The Question of a Second Baptism

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Whenever one discusses the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the issue of a belief in a second baptism or second experience can arise.  Some Christians believe that while we receive the Holy Spirit when we are converted, there is a second experience that is termed a “second baptism” that can occur as well. They take certain passages of scripture to support this opinion. Other Christians believe that there is no second baptism, but that there can be an experience of a filling or special anointing of the Holy Spirit which can take place numerous times after conversion. Still other Christians believe it is possible to accept Christ as your Savior and receive the Holy Spirit at a later time in ones life although this is not as common a belief.

 

I will attempt to address this issue as best I can, attempting to present both sides of the issue. The evidence from scripture seems to indicate that the apostles did not promote, encourage or teach that Christians should seek a second experience or baptism. John Stott explains this well when he states,

 

“They (the Apostles) urge upon us ethical conduct, often in considerable detail. They appeal to us to live out in the concrete realities of daily life what God has already done for us in Christ. They command us to grow in faith, love, knowledge and holiness. They warn us of judgment and challenge us with the expectation of the Lord’s return. They beg us not to grieve the Spirit, but rather to walk in the Spirit and to go on being filled with the Spirit…But never, not even once, do they exhort and instruct us to ‘be baptized with the Spirit’. There can be only one explanation of this, namely that they are writing to Christians, and Christians have already been baptized with the Holy Spirit…So what the New Testament authors constantly do is to remind us of our Christian privileges, in order to exhort us to lead a life that is worthy and appropriate. It is because of what we already are in Christ (God’s children) and because of what we shall be when He appears (like Him) that we are incited to be what we should be (pure as He is pure).”

John Stott

 

Those who do not believe in a second baptism experience, as I do, feel that when we become a child of God we receive everything we need to live the Christian life. We do not need a second baptism; we only need to let the Spirit lead us as we allow ourselves to be filled with Him utterly and completely. 1 Corinthians 12:13 states, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

 

Greek scholars tend to follow the single baptism belief. They state that the Greek verb used in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is in the “aorist” tense which indicates an unrepeatable past experience. They believe that while the initial baptism with the Spirit is unrepeatable, the filling of the Spirit that follows can be experienced over and over. The command to be filled in Ephesians 5:18 is expressed in the present tense. In other words, we are commanded to be filled and to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

“Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a second experience of faith

subsequent to faith in Christ…Everyone who accepts Christ as Savior is immediately baptized with the Holy Spirit whether they recognize it or not.”

David Hocking

 

Several scriptures indicate that when we become a child of God we receive everything needed to live the Christian life. While we may grow in our spiritual maturity and in the knowledge of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we do not need to obtain a second baptism of the Spirit.

 

Colossians 2:9‑11

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”

 

Ephesians 1:3‑4

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

 

2 Peter 1:3‑4

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

 

The scriptures that people quote that cause this potential division in belief among Christians are in chapters 2, 8 and 19 of the book of Acts. Let us examine briefly each of these instances of conversions recorded in the Acts and attempt to understand how both groups come up with their interpretations. As we consider these scriptures it would be wise to consider the following passage for it helps explain the historical records in Acts as to the events which take place with new believers and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The first verses of Acts 1 lay the foundation for what is to take place.

   

Acts 1:1-8

“1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

Here in Acts 1:1-8 we see it summarized some of the events that took place before Jesus’ ascension. He gave instructions to the disciples, demonstrated that He was truly alive and taught about the Kingdom of God. He also instructed them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit where they would be filled with the Spirit in power to be His witness in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. This statement has bearing on the scriptures that describe experiences of believers being baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit could not come to followers of Christ until Jesus had ascended (John 16:7) and so Jesus is instructing the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. It is interesting that Jesus references John the Baptist’s baptism with water in this Acts passage as He shares about the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus would initiate, which we will see is with “tongues of fire” as John the Baptist had predicted in Matthew 3:11.

 

The Day of Pentecost (Jerusalem/Judea)

        

Acts 2:1-4

“1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

 

In Acts chapter 1 we read of the gathering of possibly at least 120 Christians into an upper room of a home for a prayer meeting (120 was the number needed for a Jewish council, possibly to approve the addition of Matthias to replace Judas as a disciple). Here they come together to wait for the One who the Lord Jesus promised would come, to pray and to appoint a replacement for Judas among the Apostles. These are believers who have accepted Christ as their Savior but do not have the Holy Spirit living within them yet because Jesus had stated that the Spirit would not come until He had ascended (John 16:7). Acts 2 describes the promise of God fulfilled when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them and they are filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit. Dramatic events take place for all the senses. A strong heavenly wind blows through the house, tongues of fire appear above their heads and as they begin to speak, their speech is that of various languages known at that time. It is a dramatic event that draws a large crowd. It is the beginning of a new age where believers are baptized with God’s Spirit and He takes up residence within them.

 

Some Christians believe that this supports a second baptism experience. These individuals, they say, were Christians already but had not received the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit comes, it is to these 120 a second experience, separate from their conversion experience, which takes place. Others state that the disciples, except for Thomas, had already received the Spirit as recorded in John 20:22 and that this was yet another special experience that all Christians may experience after conversion.

 

Other Christians, like myself, look upon this event as the transition period from Old to New Testament activity of the Holy Spirit. Faithful men of God in the Old Testament were often filled with the Holy Spirit but they were never baptized with Him. It is believed that this is a special initiatory event where Old Testament believers who believed in Christ as Savior are brought into the New Testament age by being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Yes it is a second experience, but it is an event that is characteristic of the transition from Old to New Testament and not something that is to take place in the future for all Christians. Later in Acts 2 we are told of 3,000 people accepting Christ as their Savior due to a sermon delivered by Peter but we are given no description of a similar baptism experience. Peter offers them two gifts that they can obtain instantaneously when they accept Christ as their Savior. He states, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” We are told that 3,000 individuals make the step of faith and receive forgiveness of their sins as well as receive the Holy Spirit as promised by Peter. No speaking in tongues is reported being experienced by these new believers.

 

JOHN 20:22 – A DIFFICULT SCRIPTURE VERSE

 

John 20:21-22

“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

 

John 20:22 is often brought up when discussing issues regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit and “second baptism” experiences. It is a highly contested verse as to its exact meaning. Christians maintaining the single baptism belief interpret this verse several ways. Some feel that in John 20:22 we are given another example where the Spirit is bestowed upon individuals for a specific limited purpose based on calling and or the situation. This is how I interpret the scripture passage. Similar examples can be found in the Old Testament with Samson in Judges 13:25, Moses and the seventy elders in Numbers 11:17, Bezalell in Exodus 31:2-5, Joshua in Number 27:18 and David in Psalm 31:11 and in the New Testament with John the Baptist in Luke 1:15, Elizabeth in Luke 1:41, Zacharias in Luke 1:67 and Simeon in Luke 2:25. It is believed that the Spirit was given to the disciples to enable them to minister, share the gospel and preserve their faith until the Holy Spirit would come in all His glory to baptize the church at Pentecost. This is not a second Baptism but a form of filling of the Spirit until He is fully poured out upon the church at Pentecost. Still other Christians believing in a single baptism feel that the actions of Jesus in John 20:22 were symbolic of what was eventually to take place at Pentecost and that the disciples did not actually receive the Holy Spirit in this situation.

 

Christians believing in a second baptism experience maintain that this verse in John 20 verifies that Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples (except for Thomas who was not present) and that Pentecost was a second greater experience that all followers of Christ will have in their Christian lives. But this interpretation does not agree with John 16:7 where it says, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” In this verse Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit cannot come to inhabit believers until He has ascended to the Father.

 

The Samaritan Believers (Samaria)

 

Acts 8:9-17

“Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

 

Another portion of scripture that causes controversy between these two groups of Christians concerning the idea of a second baptism is found in Acts chapter 8. Philip the evangelist has preached the gospel in Samaria and many believers have accepted Christ as their Savior. When the apostles heard that individuals in Samaria had received the gospel they sent Peter and John. Peter and John arrived and laid hands on these believers in order that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

 

Those Christians believing in a second baptism experience cite this as proof that a second baptism can indeed take place based on a simple reading of this portion of scripture. These Christians believe that similar to this occurrence in Samaria, the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands by other Christians may take place today for Christians who have not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

Those Christians who do not believe in a second baptism for Christians, such as myself, state that while this example in Samaria is an example of a second experience, it must be taken in context of the historical situation. Samaritans and Jews had been at odds with one another for centuries. They worshiped separately and were in no way unified in their practice of religion. There was an intense mutual disrespect between these two groups of individuals. It is believed that when the apostles heard of the conversion of the Samaritans there was concern that this age-old schism would continue on in the Christian faith. For this reason it is believed that Peter and John were sent to confirm and approve the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon these believers. It is also believed that while it is recorded as a secondary baptism experience from conversion, the historical situation warranted such a process and helped the transition of the gospel amongst these two different cultural groups of individuals (Jews and Samaritans).

 

 The Ephesian Disciples (The Ends of the Earth)

    

Acts 19:1-7

“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”

 

In Acts 19 we have another situation that causes some disagreement over whether there is such an experience as a second baptism. The apostle Paul had just begun his third missionary journey and had arrived in Ephesus. Here he meets a dozen men that are described as disciples. There is question as to what might be implied by them being identified in scripture as “disciples.” When you read the account it is apparent that Paul questions them about their faith, probably because he wishes to know if they base their faith on Christ. We learn from Paul’s questions that they have received John’s baptism of repentance, but had heard nothing of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul witnesses to them; they receive the gospel, and are baptized. When Paul lays hands on them they receive the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues and prophesied.

 

Again, those believing in a second baptism interpret this portion of scripture as proof that these disciples of faith received a second baptism of the Spirit. It is assumed that these men were believers because they are referred to as “disciples” having been baptized by John the Baptist. When Paul lays hands on them here they receive the second baptism of the Spirit.

 

Those disputing the existence of a second baptism, as I do, cite the evidence apparent in the scriptures. They emphasize the fact that there is no proof that these “disciples” were believers at all. They know of John the Baptist and his preaching of the one to come, Jesus. They have even experienced the baptism John offered, but this does not define them as Christian. It is believed by this interpretation that these were people who had knowledge of Jesus, but first believed when Paul witnessed to them at Ephesus. Upon receiving forgiveness of their sins and the baptism of the Holy Spirit their conversion was conceived with Paul as their witness.

 

We have learned that the “gift” or “baptism” of the Spirit is a universal blessing or experience of all Christians. We have learned as well that there is debate within Christianity today as to whether it is an initial blessing received at the moment of conversion or a subsequent blessing received at another time. Most conservative theologians and I would take issue with a “second” blessing but we must allow diversity within our understanding of scriptures when loving each other as God’s children. There are dedicated, Godly men adhering to each of these interpretations. These differing interpretations do not dramatically impact basic doctrines of the Christian faith such as the gospel message of salvation, the deity of Christ or the character of God. It is clear that once we get to heaven and know as we are known, all the questions and issues of debate we have had on earth will dissolve.

 

My own belief is that today we are all baptized with the Holy Spirit at our conversion when we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior and there is no second baptism experience we need to seek or desire. While the Holy Spirit lives within each follower of Christ, not all Christians are filled with the Spirit all the time. From the following scripture passage we can see that we are to seek to be filled with the Spirit and we do this by letting the Word of God dwell richly within our hearts and minds. The passages in Colossians and Ephesians are parallel scriptures that are intimately linked together. They indicate you are filled with the Spirit when you let the Holy Word of God dwell richly within your heart. God’s Word dwells richly in your heart when you commit yourself to not just studying and memorizing it but put it into action because you wish to show your love for God in your application of it.

 

When we are filled with the Spirit, we will evidence the fruit of the Spirit. Other benefits of being filled with the Spirit is that we grow spiritually and are able to fully express the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us when we are saved. These spiritual gifts are special gifts of grace that God divinely ordains for us to receive. They are given by Jesus Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit who distributes them according to the will of our Heavenly Father. These are used by God through us to edify others in the local church fellowship to facilitate growth and ministry. Spiritual gifts are given, not for our own edification, but for the edification of others in the local church body.

 

Colossians 3:16

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,”

 

Ephesians 5:18-19

“Be filled with the Spirit,”

 

Galatians 5:22-24

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:7,11

“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:18-19

“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”

 

Romans 15:2-3

“Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”

 

1 Corinthians 14:12

“So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.”

 

Hebrews 10:23-25

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”