Ever since I began following Jesus in my late teens, I have read about the debate over the nature, efficacy, and relationship between Spirit baptism and Water baptism. Are these two separate events? Are they one event? Does one lead to the other? Does one exclude the other? To unpack this, here are some preliminary definitions and some Scriptural sources they draw on:
Water Baptism as distinct from Spirit Baptism: Water Baptism is the act of the Church to receive a person as a full member of the Church by immersing them in water, or washing them with water, in the Name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. While various churches disagree over whether the water is poured or immersed, and whether it is open only for adult converts or also for the children of adult Christians, there is a consensus that: Once baptized, a person is adopted into the Family of God and is a full member of the Church. Here are Scriptures which speak of the meaning and process of Baptism that do not include an explicit reference to the work of the Holy Spirit within the person being baptized:
Matthew 3.6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 28.19-20 [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
John 3.22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized.
Acts 8.36-38 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Acts 16.15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
Acts 16.31-33 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay.
Acts 18.8 Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized.
Acts 22.16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’
Romans 6.3-8 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
1Corinthians 1.16 I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.
1Corinthians 6.11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 3.27-28 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5.26 in order to make [the Church] holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word…
Water Baptism and Spirit Baptism linked: Spirit Baptism is the work of the Holy Spirit within a person to “regenerate” them, and bring them to spiritual birth, to accept that they are a child of God, part of the Family of God, and a member of the Church (which is the extended Body of Christ). Several scriptures use images of water baptism and explicitly link Water and Spirit baptism together. Here are some Scripture passages which link baptism with the work of the Holy Spirit, or with some type of important inward, spiritual change in the person who is baptized:
Matthew 3:11 I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matthew 3.16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Mark 1:8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1.10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him.
Luke 3:16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Luke 3.21-22 [21] Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
John 1.32-33 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
John 3.5-8 [5] Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. [6] What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ [8] The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Acts 2.38-39 [38] Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
Ephesians 4.4-5 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
1Corinthians 12.13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Colossians 2.11-14 [11] In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; [12] when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, [14] erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.
Titus 3.4-7 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1Peter 1.23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 3.20-21 [20] God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. [21] And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10.22 Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Spirit Baptism as distinct from Water Baptism: Finally, there are Scripture passages which do not refer to Water Baptism explicitly, but which use the image of "Baptism" to picture a kind of “immersion” or full “drenching” by the Spirit, which has effects that are observed in the life of the person experiencing “Spirit Baptism”. These effects can be as “normal” as heightened awareness and assurance of union with Christ, or “spectacular” as gifts of healing or spiritual utterance. It should be noted that many Christians would say these are not “Spirit baptism” proper, but rather a “filling” of the Spirit which occurs after baptism as we experience more and more of the presence of the Spirit we received at baptism. Here are some Scriptures which have been be used to speak of this "Spirit Baptism" as separate from a "Water Baptism":
Luke 1.35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God."
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 2:3-4 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 10.44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.
Acts 11:15-17 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
Acts 10:45-46 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
How are these two baptisms— Water and Spirit— inter-related? Across Church history there have been several recurring patterns of relating them together (or separating them).
Water Baptism accomplishes inward transformation: Some say that the act of baptizing someone in water in the Triune Name of God accomplishes fully inward transformation. When the sacrament is performed by the Church, it accomplishes its spiritual effect "ex opere operato" (Latin meaning “by the work worked”). In this view, the sacraments confer grace when the sign is validly administered, no matter what the experience or appearance to the contrary. No matter how spiritually disconnected someone may seem after baptism, they are as fully spiritually renewed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit as any saint in history. While I want to uphold the power of Water Baptism, it seems this claim goes too far. There are deeper levels of experience and sanctification after baptism, and sometimes the inward reality of the spirit does not fully match the outward action of the sacraments.
Spirit Baptism supercedes outward ritual: Some say that Water Baptism is not really needed in a person's life, because it is in the inward spiritual reality alone that matters. As a result, some may put Water Baptism on a lower level of importance, but still normal in the Christian Life. Others may say that Water Baptism is completely optional. Still others have gone as far as abolishing Water Baptism altogether as an outdated, dead ritual that is not proper for God's Spirit-born people. While I want to uphold the power and experience of the work of the Spirit within, I find this view completely unacceptable and reductionistic. Water Baptism is the way we accept and celebrate all who are joined to the Church, and apart from Baptism we cannot recognize anyone as part of the Body of Christ.
Spirit Baptism leads to Water Baptism: Some say that both baptisms are necessary, but causally, Spirit Baptism always precedes and causes Water Baptism. People may only be baptized in water if they have experienced the new birth of the Spirit, and chosen to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord. As a result, only those with a mature faith and conscious commitment to Christ can be baptized in water and fully join the Church. While this is how baptism works in the lives of many who come to faith later in life, it is not the experience of most who were born and raised in the Church.
That is because this view assumes that baptism is something the individual chooses to do to show the Church they are serious about joining and following Jesus. But this seems to miss an important dimension that actually is prior to individual decision. Baptism is not just something individuals do for the Church. More crucially, it is something the Church does for individuals. Baptism is the Church reaching out and incorporating new people into the life of Christ, saying "We love you, we welcome you, we accept you, and we will help you grow into the fullness of Christ". Thus, often Water Baptism of young people leads to Spirit Baptism later as people are raised into Christ, to experience and know the power of his Spirit within.
Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism are always distinct: Finally, some simply say these are distinct actions of Christ. Christ does one thing in Spirit Baptism, and another in Water Baptism. Different effects happen at different times, and they are essentially unconnected. Even if someone experiences spiritual renewal at the time that they are baptized in water, this is Christ doing "two distinct actions at once" in the life of the person. But this does not seem right to me either. It seems to me that these two baptisms are essentially connected. They are part of the same act by Christ to save us and heal us.
One Baptism with Two Dimensions: How would I relate these "two baptisms" together? I would say they are two sides of the One Act of Christ in bringing us to spiritual birth. This idea is suggested by a concept in physics called “quantum entanglement”. In this concept, two subatomic particles have been connected together experimentally, and then separated. Once separated, no matter the distance, a change in state of one particle immediately results in a change of state in another particle, such that they act as the SAME particle existing in two separate places. In some sense, their separateness is an illusion, and anytime you change the spin or velocity of one entangled particle, the other does the same. As far as I know, we do not yet have an explanation for exactly how this happens. Which is why even Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance”.
Spirit and Water baptism are metaphorically “quantum entangled”, as the subjective and objective, inner and outer, dimensions of the One Act of Christ to awaken us to his Reality within which we live and move and exist. Spirit baptism is the inner, subjective dimension that is privately experienced. Water baptism is the outward, objective dimension that is publicly experienced. Sometimes it seems the inner leads to the outer, while other times it seems that the outer leads to the inner. They seem like distinct acts and experiences, often separated by space and time. But in reality they are part of the same thing, and that same thing is Christ himself acting through his Spirit in his Body, the Church.
Sometimes they occur simultaneously (from our perspective). Sometimes they occur days or weeks or years apart (from our perspective). From the perspective of the unfolding cosmic time of the universe the increment between them narrows to simultaneous. From the perspective of the Eternal Now of God, they are always simultaneous. Thus if someone has genuinely experienced Spirit baptism, we can be assured that Christ will work them toward water baptism in time, whether in this life or beyond. Likewise if someone has been baptized by the Church in water, we can be assured that Christ will work Spirit baptism within them in time, whether in this life or beyond.
To put it another way: To say these forms of baptism are parts of the One Act of Christ is to confess that we live in a Christocentric sacramental universe in which all forms of baptism are participation in the universal salvation that Christ will bring to the entire cosmos and everyone who has ever lived in it. For the gifts and call of God are irrevocable (Romans 11.29).
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