Page 16 - January 2022 - Truth & Tidings

hen the Lord was bodily on spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
earth, He made many great Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:3).
Wpromises, including some that 3. It is not something that replaces
were applicable to the time of His absence. Christ as the center of the believer’s focus,
Two in particular were in relation to the experience and affection. Believers should,
Holy Spirit. The first was in John 14:16-17: in all things, seek to live Christ-centered,
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall Christ-glorifying lives.
give you another Comforter, that he may 4. It was not linked with the sign gifts
abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit in the early days of the Church.
of truth … for he dwelleth with you, and 5. It was not an event that happened
shall be in you.” The second was in Acts
1
1:4-5: “And, being assembled together to a single person; indeed, nowhere in
with them, [He] commanded them that Scripture is the baptism in the Holy Spirit
they should not depart from Jerusalem, spoken of as an individual experience.
but wait for the promise of the Father, So, what then was the baptism in the
which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For Holy Spirit?
John truly baptized with water; but ye The Phenomena
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not The baptism in the Spirit was an event
many days hence.” that took place on the day of Pentecost
These two promises are the subject of when the Holy Spirit came down, thus
this article, i.e., the baptism and the in- forming the Church, the body of Christ. It
dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and they are was the inauguration of a new dispensa-
very important to us today. There is much tion and only happened once, that day in
confusion and error about the subject, and Jerusalem. It was accompanied by unique
a correct consideration of Scripture will phenomena that never happened that way
help us to understand this doctrine. before and would never happen again.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit The evidence of it was, firstly, audible – “a
It may be useful to set out, first of all, sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
what the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not wind” – and secondly, visible – “there ap-
before we consider what it is. peared unto them cloven tongues like as
1. It is not something to be prayed for of fire” (Act 2:2-3).
either individually or collectively by a The Prophecies
Christian in order to receive or experience The baptism in the Spirit was a fulfil-
it. There is no scriptural requirement to ment of prophecy by John the Baptist,
do so. who preached, “I indeed baptize you
2. It is not something that comes sec- with water unto repentance: but he that
ondarily into the life of a Christian due to cometh after me … he shall baptize you
some particular experience after salvation. with [in] the Holy Ghost” (Mat 3:11). Also,
At conversion we are “blessed with ALL the Lord Himself, before He went back to
¹ All Scripture quotations in this article are from glory, reminded the disciples of what they
the KJV. heard previously from Him: “For John

16 TRUTH kTidings January 2022