is written:
"Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,"says the Lord.

²²Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers;prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. ²³So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

In verse 21 (above) "this people" are the Israelites, the Jews. And they will hear Gods word through the lips of foreigners.

Notice that Paul says in v22..."tongues are sign for unbelievers" and then in 23) he says. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

See the contrast? Here's why I believe Paul says this. In Context, the Unbelievers in verse 22 are the Jews Isaiah spoke of in Isaiah 28:11-12 (Paul gives reference to this in verse 21) However, the "unbelievers" and "some who do not understand" that Paul refers to in verse 23 are not Jews, or are unable to understand the language spoken by the Church.

Imagine at the Pentecost that instead of the disciples speaking in 12 different tongues that they all spoke of the "Glory of God" in 1 single language or tongue. Only one of the Jew's in Jerusalem would be effected by this miracle of God, and the rest would be left scratching their heads wondering what these crazy Galileans were saying. Hence what Paul writes above in verse 23. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

So in review, to the best of my ability to understand the scriptures, given my studies in the Greek Translation and holding each text in light of it's context, I have to state that I differ with my brother in the Assemblies of God Church in my idea's of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. I believe that the speaking of Tongues was a gift of the spirit given to the disciples and other new believers as a sign to the Jewish people that the "Age of Grace" had begun. And that Jew and Gentile alike could be saved and baptized into the Body of Christ.

Not every gift from the Spirit is the Gift of Tongues.

⁵I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:5)

In other words...I wish all of you could receive this gift of speaking in tongues, yet I know that all of you wont. Besides, I would rather you receive the gift of Prophecy.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 12:29

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Lets' look at the actual "Baptism with the Holy Spirit"

Matthew 3:11 (New International Version)

¹¹"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Dr. A.M. Fairbairn said "He is no theologian who is not first a grammarian"

A.T. Robertson said "All correct theology must pay careful attention to the grammar of the Greek text, for a person is correctly understood only when his hearer or reader applies the rules of grammar which the speaker or writer uses."

If for example I said "Man, that car is really cool." If you were unfamiliar with "English Slang" you might translate that to say that "Man, that car is really cold." and could miss the meaning behind the statement.

If we look at 1 Corinthians 12:13 ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" This "body" is obviously the Body of Christ. (Quoting Wuest in "Word Studies in the Greek New Testament") "The word "Spirit" is in the instrumental case in Greek. Personal agency is expressed occasionally by the instrumental case. At such times, the verb is always in the passive or middle voice. The Greek construction here follows this rule of Greek grammar. The personal agent in this case who does the baptizing is the Holy Spirit. He places or introduces the believing sinner into the Body of which the Lord Jesus is the living Head. The verb is in the past tense, referring tot a past action, and is referring to a once and for all act....

In Acts 1:5 "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.", thus the meaning of the Greek word, "to place" or "introduce into," gives us the purpose of the baptism by means of the Spirit into the body of Christ. In Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27, we have this same operation of the Spirit (only into a vital union with "The Head of the Body"."

Laymen's terms: When we believe, The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ.(1 Corinthians 12) We receive the Holy Spirit through the "anointing" of the Spirit (Acts 10:38, Luke 4:18, II Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:27) and the Spirit can and may give us "Spiritual" gifts as He determines. However, to say that because you do not speak in tongues is evidence that you have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit is biblically incorrect. If we are to take and hold Acts 2:4 up as (evidence of ALL baptisms with the Spirit) we must also expect to hear a mighty rush of wind and see flames of fire that appear as tongues upon our shoulders.

most of the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts comes in the form of "Boldness" to speak and witness the "Word" and teachings of Christ.

Acts 4:8, 4:31, 5:32, 9:28, 13:46, 14:3, 18:26, 19:8, 28:31 just to name a few.

Closing thoughts...

In my studies on this subject, I have found that over 300,000,000 people in the world claim to speak in some sort of "Unknown Language". Some of these professors of this gift are Christian, some profess similar gifts and practice Shamanism, or Paganism. (Even voodoo) all of which call it "tongues" or "Glossolalia".

We've already learned from Christ in Matthew 7:22-23 ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

So, I would suggest that if you speak in tongues, but have not love...Pray.

If you speak in tongues, but live in habitual patterns of sin...Pray

If you speak in tongues and hate your brother...pray

If you speak in tongues yet can blaspheme the Lords name without conviction....Pray.

^{1 Corinthians 13:8} Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away