Baptized with the Holy Ghost Matt. 3:11 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
This lesson on baptized with the Holy Ghost is a doctrinal study on what this baptism is and what it does. In this study we will contrast this baptism with the baptism of 1 Cor 12:13. Some believe that being baptized with the Holy Ghost by Jesus Christ [Matt 3:11] is synonymous with being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ [1 Cor 12:13]. However, while these baptisms take place simultaneously when a person is saved in the Church age, they are not really the same. Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is connected with the New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 and applies to any saint saved after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Being baptized by the Holy Ghost into the body of Christ is reserved to Church age saints, exclusively. Notice that Jesus is the agent in the first baptism and the Holy Ghost is the agent in the second baptism.
Notice the following:
Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is part of the New Covenant – in Jer 31:31-34 the New Covenant is revealed – according to Ezek 36:26-27, 37:14, 39:29; Is 59:21, etc. the Spirit of God is poured out on Israel in fulfillment of this covenant by which Israel is saved and through which Israel inherits the land promised to Abraham.
Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is the promise of the Father – Acts 1:4-5 – Jesus said that following his ascension, the Holy Spirit would come upon the apostles and disciples – therefore, the apostles questioned Jesus Christ about restoring the kingdom to Israel in Acts 1:6 – that’s because they now understood that the pouring out of the Spirit was connected with the new covenant and with the salvation and restoration of Israel – they logically thought that the kingdom would be restored to them at that time.
When Jesus spoke of the giving of the Spirit, he called the Holy Ghost the Comforter – Jn 14:16-17, 16:7 – this appellation for the Spirit is significant for Israel – the trouble with Israel before the coming of Jesus Christ is that they have none to comfort them [Lam 1:9, 16-17] – in Luke’s gospel, in the context of stating that Jesus “shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,” [Lk 3:16] we find two Old Testament references from Isaiah in Lk 3:4-6 and Lk 4:17-19 – the first is a reference to John the Baptist found in Is 40:1-5 – notice that the context is COMFORT – the second is a reference to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ from Is 61:1-3 and the context is COMFORT at the second advent [“the day of vengeance of our God”] – Israel is comforted by the Spirit when he is poured out on them and they are saved.
For Israel, being baptized with the Holy Ghost is clearly connected with the fulfillment of the new covenant at the second coming of Jesus – Acts 2:15-21; Joel 2:28-29 – in these passages, you see references to the literal “wonders in heaven” and “signs in the earth” revealed in the Revelation during the Tribulation, right before the return of Jesus – remember that Israel had the opportunity in Acts 2 and in Acts 7 to receive Jesus as their Messiah and they rejected him – when Stephen was stoned, Jesus was standing [Acts 7:56, not sitting] ready to return – therefore, since, by the time Israel rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ had shed the blood of the new covenant and the Spirit had been given, all who receive Jesus individually before his second coming are baptized with the Holy Ghost – we have to wait until Jesus’ return for the redemption of our body [Rom 8:23-25] and Israel has to wait for his return for their national salvation [Rom 11:25-27].
Here are some lessons drawn from this study:
Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is not water baptism – for those Jews in Acts 2:36-39, water baptism in the name of Jesus was necessary to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, because they had crucified the Lord and Christ – but others after Acts 2:38 were baptized with the Holy Ghost as soon as they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ [Acts 10:43-44, 11:15-18] before they were even baptized in water [Acts 10:47-48] – therefore, water baptism doesn’t save you.
Being baptized with the Holy Ghost is not about tongues but about the giving of the Holy Spirit according to the new covenant – in Acts 2:2 the initial evidence of the coming of the Holy Ghost was not tongues [which happen to be known languages that others can understand without an interpreter, see Acts 2:6, 11] but rather “a sound… as of a rushing mighty wind,” [compare Ezek 3:12-13] – therefore, those who teach that you must evidence that you have been baptized with the Holy Ghost by speaking in tongues are wrong.
All who are saved after the ascension of Jesus are baptized with the Holy Ghost, therefore, the Holy Ghost is not taken away at the rapture of the church – since being baptized with the Holy Ghost is part of the new covenant and not exclusive to the church, saints will continue to be baptized with the Holy Ghost even after the church is raptured – in Tribulation references like Heb 6:4-6 and Matt 10:18-22, we see the Spirit speaking in Tribulation saints, who must endure to the end, as they testify before governors, kings and Gentiles, and we see Tribulation saints, who have fallen away, who were partakers of the Holy Ghost.
In the salvation of Church age saints we are both baptized with the Holy Ghost and baptized by the Holy Ghost into the body of Christ – in Eph 2:11-22 we find that before we are saved we are “strangers from the covenants of promise” – but after we are saved we are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens” – we get in on the new covenant promised to Israel – we don’t replace Israel in the unfulfilled Old Testament prophecies; we just get in on the part of the new covenant that promises eternal life – this is accomplished by being baptized with the Holy Ghost [Eph 2:18] – we also become part of the building of the “holy temple in the Lord,” [Eph 2:20-22] – this is accomplished be being baptized by the Spirit of God into the body of Christ – in neither baptism is the baptism a “second blessing” – for church age saints, these baptisms happen simultaneously when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.