Believers Are Baptized And Receive The Holy Spirit: A Sermon For The Baptism Of The Lord Sunday.

Believers are Baptized and Receive the Holy Spirit

Acts 19:1-7

This Sunday is known as Baptism of the Lord Sunday in which we remember that Jesus was baptized by John in the River Jordan, even though Jesus had no sin to repent of. When this happened, there was an enrichment of what Baptism means. The base idea that Baptism was administered as a sign of repentance and in the message that a greater one than John was coming soon. This baptism being administered in the River Jordan near the place where Israel crossed from Jordan at Gilgal reminds us that Joshua there circumcised the men of Israel, a command which had been neglected. (See Joshua 5:1-5). Circumcision of men in the Old Testament was the sign that they belonged to the covenant that Yahweh had made with Abraham. So these sons of those who had passed through the Red Sea into the wilderness were not Israelites at all until they were circumcised. The radical baptism in Jordan seems, therefore, to imply that the Jews who had come to John were not Jews at all, seeing that they went to where the reproach of Israel was rolled away to be baptized. Baptism was applied to Gentile converts as well as circumcision, but for a Jew to be baptized was shocking.

Jesus added to this doctrine of baptism by being identified by John as the Lamb “which taketh away the sin of the world.” It would be Jesus who rolls away our reproach. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day as all Jewish males were. He did not need to be re-admitted into the Covenant by the administering of Baptism. So, here is the first enrichment of Baptism. For more on the purpose of this Baptism, you can read the sermon “You are My Son, the Beloved” in this sermon archive.

Another enrichment to the doctrine of baptism was that there was not only was there to be a water baptism but the baptism of the Holy Spirit (fire). John the Baptist identified Jesus as one who would baptize with the Spirit. This is a distinct baptism from water. Water baptism in Scripture follows belief and repentance and precedes Spirit Baptism but not always as we see this reversed at Cornelius’ house. The two baptisms could occur at the same time or could come later.

This morning, we are looking at one of the alternate lectionary texts for this Sunday from Acts 19:1-7. What does this add to our understanding of baptism? Let us see.

In today’s passage, Paul had just returned to Ephesus from Jerusalem. Before going to Jerusalem, Paul made a brief visit to Ephesus but could not stay long. However, he left two of his colleagues there to begin the work of spreading the Gospel there. The message of john the Baptist had spread there, and he had followers. One of these was an Alexandrian Jew named Apollos who preached the Gospel from the Old Testament. He believed in the Messiah whom John had preached about but was unfamiliar with Jesus having come as the fulfillment to this prophecy. He was a excellent and passionate orator. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they were impressed. But they also took time to tell Apollos the rest of the story. The text says they taught him more accurately. This is not to say that what Apollos preached was somehow defective. What he preached was right. What he needed was enrichment. Having been more completely furnished, he felt led by the Spirit to go to Corinth where he proved to the stubborn Jews there that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

But Apollos was not the only one who needed to be enriched at Ephesus. Paul came across a small synagogue there of about 12 Jewish men who were “believers.” I think it is important we look at the word “believers.” These had heard of John’s message and believed it, just as Apollos had. They were members of the New Covenant. they were, therefore, saved. What they knew was correct. What they needed was more information. This should remind us that we did not know everything about Christianity when we believed. The content of our faith may have been very limited. But we became Christians when we acted upon what we were told about Jesus and followed in obedience unto baptism. The expectation is that we are to grow in knowledge of the Lord, both doctrinally and experientially. Even now, we have much to learn. We would do well to be as eager as these believers in Ephesus to be taught by those who have accurate information about Christianity.

These believers had heard about John’s call to repent and be baptized. But for some reason, they were unaware of John’s message about the Coming One baptizing in the Spirit. They were also unaware that the Coming One had come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Paul discerned that these believers needed more instruction. He asked if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Although one cannot believe apart from the Holy Spirit, they were experientially unaware of His presence. So, Paul is going beyond the doctrine that when one believes, they believe because of the Spirit. There is more to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit than this, something beyond what these believers knew.