A Second Work of Grace

The debate is heavy concerning this topic because many people find the notion offensive that, though they have begun a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, they still need to undergo another major point of conversion. To such, “Spirit-baptism” becomes a point of divisiveness and causes some Christians to behave as if they are superior to others. As Wayne Grudem expressed, “Although those who teach the classical Pentecostal view of baptism in the Holy Spirit may deny that they are attempting to divide Christians into two categories, such a division is implicit every time they ask whether someone has been baptized in the Holy Spirit or not.”^¹

Even if this charge is a valid one though, there is a solid logical basis for believing that Spirit-baptism is distinct from a Christian's original regeneration. The case could be made that the Gospels suggest that the Pentecostal view may be correct, the book of Acts illustrates this view is right, and further – there is much evidence outside of Scripture that this view is an orthodox perspective. Numerous figures throughout Church history have upheld a Pentecostal sort of understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The first person that the New Testament clearly shows having the “infilling” of the Holy Ghost is the mother of John the Baptist, in Luke chapter one. Here the Word states in verse 1:41, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”^² The same filling came to the baby John himself while he was in Elizabeth's womb, and also to his father later on (see verses 1:15, 67). Though it is impossible that John could have had a long relationship with the Lord previous to his infilling, it is likely that Elizabeth and Zechariah knew God on some level before they were filled. The Bible actually says “they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless,” (Luke 1:6). In fact, Zechariah was a priest (Luke 1:5). So the two may have already been converted in a sense before being filled with the Holy Ghost.

The next person to be described as receiving this infilling is Jesus, also in the book of Luke. Here it is written, “the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him,” (Luke 3:22) and it says that after this “Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” (Luke 4:1). In this instance it is clear that Christ Himself had to undergo a type of Spirit-baptism, though it is certain that He was already was in right standing with His Father before this (Luke 2:52). So this provides reason to believe that one can be a true man of God without also being full of God's Spirit.

Following the Gospels, the book of Acts is foundational to laying out a theology for Spirit-baptism as a separate work of grace. There are several passages here which reveal that one can be a devout Christian without being filled of the Spirit. The first place to look is in Acts chapters one and two.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus commands His disciples to wait for a period in Jerusalem, promising them, “you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Then in Acts 2:4 the author shows that the believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit” on the Day of Pentecost. This is significant because these people were already followers of Jesus, and – according to John 20:22 – some even had the Holy Spirit living within them. Jesus had breathed on them after He rose from the dead, and told them then, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” So there was clearly a difference between this first reception and the later infilling.

Some scholars question though whether or not the disciples actually received the Spirit or not in John 20. For instance, Wayne Grudem proposes that Jesus' action in this passage “probably was an acted-out prophecy of what would happen to them at Pentecost...he was speaking in advance”^³ of a later empowerment. Yet as Jack Hayford has noted, “the Greek [version of this passage] denotes the immediacy of this action. Jesus is saying, 'Receive the Holy Spirit right now.'”^⁴ It appears therefore that a literal impartation was given both in John and in Acts.

This is not the only place in scripture that we see believers receiving two unique encounters with the Holy Ghost. The next passage to look at is in Acts 8:14:-17. Here the apostles ministered to a group of Samaritans who previously “had received the word of God” but had not been blessed with the fullness of the Spirit. Verse 16 explains, “For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Immediately the apostles laid hands on the Samaritans and they visibly received the Spirit's manifest presence.

Again, there are those who claim this was not a second encounter with the Holy Ghost, but the first for the Samaritans. Some theorize that “God, in his providence, sovereignly waited to give the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans directly through the hands of the apostles”^⁵ in order to confirm that these non-Jews were saved. Yet as David Pawson pointed out, this is “pure speculation in spite of being a very plausible theory...there is not even a hint of this in scripture, on which it could be built.”^⁶ So there is no solid basis for claiming that the Samaritans were not undergoing a second work of grace.

The next place in the Bible where there was a delay shown between one's salvation and Spirit-baptism is in Acts chapter nine, in the life of Paul the apostle. Paul encountered Jesus outside of Damascus in verses 3-6, in a powerful vision. Here he met the Lord and commited himself to follow Christ's directions. There is little question whether or not this was when he became born-again. Then later in verse 17 Ananias layed hands on him that he might be filled with the Spirit.

Once more in Acts 19 another example is found of Christians receiving the Spirit's fullness after regeneration. The author records in verses 1-6 how Paul found a number of disciples who did not know anything about the Holy Spirit, though they had previously been baptized in water. Paul had them re-baptized in water in Christ's name. Then, following the laying on of hands, the Holy Spirit “came upon them.”

Some Pentecostals and Charismatics have suggested that these disciples were Christians when Paul first found them, and this may be true. However, even if the disciples did not truly come to Christ until they were baptized in His name, the Bible does not declare that this was when they became Spirit-filled. Dennis Bennett explains, “Here again the distinction [between salvation and Spirit-baptism] is clear. They received Christ and were baptized with water as an outward sign. Then, encouraged by Paul's laying on of hands, they responded to the Holy Spirit Who had come to live in them, and began to pour out the praise of God in new languages.”^⁷ The release of the Spirit's power was therefore separate from the Spirit's earlier indwelling in their hearts.

All of these scriptures give valid reasoning for Pentecostal/Charismatic outlook. Due to this fact, opponents of the Pentecostal viewpoint “are forced to create complicated theology in order to work around these apostolic events and statements made in the book of Acts. There is no need for any of that, if we allow these Scriptures to simply show us that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit...is not a synonym of conversion, as some have supposed, but something else.”^⁸ This is the simplest way to understand these passages.

Outside of the biblical canon, Church tradition also affirms that there may be a difference between salvation and Holy Spirit empowerment. For instance, some of those in the Cathari movement of the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th centuries “taught a baptism in the Holy Spirit known as consolamentum, received through the laying on of hands.”^⁹ The people in this movement are sometimes considered to be pioneers who paved the way for the later Protestant Reformers, in that they often rejected forms of institutional religion for a more personal spirituality.

Another notable example of believers who underwent a Spirit-baptism is found in the history of the Moravians, who are known for their focus on intercessory prayer. Even though they already considered themselves followers of Christ, they sought an experience similar to the one the disciple in Acts received at Pentecost. According to Eddie Hyatt, this group received the answer to their prayers in August of 1727. Hyatt records, “while Pastor Rothe was leading the meeting at Herrnhut, he was overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord and fell to the floor. The entire congregation, overwhemlmed by the Spirit and presence of the Lord, then sank to the floor with him.”^¹⁰ There was a clear change in the lives of these people from that moment on, and other signs and wonders began to take place in their midst more regularly.

The great John Wesley was likewise baptized in the Spirit.^¹¹ He journaled about a time when, at 3 A.M. one morning, he and some friends were so overtaken by the Lord that many of them fell on the floor. This situation often repeated itself in Wesley's life, sometimes with worshippers laughing, shaking, or being miraculously healed. Wesley combined his openness with these manifestations to a theology of “Chrisian perfection,” referring to a second work of grace. “For this reason Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan has referred to Wesley as the father of the modern Pentecostal movement.”^¹²

There are numerous other examples that could be referred to of Spirit-baptized fathers of the faith. Edward Irving (1792-1834) believed this experience was connected with speaking in tongues^¹³. Charles Finney (1792-1873) attributed his ministry to what he acknowledged as baptism of Spirit – a moment when he become overcome with weeping and joy^¹⁴. Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) also said he had an awesome experience in his prayer closet once that changed his life. He too called this the baptism in the Spirit^¹⁵. These are just a few of the names that could be listed.

After looking at these different moments in the Church's past, it becomes easy to see that Pentecostal theology was expressed many times before the 1900's, occasionally by some of the most renowned evangelists alive. So those who follow in their line of thought should find it easy to accept that an empowerment subsequent to salvation may be sought after.

With the information given on Spirit-baptism in the Gospels, and the accounts in the book of Acts, along with the testimonies of people throughout history – it is obvious that God has given many people a major blessing after they were saved. This baptism in the Holy Spirit is something that is distinct from regeneration, and it changes men's lives in a profound way. It is indeniably a second work of grace.