by Jasmin Corneloup
Holy Spirit baptism is separate to
regeneration
And when they had prayed, the place in which
they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
The
baptism of the Holy Spirit is a unique and separate experience to regeneration.
Many scholars throughout church history have tried to dispute this truth.
However there are many passages of scripture which clearly point to a unique
and separate experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Phillip
preached to the Samaritans they received the Word of God, had believed and were
baptised in water but they did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John
came and laid hands on them. Another powerful argument in favour of the baptism
of the Holy Spirit being a separate experience to regeneration is the fact that
the disciples were clearly born again before the day of Pentecost. Most
opponents of the Pentecostal position are Calvinists who believe in the
doctrine of total depravity. The biblical teaching of total depravity requires a
persons to be regenerated before they can be in fellowship with God. The
disciples were clearly intimate with Jesus Christ and believed in Him before
the day of Pentecost. Jesus said that whoever had believed in Him had passed
from death to life already. So the scriptures are clear that the disciples were
already born again before the day of Pentecost. Additionally the disciples in
Acts 19 had responded to the call of repentance coming from John the Baptist,
and yet they had not received the Holy Spirit. The only way anyone can respond
to God in repentance is to be born again and given a new nature by God. The
bible says that before we came to Jesus Christ we “were dead in our sins and trespasses”, and those who are
spiritually dead cannot respond to Gods call of repentance. Therefore the
disciples in Acts 19 were regenerated and born again disciples who had believed
upon the one whom John spoke of.
The purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts
1:8
The focus
of regeneration, or the new birth, is the new nature that God gives us when we
repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The focus of the baptism of the
Holy Spirit is to be clothed with power from on high to be a witness for Jesus
Christ and to empower the church with the gifts of the Spirit for the
edification of the body. In the Old Testament God temporarily poured out His
Spirit on chosen individuals to empower them to fulfill the task God laid before
them. A well know example of this is Samson who, when filled with the Holy
Spirit, was given great strength to subdue the enemies of Israel. This grace
from God was not available to everyone during the Old Covenant period. However
in the New Testament God has made this wonderful blessing available to all
believers. On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter, in reference to the event
taking place in Jerusalem, quoted from the book of Joel saying “And in the last days it shall be, God
declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”. Then later he tells
his hearers “For the promise is for you
and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our
God calls to himself”. These passages clearly teach that the Spirit of God
will be poured out upon all flesh and this promise is for all believers in the
last days, including us. Therefore all believers can seek this marvelous blessing from the throne of God. There was a distinct difference in the lives
of the apostles after they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They
were empowered to be a witness of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel throughout
the world.
