The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Part 3 – Some Misconceptions of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

In this post I would like to look at some misconceptions of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

1. Unless someone speaks in tongues they are not saved
   

This is a very fringe position of a few Pentecostals. I would say roughly percentage wise it is equivalent to the percentage of hyper-Calvinists that believe that God is the author of sin. It is clear from Scripture that the disciples had already received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) before the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost Peter told those who asked what they were to do that after repenting and being baptized they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus speaking in John 14 specifically stated that the world cannot receive the Comforter, thus this baptism can only come on those already converted. It can come on those newly converted as it did upon Cornelius and those with him, and in that case it was done specifically to show that he had been converted as Peter knew the Comforter cannot be received by the world, thus he had no grounds for refusing baptism. At Ephesus, it appears that the former disciples of John received salvation, baptism in water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the same day in quick succession, but Paul had started by asking them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed clearly referring to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Samaria under Philip's ministry many believed and were baptized, but only after Peter and John came and laid hands on them did they receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, so clearly someone can be saved without speaking in tongues. However it is also clear from Paul's first question to those at Ephesus, the response in Jerusalem to the revival in Samaria, and Christ's command to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the promise the need of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers.

1. Speaking in tongues is a sign of holiness
   

It is a common misconception that the gifts of God are a sign of holiness. This is not the case. In the Galatian church they had serious errors and were in danger of slipping into damnable heresy, yet Paul pointed to examples of miracles being worked among them and showed that the miracles flowed from faith, not the works of the law (Gal. 3:5). The Corinthians excelled in gifts and used them to show off but were hardly holy. Peter was reproved by Paul for his conduct long after he had begun to flow in the gifts of the Spirit. Working miracles in the Name of Jesus is not even proof of our ultimate salvation, let alone a superior holiness (Mat. 7:21-23). In the Old Testament the offering on the day of Pentecost that was offered to the Lord was singular in that it was the only offering which contained leaven (Lev. 23:16-17). In type then there can be a lot of sin still in someone who is flowing in the gifts. The children of Israel had miraculous provision for their needs not only at the beginning of their journey, but even for the extra 38 they gained through rebellion. The miracles were signs of God's provision, but not a sign of their holiness. The Lord both receives and gives gifts even to the rebellious that He might dwell among them (Psa. 68:18; Eph. 4:8-10).

Looking at Ezekiel's vision of the river we can see a certain comparison (Ezek. 47). At each point in the vision the waters are measured and then we are told the depth as he wades further into the river. The measure is always a thousand which could point to a certain fixed stage of Christian walk. The first one is ankle deep, which speaks of salvation, prior to that we never knew there was a river, but now we feel it's refreshing on our feet and enjoy it. The next could be compared to water baptism, we follow Christ in obedience into the waters of Baptism and it begins to affect our way of walking – knee deep. Then we come to waist deep, which I would compare to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, because once you are waist deep in water you feel the current far more than before. However, and this is the problem, you can still resist it. Many, many Pentecostals feel the moving of the Holy Spirit, but they often would rather do their own thing. The final depth is swimming depth, and when you swim in a river it carries you along the current even as you move. This is a sign of true Christian maturity and one which Christ specifically spoke to Peter, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go" (John 21:18).

It should also be noted that nowhere are the gifts spoken of as bad or a sign of immaturity. The abuse of them was corrected. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, though men can taint them. We do not condemn the gift of marriage because people abuse it, and we should not condemn the gifts of the Spirit either. Paul believed that spiritual gifts established believers (Rom. 1:1). He also encouraged the Corinthians to covet the best ones – the ones that most edified the Church (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:39).

1. I am Spirit-filled but I have never spoken in tongues
   

Sometimes people believe that they are Spirit-filled because they have been used in healing, casting out demons, have an anointing to preach, or some other experience with God. Remember that the Apostles when sent out by Christ preached, cast out devils and performed healings, but they still were told by Christ to wait for the promise of the Father. The immediate effect of the reception of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost was speaking in tongues, though there were many side effects (Acts 2:4). Also this was seen as evidence of reception of the Spirit by Peter in the case of Cornelius (Acts 10:46-47). The men in Ephesus also spoke in tongues and also prophesied, which shows that prophecy can and should flow from us as we flow in the Spirit (Acts 19:6). The key to knowing if we have received the promise is whether or not we have spoken in other tongues.

These are probably the three most common misconceptions of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I intend to carry on in the series with more posts on this topic, looking at some side issues and also if I am able at some doctrinal and historical evidence for the continuation of the gifts.