Lesson for August 11, 2024
Hermeneutics 101
Lesson 10
The Distinction Principle
Baptism, Indwelling, and Filling of the Holy Spirit
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is neither seen nor felt. It is a fact stated in the Word of God for us to believe. Technically, it is when believers are placed into union with Jesus Christ at salvation. There are seven baptisms in the Bible and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is but one of these. The word for baptize in Greek is “baptizo,” and means “to dip.” It was used to describe the dyeing of a garment or the drawing of wine by dipping the cup into the bowl. Since John the Baptist and Jesus used the word to describe water baptism as submersion, the accurate interpretation of the word baptism is to submerge.
When a person trusts Christ as Savior, they are positionally “dipped into” or “submerged” into the “body of Christ.” This, of course, is speaking of positional truth, signifying our union with Christ. Water baptism for believers has always been a picture of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Submersion into water pictures how believers become united with Christ. (Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:4-5)
As stated, there are seven baptisms in the Scriptures, and all are for the purpose of identification. Of these seven, four are ritual identifications and three are actual identifications. In the apostate times in which we live, water baptism (ritual) and the baptism of the Holy Spirit (actual) have been distorted into a system of works. Water baptism, for example, is taught by some ministers as a necessity for salvation, which is false doctrine. No one has ever been saved by being submerged in water. The only purpose for water baptism is identification: Identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which it pictures. It was a teaching aid for the early church before the canon of Scripture was completed. As a matter of fact, water baptism is mentioned only once after the historical record in the book of Acts, and it is mentioned as a source of division in the church of Corinth. (I Corinthians 1:11-17) The baptism of the Holy Spirit has been distorted into an emotional experience as a sign of being saved. Some ministers teach the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a sign of some supernatural power given to you after salvation, and that it is received by asking God to give this power to you.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit actually places a believer into union with Christ. This union with Christ is unique and sets up many potentials for believers. Being placed in union with Christ is called Positional Sanctification. Positional Sanctification describes our new relationship with God through Christ. (I Corinthians 12:13)
Our new relationship is permanent, based on our faith in Christ, and it never changes, regardless of a believer’s spiritual status. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, therefore, sets up the potential for believers to make their daily experience (Experiential Sanctification) align with their position in Christ (Positional Sanctification). This means that we are to exhibit the character of Jesus Christ on a daily basis by means of the power of the Holy Spirit Who is indwelling each of us. (John 14:20; I Corinthians 12:12-27)
Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
The permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit, during the Church Age, begins at salvation. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit creates a temple in the body of every believer for the indwelling of Christ, the Shekinah Glory. “Shekinah” literally means “dwelling.” It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that sets up the potential for believers to understand spiritual truth, to glorify Christ, to be comforted, to be guided through life, and to witness for Christ. It is still up to each of us to use our volition (free will) to choose to allow God the Holy Spirit to empower and guide our lives. (Galatians 3:2-3; 4:6; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16-17; 6:19-20; John 14:16-20; Colossians 1:27)
Since God does not force truth upon us, we must make the choice to learn, believe, and apply spiritual truth. Under the filling of the Holy Spirit, academic understanding of God’s Word is converted into spiritual understanding. (I Corinthians 2:10-16: II Peter 1:20-21) We must keep in mind that God’s wisdom and understanding is far superior to ours. Therefore, it is imperative for us to tap into God’s only resource of truth, the Bible. (Isaiah 55:6-11)
Unique to the Church Age is the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher to teach Bible doctrine. Other ages relied on the head of the household, a priest, a prophet, or in some instances theophanies (preincarnate appearances of Jesus Christ). The Holy Spirit reveals the teaching as truth when it is accurately taught. Once believed, the information is transferred to our human spirit where it becomes usable. (Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 4:11-16, 5:18)
Today, we see the Holy Spirit being glorified in many churches. Anytime the Holy Spirit is glorified, a “red flag” should immediately go up. Jesus made it perfectly clear that when the Holy Spirit came to earth, He would not speak of Himself, but would testify of Christ. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit, as God, is any less divine than Jesus Christ. He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. However, in function, He never seeks to glorify Himself, only Christ. We must remember that it is Christ Who is the focal point of all that God is doing on behalf of mankind. Therefore, all glory belongs to Christ. (John 16:13-14, 17:1-5; II Peter 1:16-18)
It is also wrong when believers attempt to bring glory or attention to themselves instead of Christ. When excessive attention is given to any human being, God cannot be glorified. Making an idol of a person or a person’s accomplishments is contrary to the teachings of God’s Word and leads to all sorts of mental attitude sinning. We must be careful not to place self or others on a pedestal. All of us have a sin nature, and we all have “feet of clay.” All glory belongs to our Savior. (II Corinthians 10:14-18)
Filling of the Holy Spirit
The filling of the Holy Spirit is not an emotional experience. The purpose of His filling is to empower believers to live the Christian Way of Life. When a believer is living the Christian Way of Life, they bring glory and honor to Christ. All believers are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit the moment they trust Christ as their Savior. The first time a believer sins after salvation however, they are out of fellowship with God and lose the filling of the Holy Spirit.
In order to restore fellowship with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit, a believer must simply name their known sins to God. (I John 1:9) They are then commanded to move forward with living the Christian Way of Life, which the Scripture calls “walking in the light.” (I John 1:5-10) The filling of the Holy Spirit is potential, depending on the volition (free will) of a believer.
To be filled is to be empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit in the same manner as a person is empowered and guided by alcohol when they are intoxicated. (Ephesians 5:18) We each make the choice to allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives by allowing Him to fully influence how we think, which we call Divine Viewpoint Thinking
The Greek word for filling is “pleroo,” and has four meanings, which all apply to the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- To fill up a deficiency – Without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, believers have no ability to learn and apply Bible doctrine. In other words, they are deficient of the doctrinal information necessary to live the Christian Way of Life. (Colossians 1:25; I John 4:4)
- To be fully possessed – Since God the Holy Spirit indwells every believer during the Church Age, the potential exists for them to be filled with God’s supernatural power. This means that believers can reside in God’s plan by utilizing God’s power system. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
- To be fully influenced – If the Holy Spirit is allowed to fill the deficiency and fully possess a believer’s life, then every area of that life will be influenced by the power of the Holy Spirit. If the power of the Holy Spirit is rejected, believers are going to be fully influenced by Satan’s world system. (Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18)
- To be filled with a certain quality – There is no higher quality than the integrity of God. It is this quality that becomes resident in the soul of believers as the Holy Spirit is allowed to possess and influence their souls. It is also this quality that leads a believer to spiritual maturity. (Ephesians 3:19, 4:10; Philippians 1:11; I John 1:4; Revelation 3:2)