mv
BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT
Joel 2:28-32 (cf Acts 2:17-21)
“I will pour out My Spirit on” –Baptism in the Spirit is governed by God’s sovereignty. This is not, as some suggest, something that can be “taken by faith.” This is clearly seen in the fact that the disciples had to tarry in
“I will pour out My Spirit on” –This does not come from within a person. This is something that comes from the outside. In Acts 2, they heard the sound of a violent rushing wind coming toward them.
“I will pour out My Spirit on”– This is indicative of overwhelming liberality. This pertains to two areas. 1) Overwhelming liberality of the Spirit. This person is immersed in the Spirit. 2) Profusion concerning both the numbers and types of people. “That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…Young men...old men…My bondslaves, both men and women.” This is not for one particular class or culture!
“and” – The outpouring of the Spirit always leads to Christ-exalting action. Therefore, the word “and” is always directly present or implied. It is interesting to note that nothing that happened in Acts 2 was exactly as it was prophesied in Joel 2. Nevertheless, the “and” is apparent. In 17-18, notice the order: God pours out His Spirit and they prophesy. God pours out His Spirit and they see visions. God pours out His Spirit and they dream dreams.
We will now establish these principles through other sections in Scripture. In this section, we will simply be establishing the terminology as seen in Scripture.
Zechariah 12:10
We find activity on God’s part (“I will”). We see profusion (overwhelming liberality of the Spirit - “pour out” and widespread - “the land will mourn, every family…family of the house of David…their wives…the house of Nathan…their wives…house of Levi…their wives…family of the Shimeites…their wives…all the families…their wives”). We see objectivity (“on”). We also see phenomena (“and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. This was illustrated in Acts 2:37. “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
There is activity on God’s part (“…until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high”) There is profusion (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high”) There is objectivity (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high” – i.e. it comes from outside). There is phenomena (“…the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness will abide in the fertile field” cf 33:5)
This is an interesting case. This is an individual outpouring. Notice all of the previous elements are here.
“…the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, ‘Say, ‘Thus says the Lord”…Now it came about as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died.”
“Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.”
“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.”
“…the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” We see the results in the rest of his life.
“Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah…and he said…”
Judges 3:10
Judges 6:34
Judges 15:14-15
Luke 3:21-22; 4:1, 14, 16-17
“…while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove...Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit (filling is the result of the outpouring – mv), returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit...and Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…and He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to
Christ was always a son. Christ was always perfectly submitted to the Father’s will. However, He has this outpouring of the Spirit before beginning His public ministry.
“...I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave
“…but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: AND IT SHALL BE IN the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
The word “filled” is used here. This, however, is clearly the result of the outpouring. Someone may be filled with the Spirit without being baptized in the Spirit. Nevertheless, you cannot be baptized in the Spirit without it causing you to be filled with the Spirit.
Notice these believers had “received the word of God” but the Spirit had “not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 10:44-46
“...the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening...the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.”
2 – This establishes that the term “baptism in the Spirit” applies outpourings other than the one that happened at Pentecost.
In
