There is so much controversy surrounding the Baptism in the Holy Spirity. Let’s first take a look at some promises in the Old Testament concerning the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel prophesies that the New Birth of the New Covenant would be ushers in the indwelling Spirit of God (Ezek 36:26). Ezekiel relates this indwelling to the Spirit’s work in our sanctification (“I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes”), but does not mention the outward power to witness or signs and wonders as Joel does in the “outpouring” prophecy (Also quoted by Peter as a proof text for the Pentecostal outpouring in Acts 2). These are two separate operations: 1) Initial indwelling at salvation for sanctification, 2) An outpouring for power.

In the Old Testament, though right-standing with God was possible (Gen 15:6), the New Birth as described in Ezekiel 36:26 was not. This promise of the indwelling Spirit was for the future New Covenant. Therefore the Old Testament believers did not have the indwelling Spirit. However, they did have instances of the “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit for enablement/power for ministry. In Numbers 11:14-25, we see a “Pentecost” experience, and it is for empowerment for service because Moses’ burden was too big to handle. Notice how they all prophesied, similarly to the experiences in the New Testament (Acts 19:6). Many other Old Testament verses show the Holy Spirit coming upon or filling an individual for empowerment (See Jdgs 3:10, 6:34, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14, Ex 31:2-3, 1 Sam 10:6-11, 2 Kin 2:9). In Fact, Elisha’s double portion of Elijah’s spirit resulted in double the amount of miracles Elijah did. None of these “fillings” had anything to do with the person’s initial conversion, nor sanctification, but rather for miraculous empowerment. It enabled prophecy, amazing feats of strength and wisdom, supernatural leadership skills, and other miracles.

Even Jesus gives us an example of the Baptism of the Spirit for enduement with power. Jesus had an anointing of power from the Holy Spirit, which happened to occur immediately following His baptism in water. Before the dove descended on Him, there are no documented miracles that He did as a human. After it descended on Him, it was His primary means for ministerial power. Acts 10:38 and Luke 4:18 make it abundantly clear that His miraculous preaching and healing ministry was because of this anointing by the Holy Spirit. In His Kenosis (willingful laying down of the use of His own omnipotence), this was essential to His ministry.

With that framework laid, let’s look at the New Testament believer. Paul taught that the Spirit baptizes (or “immerses” us) us into the church (1 Cor 12:13) and seals us upon salvation (Eph 1:13-14). Paul also wrote a very important verse on the subject, Romans 8:9, which tells us that anyone who is saved has the Holy Spirit indwelling them (in the Ezek 36:26 sense). If you don’t have the Holy Spirit in you, you are not saved. All believers, upon getting saved, have the indwelling Spirit and His operation in convicting them to get saved (Jn 16:7-8,1 Cor 12:3), regenerating them (Jn 3:5-6), immersing them into the church (1 Cor 12:13), sealing them (Eph 1:13), assuring their salvation (Rom 8:16), sanctifying them from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:18), leading them (Rom 8:14), and imparting spiritual fruit in their lives (Gal 5:22).

This New Birth measure of the Holy Spirit is the first measure of the Holy Spirit’s manifest activity in a believer’s life. Jesus had the Spirit “without measure” (Jn 3:34), so we have it by measure; One measure at salvation; A different measure during the baptism in the Holy Spirit; A different measure as we’re continually filled. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul Speaks of a subsequent “filling” of the Spirit (Present Tense Imperative in Greek = “Be being filled”) that must continually occur. This continuous infilling is fostered by a continuous infilling of the Word of God (Compare Eph 5:18-19 with Col 3:16). Elisha wanted a double portion of the Spirit that Elijah had (2 Kings 2:9) and God granted it. His measure was increased. The disciples had experiences subsequent to both salvation and the baptism of the Spirit where they were filled with the Holy Spirit (See Acts 4:23-31, 13:51-52) with tangible manifestations of His power. Their measures were increased.

Now let’s turn to the disciples, and the Spirit’s activity in their lives. According to John 7:37-39, the Holy Spirit would not be “given” to the disciples until Jesus was glorified. After His resurrection, Jesus was glorified and the new covenant, thus fulfilling the requirements in John 7:37-38 to allow the Holy Spirit’s ministry to begin in the disciples. Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus met with them and told them to “receive” the Holy Spirit and blew on them (John 20:22). Non-charismatic theologians try to say that this is just a command to receive the Spirit when it is outpoured at Pentecost; a future command. Since the tense of the word “receive” is aorist, we know that it is a single, punctiliar action, but the actual time is not very clear. I believe this is the moment that the New Birth occurred to the disciples; A present command to receive the Spirit at the moment He blew on them. Consider the circumstances. All of the qualifications were met for their New Birth (with accompanying indwelling Spirit) – Jesus had died and rose again and He was glorified. The New Covenant was therefore established. To say they didn’t receive the indwelling Spirit here clearly denies Romans 8:9. Therefore, the disciples who already had right standing (Jn 13:10, 15:3), were now given the New Birth; The promise of Ezekiel 36:26. If you study their change of heart and desire to worship in the subsequent context of John 20 and Luke 24, you’ll agree that something new happened to them. Luke 24:45 said that their understanding of the scriptures was opened. Only the Spirit can give such an illumination (1 Cor 2:12-14). Therefore, they had the New Birth and indwelling Spirit, yet we see they were promised a secondary experience. Jesus told them, “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Lk 24:49). Acts more specifically tells us that He “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). [Notice that John promised them that Jesus would baptize them in the Holy Ghost, while Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ (1 Cor 12:13) - Yet more proof for distinct operations]. Jesus then told them the specific purpose for this baptism: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

First notice that He said the Holy Ghost would “come upon” them. This baptism has nothing to do with the New Birth indwelling of the Spirit. It is specifically for power to be witnesses; power for the great commission (See Mark 16:15-18). Prior to the pentecostal experience, the discipled were full of fear of persecution. After their Pentecostal experience in Acts 2:2-4 they were filled with boldness and power for the Great Commission.

A similar event then occurred to the gentiles in Acts 10. Cornelius’ household, a Roman family, was given the Gospel through Peter. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word … on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God”(Acts 10:44-46). Peter, in describing the events at Cornelius’ household, confirms that the Holy Ghost “falling” on the gentiles was the same experience the 120 had on Pentecost (See Acts 11:15-16). So the household of Cornelius experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit immediately following salvation. This is very possible even today. It does not have to be a long time after salvation, nor does it have to be during our water baptism (See Acts 10:47-48). One thing is for sure – It has to be received by the prayer of faith subsequent to obeying the Gospel (Lk 11:13, Gal 3:2, Acts 5:32). In the book of Acts, the recipients weren’t very educated on the operation of the Spirit (Acts 19:2). Therefore this receiving of the Spirit was oftentimes through the prayer of faith (and laying on of hands) of the apostles (Acts 19:6).

Now that we’ve looked at the two primary baptisms in the Spirit (Pentecost and Cornelius’ household), let’s look at the other accounts. Let’s first establish that the Book of Acts is just as authoritative for doctrine as any other book of the Bible. Anyone who would question pulling doctrine from a narrative account (i.e. Acts) must also cease pulling doctrine from all four Gospel accounts, which are also narratives. In fact, the book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Therefore, all doctrine established via the book of Luke would have to be disregarded. We know this would be a preposterous notion. Only those who insist on the cessation of the Holy Spirit’s miraculous would attempt to disregard doctrinal formation from the book of Acts. Yet even these people use Acts 5 to prove that the Holy Spirit is God (See Acts 5:4). The bottom line is this: All scripture is profitable for doctrine (2 Tim 3:16). With that said, let’s continue.

First we have the account of the Samaritans in Acts 8:5-17. “When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (v 12). The apostles would not have baptized people who were not saved. These people had the New Birth at this point. They were “in Christ” and thus were new creations (2 Cor 5:17). They had the indwelling Spirit, or they could not be saved according to New Covenant soteriology (Rom 8:9). They then received a subsequent experience by the laying on of hands of the disciples. Peter and John subsequently “prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (vv 15-16). Their experience was then followed with some amazing miraculous manifestation, because Simon the sorcerer was willing to pay money for the power they had received (v 18). The details are not written in the account.

Next we have the account of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9:4-6, 17. Saul of Tarsus called Jesus “Lord” (v 5), and immediately obeyed the commands given in verse 6. Saul fasted for three days (v 9), praying to God and seeing visions (vv 11-12). When Ananias arrived at his house, he called him “brother Saul” (v 17) and acknowledged that God sent him in answer to his prayers. God does not hear the prayers of sinners (Jn 9:31, Prov 15:29). Based on all this evidence, we must admit that Saul was saved, and thus indwelt by the Spirit, long before Ananias showed up. Ananias came to give him his sight and that he might “be filled with the Holy Ghost” (v 17). Paul was tarrying for enduement with power. Once Ananias prayed for him to be filled with the Spirit, “straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues”(v 20). This was the baptism in the Spirit – an enduement with power to minister.

Next we have the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19:1-6. Paul asked them “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”(v 2) This indicates that they were already believers, and therefore would have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit in the New Birth measure, according to Romans 8:9. “When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (v 6)

Many theologians claim that the different people-groups had one-time submersions in the Holy Ghost as inaugurations of the church for each demographic mentioned in Acts 1:8 -- The Jerusalem (the 120 during Pentecost), Judea (??), Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth (Cornelius’ house??). They claim that after these inaugerations, the Spirit already stands given to any subsequent believers. The problem is, I discussed 5 Pentecost-type events – Pentecost (Acts 2), Samaria (Acts 8), Paul (Acts 9), Cornelius’ household (Acts 10), and the Ephesian Disciples (Acts 19). If there was a one-time inauguration and outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the “uttermost parts of the earth” people, then the Ephesian disciples should not have needed a second experience. The Spirit would have already been universally given to all Gentiles when Cornelius’ household received the Spirit. Similary, Paul would not have need a second experience in the Holy Spirit. This theory would also require another account for those in Judea, which is mentioned nowhere. Therefore, this is a fanciful cessationist theory that doesn’t hold under scrutiny.

There is no reason to believe that our experience today should be different than that in Acts. There is no Biblical evidence to warrant a change in the way the Spirit works. We should seek a subsequent experience for empowerment. We should embrace the baptism in the Holy Spirit.