THE BAPTISM AND FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT

THE BAPTISM AND FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT

Ephesians 1:3-14; 5:1-21

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

April 13, 2008

We come this morning, in our series on the Holy Spirit, to a topic that has been debated by sincere, devoted followers of Christ from many experiences and backgrounds. A number of years ago, John Stott wrote a classic book on this subject of the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit. In it he reminds his readers that there is a great diversity to human life that we should recognize immediately, in not only considering the make-up of personalities, but also in “a wide variety of spiritual experiences and a wide variety of spiritual gifts.” [i] I recognize this as well.

He also states in a very sincere way, “I have no desire to hurt or embarrass anybody. My main concern is to try to expound certain important passages of Scripture.”[ii] This, too, is my personal and sincere desire in the preaching of this series on the Holy Spirit.

So, even if some of you should differ with me at certain points this morning, may we do so in the love we have for each other in Christ, all the while seeking together to conform our understanding to the truth of God as found in the Word of God. Having said this, we turn this morning to the subject of the initial receiving of God the Holy Spirit in a person’s life and of the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a Christian.

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

One of the key questions I and so many Christians have asked regarding the Holy Spirit is this: “Is there a ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit’ and if so, when and how does it happen?”

It is my conviction that “the baptism in (or with or of) the Holy Spirit” is to be seen, not as a secondary experience that comes after a person comes to faith in Christ, but rather when a person comes to trust in Christ. In other words, the gift of the Holy Spirit comes as a part of the new life we have in Christ, so that the Holy Spirit indwells every true and sincere Christian believer.

We are able to see this in what the apostle Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians: “In Him (Christ), you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.” [iii] God the Holy Spirit comes to indwell immediately those who hear the Good News of the Gospel and believe in Christ. As we trust in Christ, we are thus “sealed” with the Holy Spirit, referring to God’s ownership of us as His beloved and treasured possession. We belong to Him! The Holy Spirit is also the “down payment” or “first installment”, guaranteeing that one day we will experience the fullness of our life with God in the glory that awaits us in Heaven.

But is this initial reception the so-called “baptism with or in the Holy Spirit”? I believe it is. When the apostles met with our Risen Lord before His ascension, we are told the following: “And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, ‘you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” [iv] Thus, when the apostles initially received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), this was said to have been their “baptism with the Holy Spirit.”

Likewise, with all our diversity, there is the common experience of our own baptism with or in the Holy Spirit as we come to trust in Christ, as Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 12:13: “For in one Spirit (i.e. the Holy Spirit) we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The good news to be found here, then, is that there are no “second-class Christians,” as in those who do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, contrasted with those who do.

All Christians, all sincere believers in Jesus Christ have been baptized in or with the Holy Spirit; all true followers in Christ have the Holy Spirit living in them. However, a pertinent question then follows: “Is the Holy Spirit abiding in us as a mere and somewhat tolerated guest, or does He indwell us, being fully welcomed, and given free and full access to every area of our lives, with nothing held back?” Ah, this is a far different matter, isn’t it!

THE FULLNESS OF THE SPIRIT

Nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to seek and to receive a “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” for the reason that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of the Spirit are the same thing.[v]

However, we do find a command regarding the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit …” As we look at this command, we can note several important things. First of all, this is not a suggestion, but a command in the imperative mood. Secondly, it is in the plural form, indicating that this includes not just one or some of us, but all of us. Thirdly, it is in the passive voice, indicating that we should allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, yielding to Him without reserve. Fourthly, it is in the present tense. It has the meaning of “keep on being continuously filled with the Spirit,” or “constantly keep on being filled with the Spirit as a way of life.”

Another note for us to consider, as John Stott points out in this case is that “the present imperative ‘be filled with the Spirit’ … indicates not some dramatic or decisive experience that will settle the issue for good, but a continuous appropriation.”[vi]

Now, the question often follows, “But how do we do this? How are we filled with the Spirit?” We do this in a number of ways, such as by earnestly seeking the will and character of Christ for our lives – and when we fail – and fail we most surely will at times – it is then time to bring forward an honest confession of our sin, receive the gift of forgiveness for what we’ve done, and then enter into renewed fellowship with Him once again.

We do this also by seeking more and more to have our minds enlightened and illumined by the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word, so that we may think more like Christ and walk in step with the Spirit.

We do this by daily acknowledging that the power in living a Christian life and for doing any form of ministry in Christ’s name has to come from the Holy Spirit – it simply cannot come from ourselves. His power must be made full or complete in the midst of our own weakness, so that we experience what God can do and wants to do through us.

Perhaps author and pastor, Charles Swindoll, is helpful here as he tells us how he often begins his day by sitting on the bed and praying:

This is Your day, Lord. I want to be at Your disposal. I have no idea what these next 24 hours will contain. But before I begin, before I sip my first cup of coffee, and even before I get dressed, I want You to know that from this moment on throughout the day, I’m Yours, Lord. Help me to be a branch that abides in the vine, to lean on You, to draw strength from You, and to have You fill my mind and my thoughts. Take control of my senses so that I am literally filled with Your presence and power and dynamic. I want to be Your tool, Your vessel today. I can’t make it happen. Without You I can accomplish nothing. And so I’m saying, Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today.[vii]

What changes we might see if more and more of us began our days like this, rather than with a grumbling remark aimed at the alarm clock!

And please note what happens when we consciously and conscientiously seek to be filled with and yielded to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Paul notes no less than at least four marks of a “Spirit-filled Christian” – not an exhaustive list, but a very important list nonetheless. Although the New International Version divides verses 18 – 21 up into sentences, they are all actually one sentence in the original:

… be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

One commentary indicates that these four marks can be summed up as “fellowship, worship, gratitude, and (mutual) submission.” While we could speak at length on each of these, for each of them again is equally important, as for submission, it has been stated quite well that

Sometimes a person who claims to be filled with the Spirit becomes aggressive, self-assertive and brash. But the Holy Spirit is a humble Spirit, and those who are truly filled with Him always display the meekness and gentleness of Christ. It is one of their most evident characteristics that they submit to one another. [viii]

Perhaps we’ve all seen examples – both good and bad – of this. Presbytery pastor and author Mark Roberts tells us how this once related to his Session on the subject of music in the worship life of the church he was serving at the time. His church was waging a real “worship war” over the issue of music. Some wanted guitar-led praise songs exclusively in the morning worship services, while others wanted more traditional forms.

At one particular Session meeting, various elders were vigorously defending their own personal tastes in the way of just plain, as Roberts puts it, “fervent self-interest.” There was no mutual submission here – at least until an elder named Tim spoke up.

A successful lawyer who had even argued a case before the Supreme Court, Tim was expected to brilliantly make his case for traditional hymns and anthems, which he personally and openly preferred. But to Roberts’ and perhaps everyone else’s amazement, Tim didn’t do what everyone expected him to do. Putting aside his personal preferences, Tim spoke instead of the need to reach all people in the Body of Christ, and if that meant including guitars or praise music, it was worth it to him to have it.

Roberts reports what then happened:

Tim’s comment fell upon our hearts like a gracious ton of bricks, and it changed the whole tenor of our conversation. Elders stopped defending their own turf and began considering the needs of the entire congregation and local community. God’s glory began to take precedence over our personal feelings. The worship war was over as we sought God’s will together in an attitude of reciprocal submission.[ix]

Dear friends, how the life of the Body of Christ is affected tremendously by those who know they need the Holy Spirit’s fullness and power, of which this is but one example!

Rejoicing in the gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence, may we commit ourselves anew to live in full, conscious awareness of our need to be filled with the Holy Spirit,

so that we may more and more live in a way that attracts people to Christ, rather than turn them away from Christ;

live in such a way that we encourage and build each other up, rather than discourage or tear each other down;

live as being “more than conquerors” in life, rather than as perpetual victims;

and live in such a way that God always gets the glory, because it is His anyway!