Jim Packer on Baptism in the Spirit

6 Jul 2020
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As part of remembering J. I. Packer, who recently went to be with the Lord, we are sharing his entries from the New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic, and giving away the ebook of his classic Concise Theology.

BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT

Three assertions generated this phrase: John the Baptist’s, that whereas he baptized with water, his successor would baptize in (en) the *Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8; cf. Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:33); Jesus’, that his disciples would soon be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; cf. 11:16); and Paul’s, that Christians have been baptized in one Spirit into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). The idea of Spiritbaptism became theo logically and devotionally important when it was taken to signify a post-conversion blessing of life-transforming significance. This occurred occasionally in Wesleyanism, widely in nineteenth century evangelical pietism, and universally in twentieth century Pentecostalism with its world wide charismatic offshoots.

Biblical

In these three assertions, Spirit baptism appears not as a technical term with normative force, but as a theological image denoting the spiritual reality that water*baptism signifies: namely, unitive, regenerative, purificatory and purgative initiation into the death and risen life of the now glorified Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Saviour (see Rom. 6:1–11; Col. 2:11–14; 1 Pet. 3:21–22). Baptism as such is a symbolic washing, and the conceptual parallel is that both baptisms carry the thought of dirt being washed off the begrimed, thus fitting them for fellowship with God, waterbaptism signifying the inner cleansing that Spirit baptism actually imparts. At and after Pentecost this Spirit baptism was constantly accompanied by tongues and prophecy celebrating Christ (Acts 2:4; 10:44–47), and absence of this accompaniment among groups was thought anomalous (Acts 8:12–17; 19:1–6), though whether every single Christian received these charismata is not made clear. Though water baptism and the gift of the Spirit were held to belong together as aspects of initiation into Christ (Acts 2:38; 10:47), they did not always go together in time (8:12–17).

Historical

In ancient and medieval theology, baptism in the Spirit was not a subject of focused discussion. Prevailing *sacramental realism assimilated Spiritbaptism into water baptism and proclaimed baptismal regeneration. Later, Protestant pietism developed in various ways the idea that the apostolic experi ence of Acts 2 is a paradigmatic model and a personal necessity for all Christians, thus:

(1) John Fletcher (1729–85), Wesley’s designated successor, and some later Reformed teachers also, spoke of repeatable baptisms in the Spirit, meaning intensifyings of *assurance and enhanced enablings for holy living and powerful witness. Charles
(2) Finney, D. L. Moody (1837–99), R. A. Torrey (1856–1928), Andrew Murray, A. B. Simpson (1844–1919) and others, echoing this, adjusted it in different ways to the Wesleyan idea of a single ‘secondblessing’ experi ence that raises one’s life to a per manently new level (see *Holiness movements).
(3) Pentecostals and charismatics generally see Spirit baptism in this essentially Wesleyan way, but broaden the concept, relating it to full reception, recognition and/or release of the Spirit within one, in assurance, emotional exuberance, glossolalia, uninhibited liberty in speaking for Christ, and the blossoming of all kinds of gifts of ministry, including in some cases (so it is claimed) prophetic and healing gifts. Tongues are often made the touchstone of Spirit baptism.

Theological

Guidelines for theologizing baptism in the Holy Spirit would seem to include the following:

(1) Since, biblically, the concept is initiatory, it is not proper to view Spirit baptism as essentially a post-conversion blessing, however much particular postconversion experi ences may match initiatory experi ences recorded in Acts.
(2) Since the reason why the apostles had a two stage Christian experience was that they became believers before the Spirit’s full newcovenant ministry, which Jesus promised (John 14:16–17; 15:26; 16:7–15), actually began; and since they themselves expected others to enjoy that ministry from conversion on (Acts 2:38; 5:32; cf. 9:17–18), it is not proper to make the two-stage experience a universal norm.
(3) Since the characteristic core of all so-called Spirit baptism experiences is the intensifying of assurance as the Spirit witnesses to God’s saving love in our reconciliation and adoption, and to our security in that love, it is best to theologize these experiences in just those terms, as Paul does in Rom. 5:5; 8:15–17, 31–39 (cf. John 14:16–23).
(4) Since believers receive the Holy Spirit to indwell them simul tan eously with, indeed as part of, their lifegiving *union with Christ through *faith, it is not proper to construe any postconversion experi ences of and in the Spirit as receiving him, on the supposition he had not been within us before; and Luke’s narrative reference to the Spirit falling on and being given to and received by the Samaritans should be understood simply of charismatic manifestations (Acts 8:14–17).
(5) Since deep experience of intensified assurance (the ‘seal’ or ‘witness’ of the Spirit, as the Puritans called it) is rare and desirable, it will be proper to ask God constantly to lead us into it, by whatever name we call it and in whatever theo logical frame we set it. All Christians always need to enter more deeply, through the communion and commitment that penitent faith in Christ brings, into the experi enced reality of Christ’s resurrection life, which is what the image of Spiritbaptism is ultimately about.

Select Bibliography

C. O. Brand (ed.), Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views (Nashville, 2004); F. D. Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, 1970); J. D. G. Dunn, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (London, 1970); K. McDonnell and G. T. Montague, Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Evidence from the First Eight Centuries (Collegeville, 1991); J. I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit (Grand Rapids and Leicester UK, 2005); T. Smail, Reflected Glory (London, 1976); K. D. Yun, Baptism in the Holy Spirit: An Ecumenical Theology of Spirit Baptism (Lanham, 2003).

J. I. Packer