Baptized with the Holy Spirit

---

!! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !

BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT ! !

!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! by Jared Mellinger and Dave Harvey !

“Let us seek again to be baptized into the Holy Ghost.”

-C.H. Spurgeon1

!! !What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Have all Christians been baptized in the Spirit, or

only some? When does this baptism occur, and to what does it refer? Answers to these questions vary. In Sovereign Grace Ministries, we gladly labor together for the gospel despite some diversity in our answers. This is because we are agreed on the things that matter most, beginning with “Christ and him crucified” and including all the vital truths in our Statement of Faith.

!Even when it comes to understanding the empowering work of the Spirit, the common ground is

extensive: We believe in the importance of the ongoing, empowering work of the Spirit subsequent to conversion. We believe that the Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for witness and service. We believe there are supernatural gifts that the Holy Spirit imparts for the edification of the body and for works of ministry in the world. We believe that all the gifts of the Spirit at work in the church of the 1st century are available to us today, are vital for the mission of the church, and are therefore to be earnestly desired and practiced. Our Statement of Faith is intentionally non-specific on the subject of Spirit-baptism in order to leave room for differing views.2 And yet, the question of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit is not inconsequential. This paper is a brief introduction to the position I currently find most persuasive. It is a position that differs from both the Third Wave and Charismatic-Pentecostal perspectives, and is captured in the words Charles Spurgeon spoke to his congregation when he exhorted them, “Let us seek again to be baptized into the Holy Ghost.”3

!Four Foundational Principles !There are several exegetical principles that inform the approach we will take to understanding what it

means to be baptized with the Spirit. While these principles are widely-held, it may be helpful to state them at the outset.

!

1

1) Context determines meaning. The best way to understand the meaning of “baptized with the Holy Spirit” is to allow the context in which the phrase is used to shed light on the phrase itself. Etymological studies are of limited use.4 Far more important is grasping the author’s purpose in the context of the passages under consideration. This principle shapes our approach to

Charles Spurgeon, The Unknown God (Oswego, Illinois: Fox River Press, 2003), 426.

2

See Jeff T. Purswell’s Empowered by the Spirit: Room for Differing Views (www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ Reference/holy_spirit.pdf) for a more detailed explanation of why we leave room for differing views, the importance of communicating our perspectives with humility, and how this approach works itself out practically and pastorally in our family of churches. 3

Charles Spurgeon, The Unknown God (Oswego, Illinois: Fox River Press, 2003), 426.

4

Etymology is the study of the origin and history of a word. D.A. Carson writes, “The meaning of a word cannot be reliably determined by etymology” (Exegetical Fallacies, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), 32). Similarly, K.J. Vanhoozer, writing in the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, states, “The meaning of a word cannot be deduced from its etymology or origin. Instead, the meaning of a word must be determined in the concrete context of its use” (T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 57). !2

!2) ! !

understanding the promise of John the Baptist, the book of Acts and Paul’s words in I Corinthians 12:13.5 Analyze first, synthesize second. Biblical scholarship has recognized the limitations of reading the book of Acts through a Pauline grid or reflexively importing Lukan theology into 1 Corinthians 12. The best way to synthesize the uses of “baptized in the Holy Spirit” is to first analyze how the phrase is used in each case, and secondarily to bring them together into a coherent description.6

3) Study concepts, not just words. Why is this principle relevant? Here’s an example: Did you know that the language of the Spirit “falling” or the Spirit being “poured out” is never used in Scripture in a way that is said to happen to believers in an ongoing way? One could argue that from the standpoint of Biblical usage alone, it is therefore wrong to speak of the Spirit falling or being poured out on those who are already Christians. By limiting ourselves to word studies, we might not discover the biblical meaning of these terms.7 4) Establishing a semantic field is essential. In other words, answering the question, “How broad is the usage of this word?” is an important part of this discussion.8 The reason we as Christians pray to be filled with the Spirit, and pray that Christ pour out his Spirit upon us, is because we believe the semantic ranges of “fill” and “pour out” in relation to the Spirit are broad enough to refer to something we can experience repeatedly. Whether we as Christians can legitimately pray for the Spirit to fall on us, or come upon us, or legitimately pray that Christ baptize us in the Spirit, will depend upon our conclusion on the semantic range of these expressions.9

!A Flexible Metaphor !In the past, my exposure to the theological debate over the meaning of “baptized in the Holy Spirit”

provided two supportable options. The traditional Charismatic-Pentecostal position holds that the baptism in the Spirit is a dynamic, initial experience of the presence and power of God that is theologically distinct from, and may occur subsequent to, conversion. The Third Wave position holds that the

5

The phrase appears in seven places: Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5, 11:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13. 6

B.S. Rosner, writing in the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology under the heading “Analysis and synthesis” explains, “There is a temptation in studying the Bible’s theology too quickly to read one part of it in the light of another and thus to miss the individual contours of the terrain and flatten out the whole. In doing biblical theology much is lost if James is read in the light of Paul, or Mark in the light of Matthew. It is more accurate and productive first to let James be James and Mark be Mark and so on, thus appreciating their particular colours and hues, before going on to see how their perspectives look on the larger canonical canvas. Too often one part of the Bible is given undue and oppressive priority over the others” (T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 6). 7

“Word studies alone are a shaky foundation upon with to base theology. …Sometimes a biblical author will pursue the same concept as another author but with his own vocabulary. Concepts rather than words are a surer footing on which to base thematic study” (B.S. Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, p. 6). 8

Carson, in Exegetical Fallacies (D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), 57-61), outlines two mistakes that must be avoided: 1) Unwarranted restriction of the semantic field, and 2) unwarranted adoption of an expanded semantic field. 9

For example, if someone didn’t feel they had a Biblical basis for saying “God loves all unbelievers,” we would say from an exegetical standpoint, he is guilty of an unwarranted restriction of the semantic range of “love.” On the other hand, if someone said “I am being justified,” we would say, from an exegetical standpoint, that he is guilty of an unwarranted expansion of the semantic range of “justify.” The point is, establishing semantic range is an essential part of defining a word or phrase. !3

expression refers to our inauguration into the greater power of the Spirit in the new covenant, and therefore always occurs at conversion.

!However, the more I have studied this subject the more I have become persuaded of the legitimacy of a

third option – a position that not only has considerable historical and scholarly support, but a position that has also benefited from the other perspectives and seeks to implement the exegetical and pastoral strengths of both. This view maintains that “baptized in the Holy Spirit” is a flexible metaphor essentially synonymous with the other metaphors Scripture uses to describe our experience of the Spirit (the Spirit is poured out upon us, the Spirit fills us, etc.). According to this perspective, Scripture uses many interchangeable terms to describe the generous, eschatological outpouring of the Spirit by the risen Christ in the new covenant, and these metaphors all have a semantic field broad enough to refer to our initiation into the new covenant and subsequent experiences of empowerment.

!The critical question in the discussion is, “Is there sufficient Biblical evidence to limit the usage of

baptized with the Holy Spirit to one specific moment in the life of an individual?” The Third Wave position and the Charismatic-Pentecostal position answer in the affirmative. On the other hand, an increasing number of theologians are coming to understand “baptized in the Holy Spirit” not as a technical term for a punctiliar event, but as a flexible metaphor for something that is repeatable and ongoing.10 According to this position, the phrase encompasses all infusions of the Spirit, including conversion and repeated fillings.11 This is what D.A. Carson is driving at when he writes,

!

Charismatics tend to want to make all occurrences of the expression [“baptized in the Holy Spirit”] refer to a postconversion effusion of Spirit; some anticharismatics contemplate 1 Corinthians 12:13 and conclude, with equal fallacy, that all New Testament references are to the effusion of Spirit all Christians receive at their conversion. …[The] problem is the assumption on both sides that we are dealing with a terminus technicus that always has the same meaning. There is insufficient evidence to support that view…Interestingly, the Puritans adopted neither extreme. Apparently detecting in the phrase baptism in Holy Spirit no consistent, technical meaning, they took it to mean ‘effusion in Spirit’ or ‘inundation in Spirit’ and felt free to pray for revival in the terms, “Oh, baptize us afresh with thy Holy Spirit!”12

!What a prayer! It is a prayer to be inundated and immersed in the Spirit of God: “Oh, baptize us afresh

with thy Holy Spirit!” The Puritans could ask God to baptize them again with his Spirit only because they

10

In Perspectives on Spirit Baptism, ed. Chad Owen Brand, three of five contributors write in support of understanding “baptized in the Spirit” as a flexible metaphor. Larry Hart encourages us to “treat Spirit baptism as a flexible metaphor” (“A Reformed Perspective,” 45) and says “Spirit baptism encompasses the entirety of our Christian lives” (“A Charismatic Perspective,” 156). H. Ray Dunning writes, “[T]he phrase ‘baptism with the Holy Spirit may legitimately be applied to the new birth [and] subsequent infillings…This use of the phrase cannot be legitimately restricted exclusively to any one [experience]” (“A Wesleyan Perspective,” 226-227). He supports the idea of “repeated Baptisms in the Spirit as a normal part of the Christian life” (“A Wesleyan Perspective,” 227). Likewise, Ralph Del Colle believes “[T]he term ‘baptism in the Spirit’…should not be understood as a one-time event” (“A Catholic Perspective,” 271). “The New Testament usage,” he writes, “is appropriate for any sending of the Spirit” (“A Catholic Perspective,” 273). 11

This does not imply that the meaning of “baptized in the Holy Spirit” is infinitely broad. The metaphor is not so flexible that it can be used to refer to the experience of saints in the old covenant, or the experience of unbelievers, or something that every believer experiences every day. These are unwarranted expansions of the semantic field, and they would effectively render the term meaningless. 12

D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), 46. !4

understood the expression to be a flexible metaphor.13 Charles Spurgeon understood the phrase the same way, and was able to pray “Lord, take me this morning, baptize me in the Spirit; let me now feel an entire affection to thy blessed person.”14

!This position calls for a shift away from understanding “baptized in the Spirit” as a technical term toward

understanding the expression as a broad metaphor. It calls for a shift away from thinking of “the baptism in the Holy Spirit” as something we possess or don’t possess toward understanding this language as referring to something the resurrected and exalted Christ has done and will continue to do in us.15 These are some of the reasons I continue to find this position so appealing.

!A Generous Outpouring !Affirming that ‘baptized in the Holy Spirit’ is a flexible metaphor does not necessarily imply that various

Biblical authors present entirely different perspectives on what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. In fact, this position maintains that each time the phrase is used it is a broad metaphor referring to the generous outpouring of the Spirit by the risen Christ in the new covenant.

!For example, John the Baptist declares, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming

after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11; see also Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). These words would have immediately been equated by John’s listeners with a host of Old Testament promises regarding the coming of the Spirit, including Joel 2:28-29 (“In those days I will pour out my Spirit”) and Isaiah 44:3-4 (“I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring”). John is restating Joel’s prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit with a metaphor taken from his own work of baptizing. The basic structure of the verse is one of contrast: Jesus is altogether greater than John, and his baptizing work is vastly different than the baptizing work of John.

!The significance of John’s words, which appear in each of the gospel accounts, can hardly be overstated. This is John’s summary of the eschatological activity of the Savior in the new covenant. While this certainly includes the incredible miracle of conversion, John’s announcement of the coming Savior is far

13

Iain Murray has done a considerable amount of work compiling the uses of Spirit-baptism as a flexible metaphor from the pages of church history. See his article in The Banner of Truth Magazine, Baptism with the Spirit: What is the Scriptural Meaning? (Issue 127, April 1974, 5-22), and Pentecost-Today? (105-133). Murray wrote in his article from 1974, “The phrase ‘baptism of the Spirit’ is not used in the technical sense of a post-conversion experience available to every Christian, but it is used to denote a large and fresh measure of the Spirit given to a body of Christians, or to individual Christians, empowering them to glorify Christ” (21). 14

From a sermon entitled “Thou Lovest Me”, September 7th, 1856.

15

The expression always appears in Scripture as a verb (something Christ does), not a noun (something we do or don’t “have”). !5

more broad.16 These words are a monumental, salvation-historical promise of a mighty Baptizer who floods the world with the Spirit and fire. John is saying, “I have immersed you and drenched you in water, but he will immerse you and drench you in the Holy Spirit. From him you will experience the generous outpouring of the Spirit.”

!In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul uses the metaphor of being baptized with the Spirit along with the metaphor

of drinking of the Spirit: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” In this case, Paul uses the metaphor in reference to something that occurs to all believers at conversion. The purpose of 1 Corinthians 12 is to illustrate how the varieties of the Spirit’s manifestations and gifts promote unity in the body of Christ. This particular verse is highlighting something that we all have in common, and both the words of verses 12-13 and the context of these verses make clear that there is no such thing as a Christian who has never been baptized in the Spirit.17 For all who are Christians, the Spirit has regenerated our souls and now resides as the active, empowering presence of God to be enjoyed and experienced.

!It is sometimes assumed that if 1 Corinthians 12:13 speaks of being baptized in the Spirit as a point in

time occurrence that is true of all Christians, then it cannot be said to happen to believers in an ongoing way. But it is important to recognize that a phrase can refer to something that has happened to all Christians and still be something that happens to us in an ongoing way. This is in fact what we all believe about the Spirit being “poured out”: The Spirit has been poured out on all Christians in our conversion (Titus 3:6), but we continue to pray that God would pour out his Spirit upon us. Similarly, Jesus has baptized us in the Spirit in our conversion, but we should not infer from this that his baptizing work in us has been exhausted. The point of “baptized” in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is simply that all Christians share a common experience of the generous outpouring of the Spirit by the risen Christ in our conversion. The application of this broad metaphor to conversion is no reason to limit the baptism in the Holy Spirit to a one-time, initiatory event.

!Interchangeable Metaphors !It is in the book of Acts, however, that the concept of “baptized in the Holy Spirit” as a broad metaphor becomes most apparent. Christ’s baptizing work clearly plays a critical role in Acts, given the salvationhistorical significance of John the Baptist’s prophecy and the central role it plays in the introduction to the book of Acts in Acts 1:5. Yet when we read the book of Acts we are compelled to ask why this important

16

Max Turner cautions against restricting John the Baptist’s promise when he writes, “The imagery here was clearly capable of being applied by the Evangelists (1) to the Spirit in Jesus’ ministry, (2) to the continuation of his ministry through the church in Jesus’ lordship over the Spirit, (3) to the final act of judgment and re-creation, without requiring to be applied exclusively to any one. [Exegetes are] probably right to think Mark saw Jesus’ baptismal reception of the Spirit, and powerful ministry, as fulfillment of the Baptist’s promise, but wrong to restrict it to that: because a climactic new phase in the revelation of Christ and of God’s reign in Mark is initiated with the Easter events. Exegetes are right to suggest Luke saw the fulfillment of John’s promise in Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 11:16) and Matthew in the eschaton (cf. ‘fire’ in Matthew), but wrong to restrict it to this if it means denying Luke thought Jesus’ ministry (empowered by the Spirit, precipitating eschatological judgment-and-salvation and casting ‘fire’ on the earth [12:49]) already began to fulfill John’s logion, and if it means denying that the final act of judgment and recreation would further fulfill it.” (Joel B. Green and Skot McKnight, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 344; italics mine.) 17

See D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1987), pp. 42-49. Frederick Bruner is also helpful here when he writes, “If this verse is interpreted as speaking of a...baptism...for only some Christians, then violence is done not only to the words of the text – ‘all...all’ - but to the purpose of the text in its Corinthian context. The burden of Paul's Corinthian message is the oneness of the baptized... Twice in this single verse Paul employs the adjective ‘all,’ and by it he means all, the entire Corinthian church, and beyond the Corinthians ( n.b.: ‘we were all baptized into one body’) ‘all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:2)” (Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1970), 292). !6

phrase is only mentioned on one more occasion (11:16), and why Luke himself never uses the expression unless he is quoting someone else.

!I think the best explanation is that Luke takes the concept of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and explains it and restates it with his own vocabulary. I would argue that the concept of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is present throughout the book of Acts, and is not limited to the two instances the expression appears. In fact, one of the first things we notice in approaching the book of Acts is the abundance of broad metaphors used to describe the coming of the Spirit:

!1. We are baptized with the Spirit (1:5; 11:16).

2. The Spirit comes upon us (1:8; 19:6). 3. We are filled with the Spirit (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52). 4. The Spirit is poured out on us (2:17, 18, 33; 10:45). 5. We receive the Spirit (2:38; 8:15, 17, 19; 10:47; 19:2). 6. The Spirit is given to us (5:32; 8:18; 11:17; 15:8). 7. The Spirit falls on us (8:16; 10:44; 11:15).

!Many of these phrases are used in Acts to describe the same incident: scholars have noted that all seven

phrases are used for Pentecost (1:5; 1:8; 2:4; 2:17; 10:47; 11:17; 11:15), three of them are used for Samaria, five for Caesarea, and two for Ephesus. In each case, the coming of the Spirit is so rich and glorious that synonymous words are piled up in an attempt to give adequate expression to the fullness and abundance of what has occurred.18 The promised Spirit of God has arrived!

!Discovering these parallel expressions helped me see that “baptized in the Spirit” is not an isolated

metaphor, but one metaphor among many used to portray the dynamic descent of the Spirit. It is important to realize just how parallel these expressions are: they are not only metaphors describing the work of the Spirit in the same events, but they are liquid metaphors (baptize, pour out, fill) that would have brought identical concepts to mind for the original hearers. Iain Murray writes,

!

Scripture commonly employs the figure of water poured out as a picture of communications of the Spirit of God. The language ‘pouring out’ and ‘baptizing with the Spirit’ mean one and the same thing. The terms are synonymous. Both speak of enlarged, abundant supplies of the Spirit to ‘drench’ the church. The primary idea is of copiousness. Christ used the idea of baptism in this sense when he spoke of the largeness of the flood of sufferings he was to endure on

18

The insights of this paragraph belong to James D.G. Dunn, whom I quote here with some reluctance given my disagreement with Dunn on important theological issues unrelated to Spirit-baptism. Dunn was not writing in support of the Flexible Metaphor position, and yet he concludes from an examination of these metaphors, “This means they are all equivalent ways of describing the same coming of the Spirit – a coming which was such a dramatic and overpowering experience that it almost exhausted Luke’s vocabulary to find language which would give an adequate description of its richness and fullness” (James D.G. Dunn, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1977), 71). !7

Calvary: ‘I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!’ (Luke 12:50).19

!From the standpoint of the Flexible Metaphor position, the words and phrases Luke uses to describe the

communication of the Spirit are interchangeable in the sense that there is no apparent intention of distinguishing between initial and subsequent experiences of the Spirit. As one scholar observes, “Acts uses a variety of synonymous expressions that it identifies with one another and applies these to the experience of empowerment whether or not it happens at conversion.”20

!Prior to Pentecost, Jesus connects being baptized in the Spirit with the disciples being clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49), receiving power (Acts 1:8), and having the Holy Spirit come upon them (Acts 1:8). Later, Luke equates being baptized in the Spirit with being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) and Peter equates this baptizing with the pouring out of God’s Spirit (Acts 2:17). 21 As the Scottish theologian George Smeaton concluded, “The history of the apostles shows that not once, but on many occasions, they were made partakers of the baptism of the Spirit.”22

!Shoulders to Stand On !Viewing these metaphors together sheds light on why men over the centuries have used the baptism

metaphor in the same way the other metaphors are used—in a flexible, non-technical manner. John Calvin, in his commentary on Acts, writes, “Every day Christ baptizes [in the Holy Spirit] those his Father has chosen.”23 Charles Hodge agreed: “Any communication of the Holy Spirit is called a

19

Iain H. Murray, Pentecost – Today? (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 1998), 118. It is sometimes thought that the Greek word baptizo takes on initiatory connotations whenever it is used in Christian and Jewish contexts, but this is clearly not the case. The lexicons demonstrate that the word essentially means “immerse, submerge, plunge,” and as far as I can tell there is nothing to suggest it must refer to initiation. When used literally, baptizo occasionally refers to a repeatable dipping, washing, or submerging in water, as the gospel-writers themselves were aware (Mark 7:4; Luke 11:38). Interestingly, when baptizo is used as a metaphor in Biblical and extra-Biblical writings, it seems that the primary idea is often one of being overwhelmed and flooded with something (Luke 12:50; Isaiah 21:4, LXX). Classical and Hellenistic Greek authors use baptizo this way on numerous occasions, affirming the use of the word as a flexible metaphor. The Liddell-Scott Lexicon says Josephus (c. 37-100 A.D.) used it to metaphorically describe a great mass of people traveling to Jerusalem – they baptized the city. It also notes that Plutarch (c. 45-125 A.D.) used the word to describe people immersed in debt, and Plato (c. 400 B.C.) used “baptized in wine” as a metaphorical way to say someone was drunk. You can be baptized in sleep, baptized in anger, baptized in grief, etc. – and these are all repeatable experiences. In these cases, the metaphor is unrelated to the idea of initiation, and instead has to do with the overwhelming copiousness of what is being experienced. 20

Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 159.

21

Gathering all the Biblical references to the Spirit being “poured out” (evkce,w) reveals a usage of this metaphor that is remarkably parallel to the Biblical usage “baptized” (bapti,zw) in the Spirit. Both were widely predicted (“pour out” in Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 32:15 and 44:3, and Ezekiel 39:29; “baptize” in each of the gospels: Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33), both are used in Acts only with reference to Pentecost and Cornelius’ household (“pour out” in Acts 2:17-18, 33 and 10:45; “baptize” in Acts 1:5 and 11:16), both are used by Paul with reference to something we all experience at conversion (“pour out” in Titus 3:5-6; “baptize” in 1 Corinthians 12:13), and neither is used explicitly with reference to something that occurs after conversion-initiation. While some might argue in favor of distinguishing between these two terms, the evidence suggests they are essentially identical. 22

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, 52.

23

John Calvin, Acts (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995), 15. !8

baptism.”24 Charles Spurgeon exhorted his congregation to seek to be baptized in the Spirit25 in the same way he exhorted them to be filled with the Spirit, to pursue the outpouring of the Spirit, and prayed that the Spirit would fall upon them. This is a desire we should all have for our churches: a longing for the Spirit of the living God to descend upon us, to baptize us yet again, and to fill us once more with his empowering presence.

!Not only should it be our prayer as churches, it should also be our prayer as individuals. As John Piper has said more recently, “A Christian without power is a Christian who needs a baptism in the Holy Spirit.”26 In particular, this baptizing work of Christ is essential for those who are called to preach God’s Word. Martyn Lloyd-Jones held that preachers are baptized in the Spirit to enable them to witness to the gospel with power: “[The baptism with the Spirit] is a baptism of power, or a baptism of fire, a baptism to enable one to witness.” He went on to affirm, “This ‘effusion of power’… is not something ‘once for all; it can be repeated, and repeated many many times.”27 As D.A. Carson writes, “Although I find no biblical support for a second-blessing theology, I do find support for a second-, third-, fourth-, or fifth-blessing theology.”28

!Conclusion !If “baptized in the Spirit” is a flexible metaphor describing the broad, salvation-historical activity of the ascended Christ, then it is acceptable for God’s people to pray that he would baptize us again and pour out his empowering Spirit upon us. This is the desire of our hearts.

!Yet, in light of the disagreement surrounding the expression over the past 100 years, it seems best to adopt

a cautious and pastoral approach to implementing this metaphor into our vocabulary. There are, after all, according to the Flexible Metaphor position, plenty of other metaphors available to us that carry the same exact meaning! Furthermore, it seems most consistent with the book of Acts to adopt the language of “filled with the Spirit” (not “baptized with the Spirit”) as the paradigmatic way of describing our experience, since being “filled” is the language Luke uses most often (2:4; 4:8, 31; etc).

!Above all, we must remember that the terminology is not what matters most. Not all will agree on the

terminology, but we should all share a common, forward-looking desire for an increased experience of the presence of God and the empowering of his Spirit. Do we desire the power of God in our lives? Do we want to know more of the greatness of the love of Christ for sinners? Do we long for the dynamic outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the church? Do we long to be a church full of people who are filled with the Spirit? This was the great distinguishing mark of the early church: “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

!At the end of the day, our pursuit of the active, discernable presence of God matters far more than the

semantic issues that surround this discussion. We began by asking, “What does it mean to be baptized in

24

Charles Hodge, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eeerdmans, 1950), 254. 25

“Let us seek again to be baptized into the Holy Ghost.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Unknown God (Oswego, IL: Fox River Press, 2003), 426. 26

From a sermon preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on April 29, 1984, entitled, “How to Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit” (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/ 1984/437_How_to_Receive_the_Gift_of_the_Holy_Spirit/). 27

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1971), 308.

28

D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1987), 160. !9

the Holy Spirit?” Perhaps the best place to end is by posing a more significant question: Are we currently pursuing the active presence of God?

!

!10