Baptism in the Holy Ghost – The First Witness –
Baptism in the Holy Ghost: Exciting Scripture
One of the most exciting yet overlooked passages of scripture appears after Jesus’s resurrection.
- John 20:21-23, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
What makes this passage of scripture so special to the believer? Only this, just as God created man through Jesus Christ and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, (Genesis 2:7), so also God has again chosen through Jesus Christ to give the breath of life, the Holy Ghost, to all who receive him.
Baptism in the Holy Ghost: Referred to by John the Baptist
This Baptism in the Holy Ghost, or giving of the Holy Ghost, by Jesus Christ is the baptism referred to by John the Baptist.
- Matthew 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 Holy Ghost and with fire.”
Baptism in the Holy Ghost: Being Born Again –
This Baptism in the Holy Ghost is also what Jesus refers to as being “Born Again.”
- John 3:3-6, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Baptism in Holy Ghost: Transformation
Every believer must understand that Jesus causes a transformation, (the baptism in the Holy Ghost), to occur in the believer when he repents and calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus. Although this transformation is unseen with the human eye, it is real nonetheless.
First, God through Jesus Christ takes out the evil heart of unbelief, sinful worldly heart, and puts a new pure sinless heart into the new believer. Then he places his Holy Spirit in the sinless heart of the new believer. How do we know this? From the Holy Scriptures, the Bible.
- Titus 3:4-6, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
- II Corinthians 1:21-22, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
This transformation called the Baptism in the Holy Ghost is also witnessed by David in the Psalms.
- Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
David realized that God must create a new heart in a person and put his spirit within it!
Baptism in Holy Ghost: Parables
Does God have to create a clean heart in a person before placing the Holy Spirit in him. Absolutely! Jesus uses two parables to explain why the transformation must happen this way.
- Matthew 9:16-17, “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”
These two parables reveal that an unregenerate or unbelieving heart cannot receive God’s Holy Spirit. Light and Darkness cannot occupy the same place.
The next blog will reveal what this transformation, the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, means to the believer.
In Christ
J-me
Copyright 2009 J-me
Let me know what you think of “Baptism in the Holy Ghost: The First Witness”
Other blogs in the Baptism in he Holy Ghost series are:
