Spirit Burns - Are You “In", Part Seven

We have looked at many different views of Spirit baptism in this series. Today though, we will finally come to a biblical definition of Spirit baptism.

The third view sees “en” as being interpreted in the same fashion as the prophetic passages of John. Therefore, “en” in I Corinthians 12:13 should be translated “in.” Gordon Fee in his book, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, states that nowhere else does this dative (en) when used with ‘baptizo’ imply agency, but it always refers to the element ‘in which’ one is being baptized (606). Thus the verse should be rendered, “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

While at first this doesn’t seem to make sense, a closer examination reveals otherwise. In I Corinthians 10:2, we find that “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” Grudem explains that in this verse there are not two locations for the same baptism but one was the element (the cloud and the sea that surrounded the Israelites) and the other was the location (namely Moses which represents the new life of participation in the Mosaic covenant and the fellowship of God’s people) that the Israelites found themselves in after they had passed through the cloud and the sea (768).

Spirit baptism operates in the same fashion. The Holy Spirit is the element that we are baptized in, and the body of Christ or the church is the location that we find ourselves in after this baptism.

This is detrimental to those who hold to an experiential view of Spirit baptism. If it is admitted that I Corinthians 12:13 refers to baptism in the Spirit, then it is impossible to maintain that it is an experience that comes after conversion. In this verse, the apostle Paul states that Spirit baptism made us members in the body of Christ. Thus, Spirit baptism happens at conversion because if one is not in the body of Christ, one if not a Christian.

According to Paul, Spirit baptism is universal and has happened to all believers so it is impossible to say that Spirit baptism occurs after salvation. There is consequently no need to seek Spirit baptism since it is universal and has happened to all believers.

A strict definition therefore is that Spirit baptism refers to the time at salvation in which Christ baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, and all the ministries of the Holy Spirit begin (indwelling, sealing, etc...).

Spirit baptism is a doctrine that affect ones views on soteriology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, and harmatiology. Because of this one can see that it is an important doctrine to clearly understand. While it is clear that Spirit baptism is not experiential, all vital experience flows from the realities which have been brought into being by the baptism in the Spirit.

Bibliography

Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987

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

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