The outline on this page deals with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the first of the three works of the Holy Spirit which we
Spoken by John
What John said about baptism with the Spirit is recorded in
John's statement does not make it clear who was going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What John makes clear is who the baptizer is going to be --
Spoken by Jesus
Jesus promises the apostles that they are the ones who will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
Two Occasions
The first occasion was what happened to the apostles in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, a few days after Jesus had foretold their baptism with the Spirit
No similar event is recorded until what happened to Cornelius and his household when Peter went to preach to them
The language of Acts 11:15-18 shows these occasions to be unique, not commonplace. There are no other
We now consider three reasons why Holy Spirit baptism was not promised to everyone, and is not for today.
(1) Because These Fulfillments
Having studied the promises spoken, and their fulfillment, we are now in a position to see that baptism of the Holy Spirit was a representative baptism, received by a few
In the case of the Gentiles, it was concluded that God, in baptizing one Gentile household with the Holy Spirit, had demonstrated that he "has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance unto life"
The Apostles (who were Jews) and the household of Cornelius (who were Gentiles) together represented all peoples. When God baptized the apostles with the Holy Spirit, and then Cornelius and his household, he showed all mankind, both Jew and Gentile, that he intended the one gospel
It would be superfluous to give us each individually what we have already
(2) Because there is
There is "one baptism... the washing of water by the word"
We should be careful not to make two baptisms when we are told that there is one. For example, when Jesus said that a person must "be born again of water and the Spirit"
(3) Because Baptism of the Spirit
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is something God must do, if it is going to be done at all. We cannot cause ourselves to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit is not an element that we can control. The apostles could no nothing except to wait as they were told. Cornelius and his household apparently did not even expect the baptism
By contrast, we can cause ourselves to be baptized with water any hour we choose. Water is an element that we can obtain and use as we please. Water baptism is not a direct act of God upon us, but is a command we obey. Holy Spirit baptism, on the other hand, is not a command we can obey. It can be done only by God when and if
We yield to the whole will of God
If God does not act, he must intend not to act. Thus, if we do not receive baptism of the Holy Spirit it must be that God does not intend or will that we should be baptized with the