by Garrett Glende

The exact nature of the work of the Holy Spirit is a controversial topic, even among otherwise likeminded believers. Many of the great teachers we hear from at conferences and listen to online differ when it comes to defining what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is and how one is filled with the Spirit. Therefore, we must be all the more discerning when we search the Scriptures to see what God has declared to us concerning this topic. We will see that what the Bible says about being filled with the Spirit may be different from many of the popular contemporary views, yet it is an issue that we must take seriously, for it profoundly impacts our growth as Christians.

The first issue that comes up in the chapter is what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A key text in determining the meaning of this phrase is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13, where Paul writes, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The greater context of the verse concerns the unity of the body and the diversity of spiritual gifts. Even though the body has many different members that play various roles in building it up, it is still one unified body. Paul makes this point clear so as to not elevate any one gift over another. The same Spirit has baptized us all into the unified church of Christ. The inference here is that baptism in the Spirit takes place at the point of conversion and is an event that ushers in the believer’s being united to the body. Those in the more charismatic camps, particularly Pentecostals, will claim that baptism in the Spirit is something that happens after a person is saved and can be repeated at various points throughout an individual’s life. Apparently, this is something that must be prayed for fervently and will lead to greater sanctification and effectiveness in ministry. This baptism will most likely occur during an emotional experience, and the individual’s feelings are the ultimate authority. After all, you can’t argue with someone’s experience, right? I don’t mean to form a caricature of all Charismatics, as I do believe that many have truly examined the Scriptures and come to this conclusion. However, I do not believe that the Bible paints the same kind of picture of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit.

It would seem natural at this point to discuss the spiritual gifts, specifically the miraculous sign gifts, but those will be addressed in a later chapter, so there is no need for the topic to be brought up here. Instead, we’ll focus on how a believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit. The primary text to turn to here is Ephesians 5:18, where Paul tells believers not to “get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” We see here that it is a command, and the Greek suggests that it is to be continually ongoing. It could read, “Be continually filled with the Spirit.” The result of obedience to this command is that they would be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord” (verse 19). The cross-reference for this verse is found in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We see that having the word of Christ dwell deeply in the believer results in the same thing as being filled with the Spirit. Thus, in order to obey the command to be filled with the Spirit we must continually hide the truths of God’s word in our hearts. The effects of having rich, meaningful times in God’s word are clear when we come to church on Sundays. For the congregation, a week full of prayer and meditation on the Word leads to a worshipful, focused time of singing and listening during the service. For the preacher, having the word of Christ dwell richly in Him throughout the week leads to empowerment and conviction when preaching. This is what a Spirit-filled life should look like. We don’t need to be searching for a special experience that will further our giftedness, but rather digging deep into God’s word so that it would overflow into our daily lives. Then the fruit of the Spirit will be exhibited to the rest of the world so that souls might be saved for Christ. So the next time we feel the need for the Spirit’s power, may we all turn to the reliable and life-giving source of God’s word.