Photo by Josh Eckstein on Unsplash
This is part four of a six part series on Preparing for Pentecost. You can read part three here.
What is this “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” that Jesus, just before his Ascension, promised his disciples that they would experience in a few days (Acts 1:5)? This question has generated plenty of controversy in the catholic, evangelical, and charismatic streams in which the ACNA flows.
Let’s look at some relevant biblical texts. Thankfully, Jesus gives us added clarity on this question in the same passage: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Jesus was pointing to what would happen to them after ten days of prayer at the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit came like a violent wind; and then lit upon each of them with tongues of fire; and “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues (languages they had not known nor learned) as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4) (We’ll look at tongues later in this series.) This drew a huge crowd at the feast, and Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus’ life, death on the cross for our sins, and glorious resurrection, resulting in 3,000 new converts that day! Whatever else the baptism in the Spirit is, it is certainly connected to the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of disciples for evangelism and all kinds of mission.
Some church traditions say that John’s gospel and Luke’s Book of Acts have two different versions of what is essentially the same event: the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church. However, the day of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2, is clearly not the same occasion as the initial giving of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. John’s gospel records that Jesus first sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His apostles on the first Easter: “Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’’’ (John 20:22) Both John 20 and Acts 2 are distinct events in history, separated by 50 days, from Easter to Pentecost.
So, what is the baptism in the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised us?
The Greek word for baptize, baptizo, means to immerse; or, in the sense of a sunken ship, to be waterlogged. It doesn’t mean sprinkle; it means dunk. To be baptized is not just a dip in the water but a sense that the water is now in and around you always. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be saturated or marinated in the Holy Spirit, so God the Holy Spirit becomes part of every fiber of your being.
Many evangelical Anglican theologians, like The Rev. John Stott, have taught that believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit when they are saved. Other Anglican theologians, like The Rev. Michael Greene, talked about two baptisms – first, water baptism, signifying salvation; and second, baptism in the Holy Spirit, signifying empowerment (and sanctification). After all, Jesus talked about these two different baptisms. In this view, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is given to believers through an encounter with God that results in an empowering in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is what happened to the early church on the first Pentecost and to different groups throughout the book of Acts. This second view reflects the reality of many Christians today who have experienced supernatural empowerment subsequent to conversion.
After almost 30 years of ordained ministry, my conviction has only grown that the apostolic ministry we read about in the book of Acts – ministering the Gospel message and love of Jesus, with healing, signs, and wonders following – is a picture of the normal Christian life. The pattern we see in the Book of Acts is the pattern we ought to see in our own lives, for we share the same promises and the same Holy Spirit as the Apostles do. Even so, we must admit that we do not walk in the same power that they did. By comparison to the early church, even the best churches in America today seem dry and weak. The Rev. Terry Fullam, that great Episcopal leader in charismatic renewal from the 70’s to the 90’s, said, “The Church has been subnormal for so long, that were it ever to become normal, it would seem abnormal.” That is, the Church today has been operating on such little supernatural power for so long that if we were to act like the early church – should we become normal again – it would seem, even to many church people, to be abnormal.
Some Christians think that people who believe that the Holy Spirit is still in the business of giving supernatural spiritual gifts to Christians for witness – including healing, prophecy, and tongues – that we are one, maybe two “bubbles off plumb!” Unfortunately, many have experienced unbiblical teachings or practices, like hurtful or erroneous ‘prophetic words’ in charismatic settings. There is healing for that, which I will take up in the future. However, I disagree with cessationists – but not on the basis of my experience; rather, I am persuaded that the Bible teaches the continuation of all the spiritual gifts, e.g., in Mark 16, until Christ comes again, in 1 Corinthians 13.
Experience is often a poor guide for biblical interpretation. Just because a Christian experiences something does not mean that God is in it. To be blunt: if your experience contradicts the Scriptures, it is not from God. The faithful ones who navigated the “church wars” of the early 2000’s learned with crystal clarity that no one has the authority to reinterpret or rewrite the Scriptures to suit their experience. Just because our cessationist brothers don’t see supernatural gifts in operation around them does not mean that the gifts have ceased. Supernatural spiritual gifts are in evidence all over the Scriptures. Even if it seems abnormal to some, I want to be a normal Christian, living a supernatural life.
What is normal for Anglicans? The word ‘normal’ does not primarily mean “what typically happens” or what the average person does, though that is how the term is often used. No, norms primarily speak of standards. The Bible is our norm and standard; it is our norming norm – the standard by which all other standards are judged. When we don’t live biblically, the problem is not with the book or with God. The problem is with us! The church depicted in the Book of Acts moves in supernatural love for lost people and supernatural power for witness. That is normal Christianity.
The question of the meaning of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is still an in-house debate for orthodox believers in Anglicanism. The ACNA was begun, and has continued to exist as, a three-streams movement of churches. If you have never experienced the charismatic stream, or you have experienced abuses of it in the past, I encourage you to continue to be open to the blessings found in this stream. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches. Anglicanism provides a fabulous fireplace for that fire.
Come, Holy Spirit!
The Rev. Clancy Nixon is Director of Renew, a ministry of Anglican Revitalization Ministries. He served as rector of a church he planted for 24 years, and he led church-planting and revitalization efforts for the ACNA Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic for seven years. He continues to work with the province in healing and renewal ministries. If you’d like to learn more about Renew and how we might serve your congregation or diocese with a conference or coaching, please visit https://www.americananglican.org/renew.
