Baptism in the Holy Spirit

In a previous blog I looked at the connection between the Jonah story and the sacramental Rite of Baptism. As I lived with this connection I was drawn to explore it in greater depth. Throughout the history of the Christian Church issues around Baptism have been contentious.

 Some people have adopted doctrinal positions where infants are baptised; conversely, others have said that only adult baptism is valid, because a person needs to make an adult informed choice. Some people have said that only a little water is needed, sprinkled on the child’s forehead, because it is a sacramental sign that represents a deeper reality. Others have insisted upon a person being fully immersed in water because that most fully portrays what is happening: being immersed in Christ and participating in His death and resurrection. Through the centuries many people have been prepared to sacrifice their lives to defend their respective positions on these matters.  It is therefore not a subject to be taken lightly; and needs to be treated with reverence and respect for other people’s sensibilities. My own position is that we are dealing with mystery here and only God knows what the answers are. I can only do my best to understand them and follow my heart on the matter. I have to trust that God sees my heart and the depth of my love for, and commitment to Him; and will honour that, even if I don’t get the ritual exactly right. What is ultimately important is not the ritual but the reality that I live out in my everyday life. To put this in theological terms, Orthopraxy (right behaviour) is more important than Orthodoxy (right belief). You can have the right doctrine (and think you are OK) but not live out the reality of it (and are not OK).

In another blog I mentioned that Jesus said, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit” (My emphasis) John3:5. We saw that it involved being re-born and starting again to live a new life. This is what the sacramental Rite of Baptism is giving expression to. This is a Baptism of Initiation into the Kingdom of God. This baptism is foreshadowed in Old Testament stories of Hebrew Scripture. We cannot fully understand the New Testament without reference to these Old Testament stories. Jesus said that he came to fulfil them in the incarnate life that he lived amongst us.

 I have come to recognize that the Exodus story we find in the Old Testament that depicts the Israelites being set free from slavery in Egypt and being led towards the Promised Land by Moses, gives an amazing picture of our spiritual journey. In this story crossing the Red Sea provides an image of this Baptism of Initiation. It gives us an image of a threshold being crossed.  I believe this is what Jesus is referring to in this passage.

Yet, there is another image of crossing a river (threshold) given in the Exodus story. The Israelites reach this river only after being led through the desert wastes(wilderness) for many long years by the Spirit of God who comes to them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (powerful imagery!!). The passage through the wilderness, which involves hardship and struggle, is necessary; and prepares the people for crossing the second river threshold.  This reinforces what I was saying in my last blog post, that there does not seem to be any real change and transformation without some form of suffering taking place.

When the Israelites reached the River Jordan twelve spies were sent across to check out the Promised Land that the Israelites were being led to take possession of. They were confronted with giants and walled cities in this land. Only two of the twelve (Joshua and Caleb) came back feeling confident that with God’s help this land could be taken possession of. God’s response to the people’s lack of trust in his ability to enable and empower them for this task was to be angry and led to him not allowing them to enter into the Promised Land at that point in time. That whole generation of people therefore died in the wilderness without receiving the inheritance that was due to them. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter into the Promised Land, forty years later. Joshua led a new generation across the Jordan and they appropriated their true inheritance.

  This crossing of the Jordan River is an image of a second Baptism. It is known as Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It foreshadowed the experience that the early believers had at the time of Pentecost which we read of in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit came upon the believers when they were meeting together:  “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty wind storm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” Acts2:2-4.

Reading the rest of this chapter and those that follow shows how the believers were transformed by this experience of being Baptised in the Holy Spirit. They were given the gift of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus had previously promised. Jesus had told them that when he left them the Holy Spirit would be given in his place. The Holy Spirit would be, amongst other things, their Counselor, Comforter, Empowerer and Guide; who would lead them into truth. John, Chapter 14.

As I lived with the story of Jonah I became convinced that it foreshadowed and depicted this second Baptism. As a good Jew Jonah had been circumcised as a child and had undergone his Bar Mitzvah at age fourteen (becoming literally a ‘Son of the Law’). Both of these Rites of Passage foreshadowed the Christian Rite of Baptism (that’s food for another blog post.) He was therefore well and truly initiated. What Jonah needed was real transformation; the kind that was depicted before his time by crossing the River Jordan; and afterwards by the Baptism in the Holy Spirit we looked at above in Acts.  

In my previous blog post I showed how transformation takes place through a process. In my next post I will look at how in like manner Baptism in the Holy Spirit happens through a process. The early believers received the Holy Spirit in the dramatic way that Scripture portrays; but the full experience of transformation took place over a much longer period of time.

Questions for reflection:

·         Can you recognize the connection between the Jonah story and Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

·         Have you experienced this Baptism?

·         Is it something you desire?