Page 25 - Pneumatology - Student Textbook

3. Ephesians 4:5 seems to refer to Spirit baptism. If this is the case, Spirit baptism is the reality for every
believer, just as “one faith” and “one Father” are.

In conclusion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit does two things, 1) it joins us to the body of Christ, and 2) it
actualizes our co-crucifixion with Christ. Being in His body means we are risen with Him to newness of life
(Romans 6:4). We should then exercise our spiritual gifts to keep that body functioning properly as stated in
the context of 1 Corinthians 12:13. Experiencing the one Spirit baptism serves as the basis for keeping the
unity of the church, as in the context of Ephesians 4:5. Being associated with Christ in His death, burial, and
resurrection through Spirit baptism establishes the basis for our separation from the power of indwelling
sin and our walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-10; Colossians 2:12) (https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-
baptism.html).

The Filling of the Holy Spirit differs from receiving (indwelling) of
the Holy Spirit

An important verse in understanding the filling of the Holy Spirit is John
14:16, where Jesus promised the Spirit would indwell believers and that the
indwelling would be permanent. It is important to distinguish the
indwelling from the filling of the Spirit. The permanent indwelling of the
Spirit is not for a select few believers, but for all believers. There are a
number of references in Scripture that support this conclusion:

1. The Holy Spirit is a gift given to all believers in Jesus without exception, and no conditions are placed
upon this gift except faith in Christ (John 7:37-39).

2. The Holy Spirit is given at the moment of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). Galatians 3:2 emphasizes this same
truth, saying that the sealing and indwelling of the Spirit took place at the time of believing.

3. The Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently. The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a down payment,
or verification of their future glorification in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30).

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a
believer in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering
them for service but not necessarily remaining with them (see Judges 15:14; 1 Chronicles 12:18; Psalm
51:11; Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus revealed to His disciples the new role the Spirit of Truth would play in their lives:
“He lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). The apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your
own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

These verses are telling us that the believer in Jesus Christ has the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy
Spirit, living in him. When an individual accepts Christ as personal Savior, the Holy Spirit gives the believer
the life of God, eternal life, which is really His very nature (Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4), and the Holy Spirit comes
to live within him spiritually. The fact that the believer’s body is likened to a temple where the Holy Spirit
lives helps us understand what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is all about. The word temple is used to
describe the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum in the Old Testament tabernacle structure. There, God’s
presence would appear in a cloud and meet the high priest, who came once a year into the Holy of Holies.
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest brought the blood of a slain animal and sprinkled it on the mercy
seat of the Ark of the Covenant. On this special day, God granted forgiveness to the priest and His people.

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