by R. L. Morrison

The first reference in the Bible to Holy Spirit baptism is found in Matthew 3:11-12. It was spoken by John, "the baptizer." "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Parallel statements by other gospel writers are found in Mark 1:8, and Luke 3:16-17.

No further reference is made of this baptism until the last night of Jesus' life on earth. He had, during his three and one-half years of public ministry, gathered twelve men as "chosen" disciples. He and these men had eaten the Passover according to Old Testament law. After this, Judas Iscariot, who had made an agreement with the Jews to betray Jesus into their hands, left the group. After Judas had departed, Jesus began to teach his final lesson to the eleven who remained (John 13:31 through John 16). In the course of this teaching, he promised these disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit, also called the Comforter, to them. He also told these men WHY the Holy Spirit would be sent to them. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16-17). "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). "But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27). "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and he shall show it unto you" (John 16;12-14).

Although Jesus did not in these scriptures use the word "baptism", he explained it to these disciples just before his ascension. "And being assembled together with them (the disciples and apostles, Acts 1:2), commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4-5).

This was about the last thing Jesus said to these disciples before his ascension. This was a promise he made to them. It was made only to the eleven for Matthais had not yet been selected to take the place of Judas. The passages from John tell us very plainly the reason for this baptism. The Holy Spirit would teach them all things; he would guide them into all truth, which they were to preach to every creature, or all nations. These were the apostles, men sent; they were the earthen vessels (2 Cor. 4:7), in which the gospel was placed. They revealed the truth, the gospel, "not in words which men's wisdom teacheth, but that which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13).

The requirements to be a part of this, or to be an earthen vessel, are clearly set forth in Acts 1:21-22. "Wherefore, of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."

This limits Holy Spirit baptism. No one living today can obtain it. No one living today has received it, for no living person meets the requirements. And there is no need for it. Its purpose, to enable the apostles to reveal the truth, has been accomplished. Peter wrote that all things which pertain to life and godliness have been revealed (2 Peter 1:3).

In addition to the twelve, there is the record of one more who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Although no scripture specifically states that Saul of Tarsus, Paul, the apostle, received this baptism, it can be shown by necessary inference that he did so. Saul was an enemy of Christians and the church. He obtained letters from the high priest in Jerusalem authorizing him to go to Damascus, search out Christians, and bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. On the way the Lord appeared to him. He was blinded and told to go into the city where he would be told what he should do. He obeyed. Later, referring to this event he related what the Lord said to him. "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise and stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I shall appear unto thee, delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles unto whom I now send thee" (Acts 26:15-17). Turning back to Acts 9:20 we read: "And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God." Jesus appeared to him to qualify him to be an apostle. He received the Holy Spirit which enabled him to preach Jesus as the Son of God, a thing he had not previously believed. He later wrote (2 Cor. 11:5) that he was not a whit behind the chiefest apostles. That he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not to be doubted. He did the work of an apostle becoming the author of 13, probably 14, of the books of the New Testament.

In this we can easily understand that the purpose for giving the Holy Spirit or baptizing in the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in what the apostles of the Lord did as directed by the Holy Spirit.

But there is recorded in Acts 10-11 an event which is usually referred to as a baptism in the Holy Spirit. These events need to be carefully considered.

An angel appeared to man named Cornelius, a Gentile, telling him to send to the city of Joppa for Peter, the apostle, who would tell him what he ought to do. Cornelius obeyed. When Peter came to his home, he entered and found that Cornelius had called his kinsmen and near friends (many people) to hear what Peter would say. Peter asked, "Why did you send for me?" Cornelius told him of the appearance of the angel and what he had been told to do. Peter then began to speak and the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentiles as on the apostles in the beginning (Acts 10:44; 11:15). Peter and the Jews who were with him were astonished because that "on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:45). The following verse tells what these Gentiles did: "Speak with tongues and glorify God." Peter then commanded them to be baptized in water in the name of the Lord.

Later, when called to give an account for his action to the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem for going to the Gentiles, he explained what happened from the beginning to the end. In Acts 11:15, he said, "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning." These passages are those usually referred to by those who teach that Cornelius also (and this, of course, would include the many whom he had called together) received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let us go back to the beginning, Acts 2:1-4. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like of as fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." This is what happened to the apostles in the beginning. Peter said this is what happened to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius. It "happened" to them in the same way it "happened" to the apostles in "the beginning". But was this the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to baptize the apostles in the Holy Spirit? Generally, this question would be answered in the affirmative. But this is NOT what Peter said. When the apostles were accused of drunkenness, Peter said, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16-21). Peter did not say this is what Jesus promised, he did not say this is the result of Holy Spirit baptism; he said this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. It is VERY difficult to find a better explanation of Old Testament prophecy than that given by an inspired apostle.

In Joel 2:28-29: "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids, in those days will I pour out my Spirit." This is not all of Joel's prophecy, but he did foretell the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles (Jews) in Acts 2, and the outpouring of the Spirit on the Gentiles in Acts 10-11, meets the requirements of "all flesh." This is NOT to say these are the only times or occurrences of this outpouring of the Spirit.

Of course the apostles were baptized with or in the Holy Spirit as promised. The Holy Spirit directed them as they began the revelation of the gospel on the day of Pentecost. About three thousand people who heard the first gospel sermon obeyed its requirements and were added by the Lord to the church. But the things that occurred preceding the preaching of the gospel, the sound as of a mighty rushing wind; the cloven tongues as of fire and the speaking in tongues, or different languages, was not evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, for Peter said it was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, who DID NOT foretell baptism in the Holy Spirit.

There is no scriptural basis for the argument that the Gentiles received Holy Spirit baptism (or a measure of it) for the purpose of convincing the Jews that Gentiles were now acceptable to God. Nowhere can one read of Holy Spirit baptism being divided, a part of it for one reason, a part of it to enable the apostles to reveal the truth. It is very apparent that the Gentiles to whom Peter preached in the home of Cornelius did not have the power or ability to preach the gospel. They were not apostles. They did not, could not, meet the requirements. But they did receive what Joel promised, and that was sufficient to convince the Jews that the Gentiles were to hear the gospel, that they were acceptable to God, under the great commission.

Speaking in tongues was not evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. It is true that the apostles spoke in tongues, but so did others. Some of those upon whom the apostles laid hands received the gift that enabled them to speak in tongues. But they did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to reveal the truth, the New Testament. They proved what they taught was true by the signs and wonders they performed (Mark 16:15-18; Hebrews 2:3-4). In other words, these apostles fulfilled the responsibility and did the work that Jesus gave them to do when he promised them the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let's look at John's statement in Matthew 3:11-12 again. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

This is a judgment scene that John foretold. It, of course, was spoken to Israel. Only 13 of the Jews (the apostles) received Holy Spirit baptism. Did John mean that all others of fleshly Israel would be lost, burned up with unquenchable fire? Who would so affirm? Actually, purging the floor refers to the final judgment, which has not yet occurred. Jesus spoke of this and it is recorded in Matthew 25:31-46. He spoke of a final, eternal separation, in which the righteous will inherit life eternal and the unrighteous shall go away into everlasting punishment. We all know, of course, that this day is future, but we also know that day has been set (Acts 17:31). This everlasting punishment is the baptism of fire, reserved for those who are lost. John spoke of the two baptisms together. Who can say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit will not be given to the redeemed, at the same time the baptism of fire will be allotted to those who are lost?

Are you among the lost? Or the saved?