As a child growing up in the Assemblies of God, I learned to fear sermons on Spirit baptism.

Every time the topic arose, my heart sank because I knew what would follow. An altar call would force me to acknowledge before everyone that I was spiritually lacking.

Well-meaning believers always surrounded me with loud and forceful prayers. After a while, they offered some words of advice about perseverance before finally giving up. Only then could I call it a night and leave the altar with my prayer unanswered.

I always walked away with a reinforced sense of failure. I believed the baptism in the Holy Spirit was for every Christian except me, for some reason. My conclusion was that I didn’t have enough faith.

Back then, I saw Spirit baptism as an obstacle to overcome. I did not yet understand that this gift is received, not earned.

I finally experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit when I sought God out of my need rather than trying to figure out how to make it happen.

We can place Spirit baptism testimonies on a spectrum ranging from surprise to a long-sought answer to prayer. Some believers did not even know what was happening when they first spoke in tongues.

Others sought, and immediately received, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Still others prayed for weeks, months, or even years before receiving.

Unfortunately, some simply quit praying for Spirit baptism. A few eventually looked for a church that did not teach such things.

Christians from various denominations and traditions can affirm the first six articles of the Assemblies of God’s Statement of Fundamental Truths. Article 7 is where the document becomes distinctively Pentecostal. Christians who agree with Articles 7 (“The Baptism in the Holy Spirit”) and 8 (“The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit”) may be labeled classical Pentecostals.

There is not much value, though, in agreement without understanding. Those who agree with this doctrine but do not understand it are little different from those who understand what the Assemblies of God teaches about Spirit baptism and reject it.

Biblical Background

Where does the imagery of Spirit baptism come from?

The Greek baptizo means “to immerse” or “to overwhelm.” For example, water baptism is a full immersion in water.

Similarly, Spirit baptism represents a kind of immersion in the Holy Spirit. This image invites comparisons to a full-body plunge, as opposed to a shallow experience.

English Bibles translate the Hebrew ruach and Greek pneuma as wind, breath, and spirit (or Spirit). These terms often describe the presence of that which is both invisible and mighty.

The Bible depicts God’s breath as creating and restoring life (Genesis 2:7; Job 12:10; Ezekiel 37:6; Acts 17:25). His wind is powerful enough to push back the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).

In the Old Testament, God sent His Spirit upon individuals, usually for the purpose of serving and guiding the nation of Israel. The Spirit enabled Bezalel to make the implements of Israel’s worship (Exodus 31:3).

God gave Israel’s elders the same Spirit Moses had so they could share the burden of leadership (Numbers 11:17). Moses called the elders out of the camp, where they all prophesied as a sign of receiving this gift (verses 24–25).

Interestingly, two elders who did not show up but remained back in the camp also began prophesying. When Joshua urged Moses to stop them, Moses replied that he wished God would give the Spirit to all His people (verses 26–29).

The outpouring of the Spirit on all believers did not happen during Old Testament times. Instead, God sent His Spirit selectively. Judges and kings received the Spirit for leading, delivering, and administering justice (Numbers 11:17; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:19; 1 Samuel 10:6; 16:13). Prophets and priests encouraged and corrected by the Spirit’s power (2 Kings 2:9; 2 Chronicles 15:1; 24:20). That correction was not enough, however, to keep the people from going into exile.

During the exile, prophets assured God’s people they would return to their homeland. But the question remained: What would keep them from rebelling and experiencing displacement again?

God promised that they would not be the same people as before. He would pour out His Spirit upon them, so their desire would be for God’s will (Ezekiel 36:27; 39:29). And just as with the elders under Moses, as well as King Saul with the prophets (1 Samuel 10:10), the signs of this event would be prophetic in nature (Joel 2:28–29).

When God baptizes us
in the Holy Spirit, He brings us into deeper dependence on Him.

Prophets also spoke of the Holy Spirit as a messianic sign. God told David he would always have a descendant on the throne (2 Samuel 7:16). When some in David’s line proved unworthy, Isaiah foresaw a future king who would have the Spirit upon Him from the beginning to lead wisely and deliver thoroughly (Isaiah 11:2; 42:1; 61:1).

The Old Testament ends with anticipation of the Messiah’s coming, heralded by a forerunner in the spirit of Elijah (Malachi 4).

Every New Testament Gospel includes the story of John the Baptist proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah who baptizes in the Spirit. In comparing Christ’s giving of the Spirit to John’s lesser practice of immersion in water, John the Baptist introduced the language of Spirit baptism.

Jesus used baptism language when promising to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). Peter repeated Jesus in Acts 11:16 while defending his visit to Cornelius.

In the six times the New Testament speaks of baptism in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16), the word is always a verb (“baptize,” “baptized”). We should think of Spirit baptism as an act of God rather than something we acquire on our own. When God baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, He brings us into deeper dependence on Him.

Multiple phrases in Acts are synonymous with Spirit baptism and convey a sense of fullness and abundance. The Holy Spirit was “poured out” (2:33; 10:45) or “came on” those who heard the message (10:44; 11:15). Believers were also “filled with” the Holy Spirit (2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52).

The first chapter of Acts highlights the connection between the gift of the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of God. When the disciples asked Jesus whether He was about to “restore the kingdom to Israel,” they may have been thinking about their role in His victory (verse 6).

Jesus responded that the Father sets the schedule, but the disciples would receive power to be His witnesses when the Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:7–8). That empowerment would include boldness to preach the gospel, with the accompaniment of signs and wonders.

Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 tied the events of Pentecost to Joel’s prophecy (verse 16). For Peter, the fulfillment of this promise pointed to Christ’s exaltation (verse 33).

In other words, Pentecost reveals God is pouring out His Spirit. It also demonstrates Jesus is indeed at the Father’s right hand. Spirit-filled Christians bear witness to Jesus, and the Baptism itself is part of that testimony.

The Book of Acts shows even outsiders receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, including Samaritans (8:14–17) and the Roman centurion Cornelius, along with his household (10:44–46). These stories highlight God’s intent of pouring out His Spirit “on all people” (2:17).

Pentecostal Theology

There is evidence the Early Church prayed for believers to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit after their water baptism (an established pattern in Acts).

However, the preference for infant baptism later in Church history shifted that prayer to a coming-of-age blessing. This led to the development of confirmation as a sacrament.

Some Protestants, rejecting the Catholic understanding of confirmation, equated Spirit baptism with salvation so that there was no difference between baptism into Christ by the Spirit and baptism in the Spirit by Christ.

Others, recognizing a biblical distinction between conversion and Spirit baptism, saw the latter as a second work of grace, such as sanctification.

Still other Protestants taught salvation, sanctification, and Spirit baptism as distinct works. Looking to the Book of Acts, they interpreted Spirit baptism as a gift empowering believers to testify of Jesus. The question became a matter of how Christians could know they had received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostals not only provided an answer, but they also lived it. From the beginning, Pentecostals believed the Spirit’s power is sufficient for bearing witness throughout the world.

The Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival, which started in 1906, helped launch Pentecostal missions. Within a few years, Pentecostal missionaries numbered in the hundreds.

Pentecostalism eventually became known as the Third Force of Christianity, after Catholicism and Protestantism. Today, Pentecostals make up one of the largest and most culturally diverse movements in the world. The history of Pentecostalism alone serves as evidence that the purpose of Spirit baptism is bearing witness to Jesus.

Article 7 attempts to capture an essential Pentecostal theology of Spirit baptism. For years, I have explained Article 7 by highlighting all the words that begin with the letter “e.”

First, Article 7 says, “All believers are entitled to … the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Christians can lay claim to this promise by nature of belonging to Christ. God calls us not only to follow Jesus, but also to testify of Him. We need the gift of the Holy Spirit so we can meet the world’s need for hearing the gospel.

Second, “All believers … should ardently expect … the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” There are Pentecostals who teach the promise as a demand rather than an expectation. What a sense of demand treats as an obligation, a sense of expectation sees as an opportunity.

Earnestly seeking means we intentionally pray to receive the Spirit and dedicate
time for doing so.

God does not promise the gift of the Spirit as a way of burdening us after salvation. God gives us His Spirit not as a burden, but to help us lift the burden that comes with representing Jesus in a hostile world.

Third, “All believers … should … earnestly seek … the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Recognizing we can’t fulfill the Great Commission in our own power motivates us to pray intentionally for Spirit baptism.

Earnestly seeking means we intentionally pray to receive the Spirit and dedicate time for doing so. We are not just seeking a one-time experience. Rather, we should pray for the Spirit’s empowerment throughout our lives. As we grow in faith, so does our awareness of and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, “This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church.” Pentecostals don’t claim most Christians throughout history experienced Spirit baptism, but that it was normative for the Early Church.

Our doctrine of baptism in the Holy Spirit is also not a 20th-century invention. It is one that takes seriously the words of Jesus, the testimony of His apostles, and the experience of the New Testament Church.

Fifth, “With it comes the enduement of power for life and service.” Immersion in the Spirit brings empowerment by the Spirit.

We are not alone in our mission. Jesus promised power for being His witnesses. We need the Spirit’s strength to represent Jesus amid resistance from the devil, this world, and our own flesh. The Spirit helps us speak of Jesus, glorify Him through signs and wonders, and persevere during times of persecution.

The final two sentences of Article 7 again highlight the word “experience” by contrasting and enlarging the scope of Spirit baptism.

Pentecostals distinguish Spirit baptism from new birth in terms of subsequence. In other words, a person must be a believer to experience baptism in the Holy Spirit. This does not necessarily mean there must be a time gap between salvation and Spirit baptism.

As in the story of Cornelius in Acts 10, belief in Christ and Spirit baptism may occur in rapid succession. Pentecostals do not confuse Spirit baptism for conversion, but do acknowledge they can happen together — with the latter immediately following, and testifying of, the former.

The final sentence of Article 7 was added in 1961 to recognize other “experiences” that come with Spirit baptism. The Baptism intensifies what the Spirit has already done in a believer’s life.

Spirit-filled Christians experience an “overflowing fullness,” according to Article 7. Having trusted in God at conversion, they feel a “deepened reverence” for God. Committed already to obedience, they undergo “an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work.”

Baptism in the Holy Spirit results in a “more active love for Christ, for His Word, and for the lost.” While Spirit baptism is for empowerment, it should also deepen our relationship with God.

Without confusing Spirit baptism and sanctification, the Assemblies of God does recognize the Baptism’s sanctifying impact. It should not be surprising that immersion in God shapes us more into His character.

A Pentecostal theology of Spirit baptism reflects our understanding about God, who exists eternally in a loving relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. We are dependent on trinitarian language to explain this immersion in the Spirit, which Jesus refers to as the gift His Father promised (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4).

Because Jesus told the disciples to wait until they had received this gift, we also see it as a “command of our Lord Jesus Christ,” as Article 7 puts it.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit brings us into a deeper relationship with the triune God. We experience a fullness of the Spirit who led us to Christ; a richer commitment to God, His Word, and His work; and a stronger love for Jesus and those God loves.

The Spirit-filled life is one of obedience (Romans 8:5–14), and obedience to Christ leads to love (John 15:9–17). Love should be a hallmark of Pentecostals, so long as filling leads to following.

We are not filled with the Spirit for a moment, but for a lifestyle of dependence on the Spirit — a dependence that requires obedience. An ongoing obedience to God leads to loving who God loves.

Love may not be the initial evidence of Spirit baptism, but it should be the ongoing consequence. There is no other way to live authentically as a Spirit-filled Christian.

Church Practice

Without our doctrine of Spirit baptism, the Assemblies of God would not be recognizable as Pentecostal. Without the experience of Spirit baptism, the global Pentecostal movement would not have existed.

If we do not continue to teach and experience baptism in the Spirit, today’s Assemblies of God will be unrecognizable to us in the future.

Throughout our Fellowship, growth has led to multiple services, necessitating tighter schedules for worship. This makes it more difficult to find unrestricted time for prayer.

When congregations don’t seek God corporately, creating space for people to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit during weekly gatherings becomes a challenge. For many churches, prayer time is little more than a transition between services.

We do not wait because God cannot baptize people in the Spirit
in a moment, even unexpectedly. We tarry because we are being shaped in the time of waiting.

Early Pentecostal revivals faced a similar struggle. At the Azusa Street Mission, for example, the time for prayer at the end of one service turned into the opening prayer time for the next service as people stood outside the building, waiting to come in.

To address the issue, revival leaders designated part of the building an “upper room” where people could “tarry” in prayer as services continued.

Loss of time around a prayer altar negatively impacts us. Yes, people can receive the gift of the Spirit outside of altar calls. But those times of prayer teach believers how to pray, wait, and seek God.

We do not wait because God cannot baptize people in the Spirit in a moment, even unexpectedly. We tarry because we are being shaped in the time of waiting.

Sometimes waiting is necessary because we need to get over ourselves. Other times, patience in prayer teaches us dependence on God — and baptism in the Spirit ultimately brings us even deeper into that posture.

Finally, we wait because it gives us time to pray together in one place. And that time in community reminds us the Spirit wants to fill the whole house, along with each person present (Acts 2:1–4).

Some congregations reserve teaching about and seeking Spirit baptism for unique events, such as camps. While many people have had powerful Pentecostal experiences at camp, Spirit baptism belongs in the local church’s everyday life.

If we do not speak of Spirit baptism, teach on it, or make time for it in our regular gatherings, we are not treating it as the normal experience for believers today.

The more we relegate preaching on Spirit baptism to special services, the more novel the doctrine will seem to believers. The more unique something is, the less normal it is.

Another obstacle to churchgoers pursuing Spirit baptism is a defensiveness about the doctrine of initial physical evidence that takes too much time away from teaching on the rest of Spirit baptism. We affirm tongues as evidence in Article 8 but if it comprises most of what we talk about in regard to Spirit baptism, people will misunderstand what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

As a college professor, I sometimes asked my students to write down everything they knew about Spirit baptism, with one restriction: They could not mention speaking in tongues.

This stumped many of my students. Some assumed it was a trick, with the right answer being, “You can’t say anything about Spirit baptism without talking about tongues.”

In response, I referred them to Article 7, “The Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” which explains Spirit baptism without once mentioning speaking in tongues.

My point was not that a Pentecostal understanding of Spirit baptism should exclude or ignore tongues. Rather, we must be careful not to conflate the two, as though speaking in tongues is the purpose of Spirit baptism.

This is why the Statement of Fundamental Truths has a separate article on speaking in tongues as the “initial physical evidence” of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

If people think Spirit baptism is all about developing a new prayer language, they may seek the gift simply for their own edification instead of service to God and others.

We are not baptized in the Holy Spirit just to pray in tongues, but so we can speak in our own language about Jesus to those around us. If we lose our sense of mission as Spirit-filled people, it will negatively affect our ability to fulfill it.

Our reasons for asking God to give us the Spirit should align with Acts 1:8. We are seeking a full immersion in the Spirit so we can do everything God has called us to do with everything He has available for us (including tongues).

We must provide space for people to pray for the gift of the Spirit — not just on special occasions, but as a normal occurrence in the local church.

As a community, we should be praying regularly for the outpouring of the Spirit on all believers. Seeking God together lessens the pressure individuals may feel to perform. Spirit baptism is not an individual performance, but an act of grace in which we share.

We must also teach the purpose of Spirit baptism so people will seek this gift for the right reason. Baptism in the Holy Spirit should change every part of our lives, not just our prayer lives.

For one, we should live out the empowerment God has given us for testifying of Christ. Some Christians are hesitant to pray for Spirit baptism because they fear speaking in tongues. Instead, their concern should be how God may upend their priorities when the Spirit comes upon them.

Some early Pentecostals quit jobs and moved across the world after receiving the gift of the Spirit. We should teach people to expect this gift to empower them for at least crossing the street and telling others about Jesus. And nothing will bring them greater joy than doing God’s will.

Additionally, Christians should expect further character change as their obedience to God becomes more dependent on the Spirit. As reliance on God grows, we find deeper communion with God. And as we draw closer to Him, we increasingly reflect His loving character. Spirit baptism should lead to a life of greater love.

The initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism is speaking in tongues, the purpose of Spirit baptism is empowerment for ministry, and the expected consequence of Spirit baptism is a deepening relationship with God and reflection of His love.

We believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, not as a one-time experience only, but as a lifetime of increased reliance on God for obedience and witness — to the glory of Jesus and the good of the world!

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Influence magazine.