Have you ever heard someone claim that it’s not water baptism that saves, but it’s Spirit baptism? We see it in the comment section all the time. “Yes, the Bible says that baptism saves, but it’s talking about baptism with the Holy Spirit.” Anyone who teaches this is condemning the apostles.
There are a number of problems with saying that Spirit baptism saves. For example, not once was baptism with the Holy Spirit commanded in Scripture. It was always promised. That’s an important distinction that we covered in another study.
What we’d like to point out in this study is that if you believe baptism with the Holy Spirit is what saves a person, then you must believe that the apostles were not saved until the day of Pentecost.
Let’s look at Acts chapter 1. According to verses 1 and 2, Jesus was speaking with the apostles after His resurrection. Verses 4 and 5 say:
And being assembled together with them, 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.”
Just as Jesus promised, these apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit a few days later in Jerusalem:
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they 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
If you believe that baptism with the Holy Sprit is the moment of salvation, then you must also believe that the apostles were not saved during the several weeks they spent with Jesus after His resurrection. You must believe He withheld salvation from them all, even while they worshiped Him on the mountain, received the Great Commission, and witnessed His ascension to the Father. These were the very men who had spent three years with Jesus, who had stayed faithful after His resurrection, and who were now preparing to take the gospel to the entire world. But they had not yet been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Right before He ascended to the Father, He told them, “you shall [future tense] be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5)
Jesus was not delaying their salvation. He was waiting for the opportune moment (the day of Pentecost) for thousands of devout people from every nation under heaven to receive the gospel. The phrase, “Water baptism doesn’t save; Spirit baptism does” sounds ultra-spiritual, but it’s terribly unbiblical. Check with Scripture before you ever simply repeat what a preacher says.
Regarding baptism with the Holy Spirit, do you know how many times it actually happened in the New Testament? A lot of people believe it was an everyday, every disciple event. But it wasn’t! Are you ready to study baptism with the Holy Spirit and learn what the Bible actually says? Study your Bible with this lesson. Or, if you’d prefer to study all eight different baptisms in the New Testament, check out this study.