Spirit Burns - Are You Baptized “By" the Spirit, Part Six

We finally come to our last passage. On this verse hangs the teaching of Spirit baptism. An individuals intrepretation will shape not only his view of Spirit baptism but all doctrines that are connected with the Holy Spirit.
Our last explicit passage is our main passage for interpreting the others. In I Corinthians 12, we find a straightforward verse detailing the doctrine of Spirit baptism.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1Co 12:13)

The controversy in interpreting this verse centers around the preposition “en” and its translation. In the prophecies of John, found in the Gospels and Acts, the exact Greek phrase is used as found in I Corinthians 12:13. Three different views have been proposed for the translation of “en”. These views are not divided along experiential and non-experiential lines but purely exegetical lines.

1.) The View that En is a Completely Unique Translation

The first view sees the “en” in I Corinthians as a completely unique translation. There are therefore two Spirit baptisms. One in which Christ is the agent (the Gospel passages) and the other in which the Holy Spirit is the agent (I Corinthians 12:13). Myron Houghton states that the baptism by the Spirit places believers into the church which is Christ’s body while the baptism in the Spirit occurs when Christ places the Spirit in us (131). Both baptisms occur simultaneously at salvation.

Grudem explains that Pentecostals are eager to accept this view since it throws out of consideration I Cor. 12:13 in the discussion on what is baptism in the Spirit (767). They state that in the other six verses Jesus is the one who baptizes people and Holy Spirit is the element whereas here in I Corinthians we have the Holy Spirit as the agent. Therefore, I Corinthians should not be taken in to account when discussion is centered on baptism in the Spirit.

The problem with this view is that it really does not make sense when one examines the Greek text because the expressions are identical in the Gospels, Acts, and I Corinthians. If we translate this same Greek expression “baptize in the Holy Spirit” in the other six New Testament occurrences it only seems proper that we translate it in the seventh occurrence (Grudem, 767). Also, it seems hard to fathom that the original readers would not have seen this phrase as referring to anything but the same concept because the Greek words were the same. The last fallacy with this view is that it denies the fact that there is one baptism.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism. (Eph 4:4-5)

2.) The View that En is Always Translated "by"

The second view sees “en” as being interpreted in the same fashion in all the Spirit baptism passage. The view proposes that “en” should be translated “by.” Walvoord, a proponent, comments on this view:

A strict interpretation of the preposition would lead to this locative idea (translated “in”). The same preposition though is used in the instrumental sense with sufficient frequency in Scripture to free the translator from any artificial interpretation (cf. Matt. 12:24; Lk. 22:49; Heb. 11:37)…It can be said, therefore, that we are baptized by Christ in the sense that Christ sent the Spirit. (147-148)

This view has a major problem. In the Gospel passage, the thought is that just as John baptized in water so Christ will baptize in fire and the Holy Spirit. It is a direct parallelism that loses its meaning if changed. If one decides to translate “en” consistently in the Gospel verse, the result would be confusion. To baptize by water does not make sense. Water cannot become the agent.

In the next post, we will see what is the proper way to interpret this passage.

Bibliography

Houghton, Myron. “Systematic Theology II Syllabus.” Course Handout. Systematic Theology II. Dep. of Systematic Theology, Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. 14 Jan. 2009

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994

Walvoord, John J. The Holy Spirit. 3rd ed. Findlay, OH: Dunham Publishing, 1958.

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