God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

b. Baptism in the Holy Spirit: the Pentecostal view

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(1) Exegetical distinctive: using the Book of Acts as the primary source for understanding the baptism in the Holy Spirit (see Keener, “What Can Bible Stories Teach Us?”Appendix, Holy Spirit: Gift and Giver for an explanation and defense of this approach). Pentecostals historically relied on Luke’s accounts to lay the foundation for their theology and argued that the statements of Paul in the Epistles (which are generally directed toward problem-solving in particular church situations) must be integrated into the more universal narrative of the Gospels and Acts. (2) Pentecostals believe that there is a difference between indwelling and infilling. Pentecostals often teach that the Spirit indwells a Christian at salvation but fills them up at the time of Spirit baptism. (3) Some Pentecostals teach that at salvation “the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ” (1 Cor. 12.13) but that the baptism in the Spirit, is a separate time when “Christ baptizes us in the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1.8). Therefore, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an event that happens after conversion and gives power for mission and ministry (cf. Acts 1.4, 8; 8.14-16). (4) For most Pentecostals, the initial (and necessary) evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, according to the pattern that they see in the Book of Acts (Acts 2.1-4; 10.45-46; 19.5-6, see also Mark 16.17-18).

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(5) Summary of the Pentecostal position

(a) What is the “baptism in the Holy Spirit”?

A crisis experience in which the Christian is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to effectively engage in ministry and mission

(b) When is the “fullness of the Holy Spirit” received?

Different for each person but always after justification (conversion)