Baptism and the Holy Spirit
by Pastor Joshua Pfeiffer
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Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:38).
The Book of Acts is a wild ride! As the Spirit of the living God gets unleashed, the early Christians are struggling to keep up with the pace. On almost every page, we read of people coming to repentance and faith, seeking baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit – often in the most unexpected of places. One interesting theme to trace through – and try and make sense of – is the relationship between baptism and the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.
In the verse above from the day of Pentecost, the gift of the Spirit is part of the one event of repentance, baptism and receiving the forgiveness of sins. But by the time we reach Samaria in Acts 8, we find the people there being baptised but not yet receiving the Spirit. The Apostles have to come to lay hands on them before the Spirit comes. In Acts 10, it’s the reverse order with Cornelius and his family. The Spirit is poured out as Peter is proclaiming the gospel to them, and so Peter then baptises them after this. It seems that the one thing we can say for sure from all these events is that while God is always free to intervene how and when he chooses, the early church understood baptism and the Holy Spirit to belong together.
On several occasions, I’ve encountered people who have some measure of faith in Jesus Christ and a desire to live as his disciple, yet, for one reason or another, have never been baptised. What do we do? We give thanks for the work of the Spirit in their life, and we encourage them toward baptism, just like in the Book of Acts. On the other hand, when we encounter people who have been baptised as infants but show little interest in the Christian life, we can encourage them toward greater participation in the life of the Spirit (Romans 8:14) – because baptism and the Spirit belong together.
If you’re reading this and have never been baptised, why not seek out a local Lutheran church, and ask them if you, too, can receive this precious gift?
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gifts of repentance, baptism, the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. Renew these gifts in us, and please be at work in those who live apart from you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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