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. Common ground: joined to Christ and his Church through the ministry of the Spirit

1. The Scriptures teach us that we receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation and that he joins us to Christ and his Church in such a way that we not only have the right to be there (as adoption makes clear) but also that we experience the living power and presence of Christ and his people because we share the Holy Spirit with them.

2. 1 Cor. 12.13

3. NOTE: Although not every theological tradition would necessarily refer to this aspect of the Spirit’s work as “the baptism in the Holy Spirit” (some would prefer to call it being “born of the Spirit”), all would agree that a major work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us to Jesus and his body and to be the living power and presence of Christ in our lives. Regardless of what we call it, this is a key area of Christian agreement.

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C. Areas of disagreement about Spirit baptism: the key questions

For many Christians the above definition (union with Christ and his Church) means that being “baptized in the Holy Spirit” is something that happens to all Christians at the moment of conversion. However, many Christians think that certain Bible verses might raise other questions about Spirit baptism. They ask: “Do we receive all that the Holy Spirit has for us at the moment of salvation or is there a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit that comes later in our Christian experience?” “If so, how is this fulness received, what evidences show that it has happened, and what might it accomplish?”