Because of the various definitions for the term "Christian," trying to determine what doctrines are central to the faith, and which ones are not, can be difficult. Unfortunately, even foundational doctrines are up for grabs within the so-called Body of Christ. Arguably, the most important doctrine to any Christian is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without it, there are no Christians! Yet, some seem to think that it is a secondary issue not required to be a Christian, or at the very least, an optional "experience" that some Christians have and others don't. I have heard it said that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is "one of several baptisms" spoken about in scripture. As if all the others are equally valid without giving any consideration as to what they were for or the historical context in which they were performed. Others have said that "Most Christians do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit." Excuse me? This, to me, is a statement that equates having church membership or sitting in a fellowship once a week as what qualifies one to be a Christian. Then you have the intellectuals, who love to dissect every single word down to the point where they miss the meaning entirely. That is what leads one to say that, "Baptism by the Holy Spirit is not a one time thing. The Scripture tell us that we must be continually overwhelmed with HIM, the Holy Spirit." This says to me that a Christian must endure several salvation experiences in their lifetime or that the Holy Spirit is constantly indwelling and removing Himself from a believer. And, finally, you have one individual, who I assume believes themselves to be a Christian, say that they have "no clue" what it means to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. And that led them to ask the following questions:
My questions:
1- What is the Baptism by the Holy Spirit?
2- Do we need to have it? If yes, Why?
3- What are the advantages of this kind of Baptism? In what way will it make us better Christians. If we're unable to get it, will lack of it make us lousy or inadequate Christians?
In answer to the first question, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the restoration of the life of God to all who accept Christ by faith. Secondly, yes a believer needs to have it. If you don't have it, you are not saved, you are not a Christian and you do not have the right to call yourself a child of God. Third, and final, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is having the very life of God indwelling you. It is why Christians are called the Body of Christ. The spirit of God, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, now indwells every Christian. It is how God, in Christ, lives His life in and through us. The only way not to get it is not to accept Christ as your Savior. As Jesus told Nicodemus, in John 3:7, "you must be born again." All of us are born once physically and then we are born again, spiritually, when the life of God indwells us at the time of our salvation. What is birth? Birth is life. That is why you must be born again. You need the life of God, lost in Adam, restored to you, in Christ.
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4: 1-6
Ephesians 4:5 says there is only "one Lord, one faith, one baptism.." That "one" baptism is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is the only baptism that saves. The entire Gospel rests on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Adam was created in the Garden of Eden, God breathed His life into Adam and he became a living being (Genesis 2:7). God warned Adam that on the day he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Adam disobeyed God and ate from the tree, thus he died spiritually. The life of God that was breathed into him was removed. Adam was dead spiritually, but alive physically. All of mankind is, subsequently, born into this world spiritually dead to God, without His life indwelling them, in the image of Adam (Genesis 5:3). God, desiring to once again indwell His creation, had to first deal with the sin that caused that life to leave mankind. Since no man had a life worthy enough to satisfy God, God sent His Son, Jesus, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Adam was the only man created alive spiritually. Jesus was the only man born alive spiritually. That is why Jesus was the only one capable of taking the penalty for our sins. Through His death on the cross, it was now possible for God to offer His life again, as a free gift, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to all who accept Him by faith.
"For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15: 16-22
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are all, as Paul says, "still in our sins" and to be "pitied more than all men." The reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that He rose from the dead so He could live His life in and through us. Baptism, in a general sense, is a term used to describe being identified with someone or something. That is why Christians use the practice of water baptism as a symbolic gesture identifying them with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Water baptism is often described as "an outward sign of an inward reality." That reality is the one time, spiritual, baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurs at the time a person accepts Christ as their Savior. Many Christians do not understand that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is God's gift of His life to those who recognize that they were spiritually dead in their sins. Too often the discussion of the the baptism of the Holy Spirit gets sidetracked into endless, and meaningless, debates about water baptism and spiritual gifts.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matthew 7: 21-23
What is missed in all this discussion about the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the fact that when all mankind stands before the Lord, they will be judged by one criteria, and one criteria only! When the Lord looks at an individual, He will only say one thing: "Are you dead or are you alive?" In other words, "Are you spiritually dead in your sins, or are you spiritually alive in Christ?" Of course, He will already know the answer. All of it will be based on whether or not you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit. It is God's will that nobody perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God has done everything for us, in Christ, to make that a possibility with the exception of forcing us to accept Jesus Christ. The only thing for us to do is to come alive in Christ and be baptized by the Holy Spirit.
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