The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: An Analysis of the Charismatic Movement

The Charismatic movement began in the early twentieth century with an outbreak of speaking in tongues at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. This movement has given rise to large Christian denominations included under the title Pentecostal, the largest being the Assemblies of God.

There are also charismatic mainline protestant churches, charismatic baptists, Catholics, and a large group of charismatic non-denominational churches.

Charismatic churches/believers cannot be painted with a broad brush. There are many charismatics who are orthodox believers. There are charismatic groups, such as the United Pentecostal Church that are heterodox and deny the doctrine of the Trinity. There is a very large movement within the charismatic church that has adopted “Faith Theology” that is heterodox, this is what we would call the health, wealth, prosperity gospel movement.” This includes false teachers such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Jesse Duplantis, Creflo Dollar, and Paula White.

We will not have time to unpack the history of the movement or all of the errors that have arisen within the movement. I want to focus on the main doctrine that separates our beliefs and practice from those who are orthodox, bible-believing charismatics. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, yet they differ with us concerning the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The Pentecostal Holiness Movement

Sanctification is a second work of grace following regeneration.

This work is due to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the sign is speaking in tongues, and the result is sinless perfection.

Neo-Pentecostal Theology

The emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit falls upon the idea of being empowered or gifted for ministry.

The general trend in Neo-Pentecostal theology is to see the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a special work of the Holy Spirit by which a believer is endued with power for life and service. This work of the Holy Spirit is distinct from, and usually subsequent to, the Spirit’s work of regeneration. So it is still considered a 2nd work of grace, essentially creating a two class system of believers.

Speaking in tongues is usually considered the initial evidence of Holy Spirit baptism.

Pentecostalism and Pentecost

The record of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the life of the early church is key to understanding modern charismatic theology.

Acts 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Acts 2:15-17, 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh...”

Acts 2:38, “And Peter said to them, “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.”

Acts 8 records the experience of the Samaritan converts in 8:14-17, “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Paul was converted on the road to Damascus and there was a three day delay between his conversion and being filled with the Holy Spirit (You can read that in Acts 9:1-18)

Another outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred at the house of the soldier Cornelius. Acts 10:44-46, “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.”

A final record of a similar outpouring is in Acts 19:1-6, “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.”

These textual record of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts for the foundation for the modern pentecostal doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A pattern emerges in the historical narrative that Pentecostals say indicates the following:

People were believers and thus born of the Spirit prior to their baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that there must be a distinction between the Spirit’s work of regeneration and the Spirit’s work in baptizing.

There is a time gap between faith and Holy Spirit baptism. This clearly indicates that while some Christians have the Holy Spirit to the degree they they are born again, they may still lack the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The initial outward evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.

Pentecostal vs Traditional Theology

Both view the work of regeneration and the baptism of the Holy Spirit as distinct works of the Holy Spirit.

The key issue: Is the record of Acts proof that the sequence of the Holy Spirit’s work among the first Christians intended to be normative for the church throughout the ages?

Is it correct to interpret and apply the narrative in such a way that what happened in the Book of Acts is normative for all generations?

There are two key difficulties for those who support the pentecostal view:

The Bible does not teach that there are two levels of Christians, those who have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and those who do not.

The discontinuity of church history: The overwhelming testimony of church history is to the discontinuity of speaking in tongues as an evidence of Spirit baptism.

If speaking in tongues is the is the outward evidence of Holy Spirit baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a crucial and normative subsequent work in the lives of believers, then why have the vast majority of believers in church history failed to attain this vital dimension of the Christian life?

The Pentecostal position makes assumptions about the narrative of Acts that are not accurate.

No where does Scripture explicitly teach that speaking in tongues is a necessary sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or that this baptism happens after conversion, rather than with conversion.

The Holy Spirit Gifts in the Old Testament

We have already discussed the holy spirit and regeneration in the Old Testament.

The Holy Spirit dispensed various empowerment to particular people

Judges, Prophets, David

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit as the Messiah at his baptism, as prophesied.

The gifting of Moses

Numbers 11:14-29

Joel 2:28 - the reason Peter uses this passage at Pentecost is that in light of the OT limited distribution of the Holy Spirit, the Day of Pentecost points to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit not on some of God’ s people but on all of God’s people - there are not two classes of Christians.

The Purpose and Structure of the Book of Acts

Luke wrote the book of Acts primarily to a gentile audience, he was concerned for them to understand that they had equal standing in the church.

The structure of Acts follows the great commission as outlined in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The book of Acts traces the advance of the gospel, along with the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh following the pattern - Jerusalem - Judea - Samaria - the entire gentile world.

In the book of Acts, as the gospel advances through the various regions, all believers receive the Holy Spirit.

The Four “Pentecosts”

Four distinct groups of people whose status in the church was at issue - Jews, Samaritans, God-fearers, and Gentiles.

The four Pentecostal type outpourings in the book of Acts cover precisely the four groups whose status was in question.

The Jews recieved the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

The Samaritans received the Holy Spirit during the ministry of Philip, Peter, and John (Acts 8)

The God-fearers received the Holy Spirit at Cornelius’s house (Acts 10)

The Gentiles at Ephesus in Acts 19.

What is the significance of these events?

Is it the time delay between conversion, receiving the Spirit, and outward manifestations?

The key is found in how the apostles interpret these events - Acts 10:44-48

Here we see that the Jewish believers were shocked to see the Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit. The special outpouring and manifestations at each stage were signs indicating to the Jews that there were no second class kingdom citizens.

The stages of Pentecost teach us that the Holy Spirit baptizes all the people of God.

What about the evidence of tongues in Acts?

Tongues (actual languages previously unlearned) did function as a tangible sign that the Holy Spirit had fallen on each group, signifying their equal status before God and one another.

Why tongues as a sign?

At Babel God confused the people’s language because of their rebellion. In the Gospel era the Lord is bringing the world back together by the power of the Spirit under the lordship of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians Paul teaches that tongues are a gift from God, but they are not to receive exalted status in the church.

1 Cor. 14:18-19, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Paul labored to help the church understand that the Spirit gifts His people with a diversity of gifts.

1 Cor. 12:4-11, 4 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

1 Cor 12:13 - “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

All whom the Spirit regenerates He also baptizes, fills, and endows with power for ministry.

Our authority is not our experience, but the Word of God.

Are miraculous gifts for today?

We believe that the normative gifting of people for healing, prophecy, and tongues ceased with completion of the canon of Scripture.

Do people have mysterious experiences today? Yes, but that does not necessarily mean that those experiences are manifested by the Holy Spirit and it does not mean those are the same as the New Testament version of those experiences. Just always remember that experiences must be measured by the Word of God.