When / How do we receive the Holy Spirit?

Quasar92 · Sep 18, 2017

The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. First Corinthians 12:13 declares, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”

These three passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation” (Ephesians 1:13-14) if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior.

This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation.

In conclusion, how do we receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3:5-16). When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit becomes our permanent possession the moment we believe.

Recommended Resources: The Holy Spirit by Charles Ryrie and Logos Bible Software.

From: www.gotquestions.org

Quasar92

Thedictator · Sep 18, 2017

Quasar92 said:
The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. First Corinthians 12:13 declares, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”

These three passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation” (Ephesians 1:13-14) if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior.

This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation.

In conclusion, how do we receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3:5-16). When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit becomes our permanent possession the moment we believe.

Recommended Resources: The Holy Spirit by Charles Ryrie and Logos Bible Software.

From: www.gotquestions.org

Quasar92

Not one of those verses you stated tells us when we receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 states that we are to Repent and be Baptize then we will receive the Holy Spirit.

Quasar92 · Sep 18, 2017

Thedictator said:
Not one of those verses you stated tells us when we receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 states that we are to Repent and be Baptize then we will receive the Holy Spirit.

The very first paragraph in the OP, in 1 Cor.12:12-13, tells you. When you believe/receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, He baptizes you immediately with the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Mt.3:11.

Quasar92

JIMINZ · Sep 18, 2017

Quasar92 said:
The very first paragraph in the OP, in 1 Cor.12:12-13, tells you. When you believe/receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, He baptizes you immediately with the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Mt.3:11.
Quasar92

.
If what you say is true, are we Born Again at the same moment?

Presbyterian Continuist · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
The very first paragraph in the OP, in 1 Cor.12:12-13, tells you. When you believe/receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, He baptizes you immediately with the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Mt.3:11.

Quasar92

So, as we have seen in the Acts examples, when people received The Holy Spirit, there was tangible evidence. Something happened.

So, an unbeliever prays the sinner's prayer. That saves him undoubtedly. If he receives The Holy Spirit at the same time, what happens? If nothing, can the person say he is baptised with The Spirit?

Did he:
1. Manifest anything similar to what the folks in Acts received? Did he have an intense sense of the presence of God that he didn't have before?
2. Were the ones around him alerted that something amazing had happened to him and rejoiced with him, and unbelievers convicted of sin?
3. When he started telling unbelievers about the gospel, were they convicted and wanted to know how to be saved?

If he can't say yes to at least one of these, then it could be argued that he didn't receive The Holy Spirit at all, and if he says he has, he might be pretending or speaking in presumption.

Now, I am not saying that the person has to have a Pentecostal or Charismatic experience. What I am saying is based on the Bible - Luke's examples of how folks really received The Holy Spirit. I think that anyone in the Early Church who received The Holy Spirit, knew all about it and they knew the absolutely difference between receiving or not receiving it.

Quasar92 · Sep 19, 2017

JIMINZ said:
.
If what you say is true, are we Born Again at the same moment?

That is correct. When we believe/receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He immediately baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, and we are born again with a new /spirit,i.e., the Holy Spirit.

Quasar92

Quasar92 · Sep 19, 2017

Oscarr said:
So, as we have seen in the Acts examples, when people received The Holy Spirit, there was tangible evidence. Something happened.

So, an unbeliever prays the sinner's prayer. That saves him undoubtedly. If he receives The Holy Spirit at the same time, what happens? If nothing, can the person say he is baptised with The Spirit?

Did he:
1. Manifest anything similar to what the folks in Acts received? Did he have an intense sense of the presence of God that he didn't have before?
2. Were the ones around him alerted that something amazing had happened to him and rejoiced with him, and unbelievers convicted of sin?
3. When he started telling unbelievers about the gospel, were they convicted and wanted to know how to be saved?

If he can't say yes to at least one of these, then it could be argued that he didn't receive The Holy Spirit at all, and if he says he has, he might be pretending or speaking in presumption.

Now, I am not saying that the person has to have a Pentecostal or Charismatic experience. What I am saying is based on the Bible - Luke's examples of how folks really received The Holy Spirit. I think that anyone in the Early Church who received The Holy Spirit, knew all about it and they knew the absolutely difference between receiving or not receiving it.

Mt.3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

As described above, the new believer is baptized immediately, into the one body of Christ, His Church, as recorded in Acts 2:1-3.

Jn.5:24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Qusar92

OrthodoxyUSA · Sep 19, 2017

Forgive me...

Phil 1:21 · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation.

Excellent stuff, and I agree with Oscarr as well. Being filled with the Spirit should have a noticeable effect. I think that's where we see the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Wordkeeper · Sep 19, 2017

Receiving the Holy Spirit is analogous to the experience the Israelites had in the wilderness. They could DRINK from the Rock, not something they could do before baptism. Drinking from the Rock is experiencing God´s ability and willingness to save/restore. However, not everyone is able to believe and commit, and to those who did not, God swore they would never enter His restoration.
To those who did commit, who were born again, repented, meta noia-ed, these were the ones who enter God´s restoration. However, Joshua´s experience is not the same as what those who have the baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit experience. If it was, Scripture would not have stated that there remained a rest, that there was a different rest.

So, today, if you hear God´s voice...

JIMINZ · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
That is correct. When we believe/receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He immediately baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, and we are born again with a new /spirit,i.e., the Holy Spirit.Quasar92

.
What then did Jesus mean when He spoke these words?

John 3:5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

When we believe Jesus died for our sins, we gain Salvation, Reconciliation but we do not receive the Holy Spirit until Baptism.

Rom 6:4,5
4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

The newness of life spoken of is, our "Life In the Spirit" which takes place during Baptism when we Die to the Flesh, and become alive to the Spirit.

John3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We cannot be Born of the Spirit, until we are dead to the Flesh, that is when we are Born Again.

LittleLambofJesus · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said: ↑
That is correct. When we believe/receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He immediately baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, and we are born again with a new /spirit,i.e., the Holy Spirit.

Does the Holy Spirit come to those before or after they are baptized?

Act 10:
43
“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
44
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
47
“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

Isaiah 43:19
"Behold! I am doing a new thing; now it is sprouting; not ye are knowing it?
Indeed I am placing in wilderness a Way, in desolation, streams/rivers".

Rev 22:17
And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and he who is hearing -- let him say, Come;
and he who is thirsting -- let him come; and he who is willing -- let him take the water of life freely.

Thedictator · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
The very first paragraph in the OP, in 1 Cor.12:12-13, tells you. When you believe/receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, He baptizes you immediately with the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Mt.3:11.

Quasar92

It does not say that. Here is what 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

What this is saying is that all true Christians are of one body ( the Church ) and that we are baptized by the Holy Spirit regardless of our race. It says nothing about when we receive the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11 states that; "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

This is John the Baptist talking about Jesus Christ and the day of Pentecost. Nether one of these verses says anything about when we receive the Holy Spirit. You can't just make stuff up and pass it off as Biblical truth without someone calling you on it.

The Only verse that states when we receive the Holy Spirit is Acts 2:38

JIMINZ · Sep 19, 2017

LittleLambofJesus said:
Does the Holy Spirit come to those before or after they are baptized?

Act 10:
47
“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

Can you say you have received the Holy Spirit just as they had?
I don't think anyone living today has received the Holy Spirit, just as they had.

Things were happening differently in those days.

Presbyterian Continuist · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
Mt.3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

As described above, the new believer is baptized immediately, into the one body of Christ, His Church, as recorded in Acts 2:1-3.

Jn.5:24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

Qusar92

While it is true that The Holy Spirit baptised us into the body of Christ, does The Holy Spirit baptise us into Himself? Doesn't make sense to me. What makes more sense is that Jesus baptises us with The Holy Spirit to endue us with power for service. This means that there are two processes:
1. The Holy Spirit baptises us into the body of Christ
2. Jesus baptised us with The Holy Spirit for service.

Otherwise John is wrong when he says that Jesus will come and baptise us with The Holy
Spirit and with fire - if it is The Holy Spirit Himself who does the baptising. If that was so, why did John say that Jesus was going to do it if He wasn't?
Sounds like you might be rewording the Scripture to fit your theology instead of adapting your theology to comply what the Scripture actually says.
Exact wording is vitally important.

Quasar92 · Sep 19, 2017

Thedictator said:
It does not say that. Here is what 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

What this is saying is that all true Christians are of one body ( the Church ) and that we are baptized by the Holy Spirit regardless of our race. It says nothing about when we receive the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11 states that; "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

This is John the Baptist talking about Jesus Christ and the day of Pentecost. Nether one of these verses says anything about when we receive the Holy Spirit. You can't just make stuff up and pass it off as Biblical truth without someone calling you on it.

The Only verse that states when we receive the Holy Spirit is Acts 2:38

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John the Baptist (Mark 1:8) and by Jesus before He ascended to heaven: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4); for the first time, people were permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the church had begun.

First Corinthians 12:12–13 is the central passage in the Bible regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Notice that we “all” have been baptized by the Spirit—all believers have received the baptism, synonymous with salvation, and it is not a special experience for only a few. While Romans 6:1–4 does not mention specifically the Spirit of God, it does describe the believer’s position before God in language similar to the 1 Corinthians passage: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

The following facts are necessary to help solidify our understanding of Spirit baptism: First, 1 Corinthians 12:13clearly states that all have been baptized, just as all been given the Spirit to drink (the indwelling of the Spirit). Second, nowhere in Scripture are believers told to be baptized with, in or by the Spirit, or in any sense to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that all believers have had this experience. Third, 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).

Recommended Resource: The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley

Source: gotquestions.org

Quasar92

Thedictator · Sep 19, 2017

You can't express yourself, you have to use a cut and paste.

Presbyterian Continuist · Sep 19, 2017

Quasar92 said:
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John the Baptist (Mark 1:8) and by Jesus before He ascended to heaven: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4); for the first time, people were permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the church had begun.

First Corinthians 12:12–13 is the central passage in the Bible regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Notice that we “all” have been baptized by the Spirit—all believers have received the baptism, synonymous with salvation, and it is not a special experience for only a few. While Romans 6:1–4 does not mention specifically the Spirit of God, it does describe the believer’s position before God in language similar to the 1 Corinthians passage: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

The following facts are necessary to help solidify our understanding of Spirit baptism: First, 1 Corinthians 12:13clearly states that all have been baptized, just as all been given the Spirit to drink (the indwelling of the Spirit). Second, nowhere in Scripture are believers told to be baptized with, in or by the Spirit, or in any sense to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that all believers have had this experience. Third, 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).

Recommended Resource: The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley

Source: gotquestions.org

Quasar92

Sp, having said all that, how does one know that he or she is Spirit filled? If a person is sitting in a pew at church cold as a fish, what evidence that that person show that The Spirit is actually living and flowing through him or her? I could say to that person, "You are not filled with The Spirit, and it is not flowing through you" and you couldn't prove otherwise. The evidence which we see in the four examples of Acts where The Holy Spirit was evident, there was tangible evidence. Something definite happened. Those people didn't just sit or stand there cold as fishes. You can quote all the scriptures you want about the filling of The Spirit, but if there is no tangible evidence of His indwelling or presence, then it cannot be proved that He is actually there. Actually, most of our churches are not cold or hot but are lukewarm, and Jesus said in Revelation that He would spit such churches out of His mouth. These are the churches that say they are Spirit filled, but show no evidence of it, and are quite happy with their three hymns and a sermon. So, a lukewarm church, which God will not, according to His Word, support it, cannot have The Holy Spirit flowing in it. To do that The Spirit would be contradicting the Word of God, something which He would never do.

Thedictator · Sep 19, 2017

Oscarr said:
Sp, having said all that, how does one know that he or she is Spirit filled? If a person is sitting in a pew at church cold as a fish, what evidence that that person show that The Spirit is actually living and flowing through him or her?

None, Read James he has some thoughts on that.

Presbyterian Continuist · Sep 19, 2017

Thedictator said:
None, Read James he has some thoughts on that.

Let's use your church as an example. It may not be cold because there are people who love the Lord in it; but is it really fired up for the Lord so that when sinners come in they are immediately convicted of sin by the intense presence of God there? If not, then the church is lukewarm and Jesus' attitude to it is quite clear according to Revelation 3 where He talks about the Laodicean church.

When / How do we receive the Holy Spirit?

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