The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We explained in the last unit that the baptism the Bible says is necessary for salvation is not water baptism. It is actually the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But this brings up a whole new set of questions.

When does a Christian receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is there something we need to know about how to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? How do we know if we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit or not?

I will cover some of these questions in a separate unit. However, there are two questions we must address in this unit because they deal directly with salvation.

We explained that it is not water baptism but the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the Bible says is a requirement for salvation. This baptism occurs at the moment Jesus becomes Lord and Savior of your life.

Why You Cannot Receive Jesus Without the Holy Spirit

To fully understand this, you need to recognize that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are not three different people. They are three different manifestations of the same God. You can read more about this here.

This is why, when Jesus was asked to show His disciples the Father, He said that if you have seen Jesus, then you have seen the Father. This is also why you cannot receive Jesus without also receiving the Holy Spirit.

If the three manifestations of God are one, then seeing Jesus is also seeing the Holy Spirit and the Father. This is especially true since the Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of Christ.

Understanding that the Trinity is actually one individual helps us see that if we have Jesus with us, we also have the Holy Spirit and the Father. The three are not divided. You cannot have one without having the others because they are all different aspects of the same God.

Take note of verse 6, which includes the words “water and blood, even Jesus Christ.” The word “even” often signifies that what was said before is summed up by what follows. In this case, we see that Jesus is the water and the blood, as we also explained in the last unit.

Verse 7 takes this further, explaining that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are the same God. Therefore, when we accept Jesus as our Lord, we also accept the Holy Spirit. If Jesus comes into our hearts, the Holy Spirit does as well. All of this happens at the moment of repentance, as you will see.

When Do You Receive the Holy Ghost

In verse 15, it says, “keep my commandments.” What is the first command? To love God. How do we keep this command? By repenting—turning away from sin and turning toward God. All other commands are fulfilled in this one.

Jesus says that when you keep His commandments, He will send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth. Then He adds, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Jesus is the Comforter.

In each of these passages, we see that when a person repents, they receive not only Jesus but also the Holy Ghost. The commandment we are to keep is to love God, and this command cannot be kept without repentance.

It is important to note that repentance does not mean you will never sin again. A Christian does not turn away from God when they sin. They may stumble, but they are not lost! Repentance means turning toward God and pursuing Him, not being perfect.

When you are in a race and fall down, you are not deciding to run in the opposite direction. You are still facing forward; you just need to get back up. We will discuss this further in the future, but I felt you might need to hear it now.

Returning to the topic: the moment we repent, we receive forgiveness of our sins. We become born again as someone who loves God and keeps His commandments.

This is when the Holy Spirit comes into us (since Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and the same). The Holy Spirit breathes life into us, causing us to be “born again.” Without the Holy Spirit, we are not born again, but with Him, we are made new.

This is why the baptism of the Holy Ghost happens at the same time as repentance. The only requirements mentioned in the Bible to receive Him are that we believe, confess our sin, and repent.

Loving God is part of obedience, and obedience is part of repentance. As we repent, Jesus comes into us and cleanses us of sin. This is the promise made in the verses above.

This completes the first four requirements for salvation. You now believe, have confessed your sins, repented, and been baptized in the Holy Spirit. The last requirement is that you continue in the faith.

Not Water Baptism

Acts 2:38 says, “repent AND be baptized” and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some attempt to claim that this proves water baptism is required first. However, as we have already shown in previous units, water baptism is simply a public statement—a confession of faith in Jesus.

When Peter says, “repent AND be baptized,” he follows it up with “in the name of Jesus.” Notice he doesn’t say, “in water.” So, what is he really saying? He is saying to repent and be immersed in Jesus, and you will ALSO receive the Holy Ghost as you are immersed in Him.

This happens at repentance when Jesus (in the form of the Holy Spirit) comes to live with you. To drive the point home:

The statement isn’t “will give”; it is “HAS given.” In other words, you have already been given the Holy Ghost the moment you repent.

Difference Between Indwelling and Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Many believe that the baptism in the Holy Ghost is different from the “initial filling” of the Holy Ghost. In other words, they think the Bible speaks of a moment you receive the Holy Ghost at repentance and a second moment when you receive the power of the Holy Ghost.

This belief is incorrect. It stems from a misunderstanding of the following verses:

Some think this shows you can be a Christian and not yet have received the power of the Holy Ghost because these people are called “disciples” and are said to already “believe.” But let’s examine this in context.

In verse 1, these men are called “certain disciples.” Does this mean they were disciples of Jesus? No, it does not.

The term “disciples” does not always refer to followers of Jesus. Acts 19:3 clarifies that these men were actually disciples of John the Baptist.

In Acts 19:2, Paul asks if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed. The question is: What had they believed, and why would Paul ask this?

Paul asked because the disciples of John believed what had been taught before Jesus. They believed that a Christ was coming and in the necessity of repentance. They may have even believed Jesus was the Christ, as John proclaimed, but Paul wanted to know if they were now following Jesus.

This is why Paul explains in verse 4 that Jesus is the Christ John preached about. At that moment, they believed, repented, turned to Jesus, and thus received Him and the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8 tells a similar story with Simon the sorcerer, who was water baptized but had not repented.

A few verses earlier, we read that Samaria had received the word of God, but the Holy Ghost had not yet fallen upon them. Simon’s story explains why: they had believed and been water baptized but had not fully repented or begun to follow Jesus.

This is an example of people believing intellectually and participating in rituals but not yet having the truth of Jesus become a part of who they are. They believed but were not yet truly following.

Some criticize the idea that Philip would baptize people without knowing if they had truly repented. However, the Bible clearly says this happened in Simon’s case. This criticism is invalid since Scripture records it. Philip likely learned from this and ensured the Ethiopian believed “with all” his heart in Acts 8:26-37.

There is no scriptural basis for the belief that you can receive Jesus first and later be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Such a belief contradicts Scripture and could even be considered blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (a topic covered here).

Jesus and the Holy Ghost are not divided. If you receive one, you receive both.

What It Means to Be Baptized with the Holy Ghost

Let’s refresh our memory. Baptism means “to be immersed” into something. The words “in,” “with,” and “by” do not carry different meanings in this context. Let me explain this using water baptism as an example, substituting the word immersed for baptized.

You are “immersed in” water. You are “immersed with” water. You are “immersed by” water. No matter how you say it, the meaning remains the same: you are submerged and covered in, with, and by the water.

Similarly, when we speak of being baptized “in,” “with,” or “by” the Holy Ghost, we are talking about being submerged and covered in, with, and by the Holy Spirit.

These verses show us that baptism in the Holy Ghost is similar to drinking water. We drink in the water of the Word—the Holy Spirit. As we are baptized (covered and submerged) into the body of Christ, we are filled and covered by the Holy Ghost at the moment of salvation.

What happens when you are submerged and covered in something? You are “sealed with it.” The Holy Ghost seals us, keeping us clean and free in Christ. It empowers us to overcome the world and to be witnesses to it as others see Jesus in us.

All of this happens at the moment we repent and begin to follow Jesus.

There is much more to say about the Holy Ghost, including the subject of the gifts of the Spirit and many other topics.

However, one final thing I want to mention is that the “gifts,” such as speaking in other languages, are not the evidence of the Holy Ghost. The true evidence is being a witness (Acts 1:8), love (Romans 5:5), righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17), along with the other fruits of the Spirit.

We will cover these things in more detail later. For now, let us look at the final requirement of salvation: learning how to endure until the end.

Unit 3:8 – How to Endure until the End OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 3 – Repentance and Salvation