What Is Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
We should be careful to not confuse baptism in the Holy Spirit with the various other ministries of the Holy Spirit.
- Filling of the Holy Spirit is how He empowers and controls us (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 5:18).
- Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God taking up permanent residence in our lives (John 14:17; Romans 8:9-11).
- Sealing of the Holy Spirit is God marking us as His permanent possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is related to these other ministries of the Holy Spirit, but at the same time, it is separate from them.
What are the Results of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
In the book of Acts, Baptism in the Holy Spirit sometimes resulted in speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4). However, in other instances, people believed and received Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but nothing is said of tongues. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that every believer has received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), but not every believer speaks in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:27-31). As a result, there is no specific sign that a believer should expect when they are saved and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Let’s Get Baptized with the Holy Spirit
Now that you are a born-again Christian, you will need to not just be water baptized, but also be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 is the central passage for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit,
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”
Notice that we “all” have been baptized by the Spirit—all believers have received the baptism, synonymous with salvation, and it is not a special experience for only a few. Baptism in the Holy Spirit does two things.
- First, it identifies us spiritually with the death and resurrection of Christ, uniting us with Him.
- Second, baptism in the Holy Spirit joins us to the body of Christ and identifies us as united with other believers.
Speak this to be baptized by the Holy Spirit:
“Heavenly Father, I am now reborn! I am a Christian, a child of You. I am asking You to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen!”
Again, CONGRATULATIONS! You are now baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now, go find a Word of Faith church where you can grow exceedingly and develop your personal relationship with Jesus Christ with others who are like-minded.
