The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

by Dr. Gary Linton | Updated February 18th, 2023

This is a follow up teaching to The Five-Fold Ministry of the Holy Spirit. To summarize that article, the Holy Spirit is with us prior to conversion drawing us to Christ. He dwells in us for the purpose of regeneration and fills us to produce character and fruit in our lives. He empowers us for acts of service and Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit which opens us up to the gifts or manifestations of the Spirit.

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Matthew 3:11 – “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”

Acts 1:4-5 – “Being assembled together with them, He 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.”

The Holy Spirit lives within every born-again believer (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:1). The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct experience with the Holy Spirit Who already indwells the believer. The disciples had already received the Holy Spirit prior to the day of Pentecost (John 20:22, Acts 2:1-4).

The experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit frequently happens after salvation as in Acts 8:5-25 and 19:1-6. In Acts 10 the Baptism of the Holy Spirit happened simultaneously with the conversion experience. In each case the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was evidenced by speaking in other tongues.

It’s important to distinguish between being baptized into the body of Christ at conversion and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They are two distinct and separate experiences. The moment we place our faith in Jesus as our only hope of salvation, the Holy Spirit baptizes and places us into the body of Christ. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

In Matthew 3:11 Jesus is doing the baptizing and placing us into the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, the Holy Spirit is doing the baptizing and placing us into the body of Christ. In one we are being placed into the body of Christ, and in the other we are being placed into the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 takes place at conversion whereas Matthew 3:11-12 and Acts 1:4-5 talks takes place after salvation.

The gifts God gives to the body of Christ can be divided into three categories or divisions:

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

Motivational gifts (Roman 12:1-8)

After conversion every believer is given a motivational gift to be used to strengthen, encourage and edify the body of Christ. These are gifts that a believer is naturally motivated toward after they have been born again. These gifts may be fine-tuned and sharpened by the Holy Spirit and use over time but they are what a person is naturally inclined toward after conversion.

Ministers (Ephesians 4:11-16)

This is often referred to as the five-fold ministry and are office gifts. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office” (Romans 12:4). These are men or women that God has gifted and placed in one of these offices for the church. The people are the gifts to the body of Christ. It would do God’s people well to understand that the person God has placed over them is a gift from God to that particular local body.

Manifestations (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11)

Paul referred to these as both spirtuals and manifestations. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Gifts here is in italics and was added by the translators. It should more accurately be “now concerning spirituals, brethren.” He goes on to refer to these spirituals as manifestations. He says, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

These are non-abiding gifts. These are to used by an individual believer only when the Holy Spirit chooses. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). These are to operate only as He, the Holy Spirit, wills and not at our choosing. You may be used in one of the manifestations once or numerous times. They are to operate only as “He wills.” We must simply be a willing vessel. If we are willing vessels, the Holy Spirit will operate through us and use us in the manifestations of the Spirit.

It is the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that opens us up to being used in the spirituals or manifestations of the Spirit. How many churches do we see the manifestations of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 in operation which do not believe in the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Five keys to receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit:

There must be a hungering and thirsting after God. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believes on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive” (John 7:37-39). We will be filled in direct proportion to our thirst for Him.

Ask and seek (Luke 11:5-13):
1. Persistently seek until you receive. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). This is in the present continual sense. It means to ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking. Don’t give up until you have what you are seeking.
2. Pursue with confidence in the Father’s goodness, care and protection. “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:11-13).
Serpents and scorpions in the scripture are symbolic of demons or devils. Jesus is saying you don’t have to worry about getting something from the devil that you are asking the Father for. He won’t allow Satan to give you a counterfeit version of what God has promised. Many have suggested that it is the devil that is giving us the gift, particularly tongues. Jesus is clearly saying our Heavenly Father will not allow this to happen. God will not allow the devil to give us a false demonic version of what we are seeking God for. We can proceed with confidence and faith knowing it is the Father’s overwhelming desire to give us this precious experience in the Holy Spirit.
Wait expectantly. “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me” (Acts 1:4). Many groups have had what they refer to as tarrying meetings to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They would gather together and wait hoping to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The early church was to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit was given to or poured out on them. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was given to the church once and for all. We don’t have to wait hours on end any longer but merely receive what has already been given to the church. We merely wait expectantly, expecting to receive and experience that which has already been given to us – His church.
Receive in faith. “He (Jesus) breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22). In this verse Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “receive ye the Holy Ghost.” How many believe that if Jesus told them to receive the Holy Spirit, they surely did? Yet, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. They no doubt experienced the Holy Spirit in a different and unique way at Pentecost. Even so, we receive all of the Holy Spirit at conversion (Romans 8:9), yet there is this experience we can receive in the Holy Spirit that is separate from and subsequent to that of salvation. We must receive the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit by faith, knowing it is God’s will for us.
Exercise faith. Everything we get from God is received by faith and faith must be exercised. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). On Pentecost, “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).
Notice, they spoke with other tongues. It wasn’t the Holy Spirit speaking through them, He merely gave them the utterance or prompted their speech. They were the ones who spoke, they had to do something. We too must speak in faith. It is something we must do in faith. When we ask Jesus to baptize us in the Holy Spirit and seek Him for it, we must be ready and willing to speak out in faith as the Spirit gives us the utterance, even if it may seem foolish in the natural.
You might wonder, what if it is just me speaking? It is you speaking! The Holy Spirit prompts our speech but you’re the one who is speaking. “They…began to speak with other tongues” (Acts 2:4). Paul said, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15).
It may start with syllables forming in your mind or spirit that you don’t understand. You must, in faith, speak forth what is being given you. It begins with us speaking in faith and continuing to use and exercise our new found language and experience. Paul said he chose, as an act of his will, to continue to exercise what God had given him. We must do no less. “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead” (James 2:17).

Prayer: Jesus, You are the baptizer in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11 and Acts 1:4-5). I ask you to baptize me in your precious Holy Spirit right now. I know it is something you desire for me. I receive it by faith and choose to speak by faith in my new found language as You enable me and prompt my speech. In Jesus name, Amen!