Today I would like to share with you ten synonymous, divine expressions used in Scripture for the baptism with the Holy Spirit:
Baptized with the Holy Spirit
The first expression is “baptized with the Holy Spirit”, which we sometimes call the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This expression is analogous to water baptism, which is literally immersion in water, except this is immersion with the Spirit. Here are the passages where this appears, including all four gospels and Acts:
Jesus said: "For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Act 1:5)
Peter stated: "Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" (Act 11:16)
John the Baptist said: "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Mat 3:11)
"I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mar 1:8)
John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But One who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Luk 3:16)
"And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'" (Joh 1:33).
For more on this, see Baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Comes on You
The second expression is “the Holy Spirit comes on you,” or ”the Spirit comes down from heaven” and remains on you, or ”the Spirit of God descending,” or "the Spirit of God alighting on" a person. These expressions indicate how the immersion with the Spirit happens, whereby the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven and comes upon you. Here are the passages where these are used:
Jesus said: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Act 1:8)
"...because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Act 8:16)
"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message." (Act 10:44)
Peter explained: "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning." (Act 11:15)
"When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." (Act 19:6)
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him." (Mat 3:16; cf. Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22)
Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. And I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." (Joh 1:32-33).
Filled with the Holy Spirit
The third expression is “filled with the Holy Spirit”. Here are the passages where these are used:
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Act 2:4)
"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Act 4:31)
Note that the saints in Jerusalem had already been filled with the Holy Spirit prior to this occasion (Ac 2:4), but after they prayed, they were filled once again (ac 4:31). Therefore, the same expression -- filled with the Spirit --that is used for the initial experience of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is also used for subsequent fillings.
"Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'" (Act 9:17)
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit..." (Eph 5:18).
In this last passage, the original language indicates a continual being filled, not just a one-time event. Literally it means, "be being filled with the Spirit," indicating something that we are always doing.
Receive the Holy Spirit
The fourth expression is “receive the Holy Spirit”. Here are the passages where these are used:
"And with that He [Jesus] breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (Joh 20:22).
The Greek word for receive is lambano, meaning "to take, seize, accept, receive" etc. This is not a passive verb, in the sense that you passively receive mail in your mailbox or receive an email in your Inbox, but an active one in which you have to take, seize, or accept in order to receive. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you need to actively do so by taking Him and accepting Him into your heart.
Jesus said: "'Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive." (Joh 7:38-39a)
"When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit..." (Act 8:15).
"Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit..." (Act 8:17; cf. 2:33 and 38).
"and [Simon] said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'" (Act 8:19)
In that last example, it is understood that Simon saw something powerful happen when they received the Holy Spirit, or he -- a former sorcerer, known as "the Great Power" -- would not have offered money in order to have this ability to have people receive the Holy Spirit upon the laying on of his hands. In other words, when the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit, it was not a silent, uneventful moment, in which it was impossible to know if anything even happened. Rather there was powerful evidence, as we see in all the other instances where people spoke in tongues and prophesied when they received the Holy Spirit.
"And [Paul] asked them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.'" (Act 19:2)
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The fifth expression is “the gift of God”, ”the gift of the Holy Spirit”, or ”the heavenly gift”. As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all familiar with the free gift of salvation, which is eternal life. But salvation is just the first gift. Salvation is a package deal, with a subsequent gift that God has for us, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Here are the passages where these are used:
"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (Act 2:38)
Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (Act 8:20).
"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles." (Act 10:45)
"So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?" (Act 11:17).
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit..." (Heb 6:4).
Made Partakers of the Holy Spirit
The sixth expression is “made partakers of the Holy Spirit”. The apostle wrote to the Hebrews:
"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit..." (Heb 6:4, NASB77).
The original Greek word for partakers is metochos, meaning "a participant; a sharer; by implication an associate: - fellow, partaker, partner." This means that those who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit have been made companions, fellows, associates, or partners with the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father Gives the Holy Spirit
The seventh expression is the ”Father in heaven gives the Holy Spirit”, or "He gives the Spirit". Jesus said:
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luk 11:13).
Note that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to His children who ask Him. So ask Him to give you the Holy Spirit, and then receive Him. The Father gives the Spirit through Jesus, His Son. John the Baptist said of Him:
"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.” (Joh 3:34).
Jesus said: "If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees Him nor knows him. But you know him, for He lives with you and will be in you." (Joh 14:15-17)
"Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." (Joh 7:39b)
For more on this, please see The Spirit Without Limit.
The Promise of My Father
The eighth expression is ”the promise of My Father” or "the promised Holy Spirit". The Father has promised the Holy Spirit to those who are called, who have repented and believed in His Son Jesus Christ. But as I mentioned in the last section, you must ask Him. Here are the passages where these are used:
"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luk 24:49, NASB95).
A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. Therefore, the Father has made declaration to assure us that He will give us the Holy Spirit.
"Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear." (Act 2:33)
"...and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." (Act 2:38b-39)
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The ninth expression is “pour out my Spirit”, which we often refer to as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Here are the passages where these are used:
"'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." (Act 2:17; cf., Joel 2:28)
"Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." (Act 2:18; cf., Joel 2:29)
"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles." (Act 10:45).
For more on this, see Outpouring of the Spirit.
The Anointing or Being Anointed
The tenth expression is the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit. Here are the passages where this is used:
After the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His water baptism and remained upon Him, and following His wilderness temptation, Jesus went into the synagogue. When they handed Him the scroll with the Scripture reading for that day, He opened it to the place where it said the following, which he read aloud: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free..." (Luk 4:18)
This clearly shows that once the Holy Spirit came down and alighted upon Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, because He had anointed Him. The anointing is something that goes back all the way to the days of Moses, when God commanded him to anoint his brother Aaron the high priest with oil. Not only were priests anointed with oil, but kings were as well. The flask was opened and the oil was poured on the man's head, after which the man was said to be anointed. The process of pouring the oil over the man was called an anointing or the anointing. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He anoints you. Importantly, Christ means Anointed One, and He anoints His followers with Holy Spirit.
The apostle John wrote: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."(1Jn 2:20).
John continued: "As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1Jn 2:27)
The anointing John referred to is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is another one of those synonymous expressions that means the same as being baptized with the Holy Spirit. You must receive the anointing, according to John. It is real, it remains in you, and it teaches you about all things. For example, once you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, you will understand the Word more clearly and accurately, because the anointing teaches you.
For more on this, see Anointed by the Holy Spirit.
In this study, we have learned that the following ten expressions that were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit in Scripture all refer to the same awesome experience: “baptized with the Holy Spirit”, "the Holy Spirit comes on you”, “filled with the Holy Spirit”, “receive the Holy Spirit”, “the gift of God”/”the gift of the Holy Spirit”/”the heavenly gift”, “made partakers of the Holy Spirit”, the ”Father in heaven gives the Holy Spirit”, ”the promise of My Father”, and the "anointing of the Holy Spirit".
I am not aware of anything else in Scripture having so many different, synonymous expressions to describe it. The fact that there are so many -- ten in all -- indicates how critically important it is that we receive the Holy Spirit.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Wherever note, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright the Lockman Foundation, used by permission. "Receiving the Spirit" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.
Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog at Home, such as Holy Fire Baptism, Anointed by the Spirit, The Gift of Speaking in Tongues, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, The New Wine, Led by the Spirit, Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?, Fruit in Every Season, The Holy Spirit Speaks, The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit, The Spirit Without Limit, and Supernatural Power for All Disciples. I also recommend Restored Truth. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."
Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog at Home, such as Holy Fire Baptism, Anointed by the Spirit, The Gift of Speaking in Tongues, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, The New Wine, Led by the Spirit, Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?, Fruit in Every Season, The Holy Spirit Speaks, The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit, The Spirit Without Limit, and Supernatural Power for All Disciples. I also recommend Restored Truth. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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