Let me bring you up to speed real quick. I grew up at a bapticostal type non-denominational church. At our church we had prophecies and even some tongues with interpretations and tongues without interpretations. I was clueless about what the Bible taught about the Holy Spirit and my church did little to no teaching about what was happening. After high school I went to Lee University, a pentecostal college, and served at pentecostal churches. I was taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a secondary event and the initial evidence of being baptized in the Spirit was speaking in tongues(at least once). During my college years, just to shake things up a bit, God had me work with Student Life Camp, a camp that was primarily southern Baptist. Long story short, God put me in two different worlds.
For many years now I have been wrestling with what the bible teaches about the Holy Spirit and Jesus being the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit. This lead me to read Martyn-Lloyd Jones book on the Holy Spirit called Joy Unspeakable. This book was the best book I have ever read that I dis-agree with. Lloyd-Jones presented the most biblically faithful argument for a post conversion Baptism of the Spirit that I have ever read. Although I learned a ton from the book and would recommend it to many I still found it faulty. The rest of this post is an explanation of one of the biggest reasons I can’t agree with Martyn-Lloyd Jones or my pentecostal friends.
Acts 11:15-18 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And i remembered the word of The Lord, how he said “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in The Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way? When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life”.
Peter is brought in to Jerusalem to explain to the church what has been happening among the Gentiles.
Peter says that the Holy Spirit came to the gentiles just like He had to them. So Peter is saying Acts 2, 8, and 10 (And 19) are comparable.
Peter says he remembered that Jesus would be the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit.
Peter teaches that the Gentiles got the gift of the Holy Spirit just as He and the Acts 2 crowd had.
Peter teaches that He received the gift when he believed in The Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church responds with worship and declares that they have been granted repentance.
Important Things Said Regarding the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Peter testifies about himself, that he and the disciples first believed in Jesus at Pentecost. Peter says he became a Christian in Acts 2. Notice the difference in the disciples and their understanding of the Gospel from Acts 1:6 too post Acts 2. In Acts 1:6 the disciples still did not understand Jesus life, death, and resurrection in the place of sinners to the Glory of God. In Acts 2 God connected the dots and from then on the message of Jesus as substitute for sinners was preached.
Peter (I believe on Purpose) says that His belief in Jesus and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit happened together. In his chance to teach the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a secondary and separate event from conversion, he doesn’t.
Notice the response of the church. They did not respond by praising God that the gentiles had been baptized with the Holy Spirit. They did however, respond by praising God that the Gentiles had been granted repentance that leads to life.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not regeneration because of Acts 2:38 that says the gift comes as a result of belief. To believe in Jesus we have had to previously been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. So in light of Peter’s testimony it seems to me that Jesus is the baptizer of the Spirit and He baptizes us when we believe in Jesus. Thoughts?
Oh and btw. I believe in all of the Spiritual Gifts and enjoy the ones the Holy Spirit has given me. So I define myself as a charismatic.
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