ARE ALL BELIEVERS BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Many churches teach that the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” (as evidenced by speaking in tongues) only belongs to a particular group of believers – the “overcomers,” those who have supposedly been equipped to live the victorious Christian life.

After being assured that they would be given this “second work of grace,” some believers have concluded that God had rejected them because they have been unable to receive this gift. From there, the doubts worsen. If God had withheld this gift from them, perhaps He was also withholding salvation from them. This is tragic. Others deceive themselves to believe that they had received it so that they night believe that they had not been rejected by God.

However, Scripture addresses these doubts conclusively. For one thing, the unity that we are supposed to share depends on the fact that we have all received this same baptism. Paul claimed that there is only one baptism, which all believers share:

·       Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism… (Ephes. 4:3-5)

If some have the baptism in the Spirit and others don’t, then there is a biblical basis for disunity – the very thing that Paul denies. These verses also put the kibosh on the unbiblical idea that there are two baptisms of the Holy Spirit. There is no Scriptural evidence of this. Instead, Paul claimed that ALL believers are “baptized by one Spirit into one body”:

·       For we were ALL baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were ALL given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Cor. 12:13)

We have ALL been baptized into the Body of Christ. It is the Spirit baptism that accomplishes this. If we are not baptized by the Spirit, we are not in the Body of Christ nor saved.

This “unity of the Spirit” is also the basis for our oneness. Therefore, we destroy Christian unity if we claim that some have got it, and others don’t; some are overcomers, while others are not.

Besides, there is not a single verse that claims that speaking in tongues is always the evidence for this saving Spirit baptism. Instead, we are assured that all will not speak in tongues:

·       Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:29-30)

Instead, the gifts had been distributed discriminately according to God’s will. Scripture teaches that although we are one Body, we do not share the same gifts. Instead, the Body requires different parts, having different functions (1 Corinthians 12:14-26).

Since ALL believers already have the Spirit, we should not pursue the baptism of the Spirit. Nor is there any Biblical command to do so. Nor should the believer seek to be part of the Body of Christ. He already had been baptized into this Body when He believed.

Besides, being in Christ, we already have all “fullness in Christ”:

·       For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Col. 2:9-10)

Consequently, if we have Christ, we are not lacking in anything. Christ is not holding out on us. We simply need to grow into what is already ours.

Besides, when the Bible deals with the question of the assurance of our salvation, it never counsels us: “Since you speak in tongues, you can be assured you are saved.”

Instead, John’s first epistle gives us many tests to know whether or not we are in the Lord, but it never mentions tongues, the baptism of the Spirit, or any of the supernatural gifts. Rather, it mentions faith, obedience, confession, and whether or not we are listening to the teachings of the Apostles.

Not only is this understanding of the baptism of the Spirit unbiblical, it is also highly divisive, creating two distinct groups of Christians: the haves and the have-nots.

This is not to say that the Lord doesn’t grant us special outpourings of His grace. However, these are not the baptism of the Spirit.