The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a glorious spiritual experience. Being filled with the Spirit is an ongoing relationship. A Spirit-filled Christian has joy. A Spirit-filled Christian possesses peace. A Spirit-filled Christian expresses the love of God in his relationship with others. The fruit of the Spirit is produced as the Person of the Holy Spirit fills and controls the life of a believer. There is one spiritual baptism! There are many infillings! [Bishop Paino would always say, “There are many infillings because there are many leaks.”]
The Apostle Paul addressed this difference when he wrote the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, verse 1. He stated that, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or tinkling cymbal.” He clearly states that it is possible for one of the spirituals to function in the life of a believer and yet, that believer not have the fruit of the Spirit in their life. A spiritual experience without Christian character produces damaging results. All too often, individuals who have been wonderfully baptized in the Holy Spirit become so enthralled with the experience that they do not seek the Lord that they would be filled with the Spirit on a day-to-day basis.
A Spirit-filled believer will be filled with psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs. He will sing and make melody in his heart to the Lord. A Spirit-filled Christian will give thanks unto God in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be filled with gratitude. A Spirit-filled Christian will possess an attitude of submission. They will submit one to another. The husband will submit to the Lord. The wife will submit to the husband. A Spirit-filled Christian will be Christlike. (Ephesians 5:18-21).
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Jesus Christ in our lives. A Spirit-filled Christian will have victory over carnality (1 Corinthians 3:1). The person who is filled with the Holy Spirit will speak the Word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).
The light and life of Christ will shine forth through a Spirit-filled Christian. Spirit-filled Christians will have a good testimony and will be candidates to be used in the service of the Lord. The apostles instructed the church to look for seven men of honest report full of the Holy Spirit that we may appoint them to be deacons. The deacons in the early church were men filled with the Holy Spirit. It is no wonder that the power of God rested upon the believers.
Deacon Stephen was giving his testimony before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. As he spoke, those who heard him “were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” The Scripture goes on to say, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heavaen, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).
He cried out to the Lord that the Lord would forgive those who were stoning him. Saul of Tarsus was a witness to the stoning of Stephen and was so affected by the fact that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit that God used it to touch the heart of the persecutor of the church. Paul saw Jesus Christ in the life of Stephen, the deacon.
The greatest need in the “full-gospel” church is that we would move past spiritual experience into an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord. This would remove all pride. The Holy Spirit has come to dwell in our hearts. He wants us to be filled with His presence and His power. He was sent to glorify Jesus in and thorugh us. We have received the “life of the Spirit” that we may produce the “fruit of the Spirit” and be witnesses of Jesus Christ in our world.
The Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration is to produce life in the believer. The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer is to fill each of us so that the character of Christ can be produced in us and the fruit of the Spirit can be manifested through us.
INFILLING PRODUCES CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. Being raised in a Pentecostal church, I have observed hundreds and hundreds of people who have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. All to often, there was great rejoicing over this experience but very little evidence of spiritual growth and maturity. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Too many have felt that the “experience” [of the baptism in the Holy Spirit] was an end in itself. Some who have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit no longer have joy. Peace has been taken from them. Fear and frustration control them. Anxiety, resentment, and criticism drive them. A relationship with the holy Spirit was not developed.
Christians are temples. We are vessels!! The Holy Spirit wants to fill and control every area our lives. He wants to control our thought life and direct our steps into righteousness and holiness. The Holy Spirit wants the life of Christ to shine forth through every believer. He wants us to have His joy, His peace, his love, His patience, and His and His meekness. It is so easy for us to let other things fill our lives.
When we are filled with the Spirit, there is no place for the flesh. When we walk after the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Spirit-baptized believers need to be very sensitive and careful about placing so much emphasis on the experience if we have not permitted the Person of the Holy Spirit to fill our lives. The world needs Spirit-filled believers! Pauls command still rings clear: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.” The Holy Spirit is present to save us and to fill us (Ephesians 5)!
OK, help me understand. You mention both the baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
While I understand the intrinsic differences, I don’t understand their interdependency. Is there an interdependency? Is the baptism in the Holy Spirit a prerequisite for the infilling? Or is the infilling something that can happen on it’s own without the baptism?
To follow a logical thought progression: There is only “one spiritual baptism”. “There are many infillings”. If I am able to be infilled without the baptism, then why do I need the baptism? For the glorious experience? Shouldn’t I be having glorious experiences become the norm the more I pursue the infilling?
@ Joe: Is there a relation between them? Yes, I suppose. Are they interdependent? No. One does not depend on the other. This was discussed in Part 1.
I think you’re getting caught up in semantics. Focus on the ideas. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time occurance that has eternal repercussions (that’s ALL the farther I’m going on that one until the posts on the Holy Spirit’s role of Baptsm). The infilling of the Holy Spirit is the idea that all Christians need the Holy Spirit to fill them up to produce Godly Christian character. Think of it as you want, but Dr. Paino’s book and I are calling this the “infilling.” The infilling of the Holy Spirit yields the fruit of the Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit yields the spirituals. But again, that’s all the farther I’m going on the baptism. I don’t want to steal my own thunder on the upcoming blogs on the Holy Spirit’s role in baptism.
Let’s recap the main ideas so far in this blog series (notice that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not one of the main ideas):
1) The Holy Spirit REGENERATES our dead spirit so that we may be saved.
2) The Holy Spirit INFILLS us so that we might have Godly Christian Character.
I guess I am looking at the semantics a little bit, but I don’t want to regurgitate what you are telling me. I want to understand it on my own, and if it doesn’t make sense, if I can’t arrive at this understanding, then I will start to analyze the semantics and try to understand the underlying thought pattern that leads to the overall idea. I’ll try to be patient…
I do have another question, though. I really don’t understand what 1 Corinthians 3:1 has to do with being victorious over carnality. I’ve read the chapter a few times, and I don’t immediately see how it fits.
Also, as I understand it, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was to deal with some pretty major problems, problems that should have been apparently have been dealt with through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t infilling something that happens naturally after the Holy Spirit regenerates us? Or did I miss something?
Sorry for all the questions, but I have a TON of questions about this. I spend time with a lot of cessanionist and non-charismatic christians. I also see all kinds of crazy things that happen in charismatic circles, like walking on coals and playing with snakes. I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, but I want to have a balanced view. Thus, the questions.
Infilling is something that happens naturally after the Holy Spirit regenerates us? I don’t think so. We don’t automatically have Christian Character when we receive Christ. At least I don’t. I move away from ungodliness, but I still struggle with a sinful nature, as do you (unless you’re not human… but I’m pretty sure you aren’t a robot). 😉
The infilling is the idea that the Holy Spirit helps us live with Christian Character. This is not a charismatic distinctive, but when Dr. Paino wrote this book, he was writing when there was a great deal of misunderstanding among Pentecostals thinking they were the only ones who had the Holy Spirit. So because of that, Dr. Paino compares many things with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the purpose of comparison. That’s probably not the best approach to teaching from the ground up, but I don’t think the majority of people reading this need teaching on this subject from the ground up. Plus, its alot faster and better than anything I’d come up with.
Regeneration and Infilling of the Holy Spirit are not charismatic or pentecostal distinctives. Non-charismatic groups believe them as well. You may be getting confused in the comparisons with the Baptism that Dr. Paino discussed in the book here, but understand why he did it.
I think the comparisons to the baptism are what is confusing me. I’m having a hard time understanding each function independently when it is explained, partly, in light of it’s relationship to the baptism. Thanks for the history. It helps.
But, I’m still curious what 1 Corinthians 3:1 has to do with victory over carnality.
Oh, and I don’t struggle with a sinful nature…I’m incredibly holy and perfect. Haven’t you people learned that yet? Oh crap…that’s pride. Nevermind, I struggle with sin. 😀
I have been searching for this information and finally found it. Thanks!