1. Some people believe that it refers to the Holy Spirit automatically coming into a person's heart at the moment of salvation, and that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ. This view is often held by the mainline denominations (e.g., most Protestants and Baptists).

2. Other people agree with the mainline denominations that the indwelling Holy Spirit is automatically received by a person at the moment of salvation, but they say that the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience of the Holy Spirit. This "charismatic" view tends to be held by denominations such as Pentecostal, Full Gospel, FourSquare, and Assemblies of God, although there are also charismatic Catholics, charismatic Baptists, charismatic Presbyterians, and so on. Non-denominational churches tend to believe the charismatic view as well.

1. Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)
   
   Shortly before Pentecost, Jesus told the disciples that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days:

   "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."" (Acts 1:4-8)

   This promise was fulfilled several days later on the day of Pentecost:

   "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)

   In the above passages, notice the description and the effect of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that this baptism will take place "when the Holy Spirit comes on [eperchomai epi] you." After this happened, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.

2. At the house of Cornelius the Gentile (Acts 10:44-48)

   "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers [Jews] who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles [non-Jews]. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." (Acts 10:44-48)

   This story is repeated in the following passage:

   "As I [Peter] began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? When they [the Jews who criticized Peter for breaking the Jewish law by eating with Gentiles at the house of Cornelius] heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles [non-Jews] repentance unto life."" (Acts 11:15-18)

   When the Holy Spirit came on the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, the apostle Peter said that they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-18, above). Acts 10:44-48 (above) says that "the Holy Spirit came on [epipipto epi] all who heard the message," and in Acts 11:15-18 (above) Peter said that "the Holy Spirit came on [epipipto epi] them as he had come on us at the beginning."
   
   According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments (Dr. Spiros Zodhiates), the Greek word eperchomai in Acts 1:4-8 (above) is a contraction of the Greek words epi and erchomai (Acts 19:1-6, below), and is synonymous with epipipto in the above passages and in Acts 8:14-20 (below).
   
   So in the example of Cornelius and his household (above) we see the same wording (using Greek synonyms) as in the previous example (Pentecost), because in both examples the baptism of the Holy Spirit was accomplished by the Holy Spirit "coming on" people. Just as in the example of Pentecost (above), the effect of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was that Cornelius and his household all spoke in tongues.

3. The disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6)

   "While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." (Acts 19:1-6)

   When Paul learned that these disciples had only received baptism by John the Baptist, Paul re-baptized them into the name of the Lord Jesus (i.e., he gave them a Christian water baptism). Throughout the New Testament, Christian water baptism is only for those who have already received salvation (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism), and therefore we know that these disciples had received salvation.
   
   In addition, if you search online for "indwelling Holy Spirit," you'll find that virtually all pastors and Bible scholars and Bible teachers agree that every person automatically receives the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, which is what Paul himself taught to different churches (also see John 7:37-39, 14:15-17, 1 John 3:23-24):

   "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:9-11)
   
   "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:23)
   
   "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
   
   "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 5:1-5)
   
   "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."" (Galatians 4:4-6)
   
   "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)
   
   "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." (2 Timothy 1:14)

   Therefore, these disciples in Ephesus automatically received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, just like everyone else does. If we argue otherwise, then we're using an inconsistent method of interpreting the Bible. In fact, Paul wrote the book of Ephesians several years after meeting the disciples in Acts 19:1-6 (above), as you can see in my article called Who Wrote the New Testament?. Notice that in Ephesians 1:13-14 (above), Paul specifically told the disciples in Ephesus that they had received the indwelling Holy Spirit when they believed.
   
   So when Paul asked these disciples if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, he wasn't asking if they had been sealed with the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of their salvation because Paul himself taught that everyone is automatically sealed with the indwelling Holy Spirit when they believe as we just saw. Therefore, Paul was asking these disciples something else.
   
   He was asking if they had received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (notice that this baptism is referred to as a "gift" in Acts 1:4-8, 10:44-48, and 11:15-18, above). When Paul gave these disciples a Christian baptism, he then laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit "came on" (erchomai epi, which we saw earlier) them and immediately they all spoke in tongues and prophesied. Apart from the addition of prophesying, this is the same wording (using Greek synonyms) and the same effect as in all of the previous examples, which tells us that they had now received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
   
   When we receive salvation, we're not aware that we've received the indwelling Holy Spirit because there's no immediate outward evidence. We must take it on faith that the Holy Spirit now lives in our hearts, based on the above passages. So when Paul asked these disciples if they had received the Holy Spirit, how would they know for sure if they had received the Holy Spirit?
   
   What we're going to see is that there were always supernatural manifestations when Christians received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. There are no exceptions. Paul's question shows that he assumed that these disciples had experienced some supernatural manifestations, and that's how they would know that they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. When Paul laid hands on them and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they immediately began speaking in tongues and prophesying, so at that point they knew that they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. It wasn't the indwelling Holy Spirit that they received when Paul laid hands on them, and we're never told to look for or expect any supernatural manifestations when people receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. The disciples in Ephesus automatically received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (before their Christian water baptism) just like everyone else does, and they received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a separate experience just like every Christian is able to do (even today).

4. The Samaritans (Acts 8:14-20)

   "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said...But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women...When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (Acts 8:5-6, 12, 14-20)

   The above passage says that the Samaritans accepted the word of God and received a Christian baptism. Again, Christian water baptism in the New Testament is only for those who have received salvation, and therefore we know that the Samaritans had received salvation and that they had automatically received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, just like everyone else does. If we argue otherwise, then we're using an inconsistent method of interpreting the Bible.
   
   The book of Acts is a chronological account of certain events during the first 30 years after the cross. The apostle Paul (who was originally known as Saul - Acts 13:9) learned Christian truths directly from the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23, Galatians 1:11-12, Ephesians 3:1-3) and wrote approximately half of the New Testament (see my article called Who Wrote the New Testament?), teaching us most of what we know about how to live and act under the New Covenant. He was converted to Christianity in Acts 9:1-22 (described in detail in my article called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism - Part Four), which was after the Samaritans received salvation in Acts 8:5-20 (above). In addition, the first two books of the New Testament were written around AD 45-48 (12 or so years after the cross), during the time period around Acts 14 (see my article called Who Wrote the New Testament?).
   
   So in Acts 8:5-20 (above), there were no books of the New Testament yet, and Christians did not know everything about Christianity. Philip (who preached the Gospel to the Samaritans in the above passage) was not an apostle (Acts 6:1-6), and he was referred to as "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8). It would be unreasonable to assume that Philip (or anyone at that time) knew everything about Christianity or the Holy Spirit, which easily explains why Philip did not say anything to the Samaritans about receiving the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (because there's no scriptural evidence that he fully understood about this Spirit baptism). As Bible commentaries often point out, the Samaritans were despised by the Jews and therefore the apostles Peter and John were sent to Samaria (Acts 8:14), most likely to validate the Samaritans' conversion and officially welcome them into the church so that the Christian Jews would be more willing to accept the hated Samaritans as Christian brothers and sisters.
   
   Before Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans, the above passage says that the Holy Spirit had not yet "come on" (epipipto epi) any of them, which is the same wording (using Greek synonyms) that we see for the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in all of the previous passages. To confirm even further that this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter specifically said that the Samaritans had received the "gift" of God, which again is the same word used for the baptism of the Holy Spirit in some of the above passages. To confirm this even further, notice that Peter and John prayed that the new Samaritan Christians might receive the Holy Spirit. Scripture does not teach that Christians must pray to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, but Scripture does teach that Christians can receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit by praying for it as we'll see. Receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit and receiving the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit are always two separate and distinct experiences of the Holy Spirit with two separate and distinct purposes as we'll see.
   
   We're not told what (if any) supernatural manifestations happened, but right after the Samaritans received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit we see Simon the Sorcerer offering money for the ability to impart this gift to people. If there was no outward evidence that the Holy Spirit had come on the Samaritans, then Simon would have had nothing to get so excited about. Based on every passage that describes the supernatural manifestations that happened when Christians received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues was possibly one of the supernatural signs that Simon witnessed. Even the mainline Bible Knowledge Commentary acknowledges this:

   "The clause Simon saw that the Spirit was given implies there was some external manifestation to evidence the coming of the Holy Spirit. Possibly it was speaking in tongues, though the Scripture does not say so (cf. 2:4; 10:45-46; 19:6)." (Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Acts 8:18-19, emphasis added)

   Scripture doesn't say that the Samaritans spoke in tongues, but this and other Bible commentaries acknowledge the possibility based on all of the scriptural examples of Christians receiving the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
   
   Some people believe that God withheld the indwelling Holy Spirit from the Samaritans because He wanted to prove to the apostles that He was willing to grant salvation to the Samaritans. This view is an honest and sincere attempt to reconcile the fact that the Samaritans received salvation, but then they had to wait for Peter and John to arrive before they could receive the Holy Spirit. But take a look at what Jesus said to the apostles shortly before Pentecost:

   "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

   So God did not need to prove to the apostles that He was willing to grant salvation to the Samaritans because Jesus had told the apostles that his disciples will preach the Gospel to the Samaritans, just as they would preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, in Judea, and to the ends of the earth. The purpose for preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem, in Judea, and to the ends of the earth was so that people would receive salvation, and in exactly the same way, the purpose for preaching the Gospel in Samaria (in the above passage) was so that people would receive salvation. The apostles knew that God was willing to grant salvation to the Samaritans; they did not need Him to prove it to them.

1. When Christians received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they all began speaking in tongues. We're not told if the new Christians in Samaria spoke in tongues, but Bible commentaries suggest that they did based on all of the scriptural evidence. For example, see The Bible Knowledge Commentary (above) and see Adam Clarke Commentary , Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible , John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible , and Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament .

2. After Pentecost, every time Christians received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit it was always as soon as possible after they received salvation. This demonstrates the high degree of importance that the baptism of the Holy Spirit has in God's eyes.

3. Speaking in tongues was the convincing evidence that Christians had received the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For example, in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48, above), when the Jews heard the Gentiles speaking in tongues, they were astonished that God had poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles. Throughout the Jews' entire history, the Gentiles had been "unclean," and salvation was always thought to be only for the Jews (for example, search online for "gentiles unclean," and see Ephesians 2:11-19). However, based only on the evidence that the Gentiles were speaking in tongues, Peter immediately ordered Cornelius' household to be baptized in water. Peter recognized that the Gentiles had been saved and then baptized in the Holy Spirit because they were speaking in tongues.
   
   Notice that Cornelius and his family received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after they received salvation:

   "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them [the Jews in Jerusalem]: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles [Cornelius and his household] might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith."" (Acts 15:7-9)

   The above passage says that when Cornelius and his household believed the message of the Gospel, God knew their hearts and accepted them and purified their hearts by their faith. After they had received salvation, God showed that He had accepted the Gentiles by giving them the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius and his household received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after they received salvation (because we can only receive this gift after we receive salvation as we'll see), and for Peter, the convincing evidence that they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit was the fact that they spoke in tongues.

4. The apostles in Jerusalem criticized Peter for going into the house of uncircumcised men (referring to Cornelius and his family, who were Gentiles) and eating with them (Acts 11:2-3) because it was against the Jewish law (Acts 10:28). However, when Peter explained that Cornelius and his household had received the same gift that the disciples had received at Pentecost (based only on the fact that the Gentiles had spoken in tongues), the apostles had no further objections and they immediately believed that God is now granting salvation to the Gentiles (Acts 11:15-18, above). Speaking in tongues was the convincing evidence for the apostles.

"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."" (Acts 1:4-5)

1. All three baptisms are an immersion in water:

   • John's water baptism was an immersion in water (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism).

   • Christian water baptism is an immersion in water (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism).

   • Spirit baptism is an immersion in the living water of the Holy Spirit (John 4:9-14, 7:37-39) because He is poured out on us (Acts 2:17, 33, 10:44-48), immersing our inner spirits in Him (more on that later in this article).

2. All three baptisms are voluntary and are not required for receiving salvation:

   • John's water baptism was voluntary. People chose to be baptized:

     "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." (Matthew 3:4-6)

     John's baptism was voluntary, and it was not a requirement for receiving salvation. This baptism was not considered to be a Christian baptism because in Ephesus the apostle Paul rebaptized people who only had John's baptism:

     "While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:1-5)

   • Christian water baptism is also a voluntary act that we choose to do in obedience to God, and it's not a requirement for receiving salvation (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism).

   • As we'll see later, Spirit baptism is also voluntary. It's not a requirement for receiving salvation because it's only available to people after they receive salvation as we'll see. God baptized Cornelius and his household in the Holy Spirit right after they received salvation (Acts 10:44-48, above) because the Jews didn't realize that God was now granting salvation to Gentiles. But in every other example of Christians receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit (above), we can see that prayer (e.g., Acts 1:14, 8:14-20) and/or the laying on of hands (e.g., Acts 19:1-6, 8:14-20) was involved. In other words, Christians voluntarily received this baptism just as they voluntarily received water baptism.

3. All three baptisms involve an outer sign that follows an inner change:

   • John the Baptist called on people to repent and then be baptized (Matthew 3:1-6). Being baptized in water was an outer, public sign of the person's inner repentance.

   • In the New Testament, Christian water baptism always follows a person's salvation (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism). Being baptized in water is an outer, public sign of the person's inner faith in Jesus as my series explains.

   • We've seen that the ability to speak in tongues is the outer, public sign in Scripture that follows the person's inner Spirit baptism.

4. Being "baptized into" (baptizo eis in the Greek) a person or thing is an outward act which demonstrates that we're already united with that person or thing:

   • 4A. The Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt were "baptized into Moses" as they crossed the Red Sea:

     "For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into [baptizo eis] Moses in the cloud and in the sea." (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)

     The Israelites had chosen to follow Moses and to be united with him before they crossed the Red Sea. Their "baptism into Moses" was an outward act which demonstrated that they were already united with Moses. It did not cause them to be united with him.
     
     Notice that 1 Corinthians 10:2 (above) can be paraphrased as: "In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized into Moses." This wording will help shed light on another verse in a moment.

   • 4B. In Christian water baptism, we are baptized into Jesus:

     "And when they heard this, they were baptized into [baptizo eis] the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:5 ASV)
     
     "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into [baptizo eis] Christ Jesus were baptized into [baptizo eis] his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:3-4)
     
     "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into [baptizo eis] Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27)

     As we saw, Christian water baptism is an outward act which publicly demonstrates that we're already united with Christ through faith. Water baptism does not cause us to be saved or to be united with Christ because Christian water baptism must be done after a person receives salvation (see my series above).
     
     Notice that Acts 19:5 (above) can be paraphrased as: "And when they heard this, in water they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." This wording will help shed light on another verse in a moment.

   • 4C. Paul told the Christians in Corinth that "we were all baptized into one body":

     "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into [baptizo eis] one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV)

     This verse is often misinterpreted because many Christians assume it means that the Holy Spirit baptizes people into the body of Christ. However, the Bible consistently teaches that it's Jesus who does the baptizing, and that the Holy Spirit is the living water (John 4:9-14, 7:37-39) in which we're baptized. If you use a computer Bible or a concordance or a topical Bible and you look up every New Testament passage on baptism (other than 1 Corinthians 12:13, which we're examining), you won't find a single verse which says that the Holy Spirit does any kind of baptizing. There's not a shred of scriptural evidence that the Holy Spirit baptizes anyone into the body of Christ.
     
     For example, when people receive water baptism, the water does not do the baptizing, but rather they are baptized in (or with) the water. In exactly the same way, the living water of the Holy Spirit (John 4:9-14, 7:37-39) does not do any type of baptizing, but rather we are baptized in (or with) the Holy Spirit. As we'll see in a moment, 1 Corinthians 12:13 does not teach that the Holy Spirit baptizes anyone into the body of Christ.
     
     One reason for the confusion about 1 Corinthians 12:13 is the Greek word en, which has the meaning of "in" (and is sometimes translated as "with" or "among"). For example, The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments describes the Greek word en by comparing it with two other Greek words (eis and ek):

     "eis implies motion into, and ek motion out of, while en, in, means remaining in place." (Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, en, emphasis added)

     So the normal meaning of en is "in."
     
     When Bible scholars translate a passage of Scripture from the original Greek they must make interpretations, assumptions, and educated guesses about what the passage means in order to translate it into English or some other language. For example, here are some translations of 1 Corinthians 12:13:

     "For by [en] one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV)
     
     "For we were all baptized by [en] one Spirit so as to form one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV - 2011 edition)
     
     "For by [en] one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV)

     The NIV and several other versions of the Bible have paraphrased the Greek word en as "by," and this translation issue has caused numerous Christians (e.g., most mainline denominations such as Protestants and Baptists) to wrongly assume that we're baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, even though there's not a shred of scriptural evidence that the Holy Spirit does any type of baptizing.
     
     Now consider some literal translations of 1 Corinthians 12:13, which use the normal meaning of "in":

     "for also in [en] one Spirit we all to one body were baptized" (1 Corinthians 12:13 YLT)
     
     "For in [en] one Spirit were we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 ASV)
     
     "For in [en] the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 NRSV)

     At first glance the above literal translations don't seem to make much sense in English, which is probably why some Bible translators used the English word "by" when paraphrasing the Greek word en in this verse. However, we'll see that the proper translation of en ("in") makes perfect sense in light of other passages of Scripture. In fact, the footnote for 1 Corinthians 12:13 in the NIV points out that the words "with" or "in" might be better translations of the Greek word en.
     
     There are six New Testament passages that contain the phrase "baptize(d) with the Holy Spirit." As we'll see in a moment, we're consistently told that it's Jesus who does the baptizing, and the Holy Spirit is the medium or the substance in which Christians are baptized. We're not baptized by the Holy Spirit, we're baptized in (or with) the Holy Spirit.
     
     When the Greek word en is translated with its normal definition of "in," the actual meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:13 becomes clear by comparing it with the paraphrased passages in points 4A and 4B (above):

     "In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized into Moses." (1 Corinthians 10:2 paraphrased)
     
     "In water they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 19:5 paraphrased)
     
     "in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 ASV)

     It's now easy to see what the medium of baptism is in each verse. In the first verse, the cloud and the sea are the medium or the substance in which the Israelites were baptized. The Israelites were already united with Moses when they left Egypt, which was before they were "baptized into Moses" at the Red Sea. The cloud and the sea didn't cause them to be united with Moses.
     
     In the second verse above, water is the medium or the substance in which Christians are baptized. Christians are united with Christ at the moment of salvation, which happens before we're baptized in water (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism). The water doesn't cause us to be saved or to be united with Christ.
     
     In the third verse above, the living water of the Holy Spirit is the medium or the substance in which Christians are baptized. Just as water baptism does not cause us to be saved, Spirit baptism does not cause us to be included in the body of Christ as we've seen. Remember, receiving salvation is the point when we become included in the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14), and Spirit baptism is only available to us after we receive salvation as we'll see.
     
     Now let's take a close look at every New Testament verse that uses the phrase "baptize(d) with the Holy Spirit." Every one of these verses uses the Greek word en (meaning "in" or "with"), and every one of these verses makes a direct comparison between water baptism and Spirit baptism:

     "I baptize you with [en] water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with [en] the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11)
     
     "I baptize you with [en] water, but he will baptize you with [en] the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:8)
     
     "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with [en] the Holy Spirit and with fire."" (Luke 3:16)
     
     "I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with [en] water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with [en] the Holy Spirit.'" (John 1:33)
     
     "For John baptized with [en] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with [en] the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5)
     
     "Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with [en] water, but you will be baptized with [en] the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 11:16)

     Just as we're baptized "in" or "with" water, we're also baptized "in" or "with" the Holy Spirit. There was nothing accidental or haphazard about the above passages referring to it as being "baptized" with the Holy Spirit because we can easily see the direct comparison between water baptism and Spirit baptism. Scripture consistently tells us that we're baptized in (or with) the living water of the Holy Spirit by Jesus.
     
     For all of these reasons, 1 Corinthians 12:13 does not teach that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ, which is something that the mainline denominations have completely misunderstood. The Holy Spirit does not do any type of baptizing.
     
     
     When Christians make the wrong assumption that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (based on 1 Corinthians 12:13), this leads them to make the wrong assumption that everyone automatically receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.
     
     In 1 Corinthians, Paul was writing to the church at Corinth and addressing specific situations that were happening there, so let's look at some things that Paul said to them. He said that all of the gifts of the Spirit were operating in the Corinthian church, and he said that everyone in the Corinthian church had gifts of the Spirit to be used for ministering to each other:

     "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)
     
     "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." (1 Corinthians 14:26)

     So the Corinthian Christians had received spiritual empowerment, and later we'll see that spiritual empowerment is the purpose for the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul and the Christians in Corinth had all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit for spiritual empowerment, which explains why Paul said, "in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13 ASV). The vast majority of English translations of the Bible use the word "were" in this verse, which is in the past tense. In this verse, Paul was reminding the Corinthian Christians (whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free) about something that had happened in the past, referring to the fact that they had all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (including Paul himself). This is further confirmed in verse 27 where Paul said, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27). Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth, and he was talking about the Christians in Corinth. He was not making a general statement about all Christians throughout all time. Later we'll see that in 2 Corinthians 1:15-23, once again Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth, and he was talking about the Christians in Corinth. He was not making a general statement about all Christians throughout all time.
     
     The reason why I point this out is because some people interpret the phrase, "we were all," in 1 Corinthians 12:13 as meaning that all Christians are automatically baptized in the Holy Spirit at the moment they receive salvation. However, that view is not supported in Scripture. As we'll see, we must choose to receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in obedience to God (after we automatically receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation) because it empowers us by providing certain gifts of the Spirit for the assignments that God needs us to do.

""For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:5-9)

"On the evening of that first day of the week [Resurrection Sunday], when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."" (John 20:19-22)

"This reception of the Spirit was in anticipation of the day of Pentecost and should be understood as a partial limited gift of knowledge, understanding, and empowerment until Pentecost, 50 days later." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, John 20:22)

"It should also be noted that the reception of the Holy Spirit in Acts does not follow any set pattern. He came into believers before baptism (Act 10:44), at the time of or after baptism (Act 8:12-16; Act 19:6), and by the laying on of apostolic hands (Act 8:17; Act 19:6). Yet Paul declared (Rom 8:9) that anyone without the Holy Spirit is not a Christian. Quite obviously the transitional Book of Acts is not to be used as a doctrinal source on how to receive the Holy Spirit (cf. comments on tongues, 1 Cor. 13:8-14:25)." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Acts 19:6)

"The ministry to which Jesus called the disciples (v. Joh 20:21; see also Mat 28:16-20; Luk 24:47-49) required spiritual power. The reference here is to a special preparation of the apostles who were to become the foundation of the church at Pentecost." (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, John 20:22)

"the gifts of the Spirit, to qualify them for the work he now sent them to do, and which were not now actually bestowed; but this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost" (John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, John 20:22)

"an earnest and first-fruits of the more copious Pentecostal effusion." (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, John 20:22)

"The gift bestowed was not that of the personal Holy Spirit, but rather an earnest of that gift" (Vincent's Word Studies, John 20:22)

"This was an earnest of pentecost." (John Wesley's Notes on the Bible, John 20:22)

"the imparting of the Spirit now, was a symbol and foretaste of that which they should receive at Pentecost: - just as, to mount a step higher, that itself, in its present abiding with us, is but the first-fruits and pledge (Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22) of the fulness which we shall hereafter inherit...this giving of the Spirit was not the Spirit's personal imparting of Himself to them, but only a partial instilling of His influence." (Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary, John 20:22)

"We have here, therefore, an anticipation and earnest of Pentecost" (Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges, John 20:22)

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1. First of all, notice what the Bible says in Romans 10:9:

   "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

   While Jesus was alive, the disciples had confessed Him as Lord (John 13:13, for example). However, the disciples were not Christians at that point because they did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ (since Jesus had not yet died).
   
   On Resurrection Sunday, the day Christ rose from the dead, He came to the disciples in a locked room:

   "On the evening of that first day of the week [Resurrection Sunday], when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."" (John 20:19-21)

   At this point the disciples believed in the bodily resurrection of Christ, so Resurrection Sunday was the day that they fulfilled Romans 10:9 (above) and received salvation. Therefore, on Resurrection Sunday the disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit because everyone receives the indwelling Holy Spirit when they receive salvation as we've seen.

2. Notice that on Resurrection Sunday, Jesus imparted the Holy Spirit to the disciples by breathing on them:

   "On the evening of that first day of the week [Resurrection Sunday], when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."" (John 20:19-22)

   Jesus created everything that's been created (John 1:1-3, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2), and we're told that He imparted spiritual life to Adam by breathing on him:

   "Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7 AMP)

   When Jesus breathed into Adam's nostrils in Genesis 2:7 (above), Adam immediately received spiritual life. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples on Resurrection Sunday, echoing what He did to Adam in Genesis 2:7, so it's reasonable to conclude that the disciples immediately received spiritual life just as Adam did.
   
   Even the mainline Bible Knowledge Commentary agrees that we are regenerated (i.e., we receive salvation) by the "inbreathing" of the Holy Spirit:

   "Since the Fall, regeneration by the "inbreathing" of the Holy Spirit is essential in order for people to enjoy fellowship with God." (Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Genesis 2:4-7, emphasis added)

   Again, the disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation.
   
   The mainline denominations (e.g., most Protestants and Baptists) claim that the indwelling Holy Spirit was not able to be received by Christians until after the Ascension, when Jesus rose up to heaven in full view of the apostles (forty days after the Resurrection). This is based on passages such as John 16:7, where Jesus said that He must "go away" before the Holy Spirit can be received by people. However, my article called Understanding Jesus - Part Three shows that Jesus went to the Father on the morning of Resurrection Sunday, returning to the earth by the evening of that same day, and then again forty days later at the Ascension (and possibly other times as well). When Jesus said that He must "go away" before the indwelling Holy Spirit can be received by people, He was referring to Resurrection Sunday, not the Ascension, and all of the scriptural evidence is thoroughly described in my article above.

3. Immediately after breathing the Holy Spirit into the disciples on Resurrection Sunday, notice what Jesus said:

   "On the evening of that first day of the week [Resurrection Sunday], when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."" (John 20:19-23)

   Since the disciples now had the authority to declare other people's sins as being forgiven, it's reasonable to conclude that their own sins were now forgiven. The mainline denominations (e.g., most Protestants and Baptists) tend to say that the disciples received salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but consider that it's not reasonable to assume that the disciples were able to "forgive anyone's sins" after Resurrection Sunday if the disciples had to wait approximately fifty days until Pentecost for their own sins to be forgiven.
   
   So Jesus' statement indicates that the disciples received salvation on Resurrection Sunday, which means that they received the indwelling Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday.

4. A week after Resurrection Sunday, Jesus again came and stood with the disciples in a locked room, and this time Thomas (the doubter) was present. Jesus said that Thomas was now a believer because he saw the proof that Jesus was resurrected, and Thomas confessed Jesus as Lord (fulfilling the two conditions in Romans 10:9, above). Jesus further stated that those who believe in Him without actually seeing Him will be blessed with salvation (based on the context) as well, because "by believing you may have life [i.e., eternal life]":

   "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:26-31)

   As we've seen, this whole section of Scripture surrounding Resurrection Sunday (John 20:19-31) describes salvation, and says absolutely nothing about the disciples' spiritual empowerment.
   
   All of the evidence indicates that when Jesus said "receive the Holy Spirit" on Resurrection Sunday, the disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation just like everyone does after the cross as we've seen.

5. The rest of the book of John describes some things that the disciples did after they received the Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday, and before the day of Pentecost. If they had received any form of "partial" spiritual empowerment, then is there any evidence that they had received any empowerment? No, there's not.
   
   They went fishing (and Jesus did a miracle of filling Peter's net with fish), and they ate a meal with Jesus, and they had a conversation with Him. That's all they're described as doing (see John 21:1-25).
   
   After Resurrection Sunday in John chapter 20, throughout the rest of the book of John and the beginning of the book of Acts up until the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4, there's no indication that the disciples had received any amount of spiritual empowerment. There's not a shred of scriptural support for the mainline denominations' assumption that a "foretaste" or "partial gift" of spiritual empowerment was the reason why the disciples received the Holy Spirit on Resurrection Sunday. Instead, the disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit at the time of their salvation on the evening of Resurrection Sunday (or a week later for Thomas).

6. Recall what Jesus told the disciples forty days after Resurrection Sunday and a few days before Pentecost:

   "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:4-9)
   
   "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

   Notice carefully what Jesus said and what He did not say. He did not say that in a few days (at Pentecost) the disciples would receive salvation or forgiveness of sins or eternal life. He did not mention salvation or forgiveness of sins or eternal life at all. Instead, Jesus specifically said that the disciples would receive power and would be clothed with power in a few days (at Pentecost). Then He described the ministry of evangelism that they would soon begin, saying that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
   
   At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples for their spiritual empowerment in a great demonstration of supernatural power. There was the sound of a violent wind, visible tongues of fire, speaking in tongues, and powerful evangelism that resulted in roughly 3,000 people being saved that day (Acts 2:1-41) and many more being saved and healed after that. After Pentecost, "many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles" (Acts 2:43). When the disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost it was for their spiritual empowerment, which is exactly the purpose for the baptism of the Holy Spirit as we'll see.

1. In the following passages, notice that after Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him. This was not for the purpose of sealing Jesus with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His salvation (as in Ephesians 1:13-14) because Jesus was not in need of salvation. On earth, Jesus was our perfect role model because He was the perfect human, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in order to empower Jesus for His ministry on earth. This can be demonstrated by following the sequence of events in Luke's Gospel:

   "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove." (Luke 3:21-22)
   
   "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry." (Luke 3:23)
   
   "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil." (Luke 4:1-2)
   
   "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside." (Luke 4:13-14)

   First we see that Jesus was baptized in water, and then the Holy Spirit descended on Him (not for salvation, but for spiritual empowerment for His earthly ministry). Recall that in every example of Christians receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we're told that the Holy Spirit "came on" them, which is similar wording to Luke 3:21-22 (above). Next, Jesus began His ministry after receiving the Holy Spirit, just as He told the disciples that they will begin their ministries after they receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). We're then told that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit. Finally, we see Jesus returning to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit.
   
   So even though Jesus is the Son of God, the above passages tell us that as a human He needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for His earthly ministry. Jesus never used His divine power before the cross, not even once (see my article called Understanding Jesus - Part Three). Notice that Jesus was already saved (because He was never unsaved) when He received spiritual empowerment, just as the original disciples were saved before they received spiritual empowerment, and just as the people in the household of Cornelius the Gentile were saved before they received spiritual empowerment, and just as the disciples in Ephesus were saved before they received spiritual empowerment, and just as the Samaritans were saved before they received spiritual empowerment, and just as we need to be saved before we can receive spiritual empowerment.

2. Another example of the baptism of the Holy Spirit being separate from salvation can be seen in Luke 11:11-13:

   "He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"" (Luke 11:2-13)

   In the last sentence of the above passage, Jesus said that our Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Some Bible commentaries say that this statement only applied until the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, so after Pentecost we're not meant to ask for the Holy Spirit. However, there's not a shred of scriptural support for the idea that we're no longer meant to ask for the Holy Spirit in obedience to Luke 11:13 (above), so this is just an assumption that those Bible commentaries are making. Notice that Jesus made that statement immediately after teaching us the Lord's Prayer and teaching us to ask, seek, and knock, and Bible commentaries point out that these teachings apply to all Christians, even today. Since the Lord's Prayer and the asking, seeking, and knocking apply to us today, we must also interpret the last sentence as applying to us today. Otherwise we're being inconsistent in how we're interpreting the above passage.
   
   The key to understanding Luke 11:11-13 (the last three sentences in the above passage) is that Jesus gives us examples of a son asking his father for a gift, and then He says that "your Father" will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. So if you're a Christian, a child of God, then you can ask your Father for the Holy Spirit. First you must be saved (at which point God becomes your heavenly Father - John 1:12-13, Galatians 3:26, 4:4-7), then you can ask Him for the Holy Spirit.
   
   But remember, when we receive salvation then we automatically receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, so we don't have to ask for the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet Jesus said that God will give the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask for it.
   
   This gift, therefore, is not salvation because we don't become saved by asking God for the Holy Spirit. Instead, this gift is what the Bible calls the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit for receiving spiritual empowerment. As we saw, three out of the four scriptural examples of Christians receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit refer to it as a gift.
   
   We can demonstrate this further by comparing Luke 11:13 with its parallel passage in Matthew:

   "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11)
   
   "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)

   We can see that receiving the Holy Spirit is equated with receiving "good gifts." Again, this is not referring to receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit because we automatically receive the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, so we don't need to ask for that. It's referring to the fact that we must choose to receive the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in obedience to God (after we automatically receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation) because it empowers us by providing certain gifts of the Spirit for the assignments that God needs us to do (more on that later in this article).
   
   Only Christians are adopted as children of God (see my article called Cheat Sheet #31), and therefore only Christians can ask our heavenly Father for the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This demonstrates that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is only available after salvation.

3. The author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that one of the elementary and foundational teachings that Christians received was "instruction about baptisms":

   "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." (Hebrews 6:1-2)

   This indicates that first-century Christians were taught about the different Christian baptisms (plural), and it tells us that they needed instruction about these baptisms.
   
   Notice that Christians don't need instruction about how to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit because He is already living in their hearts from the moment of their salvation as we've seen. But people do need some instruction about Christian water baptism to understand its purpose and meaning and how it's done (see my series called Everything We Need to Know about Water Baptism), and people do need some instruction about Spirit baptism to understand its purpose and meaning and how it's done, which will be described in Part Two of this series.
   
   The instruction about baptisms was an elementary and foundational Christian teaching (Hebrews 6:1-2, above), and therefore this instruction was given to new Christians. This means that just like water baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is only available to us after salvation.
   
   There are other types of baptisms mentioned in the New Testament, but Spirit baptism and water baptism are the only Christian baptisms in the New Testament. Some people believe that being baptized "with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16) refers to a separate "baptism with fire" for Christians which involves either being refined in the fire (e.g., 1 Peter 1:6-7) or having special experiences of the Holy Spirit in which it feels like a "fire" comes upon us or that we're "set on fire for the Lord." However, Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16 are the only places in the entire Bible where the concepts of baptism and fire are found together (with no direct explanation of what the baptism with fire is), so we have no scriptural evidence that the baptism with fire is something for Christians to experience. In fact, immediately before mentioning the baptism with fire in Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist said that "every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10), and immediately after mentioning the baptism with fire he said that Jesus will "clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17). John the Baptist made it very clear that the baptism with fire refers to being "thrown into hell, where 'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched'" (Mark 9:47-48). In other words, he described two different baptisms: one for the "wheat," meaning Christians (being baptized with the Holy Spirit), and one for the "chaff," meaning non-Christians (being baptized with unquenchable fire). To understand what will ultimately happen to non-Christians in that unquenchable fire, see my article called Cheat Sheet #32.

"He [Moses] poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him [as high priest]." (Leviticus 8:12)

"Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over his inheritance?...The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person."" (1 Samuel 10:1-6)

"So he [the prophet Samuel] asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered. "He is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent for him and had him brought in. He [David] was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; this is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah." (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

"Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One [Masiyah], the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One [Masiyah] will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed." (Daniel 9:24-26)

"Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah [Messias]" (that is, the Christ [Christos])." (John 1:40-41)

"He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."" (Luke 4:16-21)

"Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed." (Acts 4:27)

"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:38)

"Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'...God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear."" (Acts 2:14-21, 32-33)

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17)

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father - he will testify about me." (John 15:26)

"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you." (John 16:7-15)



"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."" (Acts 1:4-8)

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them...Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'...God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear."" (Acts 2:1-4, 14-21, 32-33)

"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:38)

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us - eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:20-27)

"Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea...Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. I call God as my witness - and I stake my life on it - that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth." (2 Corinthians 1:15-23)

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV)

"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 KJV)

"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV)

"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NASB)

"Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ASV)

"and He who is confirming you with us into Christ, and did anoint us, is God, who also sealed us, and gave the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 YLT)

"Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life]." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 AMP)

"Now he that establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, [is] God, who also has sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Darby Translation)

"Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us. He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible)

"Now he that confirmeth us with you in Christ, and that hath anointed us, is God: Who also hath sealed us, and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)

"And it is God which established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us. Who hath also sealed us, and hath given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 1599 Geneva Bible)

• 07/06/2024 - Added an update in the Introduction section.

• 06/28/2024 - Added a link to my article called "Cheat Sheet" in the section called "Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Are Always Separate Events."

• 06/13/2024 - Slightly modified the section called "The Anointing."

• 05/28/2024 - Added a link to my article called "Cheat Sheet" in the section called "Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Are Always Separate Events."

• 05/05/2024 - Slightly modified the section called "The Anointing."

• 04/20/2024 - Slightly modified the 3rd bullet point in the section called "When Did the Disciples Receive Salvation?"

• 01/07/2024 - Added a summary paragraph at the end of the section called "Scriptural Examples of Christians Receiving the Gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit." Modified point #2 and #4b in the section called "Why Did Jesus Say That the Disciples Will Be "Baptized" with the Holy Spirit?" Slightly modified the section called "The Anointing" to say that Jesus was technically not a Christian.

• 09/25/2023 - Slightly modified the section called "The Samaritans (Acts 8:14-20)."

• 03/13/2023 - Modified the section called "The Samaritans (Acts 8:14-20)."

• 01/23/2023 - Modified the section called "The disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6)." Modified my discussion of 1 Corinthians 12:13.

• 12/04/2022 - Added a paragraph about Philip the Evangelist under "The Samaritans (Acts 8:14-20)." Added a paragraph about the "baptism with fire" in the section called "Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Are Always Separate Events."

• 10/02/2022 - Added Acts 19:5 in point 4B in the section called "Why Did Jesus Say That the Disciples Will Be "Baptized" with the Holy Spirit?" Modified the section called "Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Are Always Separate Events." Modified the section called "The Anointing." Modified the Conclusion section.

• 08/01/2022 - Added more information in the section called "The Anointing."

• 07/23/2022 - Modified my closing statement.

• 04/14/2022 - Changed the title of my book because I discovered a couple of existing books with "Healing Is for Today" in their names.

• 04/12/2022 - Added more passages in the section called "The disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6)." Added a section called "The Anointing." Added a paragraph on the anointing in the Conclusion section.

• 03/24/2022 - Modified the description of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in several places.

• 12/06/2021 - Modified the bullet point concerning Thomas the doubter in the section called "When Did the Disciples Receive Salvation?"

• 11/10/2021 - Added Luke 11:2-10 and some discussion about it in the section called "Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Are Always Separate Events."

• 11/03/2021 - Made the font size a bit bigger and added a fish symbol as a favicon (which is displayed in the browser tab).

• 09/21/2021 - Added a Bible commentary quote and some discussion about it in the section called "When Did the Disciples Receive Salvation?"

• 08/13/2021 - Deleted the section called "What Is the Evidence that a Person Has Received Salvation?" (it didn't really contribute anything to the article). Added a bullet point concerning immersion in water in the section called "Why Did Jesus Say that the Disciples Will Be "Baptized" in the Holy Spirit?" Modified the Conclusion section.

• 07/05/2020 - Added the definitions for some Greek words in the section called "Examples of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit."

• 03/30/2020 - Added a link to my new series called "Understanding Jesus."

• 02/27/2019 - Re-wrote most of this series.

• 09/06/2002 - Added some more information concerning 1 Corinthians 12:13 in the section called "Why Did Jesus Say that the Disciples Will Be "Baptized" in the Holy Spirit?"

• 05/06/2002 - Added a paragraph at the end of the section called "Why Did Jesus Say that the Disciples Will Be "Baptized" in the Holy Spirit?" to explain why the baptism of the Holy Spirit did not just occur two times in the first century as some people believe.