About Jesus Steve Sweetman

At the risk of adding confusion to confusion I would like to address what has been a controversial Christian doctrine over the last one hundred plus years. How people understand this controversy varies from one corner of the church to another. It's a subject that I have thought much about and studied since 1971 when I experienced what I was told was the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. My hope, in the following pages, is to explain what I understand the New Testament teaches on this subject in a way that is easily understood.

I believe that the western world Evangelical church is being infected by a deadly Biblical illiteracy that has weakened the Bible's influence on the individual Christian as well as the church, making both the individual and the church a less effective witness for Jesus. The sad fact is that many Evangelicals do not seem at all concerned about their lack of Biblical literacy. They would prefer to take the easy way out and rely on denominational tradition or their own faulty conclusions. When it comes to the eternal aspects of the foundation of our salvation we cannot afford to allow this invasion of Biblical illiteracy to rule our lives. Our eternal destiny is at stake.

I suggest you consider what I say as you do your own research on this issue. If I can encourage you to dig through the Scripture for yourself, I will at least have accomplished something productive in the following pages.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

1 - Historical Setting

I will begin this account by saying that I am Pentecostal or Charismatic by experience but not necessarily by doctrine. When saying this I'm inevitably asked, "What does that mean?" My answer to this question will be found in the following pages, but first, here is a bit of church history that is relevant to our topic at hand.

The term "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" means different things to different people. It has divided the Evangelical Church for decades, although the divide seems to have narrowed in recent years. This is partly due to the influence of the 1960's and 1970's Charismatic Movement on the church, not the least of which is music and worship. Pentecostals themselves are divided over how to understand the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and it has been that way since the inception of the modern day Pentecostal Movement.

The Azusa Street Revival of 1906 in Los Angeles , California , is well known among Pentecostals, but the movement actually finds its roots in the late 1800's. What is not so well known is that what we call modern day Pentecostalism was born in what has been called the Holiness Movement that finds its roots in the 1700's. Men like John Wesley (born 1703 - died 1791) were instrumental in bringing a fresh awareness of Jesus into a Protestantism that had grown cold, stale, and encumbered by tradition.

The fact that modern day Pentecostalism was born in the Holiness Movement is important. John Wesley and others taught what has been termed "Entire Sanctification." This teaching asserts that one becomes a Christian, at what I call "initial salvation," by faith in the grace of God as seen in the cross of Christ. Then, at some subsequent point in time to initial salvation one receives Jesus, not as Christ, but as Lord. That is to say, by God's grace he becomes totally set apart, or sanctified, to Jesus his Lord. Wesley and others claimed that Entire Sanctification is a second work of God's grace, second to initial salvation. By the late 1800's the concept of a second work of grace was a mainstream doctrine in all Holiness Movement churches, which is where many Evangelical denominations today find their roots.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's when some Holiness Movement believers began to experience the outpouring of the Spirit as seen in Acts 2 they called their experience the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit." They formulated their doctrine to match their experience, and this is where the Pentecostal Movement encountered its first division.

For many Holiness Movement folk the Baptism in the Spirit became a third work of grace, following initial salvation and Entire Sanctification. The concept of a third work of grace did not sit well with some Pentecostals so they dropped Entire Sanctification as a second work of grace and replaced it with the Baptism in the Spirit. This split the Pentecostal camp in two. Other Pentecostals began to view the Baptism in the Spirit as part of initial salvation, creating yet another division. From these segments of Pentecostalism smaller doctrinal differences emerged.

You can see by this brief history that what is commonly called the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" is understood differently by different people. The Latter Rain Movement of the late 1940's and the Charismatic Movement of the 1960's and 1970's added more variations to the Pentecostal mix, and now there is me. I'll present you with my thinking on the subject which many non-Pentecostal Evangelicals might well embrace, at least in part.

For a well written and exhaustive study on the modern day Pentecostal Movement throughout the 20th century I highly recommend Vinson Synan's book entitled "The Century Of The Holy Spirit."

Concerning my personal history on this issue, it began to be formulated in March, 1971, when I was first introduced to it. After hearing about this experience and seeing it in action, I eagerly and with great vigor searched for it. So, what you will read in the following pages is both my personal testimony concerning the Pentecostal experience and my Biblical position on the subject. I hope you carefully consider what you will read. I have tried to set forth my position in a logical and systematic way so it can be easily understood. What I have not done is to redefine my doctrine to match my experience, something I have seen many Pentecostals and Charismatics do over the years. I have redefined my experience to match what I believe the Bible teaches, as should be the case with everything we experience as Christians. So here we go. I will begin this account with my testimony. It all began for me as a youth in the Free Methodist Church , a church that is rooted in the Holiness Movement and John Wesley's teaching on Entire Sanctification.

2 – My Beginning Days

If you are a true blue old time Pentecostal Evangelical you may struggle, not with my experience but with my theology. If you are a true blue long time non-Pentecostal Evangelical you may struggle, not with my theology but with my experience. As with many theological issues I'm not aligned with one specific denominational system. Whatever your doctrine or experience may be, here is how it all began for me.

While growing up in the Free Methodist Church I took many trips to the altar. Almost every Sunday evening after an emotional plea from the pastor you'd find me on my knees at the altar in search of forgiveness of sins. It seemed to me that there were so many rules that needed to be obeyed in order to maintain my salvation that I was never sure if I was really saved. Feelings associated with guilt plagued me. They followed me everywhere. Hell's fire seemed to be flickering around every corner. One slip off the straight and narrow into that fire would burn me to a crisp, or so I thought, and thus my frequent trips to the altar.

It was in February, 1970, after watching Billy Graham on television I knelt, not at an altar, but beside my bed. In an unemotional five seconds I prayed. "Lord Jesus, if I'm not forgiven please forgive me now." It was short, simple, but to the point. Although I didn't realize it at the time, that prayer would change the direction of my life forever, and that's not an enthusiastic Christian exaggeration.

The next day I woke to a surprise. No longer did I read the Bible and pray for the purpose of ridding myself of feelings associated with guilt. I wanted to read the Bible. I wanted to pray. I wanted to be a witness for Jesus. I wanted to live for Jesus out of pure motives. I was transformed, and it only took a five second prayer, and of course, the grace of God applied to me by the Holy Spirit.

As a youth growing up in the Evangelical Church it seemed to me that getting saved was a matter of faith but staying saved was a matter of doing good works, and, if you slipped up on the good works, you could easily lose your salvation. That's why my feelings associated with guilt persisted. Once praying that five second prayer, things began to happen quickly in my life.

The first time I was in what you'd call a Charismatic meeting was in a large old two story school that was converted into a Christian outreach centre in Lexington , Kentucky . It was during the height of the Jesus People Movement, March, 1971, when it was standing room only in one of the school's classrooms. There were people sitting in window sills, on the floor, or wherever they could squeeze themselves into. The number of people squeezed into that room was impressive, but more impressive was who was in the room. There were seniors, teenagers, and everyone in between. There were all shapes, sizes, and skin colours. I was used to church being segregated into babies, children, youth, young adults, middle aged, and seniors. To see everyone together in one accord was both surprising and refreshing.

After singing songs of worship and adoration to Jesus there was a few moments of silence, and then it began. A few people started singing quietly in tongues. Others soon joined in until this spontaneous song grew in strength, until it died down into another reverent silence. I had never seen or heard anything like this. I was blown away. Then came a message in tongues followed by an interpretation, something else I had never seen.

Another thing I had never seen before was the time of prayer. People prayed for one another by laying their hands on each other in expectant prayer. I had only seen pastors praying for people like that. It was all brand new for me. I knew Jesus was in that gathering. I knew that I did not have what these people had and after seeing what they had, I wanted it. The following few months proved to be an interesting search for what I was told I needed in my life, that being the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

3 – After The Meeting

Upon arriving home from Kentucky in March, 1971, I began my search for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I had accepted the Pentecostal view explained to me in Kentucky. Actually, my search began at the end of that Tuesday evening meeting in Kentucky. I asked for prayer to receive "the Baptism" as they called it. I told those who prayed for me that I was a bit nervous. One kind brother in the Lord said that a bride always feels a bit nervous before meeting her groom on her wedding day. "Jesus would sooth my anxiety," he said. I would later spend some time rethinking that comment. I'll come back to that later.

Four brothers in the Lord laid their hands on me and began to pray. I can't remember what they prayed, but I do remember what happened, and that was nothing. That's right. Absolutely nothing happened, at least nothing that I was aware of. I was extremely disappointed. One helpful brother told me to receive the Baptism by faith. I would rethink that concept through at a future date as well. Receiving or accepting things by faith in this instant meant that even though I didn't think anything happened, I should believe and act as if something did happen, but, I figured that if I and Jesus had met together, I'd know about it. I was told to do some kind of mental gymnastics they called "accepting by faith." I was to trick my brain into believing something happened when apparently nothing did happen.

When I began to think things through for myself I understood what happened that Tuesday evening in Kentucky. Those brothers tried to introduce me to the Bridegroom. That was problematic because I had already been introduced to Jesus. I was a Christian, so how could I be reintroduced to Jesus as if I had never met Him? The whole situation was confusing, and maybe that was the will of the Lord. It got me searching my way through the Bible for myself to see what this was all about.

4 – Back Home

Upon arriving home from Kentucky in March, 1971, my eagerness for the Baptism in the Spirit intensified. What spurred my desire was that while I was away a couple of my friends claimed to have received the Baptism along with tongues. I recall asking one of my friends how a slow learner like me could pray in tongues. I begged him and begged him for an answer. He finally caved into my pestering pleas and clued me in on the secret of tongues. It was quite simple. All I needed to do was to say the word "hallelujah" ten times real fast and my tongue would flip over and tongues would fly off my lips. Of course my friend was joking, but the TV preacher I recently saw wasn't joking. "Faster, faster," he said. "Come on, you can go faster than that. If you had a gun pointed to your head you would speak in tongues faster than that."

Then there was one Sunday evening while at an altar in search of the Baptism I overheard a Pentecostal preacher encourage a fellow tongues seeker kneeling beside me. The preacher told the man to copy his tongues. Slowly and methodically, one word at a time, the poor guy imitated the preacher's tongues.

Another well meaning man told me to just invent my own tongues as an act of faith. All I needed to do was to step out in faith, and utter any sounds that came to mind. It didn't matter what it sounded like, eventually Jesus would honour my faith by giving me the real thing.

To be clear, I tried none of the above suggestions. I knew better. How wonderfully wacky some Pentecostals and Charismatics are. Doesn't it make you smile, and if not smile, maybe cry?

5 – It Began To Happen

It was a month after my visit to Kentucky when I was in a small prayer meeting with my tongues-praying friends. We were huddled around each other on the floor in our local Youth for Christ (YFC) coffee house. We later learned that praying in tongues in the coffee house was not appreciated by the non-Pentecostal YFC board of directors. Nevertheless, while basking in the presence of the Lord it started to happen, or so I thought. While praying in English an unfamiliar word slipped off my tongue. I couldn't help but wonder if this was tongues, but how could one unrecognizable word be considered the miracle of tongues? Maybe it was the herd mentality. I just wanted to fit in. Maybe it was a product of my overactive, tongues-consumed imagination. One word did seem to defy common sense, something I thought I possessed. Was I going off the deep end? Was I about to fall into the abyss with other demon-possessed tongues-talkers? "Tongues are demonic," one Free Methodist Church man told me.

A week later in another prayer meeting a second unknown word escaped from my mouth. Apparently I now had two words in tongues, but again, how could two unrecognizable words constitute valid Biblical tongues? Was I losing my sanity? Was my search for the Baptism getting out of control?

Two weeks later in yet another of many prayer meetings I attended I quietly prayed my two unknown words. I'm sure you can guess what transpired next. Yes, believe it or not, another little word snuck out into the open air. I was now up to three whole words in tongues, or so I hoped.

After a long summer's drought of new words, I gave up on glossolalia. That was a popular big word for tongues back in the Charismatic Movement days. I decided to leave tongues to the full fledged Pentecostals, which apparently I would never be. If there was ever a half-breed Pentecostal, with three words of tongues, it was me. My friends could pray in tongues all they wanted. I'd stick with English. Maybe the Free Methodist Church was right after-all. I should be seeking the Giver of the gifts, not the gifts, but I struggled with that one. 1 Corinthians 14:1 says we should eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit. That's what I was attempting to do, but with little success. I would later learn the Greek word "zeloo" that the NIV translates as "eagerly desire" can be translated as "covet." Covet is a pretty powerful motivation. My Free Methodist friends must have missed that one. Whatever the case, I figured if Jesus was handing out gifts, there should be no problem with me standing in line and asking Him for one.

In September of that year, 1971, my friends and I moved into a farm house. Christian communes were commonplace in the Jesus People Movement back then. I was in my bedroom in that farm house when I pulled out my 1969 Gibson Southern Jumbo guitar, which I wish I still had. I began to sing to Jesus and for some reason I sang my three long lost unknown words. Then it happened. Man, did it happen. The Spirit of the Almighty God clobbered me with His presence. He filled every fabric of my being. Those three weird little words exploded into sentences and paragraphs. I sang in tongues for close to an hour.

I did not repeat the word "hallelujah" ten times real fast. I did not invent my own tongues. I did not copy an over-zealous preacher's tongues. They were real tongues and they came straight from the Giver of the gifts. Thanks to Jesus I have prayed in tongues every day since.

If you are a Pentecostal or a Charismatic Christian, you would conclude that I received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace in my bedroom that day, but did I? That's the question I asked myself back then and that's the question I will address in the following chapters.

6 - The Traditional Explanation

The most common understanding of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit among Pentecostals and Charismatics is that it is an experience subsequent to one's initial salvation. That is to say, one receives the Holy Spirit when one gets saved, and then at a later date he receives an outpouring of the Spirit that empowers him to be an effective witness for Jesus. For this reason the Baptism in the Spirit is often called a "second work of grace;" the first work of grace being initial salvation. Of course, as I've said in an earlier chapter, there are variations of this doctrine among Pentecostals and Charismatics.

Let's now turn to the pages of the Bible to see what we can learn.

7 - The Old Testament

In Genesis 1:2 we read that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. It does not take long for the Bible to introduce us to the Holy Spirit. From Genesis 1:2 and throughout Old Testament times we should realize that the Holy Spirit did not reside in people. He did, however, come upon people, or anoint them, with His presence for a specific reason. Ezekiel 11:5 is one of many examples of this. There, the Holy Spirit came on Ezekiel so he could effectively speak the Word of the Lord. I bring this to your attention to show that there is a definite difference between the Holy Spirit coming on someone and the Holy Spirit living in someone. This distinction will be important when we see the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers as recorded in the book of Acts.

8 - The Holy Spirit and Jesus

In Luke 1:34 Mary asked the angel Gabriel how she could conceive a child without having sexual relations with a man. Gabriel answered by saying that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, producing a miraculous conception. This is the first mention of the Holy Spirit coming upon a person in the New Testament.

We must remember that Mary lived in Old Testament times. The distinction between the Holy Spirit coming on a person and the Holy Spirit living in a person is important here. There is nothing in the Biblical record that states Mary had the Holy Spirit living in her at this time in her life. As in the case of Ezekiel that I mentioned in the last chapter, the Holy Spirit came on Mary, and He came on her for a specific reason. When we work our way through the book of Acts we will see that when the Spirit comes on a person, it is not to provide the person with a pleasant experience. It is to empower the person to do a specific task required of him by Jesus.

One thing we learn from this brief exchange between Mary and the angel is that Jesus' father is God. This Biblical truth speaks to what Christians call the "Deity of Christ." That means from conception, Jesus was God in a human form. Despite the teaching of some, Jesus did not become divine when the Holy Spirit came upon Him when He was baptized in water by John the Baptist.

John 1:32 tells us that the Spirit of God, like a dove, descended on Jesus when He was baptized in water. Even though Jesus was God in human form, the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Jesus in Acts 16:7 and Philippians 1:19, came upon Him. This tells me that there is more, even in Jesus' case, to the Holy Spirit than one human body can contain.

In John 1:33 John the Baptist proceeded to say that in the same way he baptized people with water Jesus will baptize people with the Holy Spirit. This is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in connection with the word "baptize" in the chronology of the New Testament.

Grammar is important when studying the Bible. John the Baptists said that Jesus "will baptize with the Spirit." The words "will baptize" is a verb, not a noun. This puts the emphasis on the action of baptizing, not on an experience called the "Baptism in the Spirit," which is a noun phrase. As a matter of fact, nowhere in the New Testament does it say believers receive an experience called the "Baptism in the Spirit." It says that believers will be baptized in the Spirit. I realize I've lost some of you at this point. You may think I'm making too big of a deal over this bit of grammar, but my point is simple. The New Testament emphasis is not on receiving an experience we call the "Baptism in the Spirit." Its emphasis is on receiving the Holy Spirit by the means of a baptism. This distinction may sound confusing to you at the moment, but if you hang in it will become clearer when we work our way through the book of Acts.

9 – John 20

Many Pentecostal and Charismatic preachers begin their teaching on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, but not me. A good hermeneutical approach to any Biblical subject demands we incorporate all relevant passages. So, before we look at Acts 2 we will backtrack to other passages where Jesus addressed the issue of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers.

On one occasion after His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples (excluding Thomas) who were shut in behind closed doors for fear of the Jews (John 20:21 - 23). "Peace be to you," Jesus said. "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Jesus then breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Without further thought you would think that these men received the Holy Spirit into their being at that moment, but did they? How you answer this question will help determine your view of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace, and especially how it applies to Acts 2.

To understand what transpired in John 20 we must back up even farther to John 7:38 where Jesus said this. "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within." Understanding the word "believe" to mean "trust," Jesus said that those who were presently trusting their lives with Him would at some future date have streams of living water flowing out from within them.

The Apostle John explained what Jesus meant. "By this He (Jesus) meant the Spirit, whom those whom believed would later receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not yet been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified." John said that the streams that would flow from within the believer is the Holy Spirit whom the believer would receive after Jesus had been glorified. If we can know when Jesus was glorified we can know when the first believers received the Spirit into their lives.

Jesus told us when He would be glorified in His prayer found in John 17. Verse 5 says this. "Father glorify me with your own self, with the glory I had with you before the world was." Jesus linked Him being glorified with the union He and His Father had prior to creation. According to Jesus, He would be glorified when He returned to His Father as was seen at His ascension in Acts 1:10.

Jesus also spoke about His return to heaven in John 16:7. "Unless I go away, the Counselor (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." Clearly, Jesus had to return to heaven before the Holy Spirit could come and live in the believers. We should know at this point the Holy Spirit would actually live in the believers as Jesus pointed out in John 14:17. "He (Holy Spirit) now lives with you (disciples) but He will be in you."

So, did the disciples in the room in John 20 receive the Holy Spirit into their being when Jesus breathed on them? The answer is "no." They could not have received the Spirit then because Jesus had not yet returned to His Father to be glorified. Furthermore, Jesus spoke this command to them in Acts 1:4. "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised." The gift Jesus spoke of is the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:38. Obviously these men could not have received the Spirit in John 20.

Knowing the disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit in John 20 tells us that the reception of the Spirit into the lives of the believers in Acts 2 was not a second work of grace as it relates to the Holy Spirit in their lives. Remember, the common view among Pentecostals is that one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then at some future date he experiences the Baptism in the Spirit. That was not what happened with the one hundred and twenty people in the upper room in Acts 2. In fact, as Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30 states, since the one hundred and twenty people in Acts 2 already believed, their salvation was "sealed" (sphragizo in Greek - secured) when they received the Holy Spirit into their lives. In other words, their initial salvation was completed when they received the Holy Spirit.

I'm not minimizing the importance of John 20. I am sure that those disciples felt the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, but John 20 was not about them receiving the Spirit. It was about them being commissioned to represent Jesus once He returned to heaven. "As my Father has sent me; I am sending you" (John 20:21). "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:23). Upon receiving the Spirit as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 they would have the power to effectively fulfill this commission.

Before we look at Acts 2 and other passages in Acts let us look further at the term "Baptism in the Spirit."

10 - The Phrase Baptism In The Holy Spirit

In Acts 1:5 Jesus said this. "John baptized with water but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." This verse, along with Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:16, and John 1:33, is where we derive the term "Baptism in the Holy Spirit."

Some of you will think I'm getting too technical and splitting grammatical hairs but Jesus did not tell His disciples that they would receive an experience called the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit," which is a noun phrase. He told them that they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit," which is a verb phrase. Many of us have turned Jesus' verb into a noun, which is not in the text. This is significant because this makes the way in which one receives the Holy Spirit more important than the Holy Spirit Himself. When we ask someone if he has received the Baptism in the Spirit, we are asking a question that is not found in the New Testament. What question is found in the New Testament is asked in Acts 19:2. "Have you received the Spirit since you believed?" This question is important because believing is the prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit into your life (Acts 2:38 - 39).

The Bible is a book with paragraphs, sentences, and words and despite our postmodern grammatically illiterate culture, words matter. If the Bible speaks of something in terms of a verb, so should we. If it speaks of something in terms of a noun, we should too. There is no need to turn a verb into a noun or a noun into a verb. Let's just repeat what the Bible says without rewriting it. If we don't, we may distort the meaning of the text, which I believe many of us do in regard to our subject at hand.

As we work our way through the pertinent passages in the book of Acts I hope you will see the importance of this bit of grammar. We'll take each passage in Acts that Pentecostals and Charismatics use to defend their position that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace that is subsequent to receiving the Holy Spirit at initial salvation. I hope to show that in each passage that is not the case.

11 - Acts Two

In Acts 2 we see one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus waiting in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Father as Jesus commanded in Acts 1:4. We know from Acts 2:38 and 39 that this promised gift is the Holy Spirit. "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. The promise is for you ..." So, when Jesus told these people that they would receive the "gift my Father promised," the gift is the Holy Spirit. When Jesus uttered this command the Holy Spirit had obviously not yet been given to them.

Acts 2:4 says that the one hundred and twenty disciples "were all filled" with the Holy Spirit. Picture it this way. It was as if a big cup of Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven and into their empty lives. This is what Jesus was getting at in Acts 1:5 when He said that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. The way in which these people received the Spirit into their being was by being filled, baptized, or immersed in the Spirit from above.

Even though the text does not specifically say these people received the Holy Spirit we know they did. They received Him via a filling. The passage has no need to say they received the Spirit because we know that Jesus said they would receive the gift from His Father which we know is the Spirit.

In Acts 2:14 and following, Peter defended what had happened to these people by quoting Joel 2:28 through 32. Joel said that the day would come when the Lord would "pour out His Spirit on all flesh." This was the beginning of that day, or period of time. Joel used the words "pour out." Luke, in Acts 2:4 used the words "were filled." Both of these terms refer to the way in which these one hundred and twenty men and women received the Spirit. We see both terms throughout the book of Acts.

In Acts 2:33 Peter said this. When Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God "He had received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and had poured out what you see and hear." We see the words "poured out" in reference to the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit, just as Joel predicted. Again we see the gift of God is the Holy Spirit, not an experience called the Baptism in the Spirit.

From Acts 2 we learn that the disciples received the gift of the Spirit the Father had promised. The way in which they received Him was via a pouring out, a filling, or a baptism.

Was this a second work of grace for these people as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Did these people previously receive the Spirit and now they received the Baptism in the Spirit? The answer to both questions is an obvious "no." We, therefore, cannot use Acts 2 to support the teaching that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. That is to say, one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then receives an experience called "the Baptism in the Spirit" some time later.

Then what was it that happened to these people in Acts 2? Understanding that these people had already repented and trusted Jesus with their lives, they then received the Holy Spirit into their being. The reception of the Spirit sealed, or secured their salvation, something the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. In other words, their initial salvation was completed when they received the Spirit, because without the Holy Spirit in one's life, there is no salvation. "He that does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God" (Romans 8:9).

Acts 2 cannot be a defense for a second work of grace. It should be thought of in terms of the process by which initial salvation is completed. Let's now turn to Acts 8

12 - Acts Eight

In Acts 8 we see Philip preaching the Word of God to some Samaritans. According to Acts 8:12 these people believed the Word of God and were water-baptized. Philip must have understood the faith of these Samaritans to be genuine or else I doubt if he would have baptized them. The legitimacy of one's faith is important because repentance and faith are the prerequisites to receiving the Holy Spirit into one's life.

In Acts 8:14 and 15 we note that when James heard that the Samaritans had received the Word of God but not the Spirit, he sent Peter and John to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. "Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17).

From Acts 8 we learn that certain Samaritans believed the Word of God and in a demonstration of repentance and faith were baptized in water. It was not until some time later, and we don't know when, that these people received the Holy Spirit into their lives.

Was the reception of the Holy Spirit into these people's lives a second work of grace as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Did the Samaritans previously receive the Spirit and now they received the Baptism in the Spirit as the most common view of the Baptism in the Spirit states? The answer to both questions is an obvious "no." These people believed, were water baptized, and then they received the Holy Spirit for the first time in their lives. We, therefore, cannot use Acts 8 to support the teaching that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. That is to say, one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then receives an experience called "the Baptism in the Spirit" some time later. That was not the case with these people.

Like those in Acts 2 the reception of the Holy Spirit into the lives of these people sealed, or secured their salvation, something the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. In other words, their initial salvation was completed when they received the Spirit, because without the Holy Spirit in one's life there is no salvation. "He that does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God" (Romans 8:9). It was for this reason James sent Peter and John to minister to these people.

Let's now turn to Acts 9.

13 - Acts 9

Acts 9 details the conversion of the Apostle Paul, or Saul as he was known then. Paul met Jesus in a very dramatic way. The experience left him blind. For the next three days he secluded himself in a period of serious prayer. It wasn't until Ananias came to pray for Paul that his blindness was healed.

In Acts 9:17 Ananias told Paul this. "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." Here again we see someone receiving the Holy Spirit by being filled with Him who did not have the Spirit in his life prior to this time. Just what the reception of the Spirit looked like in Paul's case is unknown. The text says nothing about that. One thing we know is this. If Jesus told Ananias to pray for Paul to be filled with the Spirit, you can be sure Paul was filled with the Spirit as he received Him into his life.

Once Paul's eyes were healed and he was filled with the Spirit, or received the Holy Spirit into his life, he was water-baptized (Acts 9:17). Note that the sequence of initial salvation events in Paul's situation differed from the sequent of events with the Samaritans' in Acts 8. Paul was water-baptized after receiving the Spirit while the Samaritans were water-baptized before receiving the Spirit. This suggests that there is no set formula when it comes to these matters.

Was the reception of the Spirit into Paul's life a second work of grace as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Did he previously receive the Spirit and now he received the Baptism in the Spirit? The answer to both questions is an obvious "no." Paul did not have the Spirit prior to Acts 9, but once believing he then received the Holy Spirit. We, therefore, cannot use Acts 9 to support the teaching that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. That is to say, one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then receives an experience called the Baptism in the Spirit some time later. That was not the case with Paul.

Like those in Acts 2 and Acts 8 the reception of the Holy Spirit into Paul's life sealed, or secured his salvation, something he wrote about in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. In other words, Paul's initial salvation was completed when he received the Spirit, because as he said in Romans 8:9; "He who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God."

Let's now turn to Acts 10.

14 - Acts 10

Acts 10 concerns a Gentile man named Cornelius, who, when Peter was preaching the gospel he and his family and friends believed what they heard and immediately received the Holy Spirit into their lives (Acts 10:44 - 45). Peter was astonished that the Holy Spirit "was poured out" on these Gentile people for he saw them speaking in tongues and glorifying God as was the case with he and his Jewish friends in Acts 2.

In this passage the words "came on" and "poured out" are used to describe the way in which the Spirit was given to these people. As in Acts 2, 8, and 9, the Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven and into the lives of these people.

Was the reception of the Spirit into the lives of these Gentiles a second work of grace as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Did they previously receive the Spirit and now they received the Baptism in the Spirit? The answer to both questions is an obvious "no." They did not have the Spirit prior to Peter's visit. We, therefore, cannot use Acts 10 to support the teaching that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. That is to say, one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then he receives an experience called "the Baptism in the Spirit" some time later. That was not the situation with these people.

Like those in Acts 2, 8, and 9, the reception of the Spirit into the lives of these Gentiles sealed, or secured their salvation, something the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. In other words, these people's initial salvation was completed when they received the Spirit, because as Paul said in Romans 8:9, "He that does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God."

Unlike those in Acts 2, 8, and 9, these people believed and received the Holy Spirit simultaneously. Again, this suggests that there is no set formula for these things.

Let's now turn to Acts 19.

15 - Acts 19

In Acts 19 Paul met some disciples from Ephesus . In verse 2 he asked them this question. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" The men responded by saying that they did not know there was a Holy Spirit. Paul then asked, "What baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they answered. Paul then understood what was happening. These men only knew of John the Baptist's message to repent and prepare for the coming of Jesus. They were still waiting for Jesus' arrival. You might say they were Old Testament style believers. They did not realize that Jesus had come and gone, making them unaware of the Holy Spirit. Paul then laid his hands on these men and prayed for them. When the Spirit came on them they received the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:6).

Was the reception of the Spirit into the lives of these men a second work of grace as it relates to the Holy Spirit? Did they previously receive the Spirit and now they received the Baptism in the Spirit? The answer to both questions is an obvious "no." They did not have the Spirit prior to Paul's visit. We, therefore, cannot use Acts 19 to support the teaching that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace, i.e. one receives the Spirit at initial salvation and then receives an experience called the Baptism in the Spirit some time later. That was not the situation with these men.

Like those in Acts 2, 8, 9, and 10, the reception of the Spirit into the lives of these men sealed, or secured their salvation, something the Apostle Paul wrote about in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30. In other words, their initial salvation was completed when they received the Spirit, because as Paul said in Romans 8:9, "He that does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God."

16 – Let's Recap

Let's recap what we have learned so far. The most common view of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit among Pentecostals and Charismatics states that one receives the Holy Spirit when he first believes, or "is saved" as we like to say. Then, at some later date he receives the Baptism in the Spirit as a second work of grace that empowers him to be a witness for Jesus. Do we see this scenario take place in any of the above passages in the book of Acts that Pentecostals and Charismatics use to support this teaching? The answer is an obvious "no."

In Acts 2 we see one hundred and twenty Jews who believed but did not have the Spirit in their lives. They received the Spirit by means of being baptized or immersed into Him. In Acts 8 certain Samaritans believed without receiving the Spirit. Some days later they received Him when He "came on" them. In Acts 9 Paul, who did not receive the Spirit when he first believed, received Him days later when Ananias prayed for him. In Acts 10 some Gentiles believed and immediately received the Holy Spirit when He "came on" them. In Acts 19 a few men from Ephesus who believed in Old Testament terms came to believe in New Testament terms. When Paul prayed for them they received the Holy Spirit when He "came on" them.

In all five of these passages there was no second work of grace as Pentecostal doctrine asserts. None of these people previously had the Holy Spirit in their lives and then received the Baptism in the Spirit afterwards. The fact is that they received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized or immersed into Him. That which Pentecostals call "the Baptism in the Spirit" as a second work of grace was the reception of the Spirit into the lives of those who believed, which for them completed the process of what I call "initial salvation." For these people, you might call the reception of the Spirit by means of being baptized in the Spirit part of the first work of grace.

I believe that initial salvation is the process by which one repents, believes and receives the Spirit. These three aspects of salvation comprise what we call being "born again". If, therefore, the reception of the Holy Spirit that comes about via being baptized in the Spirit is a second work of grace to anything, it's a second work of grace in relation to repenting and believing, not to initial salvation. I'll talk about that next.

17 - A Second Work of Grace Or A Frist Work Of Grace

If receiving the Holy Spirit via means of being baptized into Him is a second work of grace, which I wouldn't say it that way; then it's a second work of grace in terms of first repenting and believing in Jesus. That is to say, when you repent and believe you can expect at some point to receive the Spirit into your life via being baptized into Him. This completes the process of initial salvation, being born again, or however you want to say it. Sometimes repenting, believing, and receiving the Spirit happen simultaneously as it did with Cornelius in Acts 10, which I tend to believe is the Biblical norm. Other times, like with the Samaritans in Acts 8 and Paul in Acts 9, there is a lapse of time before receiving the Spirit after repenting and believing. It's thus clear to me that the way Jesus works these things into our lives doesn't always fit into our nicely-packaged, fixed theological formulas. Whatever the case, all three aspects to salvation, repenting, believing, and receiving the Spirit, must be genuinely realized in your life in order to be saved.

As a reminder, I use the term "initial salvation" because the Bible views salvation in three verb tenses. We were saved (Romans 8:24). We are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18), and, we will be saved (1 Corinthians 3:15). Once we have been saved, salvation begins to be worked out in our lives, until the day we are fully saved at the resurrection of the dead.

If the reception of the Holy Spirit is predicated on one repenting (understanding we can't repent without God's help - Acts 11:18) and believing (understanding that we can't believe without God's help - Romans 12:3) then receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace in terms of repenting and believing. That being said, I prefer to say it's the completion, or the securing, of one's initial salvation. In Acts 2:38 and 39 the Apostle Peter said that when one repents and is water-baptized (water baptism being an expression of faith) one will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We thus see the three aspects that constitute initial salvation in what Peter said.

18 – Raised In Evangelicalism

For those of you who were never raised in an Evangelical church setting getting saved is often dramatic and instantaneous. There is a clear distinction between who you now are in comparison to who you once were. This is not always the case with many of us who were raised in an Evangelical environment, who have had some form of belief from an early age, and who have never lived in overt sin. Some of us find it hard to know the exact day when we repented, first believed, and received the Spirit into our lives. I totally get that. Trying to fit our experience into what is seen in the book of Acts is difficult because Acts gives no account of one who was raised in a Christian environment who has repented, believed, and received the Spirit at an early age. It appears from 2 Timothy 1:5 that Timothy would have been like those of us who were raised in Christian homes, but we know nothing about his youth and how he was saved.

If I am correct in saying that the Baptism in the Spirit is the act by which one receives the Spirit as part of initial salvation by means of being baptized into Him, then many of us might want to rethink our experience. I would suggest that many Pentecostals and Charismatics have formulated their doctrine based on their experience, which for many in the Pentecostal Movement of the early 1900's did. That is a poor hermeneutical approach to Biblical doctrine. We should define our experience, and if necessary redefine it, based on our understanding of the Bible, which I did.

19 - Revisiting My Experience

At the age of 11 there was one trip to the altar, among countless others, that was different. It was then I believe my child-like faith graduated from a simplistic Sunday school (invite Jesus into your heart faith) to more of an adult faith, something that all those who were raised in an Evangelical church should sooner or later come to grips with.

In February, 1970, all alone in my bedroom, after that five second prayer I spoke of earlier, my feelings associated with guilt that stifled my growth in the Lord left me forever. They have never, and I do mean never, returned. I woke the next day a changed person. I have always believed I received the Spirit that night, but here's the problem for those like me who were raised in Evangelicalism. Many know they have the Spirit within them but when He entered their lives is questionable. For me, there were no physical or emotional sensations accompanying my five second life changing prayer. I did not feel like I was immersed into the all-powerful Spirit of God. Something like that happened to me and my friends four months later, which some would say was the Baptism in the Spirit. Others might say that was when I actually received the Spirit into my life, but what happened to me in September, 1971?

In September, 1971, alone in my bedroom once again, as I've also previously related, the Holy Spirit was poured out on me again in a very powerful way. It was then I received the gift of tongues. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit I sang in tongues to Jesus for about an hour. Was this the Baptism in the Spirit, Part two? Did I receive the Baptism in the Spirit twice? Over the next few months I asked myself what that experience was all about.

As I searched the Scriptures I began to understand the Baptism in the Spirit as I've been explaining it. I concluded that the day I sang in tongues was not the Baptism in the Spirit. That day was all about Jesus giving me the gift of tongues. It was just one of many outpourings of the Spirit into my life I've experienced over the decades. Like those in the book of Acts who had many outpourings of the Holy Spirit into their lives, so have I. It was that way with the Apostle Peter. He received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 when the Spirit was poured out on him from above. The Holy Spirit was also poured out on Peter again in Acts 4:8, and several other times after that. Even though a Christian has the Spirit residing in him, he should expect Him to be poured out on him again on numerous occasions. Now what about your experience? Does it need some redefining?

20 – Revisiting Your Experience

During the 1960's and 1970's Charismatic Movement many people who claimed to have experienced the Baptism in the Spirit as a second work of grace were part of liberal denominations or Catholicism, both of which in my opinion have weakened, if not ignored, the gospel of repentance, faith, and the reception of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Many of these people would have believed they got saved and even received the Spirit when they were baptized as an infant or when they were confirmed in their denominational setting. Biblically speaking, neither have anything to do with getting saved. Unless these people had another point in their lives where they genuinely repented and believed, what they called "the Baptism in the Spirit" as a second work of grace was most likely their first work of grace; their salvation.

For others like me, who had repented, believed, and received the Spirit, the outpouring of the Spirit was not the completion or securing of our salvation. It was an outpouring of the Spirit that introduced us to living life in the Spirit, something many of us were never taught in church. For me, it opened a whole new world of normal Biblical Christianity where outpourings of the Spirit are common place in one's life.

Others may be like the Samaritans in Acts 8. They have genuinely repented and believed but for one reason or another did not receive the Holy Spirit until some later date. What they called "the Baptism in the Spirit" as a second work of grace was the completion or securing of their salvation.

I certainly do not discredit anyone's experience with the Holy Spirit. I'm suggesting that you might want to revisit it in light of Scripture. If it needs to be redefined, redefining it doesn't invalidate it. What matters most is that as much as is possible we live our lives in Scriptural integrity. That is to say, our lives match what the Bible teaches.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul told the Corinthian Christians "to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith." In other words, make sure the process of initial salvation is secured in your life. Without that, everything else is irrelevant. Paul went on to say this. "Don't you know that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test." If your claim to be Christian is valid, Jesus, by His Spirit, lives in you. You will certainly know that to be true because you have passed the test of genuine repentance and faith. If by chance you are uncertain if the Holy Spirit lives in you, I suggest that He probably doesn't. Let's take one last look to make sure your salvation is secure.

21 – Securing Your Salvation

I can't conclude this account without summing up the process by which we are saved. After preaching the very first Christian sermon ever, the Apostle Peter was asked how one can be saved (Acts 2:37). He answered by saying that everyone must repent and be water-baptized (water-baptism being an expression of faith) and then they would receive the Holy Spirit into their lives. Those who heard Peter's message were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37). The Holy Spirit pierced the very hearts of these people by confronting them with their sinful existence. Without the Holy Spirit's finger of conviction on our sinfulness the process of repentance and faith in Jesus cannot even begin.

Repentance is the process by which we come to an abrupt stop in our lives. We finally recognize our sinfulness and that we are alienated from God. We choose to stop living for ourselves and decide to live for Jesus. Such a drastic decision is impossible to make on our own and that is why Acts 11:18 says that God gives us the ability to repent.

Biblical faith is not agreeing to the facts about Jesus. Based on the Greek word "pistis" that is translated as "faith," "believe," and "trust" in the New Testament, faith is the process by which we trust Jesus with our very lives. Handing our lives over to Jesus requires God's help. That is why Romans 12:3 says that God gives us the ability to believe, or trust Him.

If by the help of the Holy Spirit we have genuinely repented and believed we can expect to receive the Spirit of God into our lives. In some cases, as in Acts 8 and Acts 9, there is a lapse of time between repenting/believing and receiving the Spirit. In other cases, as in Acts 10, repenting, believing, and receiving the Spirit, happen simultaneously. The way in which the Holy Spirit works these three aspects of salvation into our lives doesn't always fit into our nicely packaged theological formulas. For some, getting saved is a process. For others it is instantaneous. Some may repent and believe without speaking those words or knowing what they exactly mean. They just do it and learn later what they have done.

Repenting, believing, and receiving the Spirit are three separate and distinct aspects in the process of initial salvation. However they are worked out in a life, they form the necessary basis to be saved, all of which are implemented with the help of the Holy Spirit. His involvement is central to all aspects of salvation. We cannot even approach Jesus to be saved unless the Father, through His Spirit, invites us to be saved (John 6:44). Getting saved is not a matter of our doing alone. Salvation is initiated by the Holy Spirit, is processed by the Holy Spirit, and is secured or completed by the Holy Spirit. Once our initial salvation is settled and secured, living in integrity with the Spirit is normal Christianity, that is, until the day comes when we are resurrected from the dead and our salvation is fully realized. The Apostle Paul was right. Without the Holy Spirit in our lives we do not belong to God (Romans 8:9). As 1 Corinthians 6:17 states; "he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit." In other words, when you receive the Holy Spirit into your life, your spirit and God's Spirit is united in a holy unity.

Beyond being united in spirit with the Lord from time to time we need fresh outpourings of the Spirit in our lives. This was the way it was with the apostles and the first Christians in the book of Acts and it should be the same with us.

22 – In Conclusion

I began my account by saying that I am Pentecostal by experience but not by doctrine. Now you know why I said that. I also said that if you are a true blue old time Pentecostal Evangelical you may struggle, not with my experience but with my theology. On the other hand, if you are a true blue long time non-Pentecostal Evangelical you may struggle, not with my theology but with my experience. Now you know why I said that as well.

Maybe you have struggled with what I've written or maybe you just don't see what the big deal is all about. Whatever the case, if you are like me and want to see Jesus work His will in your life and in the community of believers in which He has placed you, I believe we can end up at the same place. Hopefully we all want to see God's kingdom being done within us as it is being done in heaven. Just remember, there is no substitute for genuine repentance and faith, and there is definitely no substitute for the Holy Spirit in your life, for "he that does not have the Holy Spirit does not belong to God (Romans 8:9).

Home Page