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A STUDY OF NEW TESTAMENT BAPTISMS
When most people think of baptism they think of water baptism. But there is a baptism that is decidedly a dry baptism, i.e. no water (I Cor. 10:1-2). And there is also the baptism into Jesus (Rom. 6:3). There is a baptism “by the Spirit” ( I Cor. 12:13). There is a baptism with the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:33). There is the question of what place baptism has in salvation. This paper will discuss each of these so that the reader and student of God’s Word may come to a clearer understanding of the baptisms in the New Testament.
We will discuss the following topics in our study of baptism:
OLD TESTAMENT BAPTISMS
THE MEANING OF THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “BAPTISM”
BAPTISM AND ITS PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
THE “BAPTISM THAT I AM BAPTIZED WITH”
BAPTIZED UNTO JESUS
BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
“ONE BAPTISM” OF EPHESIANS 4:5
OLD TESTAMENT BAPTISMS
We read in Heb. 9:10 of “divers washings”. The Greek word translated “washings” is “baptismos” which is the noun form of the word translated “baptize”. Verses 9-10 tell us that baptism is not new to the New Testament writers, it is an Old Testament ritual, “which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices…. which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation”. “Divers washings” are linked to the Old Testament rituals of sacrifices and “carnal ordinances”. That means of course, that baptism was not new to the New Testament.
THE MEANING OF THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “BAPTISM”
We read in Mark 7:4 of the “washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables”. The Greek word translated “washings” is the word translated “baptized”. And we read in Luke 11:38, “and when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner”. Once again, the Greek word translated “washed” is the same one translated “baptized”.
The point is that the very root idea of the Greek word translated “baptism”or “baptized” has no spiritual significance in and of itself. It means simple, “washing”. Of course, when considered in context, it does take on spiritual implications, but the word itself does not carry any of those implications.
BAPTISM AND ITS PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. In this passage we read that belief in Christ was the only requirement of salvation. As we consider the God inspired reason for John’s Gospel it will add more weight to the argument that belief in Jesus Christ is all that is required for salvation. That God inspired reason for John’ Gospel is recorded in Jn. 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name”. Surely, if water baptism was a requirement of salvation, John would not have left out that requirement. One other point should be considered. If baptism was a requirement for salvation, how could Paul have written in I Cor. 1:14, “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius”?
But in Acts 2:38 we read, “Peter replied, repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven”. Is Acts 2:38 a different message of salvation? I believe not, I believe that John 3:16 explains the gospel of salvation and the passages about repentance and water baptism have to do with temporal, earthly blessings. That is to say, repentance, as the reader will see as we continue in this study, was never for the purpose of salvation in the Old Testament, it was always for the purpose of partaking in temporal, earthly blessings. So too, in the New Testament repentance and baptism was for the purpose of earthly blessings, but in the New Testament those blessings were millennial.
Because water baptism is connected to a call to repent in Acts 2:38 it would be helpful to consider how first century Jews thought of repentance. Their thinking came, of course, from the Old Testament, so let us consider just a few Old Testament passages that call on Israel to repent. (For an examination of all the Old and New Testament passages that call for repentance, please see the paper on this web-site “Repent” Is Not A Message Of Salvation.)
Jer. 18:11-12 reads, “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, this is what the Lord says, ‘Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and am devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you and reform your actions. But they will reply, its no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart”. The punishment for their refusal to repent is given in verse 16; “Their land will be laid waste, an object of lasting scorn”. This passage shows the conditional covenant relationship that God had with Israel. When they obeyed, He would bless them, but when they disobeyed, He would punish them (see Lev. 26). It also shows that repentance does not have anything to do with eternal life. In this case, it is repentance in order to avoid earthly punishment.
Jer. 26:2-6 reads, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and speak to the people of the towns of Judah’…. . Perhaps they will listen and each will turn (repent) from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning…. .” This passage is very much like Jeremiah 18 and, once again, we are told what the call to repent meant to Old Testament Israel. And it has nothing to do with salvation unto eternal life.
Joel 2:13-14, “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate…and He repents from sending calamity. Who knows that He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing, grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God”. Again, this passage speaks not of eternal life but of earthly blessings for those who repent in accordance with the old covenant.
It is clear that the exhortation to repent in the Old Testament had to do with earthly punishments and/or blessings and does not concern salvation unto eternal life. We will now examine a few of the New Testament calls for repentance, bearing in mind that the New Testament did not come out of a vacuum. So when we study repentance in the New Testament, we must understand it as the hearers of the message would have understood it.
Because we have in the Word of God the expressed reason that Israel was called upon to repent in the New Testament. I think it best if we allow that inspired reason to speak for itself. That reason is found in Acts 3:19.
Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”. The note in the Companion Bible on the word translated “when” reads, “when = in order that. Gr. hopos. Occurs 15 times in Acts and always expresses a purpose“. So this verse should read, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, in order that the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”. We have in this verse the expressed reason that Israel was called upon to repent. It was “in order that” the times of refreshing (the millennial reign of Christ) shall come.
This is perfectly consistent with the reasons Israel was called upon to repent in the Old Testament. Israel had been called to repentance in the Old Testament in order to avoid punishment or to lay hold of a blessing. In the New Testament the message of John the Baptist, of Christ, of Peter and of the other apostles, whenever Israel was called upon to repent, was in order for Christ to set up His millennial reign.The millennial reign will be the ultimate dispensational blessing for Israel as a nation. It is then that the nation will be served by all the other nations, and it is then that Israel will partake of all the earthly blessings for which they have so long been looking. Once again, bearing in mind that the New Testament did not come out of a vacuum, but from the Old Testament, let us consider just a few New Testament passages that call for the repentance of Israel.
Matt. 3:1, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the desert of Judah saying, ‘Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near’”. The “kingdom of Heaven” is Christ’s rule of Israel in His millennial reign. (For the scriptural evidence of that statement, please see the paper on this web-site The Kingdom of Heaven.) John the Baptist preached repentance so that the kingdom of Heaven would be set up. This is perfectly consistent with the inspired reason for repentance given in Acts 3:19, quoted above. And it is also completely consistent with the calls to repentance in the Old Testament. Just as in the Old Testament when Israel was called upon to repent either to avoid a punishment or to lay hold of a blessing, so too here, if Israel had repented they would have enjoyed all the blessings associated with the millennium.
Matt. 11:20-21, “Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. Woe to you Korazin, Woe to you Bethsaida! If the miracles that had been performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Siddon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes”. Note that it is cities that are called on to repent. Eternal salvation is never offered to cities, it is offered to individuals.
Matt. 12:41, “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah”. Let us look at the message of Jonah to Nineveh and learn what they repented of and what was their reward for their repentance. In Jonah 1:2 God tells Jonah to “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me”. In Jonah 3:4 we read that Jonah was proclaiming to Nineveh, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed“.. In verse 10 of chapter 3 we see that “When God saw what they did and how they turned (repented) from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened”. We see that Nineveh repented to avoid the destruction of their city, this has nothing to do with eternal salvation.
We must keep in mind that Israel had a conditional covenant relationship with God. We read in Leviticus chapter 26 that if Israel obeyed God’s Law they would be blessed with earthly blessings, but if they disobeyed God’s Law they would be cursed with earthly punishments. I am suggesting that repentance and water baptism had to do with laying hold of dispensational blessings in accordance with the old covenant.
We are now ready to discuss the purpose of water baptism. We know that Old Testament believers were saved by grace through faith (See Rom. 3:21-4:25). So if water baptism was not a requirement of salvation, why were so many baptized? I believe that the baptism with water was for the purpose of showing, by outward sign, belief in the message that was being preached.
For example, the message during Christ’s earthly ministry was “repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. I believe that water baptism was an outward sign of that message being believed. And when Peter preached in the early Acts period that if Israel would repent the Lord would return, those that believed that message would prove their belief with the outward sign of water baptism. In short, water baptism was the outward evidence that one had believed and repented.
Proving one’s faith by their actions was a way of life for Old Testament saints. Again, Israel’s obedience to the Law of Moses, or lack thereof, was the determining factor as to whether God would punish or reward them (see Lev. 26). So too, when one heard the message of John the Baptist, of Christ and His disciples, they proved their belief of that message as having come from God by acting upon that message by repenting, and by water baptism.
It should be mentioned however, that just as Noah was made righteous by believing and acting upon the message God had for him in regard to building the ark (see Heb. 11:7), so too were those who were baptized made righteous by showing their belief in God’s message for them. But water baptism was no more a requirement of salvation than building an ark. Those acts however did prove the belief of God’s message to them, and that belief accompanied by their acting upon the message, made them righteous.
Water baptism was never for the purpose of salvation, it was to show one’s belief in the message. It was belief in the message that made one righteous, not the water. Water baptism was only the outward sign of their having accepted the message, the same as building the ark was the outward sign that Noah had accepted the message to him. But in both cases, it was the belief itself, not the outward sign, that resulted in the believer being made righteous. Mark 16:16 is helpful in this regard, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”. Note that even if one is baptized but does not believe he is “damned”. That tells us that one is saved through belief, i.e. faith.
But we read in I Peter 3:21 a statement that seems to say that baptism saves. That verse reads, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God).” Peter explains in the parenthetical remark that it is not the water that saves, but “a good conscience toward God”, in other words, deeds. One’s deeds show him to be a believer. Again, salvation has always been by grace through faith, and the deeds, like water baptism, prove one’s faith.
The New Testament calls for repentance and baptism was for the purpose of laying hold of the earthly blessings which were associated with the millennial reign of Christ. Those blessings for which many were baptized were blessings promised to Israel, not to the church of the dispensation of the mystery. Therefore, because the millennial blessings have to do with Israel, and have nothing to do with the church of the dispensation of the mystery, baptism has no place in the present dispensation.
THE “BAPTISM THAT I AM BAPTIZED WITH”
We read in Matt. 20:22-23, “But Jesus answered and said, ‘Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They said unto him, ‘We are able’. And He saith unto them, ‘Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is is prepared of My father'”.
It is clear that “the baptism that I am baptized with” is equated in this verse with “the cup that I shall drink”. The note in the Companion Bible suggests that that cup is a “symbol of participation”. And gives the following verses, Jer. 25:15, 49:12 and Ezek. 23:33 as proof. I believe just two of these will be sufficient to prove the point.
We read in Jer. 25:15, “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; ‘Take the wine cup of this fury at My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it”.
Jer. 49:12, “For this saith the Lord; ‘Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it'”.
I believe the context of Matt. 20:22-23 will tell us what that baptism was that Christ was to be baptized with. We read in verses 17-19, “and Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him…..”.
So the baptism with which Christ was baptized was His death. But why is His death called a “baptism”? As we learned above, the baptism unto death is equated with participation. Therefore, we may conclude that in this passage, Christ’s baptism is His participation in death. Note there is no water in this baptism.
BAPTIZED UNTO JESUS CHRIST
We read, in Gal. 3:27, “For as many of you as have been baptized into (eis, unto) Christ have put on Christ”. What does it mean to be baptized “into Christ “? I believe that as we look at the Greek preposition translated “into” we will find the answer to that question.
The Greek preposition translated “into” in the phrase “baptized into Christ” is “eis”. The Companion Bible gives the following definition, “….it denotes motion to or unto an object, with the purpose of reaching or touching it.…. . From this comes the idea of the object toward which such motion is directed…..”. As we add to the meaning of “unto” the fact that as many as were baptized unto Christ “have put on Christ” I believe we may conclude that those who are baptized unto Christ and “put on Christ” were made one with Him, or are identified with Him.
We read a similar thought in Rom. 6:3-4 where the same preposition (“eis”) is used. That passage reads, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into (eis, unto) Jesus Christ were baptized into (ei, unto) His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into (eis, unto) death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” The point of this passage is that believers were identified with Christ and His burial to such an extent that Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could write that we are buried with Him, i.e. dead to sin. Paul could have written that we should consider ourselves buried with Him, but the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to express that thought in a much stronger way. To be baptized unto His death is more than to consider ourselves dead to sin. It is that we are made one with His death, i.e we are dead to sin. And being dead to sin we must walk in the “newness of life”.
I Cor. 10:1-2, carries the same thought in regard to Moses. “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses….”. Those who followed Moses out of Egypt reached out to him in identification with his faith.
To be baptized unto Jesus Christ then, means that Christ is reaching out to us in order that we might be identified with Him in His death and resurrection. When we are baptized unto His death we are identifying with it, we are being made one with it, so that we might walk in the newness of life. Just as he was buried we are also buried through identification with it, i.e. through baptism. That baptism identifies us with His burial to the extent that we are dead to sins. And just as He was raised, we are, by baptism into His resurrection, living in the newness of life.
But to be baptized unto Christ has nothing to do with water, it has to do with an attitude of mind and heart, i.e. the attitude of identifying with the One unto Whom we have been baptized. In point of fact, the baptism unto Moses was most decidedly not with water as they crossed over the sea on dry land. Also, if water was a necessary part of this identification, Paul could not have written in I Cor. 1:14, “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius”. Nor could he have written in verse 17, “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel….”.
BAPTIZED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
I Cor. 12:13 reads, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews of Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit”.
The reader will recall that in the section on the baptism unto Christ that the meaning of the Greek preposition “eis”, translated “into” in this verse was discussed. We learned that “….it denotes motion to or unto an object, with the purpose of reaching or touching it.…. . From this comes the idea of the object toward which such motion is directed…..”. Let us apply the same definition to the word in this verse for a correct understanding of it.
We are all “baptized unto (“eis”) one body”. In my opinion, that means that, according to this context, all believers reach out to identify with all other believers.
What does the phrase, “made to drink unto (“eis”) one Spirit” mean? In my opinion, it means much the same as being baptized unto Christ. That is to say, the believers who were baptized unto one body have been drawn to the Holy Spirit, in the same way that believers have been baptized unto Christ.
BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
We read in John 1:33, “….He That sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost‘”. What does it mean to be “baptized with the Holy Ghost”? As we look at a few passages in the Old Testament and in Acts we will have the scriptural answer to that question.
Acts 1:4-5 reads, “And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence”. Then in Acts 2:4 we read, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. This happened, of course on the day of Pentecost, which coincides with the “not many days hence” of Acts 1. That tells us that to be baptized with the Holy Ghost is the same as to be “filled with the Holy Ghost”, as Acts 2 is the fulfillment of the promise of Acts 1.
We read in Acts 10:44-45, “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost”.
The Old Testament has many references to those who were “filled with the Holy Ghost”. Because, as we discovered, to be baptized with the holy ghost is the same as to be filled with the holy ghost, and because there are so many more references to being “filled” with the holy ghost, we will look to the scriptural accounts of those who were filled with the holy ghost in order that we may interpret scripture with scripture.
Before we go on we must understand that neither the Hebrew or the Greek has upper case letters. Therefore, when we see them we must understand that they are interpretations. As always, we must consider the context in order to determine if the subject is God, the Holy Spirit, or the gifts from the Holy Spirit. The lower case letters will be used to indicate gifts from the Holy Spirit
We will look at several verses that speak of the Holy Spirit “filling“. One is not “filled” with one of the manifestations of God, i.e. the Holy Spirit (this will become evident as we look at some of the times one is filled). This is the use of the figure of speech, metonymy, i.e. when the cause is put for the effect. We use the figure of speech, metonymy, when we say for example, “Joe really pours himself into his work”. Obviously, Joe does not “pour himself”. Joe is the cause, the effect is that he shows himself to be a dedicated worker. As with all figures of speech, metonymy is used to enhance the meaning. We could say that Joe is a dedicated worker, but it does not have the same force as when we say that Joe pours himself into his work. The same is true of the figure of speech when used of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not simply empower one to do His will, His power “fills” the person. Similarly, His power is not simply “sent”, it “comes upon” the one who is to be empowered. So when we read, for example in Judges 14:6, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands”, we are reading of the power from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the cause, is put for the effect, Samson being filled. Just as Joe does not “pour” himself, but his energies, so the Holy Spirit does not pour Himself, but His power.
I believe that the student of God’s Word will have a better understanding of the Holy Spirit once he/she understands that God does not “come upon”, nor is He “poured out”, nor is one “filled” with Him. It is His power that is “poured out:”, it is His power that comes upon, and it is His power that fills. Let us look at some passages in the Old Testament that will help us to understand our topic better.
Exodus 31:3, “and I have filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, with the skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze.” These artistic designs were for the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the place where God would meet with His people, Israel until the Temple would be built. I believe that this verse is important in that it helps us to see that the Holy Spirit fills people with His power in order to accomplish the will of God. In this case the Holy Spirit was accomplishing the will of God by helping these men to make things for the Tent of Meeting as beautifully as it should be made for the house of God. As mentioned above, we are not “filled” with God, we are filled by Him. So in this verse we see the figure of speech, metonymy where the cause (in this case the Holy Spirit) is put for the effect (the spirit of skill, ability, etc.). This verse is an excellent example of the translators interpreting, that is, it was their interpretation that Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit. The reader must decide for himself, with the help of our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, whether Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit, or by the Holy Spirit. May I suggest that the reader save his/her conclusion until the end of this study paper.
Numbers 11:17, “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone”. The context will show that Moses told God that the burden of leading the people was too much for him, so God determined that 70 of the elders of Israel should help Moses with the burden. I do not believe that it was God, the Holy Spirit that was being taken and given, it was a spirit of leadership that came as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Again, the capital “S” is an interpretation, and in my opinion, an incorrect one. Again, the cause (the Holy Spirit) is put for the effect (the spirit of leadership).
Judges 3:10, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him so he became a judge of Israel and went to war“. The King James and the NIV both have Spirit but I believe that it should be spirit. In this verse we have, once again, the figure of speech, metonymy. The Spirit is the cause, the spirit from Him is the effect. That is to say, the Holy Spirit (the cause) sent a gift (the effect) to come upon Joshua which enabled him to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to judge Israel and lead them in war.
Judges 14:6, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands”. This is a very interesting verse about the Holy Spirit. Most Christians have in mind that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, that person becomes more spiritually mature. In this verse we see that this is not the meaning at all. Again, it was a spirit from the Holy Spirit that enabled Samson to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to tear the “lion apart with his bare hands”. Once again, the cause is put for the effect.
Judges 15:14,”….The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax and the bindings dropped from his hands”. This is another example of the spirit from the Holy Spirit coming upon Samson with the result of added physical strength, not any kind of spiritual maturity. Again, the cause is put for the effect.
I Sam. 11:6, “When Saul heard their words the Spirit of God came upon him and he burned with anger“. This verse also shows that the spirit sent from the Holy Spirit simply enables one to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to save His people, Israel from being disgraced. Again, the Holy Spirit does not come upon one, it is the spirit (the effect) that comes from the Holy Spirit (the cause) that comes upon a person.
II Chron.20:14, “Then the Spirit of God came upon Jahaziel …. . He said … .” This is an example of the many, many times where the cause (the Spirit of God) is put for the effect. The effect being the power to prophesy.
In these passages from the Old Testament we have a picture, of the Holy Spirit taking care of God’s people and empowering some to accomplish God’s will. He does this by filling them with power that He sends, not by filling them with Himself.
Let us now look at some verses in the New Testament that will help us in our understanding of the Holy Spirit and of how He empowers God’s anointed to accomplish His will.
Luke 1:41-42, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, ‘blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear’”. As in the Old Testament, people were filled with power from the Holy Spirit, not with God the Holy Spirit Himself. In this case Elizabeth was filled with that power in order to speak a word of prophesy concerning Mary and the baby she was carrying. Again, we see the figure of speech, metonymy, where the cause is put for the effect. The reader will recall that all through the Old Testament, prophets were filled with the holy spirit, a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:67, “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied”. This is one of many, many examples in the New Testament where one was filled with power from the Holy Spirit (the cause being put for the effect) in order to prophesy.
Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you“. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, in order to understand this verse we must understand Acts 2:4; please see the note below on Acts 2:4.
Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. I believe that this passage speaks of the power from the Holy Spirit which enabled people to speak in tongues unfamiliar to them. Note they were filled with this power. May I remind the reader that many times we read in the Old Testament of one being filled with the spirit in order to accomplish the will of God, whether it was to tear apart a lion or to lead Israel to war or to prophesy. In each of these cases the cause was put for the effect. The New Testament did not come from a vacuum, it is a continuation of the Old Testament. So when we read that the people at Pentecost were filled with the holy spirit we must conclude that, just as in the Old Testament, they were filled with power from the Holy Spirit. So also in the New Testament the phrase “filled with” means power from the Holy Spirit. In Acts, as in the Old Testament, they were filled in order to accomplish the will of God. Once again, we have the figure of speech, metonymy where the cause is put for the effect. The power from the Holy Spirit was the effect, and the Holy Spirit was the cause. So, whereas the translators interpreted this verse to say that they were filled with the Person of the Holy Spirit, I believe that this verse is saying that they were filled with power from the Holy Spirit. In my opinion this makes more sense for two reasons; 1) they were not filled with God and 2) if they were filled with the Holy Spirit Himself then the rest of this verse (“and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”) is redundant. That is to say, if they were filled with God, the Holy Spirit, they would not need to be enabled by the Spirit to speak in other tongues.
Acts 4:8, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said,…”. This is another example of one being filled with the power from the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish God’s will, in this case it was for prophecy. Again, the cause (the Holy Spirit ) being put for the effect, (the power from the Holy Spirit). The same could be said of Acts 4:31, Acts 6:3, Acts 7:55, Acts 9:17, Acts 10:38, Acts 10:44, Acts 10:45 (in this verse the phrase is “poured out upon” but the same can be said of this phrase as “filled with”), Acts 11:24, Acts 13:9, Acts13:52, Acts 19:6 (this verse uses the phrase “came on” but the same can be said of that phrase as is said of “filled with”).
The point is that when one is filled with the holy spirit, which is the same as being baptized with the holy spirit, one is empowered by God through His gifts to accomplish that for which God filled him.
“ONE BAPTISM” OF EPHESIANS 4:5
Eph. 4:4-5 reads, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all…….”. This passage comes in the portion of the epistle that has to do with the believer’s walk with God. That is to say, it is not a doctrinal passage, and because it is not, it does not explain what is the one body, or what is the one hope, or, what is the one baptism. Paul assumes that his readers will know. So what is the most likely baptism of all that we those have discussed to be the “one baptism” of this passage? In my opinion, it is the baptism unto Jesus Christ. That baptism that draws all believers unto Himself so that we will all be one with Him. In any case, I think it is fairly obvious that the one baptism is certainly not water baptism.
This paper was written by Joyce Pollard. If you would like to respond please e-mail me at [email protected]