216 When you come together - Baptism in the Spirit Part 1 - a podcast by Dr David Petts - Pentecostal preacher, former AoG Bible College Principal

When you come together

 

Talk 3 Baptism the Spirit (1)

1 Corinthians 12:13

 

In the introduction to this series of talks we suggested that 1 Corinthians 14:26 gives clear biblical guidelines as to what Christians should expect as they gather together in worship. We noted that these include supernatural manifestations like speaking in tongues, interpretation, and prophecy.

So in our last talk we considered the supernatural gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1-12 and concluded that all the gifts listed there are supernatural, that all these gifts are certainly for today, and that we should certainly expect to see them in evidence in churches today.

Now such manifestations would clearly be impossible if it were not for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So it’s not surprising that in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 there are no less than eight references to the Holy Spirit.

It’s only by the Holy Spirit that we can confess that Jesus is Lord (3). Although we have different gifts, it’s the same Spirit that inspires them all (4). If we have received a gift from the Spirit, it’s not for our benefit alone, but for the good of all the church (7). All these supernatural gifts are given by the same Spirit who gives them to each one, just as he determines (8-11). And in verse 13, Paul goes on to talk about being baptised in the Spirit.

It’s clear, then, that if we are to see these gifts in operation in our meetings, we need the presence and power of the Spirit moving among us. But what exactly does Paul mean in verse 13 when he talks about being baptised in the Holy Spirit?

In this chapter of my book I shall:

1. examine the meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:13 and explain why I believe it’s a reference to the baptism in the Holy Spirit as described in the book of Acts.
2. outline what Acts reveals about what it means to be baptised in the Spirit
3. consider how this relates to our understanding of 1 Corinthians 12:13 and give reasons why we should understand baptism in the Spirit to be the gateway to the supernatural gifts of the Spirit.

Although these three topics are contained in Chapter 2 of the book, I will devote 3 podcasts to them in order to keep each talk relatively brief and to allow time for feedback from you. So today we’ll just be talking about the meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:13. Now please be aware that this will involve consideration of the Greek text, and some listeners might find it a bit complicated. But, please, don’t switch off! I’ll try to explain it as clearly as I can.

 

 

The meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:13

The first thing we need to say is that there are several different interpretations of this verse. This arises from the fact that it’s possible to translate the text in a variety of different ways. So I’m going to begin by stating what I believe to be the best way to translate the first part of the verse, where Paul refers to being baptised in the Spirit. He says:

For we were all baptised in one Spirit for one body.

I have emphasised the two prepositions, in and for, because this highlights where my translation differs from the NIV which says:

For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body…

As we proceed I will justify my decision to translate the verse this way, but at this stage, all we need to determine is what the New Testament church believed about what it means to be baptised in the Spirit, and for our answer we turn to none other than the Lord Jesus himself.

In the first chapter of Acts we read Luke’s account of the very last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples before he finally left them and ascended into Heaven. In Acts 1:4-5 Luke tells us that

On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with (or in) the Holy Spirit’…

This is the same terminology as Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12:13. The Greek preposition used in both passages is en. This can carry a variety of meanings, including by and with, but it usually means in.

This means that in Acts 1:5 Jesus is saying

You will be baptised in the Holy Spirit

and in 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul is saying

We were all baptised in one Spirit…

It seems reasonable, therefore, to conclude that Paul is referring to the same experience, and since, in Acts, supernatural gifts like speaking in tongues followed the disciples being baptised in the Spirit (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6), it’s not at all surprising that Paul mentions baptism in the Spirit in close connection with supernatural gifts.

However, this understanding is challenged by versions such as NIV which translates the first part of 1 Corinthians 12:13 as follows:

For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body…

or, in later NIV versions:

For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body…

We can deal with the translation of en very briefly.  Does it mean in or by? Although NIV translates it as by, it recognises in a footnote that in is a possible alternative. And as I have already pointed out, en usually means in, and that’s how ESV translates it here in 12:13. But, in a way, the English translation is not so important. What matters is that in the original Greek text, both Acts 1:5 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 use the word en. And that clearly suggests that what Paul is talking about is the  same experience of the Spirit as Jesus referred to in Acts 1:5.

But there’s a further problem with the NIV translation of this verse. You will have noticed from the two quotes above that the NIV translators appear to have changed their mind about the next part of the verse. Earlier versions say into one body while later versions say so as to form one body. In my view, neither of these translations is entirely satisfactory, but, to explain why, we need to look at the possible meanings of another Greek preposition – eis.

Although this can, and very often does, mean into, this is by no means its only meaning. In the New Testament it is frequently used to mean for and often conveys the idea of purpose.

The Greek expression eis polemon, for example, is used in the context of preparing for war and the phrase eis ti means ‘for what?’ or ‘why?’  

A highly significant example of this use is found in Matthew 3:11 where baptism in the Spirit is contrasted with baptism in water.  Here eis does not carry the force of ‘into’, for repentance was required before John would baptise, as the preceding verses make clear.  Accordingly NIV translates, I baptise you in water for repentance.  By analogy, the baptism in the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:13 no more puts a person into the body than baptism in water puts them into repentance.

More important still, we know that Paul himself understood and used eis with this force as is demonstrated by the NIV translation of eis as ‘for’ in, for example, 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Ephesians 4:30. So eis certainly can mean for the purpose of. This is supported by the fact that, as we’ve just seen, later NIV versions translate it as, so as to form which recognises the fact that eis can convey the idea of purpose.

But the NIV translation suggests that the purpose of our being baptised in the Spirit is to form one body, the body of Christ, the church. However, the words to form are not found in the Greek text, but NIV translators have clearly felt it necessary to supply some additional words to clarify the meaning of eis. However, in doing so they have, in my view, applied the meaning of eis too narrowly.

Of course, it’s possible that Paul’s meaning here is that we’re baptised in the Spirit to form the church. After all, the purpose of the disciples being baptised in the Spirit was that they might be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:5, 8) and the church was formed when they were baptised in the Spirit at Pentecost.

But in my view the context in 1 Corinthians 12 implies more than this. If the baptism in the Spirit is given for the purpose of forming the church, it is also given for the benefit of the church. The verse is set in a context where Paul is discussing the use of charismatic gifts within the context of the church. 

We know from chapter 14 that the Corinthians were using gifts like tongues for their own edification instead of seeking to edify the church (14:1-12). Paul had to teach them that spiritual gifts were not given for their own selfish benefit, but for the good of all. That’s why he says:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (12:7),

And if my understanding is correct, he seems to be saying much the same thing in 12:13, which might be paraphrased as follows:

You have been baptised in the Spirit for the good of the whole church, so that by the spiritual gifts which result from that baptism, you might edify, not just yourself, but the whole body of believers.

But do we need to choose between the NIV translation and the one I have suggested? Might not both be implicit in what Paul is saying? As we have seen, eis often carries the idea of purpose. Might there not be a twofold purpose in the baptism in the Spirit, both the formation and the edification of the church? I have argued from the context in which 1 Corinthians 12:13 is set that it’s primarily edification that Paul has in mind.

But as we shall see next time when we turn to baptism in the Spirit in the book of Acts, its purpose is strongly connected with evangelism by which the church is formed. It is also invariably connected with the manifestation of supernatural gifts. Those gifts are vital as signs confirming the message of the gospel. They are no less important in strengthening those who have already come to faith in Christ. The baptism in the Spirit and the gifts that come as the result of it are for both the formation and edification of the church.

To summarise, I believe that in 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul is talking about the same experience of which Jesus spoke, and examples of which we see in the book of Acts. So if we take seriously the idea that 1 Corinthians 14:26 is an indication of what we should expect when we come together to worship the Lord, we will not only recognise the importance of supernatural gifts, but also of the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is the gateway to the exercise of those gifts.

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