Ron Halbrook

Holy Spirit baptism and water baptism served two distinct roles in God’s plan to redeem man from sin.  Holy Spirit baptism was a miraculous event which initiated the Gospel Age.  Water baptism is an act of obedient faith on the part of the helpless sinner in order for him to receive the forgiveness of his sins by God’s grace.  Holy Spirit baptism was not a command to be obeyed or a condition to be met in order for the sinner to receive pardon from his sins.  It was not a command at all but was a promise designed to initiate the Gospel Age.  Water baptism is a command not a promise and this command must be preached wherever the gospel is preached until the end of time (Matt. 28:18-20).

Joel Prophesied the Last Days, the Gospel Age

Holy Spirit baptism is one of the promises found in the Old Testament pointing to the coming of the Gospel Age, the age of salvation under the reign of Jesus Christ.  The prophet Joel prophesied a great miraculous outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32).  The Spirit would reveal the long-awaited plan of God for the salvation of the world: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered” (vs. 32).   This promise was for “the last days,” the new age of the reign of Christ in the kingdom of God.

To prepare the Jews for the personal ministry of Jesus on earth, John the Forerunner preached that they must repent of their sins, be baptized in water, and live a new life demonstrating the genuineness of their repentance (Matt. 3:1-12).  As John explained, Jesus would exercise divine powers “mightier” than the ability of any man.  “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (vs. 11).  Holy Spirit baptism would be administered by the Son of God, not by man, at the beginning of the Gospel Age.  At the end of that Age, the Son of God would judge the world and those who had rejected God and His Son and the message of the Spirit would be punished in “unquenchable fire” (vs. 12).

Jesus himself promised his Apostles many times that he would immerse them in the great power of the Spirit of God.  “The kingdom of God” would be introduced by this “power from on high” coming upon them (Mk. 9:1; Lk. 24:49).  The Holy Spirit, also called “the Spirit of truth,” would fully reveal to them God’s complete plan for the salvation of the world (Jn. 16:12-13).

Jesus died for our sins and arose from the grave, preparing for the dawning of the day of salvation.  In Acts 1:1-3, we learn that Jesus in the resurrected body appeared to his Apostles and taught them many things about the coming kingdom of God before he ascended back to heaven.  He reminded them of the promise of Holy Spirit baptism and told them to wait in Jerusalem where the promise would be fulfilled soon (vv. 4-5).  It is very clear that Holy Spirit baptism is promised to the Apostles and not to all men for all time because Jesus addressed “the apostles” in verse 3 and the pronouns which follow refer back to them: “them,” “they,” “ye.”  By the great power of the Spirit of God, the Apostles would proclaim the establishment of the kingdom of God.  The Spirit would guide their preaching as witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to reign as the King, the High Priest, and the Savior (vv. 6-8).  The prophecy of Joel would soon be fulfilled!

The Gospel Age Began on Pentecost in Acts 2

While the Apostles waited in Jerusalem, Matthias took the place of the fallen Judas and was added to “the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).  On the day of Pentecost, “they were all with one accord in one place” when the Holy Spirit poured out his divine power upon them (2:1-4; the pronouns “they” and “them” in these verses point to the apostles in 1:26).  Three great signs of this power were given: the sound of a stormy wind, what appeared to be tongues of fire on their heads, and the preaching of the Apostles in foreign languages they did not know.  This miraculous event is the Holy Spirit baptism which had been promised according to verses 16-21. Peter said, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (verse 16).  Acts 2:17-21 quotes Joel 2:28-32 and affirms it was fulfilled by the events which occurred here.

The coming of the divine power of the Spirit upon the Apostles is called a baptism because this word means immersion.  The Apostles were immersed in the great power of the Holy Spirit in order to initiate the Gospel Age, the new day of salvation.  Joel said this great power would come upon “all flesh,” a Bible expression meaning both Jews and Gentiles.  The Apostles are Jews, thus fulfilling one part of the promise to “all flesh.”

The coming of the Spirit’s power in the special measure called a baptism would introduce the Gospel Age in three ways.  First, verses 17-18 show this was to be a new age of revelation as signified by the terms prophecy, visions, and dreams.  This means the Holy Spirit would reveal a new message, the gospel message, through the Apostles.  Second, verses 19-20 show an old order must pass away and a new order will take its place.  The expressions found here are from the Old Testament and refer to God replacing one system, government, or order with a new one.  The point here is that the Old Testament system of worship, the old Israel, is being replaced by the New Testament system, the new spiritual Israel.  Third, verse 21 shows that all these things happened to initiate the Gospel Age when men will “call on the name of the Lord” and receive salvation.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter with the other Apostles proclaimed the beginning of the Gospel Age by proving that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s plan for the salvation of the world.  “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  Christ the King was on his throne at the right hand of the Father: The kingdom of God was established as a present reality!

Peter had not yet clarified how sinners would call on the name of the Lord to receive salvation in this new kingdom and, therefore, those who believed his message asked the Apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

How will each person call upon the name of the Lord to receive salvation?  Verse 38 clarifies this: “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”  Every person is commanded to repent and be baptized by the authority of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Lk. 24:46-47).  To be “saved” in verse 21 is the same as to receive “remission of sins” in verse 38.  When verse 38 refers to receiving “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” this is not Holy Spirit baptism but is simply all spiritual blessings promised by God’s Spirit throughout the Old Testament.  With pardon from sin came fellowship with God, citizenship in the kingdom of God, and all the privileges and joys of this relationship.  The gift of salvation promised long ago in the Old Testament is now offered to men through the gospel of Christ in the New Testament.

Gentiles Are Included in the Gospel Age

The early Jewish Christians hesitated to preach to Gentiles because in the Old Testament God made a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile.  In Acts 10 God clarified that Gentiles are included in the blessings of the Gospel Age.  God sent Peter with six Jewish brethren to the house of Cornelius.  This man and his household were Gentiles.  Peter began to preach to them in verse 34, explaining that he now understands the gospel must go to all men of the world including Gentiles.

As Peter was beginning his explanation, we learn in verses 44-46 that Holy Spirit baptism came upon these Gentiles.  They spake in the Hebrew or Aramaic language spoken by Jews but not familiar to Gentiles.  This fulfilled the other part of the promise about Holy Spirit baptism coming upon “all flesh” in Joel 2:28.  Peter explains the purpose of this Holy Spirit baptism upon Gentiles in verse 47 by posing a question:  “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”  In short, the purpose of Holy Spirit baptism was to convince the Jews that Gentiles are included in the blessings of salvation promised in the Gospel Age.  Holy Spirit baptism did not save the household of Cornelius but only proved to the six Jewish brethren that Gentiles may receive salvation in the same way as Jews.

How will each Gentile receive salvation?  In the same way as the Jews: They must be baptized in water by the authority of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Great Commission.  “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (verse 48).  This was water baptism for the remission of sins, the same baptism preached in Acts 2:38.

In Acts 11:1-18, Peter and the six Jewish brethren were challenged and questioned by the brethren in Jerusalem for going to the Gentiles.  Peter explained that God sent him to Cornelius and that God sent Holy Spirit baptism upon the household of Cornelius to confirm that Gentiles are included in the blessings of the Gospel Age (Acts 11:16-17).  The brethren at Jerusalem were convinced by this evidence:  “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (vs. 18).

Holy Spirit Baptism Fulfilled Its Purpose

After the events of Acts 2 and Acts 10, Holy Spirit baptism never came upon anyone again.  This promise had fulfilled its purpose by initiating the Gospel Age and by confirming that both Jews and Gentiles are included in the scope of this new age.  Jews and Gentiles may receive the forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ when they repent of their sins and submit to him in water baptism.  This good news must be proclaimed to “all the world” and to “every creature:”  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:15-16).  In this way, Christ extends the offer of salvation to all men until the end of time:  “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20).

[Truth Magazine LI, 6 (June 2007):6-8]