Is there only one baptism, water baptism or is there also baptism of the Holy Spirit?

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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob B on March 26, 2008 at 3:50pm

I would like to derect you to a wonderful teaching on this subject;
AllaboutGod Baptism In The Holy Spirit - Union with Christ
www.allaboutgod.com/baptism-in-the-holy-spirit
God bless BobB

Permalink Reply by Grace4u2receive on March 29, 2008 at 11:05pm

Thanks so much! God Bless

Permalink Reply by ScribeD on March 30, 2008 at 12:38am

In Ephesians 4:4-7 it says "the is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it."

This is speaking of the Spirit immersing you as a new believer and indeed the full presence of God being manifest in the Body of Christ, which we call the universal or mystical church, through the baptism by the Holy Spirit, into the body.

The apostle also says:
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.: (1 Corinthians 12:13)

And again he says:
"for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:27)

The "one baptism" of Ephesians is speaking about being immersed into the spirit, and becoming identified with Christ, as Galatians says being "clothed.... with Christ".

In other words, it is a once for all time experience of receiving of the Spirit. You don't get in, out, in, out, etc. You also don't have many bodies to be baptized into. The issue being dealt with in Ephesus was that there was a lot of small house churches scattered over a vast area which was identified as the region of Ephesus. Paul was saying "you are all ONE in Christ."

There are other baptisms. But, they have a different context.
There was the Baptism of the crossing of the Red Sea.
There is the Baptism of repentance.
There is the Baptism of the Sacrament as Testimony of your faith.
Some believe there is a Baptism for Consecration to a special work.
There is the Baptism of suffering.
There is the Baptism of Martyrdom.
There was the Baptism of the Cross which Christ endured for our sins.

We get caught up in the term "baptism" that we think of as being splashed or dunked. So, it helps to realize that this is just a common Greek term of 'baptizo" meaning "immersion". If we take that word "baptism", and exchange it for the term "immersion" we get a different, a clearer, understanding, I believe.

Once you have been immersed into the body of Christ, you need not be immersed again and again. You are, once for all, a member with the entire body, the entire people who belong to him.
In the same way that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea were no longer slaves to Egypt, you are now free to live in Christ, once you have received his spirit by turning to him in faith. The god of this world cannot make you his slave again.

Other baptisms are different. The Baptism of repentance, which the Jews who followed John the Baptist underwent was replaced with the Baptism of Testimony (being baptized in the Name of Christ). In other words, one was to prepare for the coming of Christ, the other is to show that you have received him. Note that you don't find the followers of Jesus who first followed John, becoming rebaptized after coming to Jesus. They had already undergone that with John.

You are immersed into The Body one time, not many.
You are immersed into the water of testimony, one time as a sign of turning to Christ.
You are immersed into the baptism of Martyrdom, one time by dying for your faith.

Therefore the "One Baptism" Paul speaks of, in Ephesians, is the single immersion by the believer, by the Holy Spirit into the Body - being united with Christ and his followers by the Spirit, which makes you a believer. After that, you may become filled with the Holy Spirit, but the only time you need to be put in the body, "immersed in the Spirit of Christ" is when you are saved. You don't have to get saved over and over, or immersed into many bodies. Because we all "partake of one spirit."

After that, you only need to be filled with the Spirit. Then you need to be filled again, and filled again as you walk through life. The means of becoming filled with the Spirit, is to confess the truth of God's word and walk by faith through prayerful trust

Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob B on March 30, 2008 at 5:46am

I like how Dr Charles Stanley puts it ;Be ye continually being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Permalink Reply by Grace4u2receive on March 31, 2008 at 10:49am

I think I remember him saying that. I have to get out my notes, because I when he taught on the Holy Spirit, I believe I took notes. Our Pastor recently went over the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So when I got to the section in the The Trail of Blood book, it confused me a little.

Permalink Reply by Grace4u2receive on March 31, 2008 at 10:44am

When the Holy Spirit, entered me and I felt that cleansing feeling. At that time I didn't know that I was baptized by the Holy Spirit. Some people believe that you have to start speaking in tongues, after you are baptized by the Holy Spirit. I understand one baptism of the Holy Spirit, that makes more sence than the one baptism being water baptism. Especially in Matthew 3:11, when it talks of Jesus baptizing us with the Holy Ghost. It confused me when I learned that some Baptist, only believe in the one baptism being water baptism. A couple months after, I received the Holy Spirit, I was baptized with water, but only feel that that was an outward sign of my inward change.

Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob B on March 31, 2008 at 4:38pm

I believe that we receive the Holy Spirit at conversion and the baptism is something He does in us. You can call it cleansing, or a work of sanctification, etc.
The most important thing is that we are baptized, dipped in a dye, changed.
I was baptized in the Holy Spirit 4 years after I was saved and I was changed.
I never experienced lasting victory in my life over sin until this day 2-09-79.
I am not going to get on a soap box and say this, and this, is what must happen when someone is baptized in the Spirit.
For me I was delivered from smoking cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. I have been free since that day 29 years now. I had many other things happen also that night also and I have my doctrinal opinions. But what is important is receiving the promise as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, declaring the out pouring of the Spirit. Look at Peter who was a coward before, now full of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism is His work and He deal with each of us individually. It has nothing to do with a feeling although there most likely will be as the power that raised Jesus from the dead does a work in your life.