Water vs Holy Spirit Baptism
I've done several postings regarding baptism because of its importance to Christianity. Unfortunately, there is a lot of false teachings regarding baptism. Hopefully, this week we can clear up the misconceptions of baptism by the Holy Spirit. What is Holy Spirit baptism? Are we suppose to be baptized by the Holy Spirit? Let's find out. Jesus talks about it in Acts 1:4-5 when he spoke to the apostles before ascending to heaven:
" ... for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit..."
The answer to what Jesus is referring to by Holy Spirit baptism is found in Acts 1:8.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8 ESV)
Holy Spirit Baptism is when the Holy Spirit falls on you and you are given spiritual gifts. It occurs only twice in the New Testament. In Acts chapter 2 when the apostles established the church and in Acts chapter 10 when Cornelius was the first Gentile to be saved. These two monumental events helped shape Christianity. The apostles were ordained by Jesus to start the church and spread the gospel. They had to have the powers given to them by the Holy Spirit to perform the same miracles Jesus did so they could prove they were from God. Remember, the New Testament had not yet been written. The Holy Spirit also led the apostles into all truths which is how we got the New Testament.
In the case of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit fell on him and he began speaking in tongues to prove to the Jews that the Gentiles (that's us) could also be saved. Peter confirms Gentiles are under God's plan for salvation in Acts 11:15-18. Cornelius' baptism by the Holy Spirit was different from the apostles in that the apostles were given great power in order to do the work Jesus chose them to do and Cornelius was given the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. After Peter preached to Cornelius he received a water baptism.
Water baptism is the final step in being saved and added to the Lord's church (Acts 2:41). It is for the remission of sins and leads to the Holy Spirit dwelling within you (Acts2:38). The apostles could give spiritual gifts to others by laying their hands on someone which allowed the Holy Spirit to fall on them (Acts 8:14-18).
I know I covered a lot of material so lets make sure we're all on the same page. Holy Spirit Baptism had the specific purpose of giving someone power. It was used by the apostles to establish the church, perform miracles, and write the New Testament. It gave Cornelius the ability to speak in tongues to prove that Gentiles were also to be saved. Water baptism is the final step in getting saved and being added to the Lord's church. Today there is only one baptism, water baptism. Paul clearly states this fact when he said there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5 ESV).
Think about it.
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Note: In order to keep the posting as short as possible I could not fully discuss the topic. Please email me for further info or if you have any questions.
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