Have you ever wondered why some churches say you need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, while others barely mention it at all? Is it an emotional experience? Is it required for salvation? And why does the Bible show it happening only twice? Today, we’re cutting through the confusion and going straight to the Bible for real answers.
When I was a new Christian, baptism with the Holy Spirit felt like one of those deep topics only mature Bible students could understand. So I shelved it for later. But when I finally studied it for myself, I realized it was actually simple—and very different from what I’d always heard.
Before I ever opened the Bible for myself, I spent time in a church that focused more on emotion than Scripture. Week after week, I watched people claim to be baptized with the Holy Spirit during intense worship moments—hands lifted, people trembling, others declaring, “She’s received the Holy Ghost!” When it was my turn, I tried… but nothing happened. Why? Two reasons: first, we misunderstood what baptism with the Holy Spirit really was—and second, we weren’t candidates for the real thing.
Even if your experience was different, you’ve probably heard claims like: “Water baptism doesn’t save—Spirit baptism does.” Or, “Everyone must be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Maybe even, “You should pray to be baptized with the Spirit.” If you’re here, I’m guessing you just want to know what the Bible really says. So let’s break it down by answering five simple but important questions. The last one deals with the biggest falsehood people believe about baptism with the Holy Spirit today.
1. What was baptism with the Holy Spirit in the Bible?
Baptism with the Holy Spirit isn’t just a New Testament idea. The prophet Joel actually mentioned it centuries before Jesus was born. But the first time it’s clearly promised is when John the Baptist said:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:11
Here, John mentions three different baptisms: baptism with water, baptism with the Holy Spirit, and baptism with fire. Yes, although many people conflate the two, baptism with fire is different than baptism with the Holy Spirit. How do we know? The very next verse tells us:
His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
I was once in a church service similar to the one I described earlier, and the congregation, after being seemingly (or literally) hypnotized by the repetitive music, was instructed to pray to be baptized with fire that night. The word baptism means immersion. Once you realize how the Bible describes immersion with fire (being separated from God and His people and burned with unquenchable fire), you’re not so quick to simply repeat and pray for what a worship leader tells you. Instead, be glad that, if you are with God, He will pay the penalty for sin, remove you from judgment, and keep you safe from the fire.
What can we learn about baptism (or immersion) with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament? We can quickly learn 3 facts, and then we will be able to define it.
Fact 1: It was going to be Jesus doing the baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
John could baptize people with water. You and I can baptize people with water. But every time the Bible explains baptism with the Holy Spirit, Jesus is always the one doing the baptizing. No mere human ever had that ability.
Fact 2: Baptism in water is not the same as baptism with the Holy Spirit.
A few years after John’s ministry, Jesus reiterated what John had said.
And being assembled together with them [the apostles], He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:4–5
In multiple passages, baptism with water is contrasted with baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Fact 3: Baptism with the Holy Spirit was never a commandment; it was always a promise.
That surprises a lot of people. But in Scripture, no one is ever told to seek it. Every time it happens, Jesus is the one acting. As we will see, no one in Scripture ever chose to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, as if they could obey a commandment. Instead, it was when the Holy Spirit fell on them. This begins to define what baptism with the Holy Spirit was.
In Acts 1, Jesus explained to the apostles that they would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” A few days later, this happened:
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they [the apostles] were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1–4
Similarly, when Cornelius’ household received baptism with the Holy Spirit, this happened:
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
Acts 10:44–48
These are the only two events in Scripture that the Bible explicitly calls baptism with the Holy Spirit—and they happened about ten years apart from each other. What happened at each one?
- Peter preached the gospel to a new people group (that’s related to the purpose of baptism with the Holy Spirit, which we will discuss soon).
- The Holy Spirit fell upon people somewhat unexpectedly.
- The recipients spoke with tongues.
- Baptism in water was quickly commanded afterward.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit was a promise that Jesus fulfilled twice in Scripture by immersing certain people in the Holy Spirit as a sign for the gospel to be preached to a new people group. In that baptism, the Holy Spirit gave the recipients the gift of tongues. As far as we know, baptism with the Holy Spirit happened only twice in Scripture.
2. Who received baptism with the Holy Spirit?
Although many people claim that baptism with the Holy Spirit is an everyday, every disciple experience, the Bible paints a different picture. It only happened to two different groups of people.
When John was baptizing, he told his audience that Jesus would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). Who is the you in this passage? There were “multitudes that came out to be baptized by him” (Luke 3:7). His audience included “all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem” (Mark 1:5). Jesus’ future apostles were there, as well as tax collectors and Roman soldiers (see Luke 3:12–14). Were all of these people going to also be baptized with the Holy Spirit? No, for three years later, Jesus said to the apostles:
John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
Acts 1:5
In the gospel accounts, baptism with the Holy Spirit was a future event. It was still a future event when the book of Acts opened up. But, finally, the promise was about to be fulfilled, and it wasn’t going to be for everyone. Later in this chapter, about 120 disciples gathered, and the Lord chose Matthias to take Judas’ place. The last verse in Acts 1 says:
And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:26
The next chapter opens up to a new day—the Day of Pentecost.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:1
Who were they? The pronoun they has its antecedent in the word apostles in the previous verse. The apostles then received baptism with the Holy Spirit. With the miracle of tongues that the Holy Spirit provided, the apostles preached the gospel to the Jews assembled in Jerusalem. The audience asked what was going on, and Peter explained that this baptism with the Holy Spirit was a fulfillment of God’s promise through Joel to pour out His Spirit. It was future tense in Old Testament. It was future tense in the gospel accounts. It was future tense in Acts 1. Finally, in Acts 2, it was present tense.
After hearing the gospel, the people in the crowd asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). They were told to repent and be baptized, and three thousand of them did. What’s really interesting is that, although thousands saw what the Holy Spirit was doing, three thousand of them responded to the gospel, and the Lord added them to the church, still, only the apostles performed miracles for the next several chapters in Acts. So, who received baptism with the Holy Spirit in this context? Only the apostles. And we know that this occasion, where the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles, was baptism with the Holy Spirit, because Jesus said so back in Acts 1:5. “You [apostles] shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Next, about seven to ten years later, the household of Cornelius received baptism with the Holy Spirit. At the end of Acts 10, the same Simon Peter from Acts 2 was in Cornelius’ home, preaching the gospel.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 10:44
How do we know this, too, was baptism with the Holy Spirit? In the next chapter, Peter called it just that. While recounting what happened in Cornelius’ house, Peter said:
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, “John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?
Acts 11:15–17
These are the only two events Scripture explicitly calls baptism with the Holy Spirit. There is similar terminology in Acts 8 with the Samaritans, but that required the laying on of the apostles’ hands. It doesn’t seem to be the exact same as Jesus baptizing people with the Holy Spirit. To look into that further, see our study on the laying on of hands. The first baptism with the Holy Spirit happened to a group of Jewish apostles in Jerusalem. Second, several years later, it happened to a group of Gentiles in Caesarea.
Did you notice Fact 3 from our previous question? Although, in both of these cases, people were commanded to be baptized in water, no one was commanded to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Instead, the Spirit fell upon them suddenly in a way that no one was expecting, much less in a way that they could obey.
Why was it significant that the apostles and Cornelius received baptism with the Holy Spirit? That leads us to…
3. What were the purposes of baptism with the Holy Spirit?
When Jesus baptized His apostles with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, it was when they preached His death, burial, and resurrection for the first time. A few days prior, Jesus had said to them:
Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:46–49
This passage in Luke overlaps the beginning of Acts 1, which Luke also wrote. So, the apostles were about to take the gospel to the Jews, beginning in Jerusalem—but not right away. They had to wait until something happened—until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. So, in a sense, baptism with the Holy Spirit, along with providing them with certain miraculous power, served as a “green light” for them to begin preaching in Jerusalem to the Jews.
Similarly, in Acts 10, Peter was not mentally ready for the Gentiles to be full members of the body of Christ. So Jesus spent much of the chapter showing Peter that God has the authority to cleanse whatever and whoever He wants. Peter was then instructed to go to Cornelius’ house to preach the gospel to the Gentiles who were assembled there. As he was doing so, the Gentiles were baptized with the Holy Spirit. In the following chapter, Peter was called back to Judea to give an account to his Jewish brethren why he had preached the gospel to the Gentiles. He explained to them:
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, “John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?
Acts 11:15–17
How did the Jewish believers react once they realized Jesus had baptized Gentiles with the Holy Spirit just as He had baptized the Jewish apostles a decade earlier? The next verse says:
When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
So, again, baptism with the Holy Spirit served as a “green light” that it was time to preach the gospel. The first time, it was time to preach to the Jews. The second time, it was to preach to the Gentiles. But, the question remains…
4. Is baptism with the Holy Spirit for me?
To answer this question, let’s recall the relevant facts:
- Baptism with the Holy Spirit was a promise, and never a commandment.
- Jesus did not baptize every disciple in the New Testament with the Holy Spirit.
- In fact, He only baptized two groups (specifically mentioned) with the Holy Spirit: the apostles on Pentecost and Cornelius’ household.
- Those two events took place seven to ten years apart.
When Peter was recounting what happened in Caesarea, he had to remind the Jewish believers about what happened to the apostles on Pentecost several years prior by saying:
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
Acts 11:15
If Peter had to reach back to an event that happened nearly a decade prior, then this tells us that baptism with the Holy Spirit was not an everyday, every disciple event. God performed it at specific times for specific purposes. Those purposes were: 1. To provide certain miraculous gifts, and 2. To signal to the teachers of the gospel that God was offering eternal life to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles.
This is related to Jesus’ promise to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter was the primary spokesperson at both of these events. He used the keys of the kingdom to open up the door of the church to both groups. And isn’t it amazing that God gave Peter, and by extension, us, solid evidence that all people of all nations are welcome into His kingdom? Since that fact is established, we no longer need that signal—we no longer need baptism with the Holy Spirit—to tell us that.
About twenty years after Cornelius’ household was baptized with the Holy Spirit, Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus that:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:4–6
The New Testament references several different baptisms. But, by the time the Holy Spirit inspired the book of Ephesians, there was only one baptism expected in the kingdom of God. Baptism in water into Christ for the remission of sins is the only baptism commanded of the audience of the gospel. Jesus had told the apostles:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19–20
When the apostles obeyed this commandment, they fulfilled it with water baptism. That truth leads us to our fifth question:
5. What is the biggest falsehood that people believe about baptism with the Holy Spirit today?
Did you notice the order of events in the case of Cornelius? Peter was preaching. Then, Jesus baptized Cornelius and his household with the Holy Spirit. Then, Peter commanded them to be baptized in water. Some people have come to the conclusion that, since Cornelius received baptism with the Holy Spirit before water baptism, then water baptism has nothing to do with my salvation today.
But if you pay close attention, it’s precisely because Cornelius received baptism with the Holy Spirit that Peter concluded Cornelius must be baptized in water.
Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Acts 10:46–48
Think about that—why would Peter command water baptism if baptism with the Holy Spirit had already saved them?
To say that Cornelius’ baptism with the Holy Spirit negates water baptism assumes that baptism with the Holy Spirit saves someone. The Scriptures do not say that at all. This assumes that just because someone has been given this gift, that means he or she has been saved by the blood of Jesus already. The person asserts, “God wouldn’t give His Spirit to someone who wasn’t saved, right?” Have you considered, Balaam, who was a pagan diviner? The Scriptures say, “the Spirit of God came upon him” (Numbers 24:2). Yet, in that moment, he was not right with God. What about Caiaphas, who prophesied for God, yet he was also in rebellion to God’s plans and later was instrumental in putting Jesus to death (see John 11:49–52).
Here’s another point to consider. I see it all over the internet—folks claiming, “It’s not water baptism that saves; it’s baptism with the Holy Spirit that saves!” If that is true, then the apostles who, in Acts 1, worship Jesus, serve Jesus, gather with other disciples, and work with the Lord to appoint Judas’ replacement, were not saved. Why? They were not baptized with the Holy Spirit until the following chapter. To say that Spirit baptism saves is to say the apostles were not saved until Acts 2.
No, baptism with the Holy Spirit is not something that needs to happen to someone for them to be saved by the blood of Jesus. Peter was present on both occasions of baptism with the Holy Spirit, and at both of them, Peter commanded the audience of the gospel to be baptized in water “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). He’s the same Peter who would say that God saves someone through the resurrection of Jesus at their water baptism (compare Acts 10:48 with 1 Peter 3:20–21).
One last point is that some people have tried to connect baptism with the Holy Spirit to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:12–13:
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
This passage is not describing baptism with the Holy Spirit. It’s describing some of the great things God is doing at water baptism. From the book of Acts onward, water baptism that likens someone to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is something that is shared with every disciple of Jesus. It’s the circumcision of the heart. It unites us with Christ. Just like when Peter says that water baptism is “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Peter 3:21 NASB), Paul is saying that, at baptism, God baptizes you into the body (the church) of Jesus, and you are united with the Spirit of God. Although the water is necessary, it’s not about the water, it’s not about what you do, and it’s not about what the baptizer does—it’s about what God does.
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