Mt. 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
There are some simple characteristics about this promised baptism in the Spirit that separate it from personal salvation or personal sanctification.
1. It is something ADDITIONAL to salvation as the subjects addressed in Matthew 3:11 were already baptized believers - "I indeed baptize you."
They had already believed in the gospel John preached (Jn. 3:36) and submitted to baptism. Hence the baptism in the Spirit is for baptized believers.
2. It is something for a PLURAL number of baptized believers as John promises that Christ would take those believers he baptized and He would baptize them in the Spirit:
"I indeed baptize YOU....but he will baptize YOU...."
3. John's baptism was designed to "prepare a people made ready for the Lord" - Lk. 1:17 - or the material Jesus would take and build a new kind of "house of God" made up of a congregation or assembly of lively stones:
Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
It is this PLURAL YOU of baptized believers that continued to meet together in Acts 2:1 that 3000 were "added" unto through faith in the gospel and submission to baptism (Acts 2:41) which were baptized in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost:
Acts 2:1 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
They were sitting inside a house and the wind "FILLED ALL THE HOUSE" thus IMMERSED them or baptized them in it.
This baptism NEVER was repeated again except at the house of Cornelius in Acts 10 and the absolute proof of that is that the NEAREST reference point that Peter could identify the experience in Acts 10 was "AT the beginning" when they had received the same baptism:
Acts 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
However, 3,000 had been saved and added in Acts 2:41. 5000 had been saved later. Multitudes had been saved by Acts 6. Yet the nearest reference point that Peter could identify Acts 10 with was Acts 2:1-3. If this had been a PERSONAL and INDIVIDUAL experience he could have identified it with all the thousands of salvation additions "SINCE the beginning" rather than restricting it to what happened to them "AT the beginning."
The baptism in the Spirit is the common Old Testament act of God performed at the dedication service AFTER a new "house of God" was built. Both immersion, then filling by the Shikinah Spirit and fire from heaven were associated with this divine accreditation of the new house of God:
Ex. 40:34 ¶ Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
2 Chron. 7:1 ¶ Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.
3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Acts 2:1 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
CONCLUSION: The Baptism in the Spirit is an historical event which occurred AFTER a new house of God was built that publically accredited as acceptable by God for him to dwell in. The Holy Spirit has always dwelt in the individual believer (Rom. 8:9) as the physical body of the believer is a house of God (1 Cor. 6:17) but the new institutional house of God - the church (1 Tim. 3:15) wherein a qualified Pastor and deacon(s) officiate (1 Tim. 3:1-13) as an assembly of water baptized plural lively stones built up to offer up acceptable sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5) is also a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) as one local visible body of WATER BAPTIZED BELIEVERS that assemble in "one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1) in order to conduct the public worship of God. The new house of God is a LIVING organism that REPRODUCES AFTER ITS OWN KIND and thus after both Jews and Gentile members had been publically accrediated by God as His new house it never had to be repeated again as in the case of former houses of God.
There are some simple characteristics about this promised baptism in the Spirit that separate it from personal salvation or personal sanctification.
1. It is something ADDITIONAL to salvation as the subjects addressed in Matthew 3:11 were already baptized believers - "I indeed baptize you."
They had already believed in the gospel John preached (Jn. 3:36) and submitted to baptism. Hence the baptism in the Spirit is for baptized believers.
2. It is something for a PLURAL number of baptized believers as John promises that Christ would take those believers he baptized and He would baptize them in the Spirit:
"I indeed baptize YOU....but he will baptize YOU...."
3. John's baptism was designed to "prepare a people made ready for the Lord" - Lk. 1:17 - or the material Jesus would take and build a new kind of "house of God" made up of a congregation or assembly of lively stones:
Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
It is this PLURAL YOU of baptized believers that continued to meet together in Acts 2:1 that 3000 were "added" unto through faith in the gospel and submission to baptism (Acts 2:41) which were baptized in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost:
Acts 2:1 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
They were sitting inside a house and the wind "FILLED ALL THE HOUSE" thus IMMERSED them or baptized them in it.
This baptism NEVER was repeated again except at the house of Cornelius in Acts 10 and the absolute proof of that is that the NEAREST reference point that Peter could identify the experience in Acts 10 was "AT the beginning" when they had received the same baptism:
Acts 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
However, 3,000 had been saved and added in Acts 2:41. 5000 had been saved later. Multitudes had been saved by Acts 6. Yet the nearest reference point that Peter could identify Acts 10 with was Acts 2:1-3. If this had been a PERSONAL and INDIVIDUAL experience he could have identified it with all the thousands of salvation additions "SINCE the beginning" rather than restricting it to what happened to them "AT the beginning."
The baptism in the Spirit is the common Old Testament act of God performed at the dedication service AFTER a new "house of God" was built. Both immersion, then filling by the Shikinah Spirit and fire from heaven were associated with this divine accreditation of the new house of God:
Ex. 40:34 ¶ Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
2 Chron. 7:1 ¶ Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.
3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Acts 2:1 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
CONCLUSION: The Baptism in the Spirit is an historical event which occurred AFTER a new house of God was built that publically accredited as acceptable by God for him to dwell in. The Holy Spirit has always dwelt in the individual believer (Rom. 8:9) as the physical body of the believer is a house of God (1 Cor. 6:17) but the new institutional house of God - the church (1 Tim. 3:15) wherein a qualified Pastor and deacon(s) officiate (1 Tim. 3:1-13) as an assembly of water baptized plural lively stones built up to offer up acceptable sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5) is also a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) as one local visible body of WATER BAPTIZED BELIEVERS that assemble in "one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1) in order to conduct the public worship of God. The new house of God is a LIVING organism that REPRODUCES AFTER ITS OWN KIND and thus after both Jews and Gentile members had been publically accrediated by God as His new house it never had to be repeated again as in the case of former houses of God.
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