“Baptized with the Holy Spirit”– four different expressions are used to describe what the disciples received on the day of Pentecost – here:
“baptized with the Holy Spirit”
v 8: “when the Holy Spirit comes on you”
2:4: “filled with the Holy Spirit”
10:47: “received the Holy Spirit”.
All four references speak of the same event described in Acts 2:1-4. It is important to see this. On that day Christ gave them God’s Spirit in a new way.
This was like immersing them in the Spirit, or pouring the Spirit on them (Acts 2:33; 10:45), and the result was that their whole inner being was filled with the Spirit, and they received power to live the Christian life and to witness and serve God as they ought.
They began to live and move in God’s Spirit, to be inspired, motivated, and controlled by God’s Spirit. From that time to this, individuals receive God’s Spirit when they believe in the Lord Jesus.
If they have not received Christ’s Spirit, Who is the Spirit of God, they do not belong to Christ; that is, they have not really believed in Him or been born from above.
According to 1 Cor 12:12-13 every believer has been baptized with God’s Spirit into the Body of Christ (or baptized “by” or “in” God’s Spirit – the Greek word can mean any of these, and the same word is used there that is used here in Acts).
This too happens when they receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. They no longer have to wait for this as the original apostles had to wait for God’s appointed time for the coming of the Spirit.
God had chosen that day of Pentecost to begin this era of the Spirit, this age of grace, this new work in the earth. Now, since it has begun and has been going on for these many centuries waiting is no longer necessary.
After receiving the Holy Spirit by receiving Christ, and, at that same time, being baptized by the Spirit into Christ’s Body, every believer should earnestly seek to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18).
There is only one baptism of the Holy Spirit, but believers may be filled again and again. And recognizing that we have the Spirit living in us, that we have been baptized with the Spirit, if we have reason to think that we are not filled with Him, we should seek the fullness of the Spirit with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. Eph. 5:18 NKJV
“Filled with the Holy Spirit”– this is God’s will for every believer. God does not tell us to do something or to have something which is not His will for us. This fullness of God’s Spirit is the same thing seen in Paul’s prayer for believers in Eph 3:19.
Since this is God’s will we know that we can have this fullness (1 John 5:14-15; Luke 11:13). We can have it by going directly to the heavenly Father and receiving this by faith, without the involvement of any human being.
“Be filled” means to be constantly filled, to receive the fullness and remain in that condition. God wants this to be the normal state of all believers. This is the Christian life as we should live it.
How else can we deny ourselves as we should and live as we should and serve Christ as we should? To be constantly filled means, on our part, constant obedience, submission and trust.
What does “filled” mean?
A person drunk on wine is under the influence and control of wine. A person filled with God’s Spirit is controlled by God’s Spirit. But this does not mean he loses control of himself (1 Cor 14:32-33. A fruit of the Spirit is self-control – Gal 5:23). It is a conscious, loving obedience to the Spirit and a joyful fellowship with Him.
"Self-control”– this is a fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal 5:23). We “add” it by yielding to the Spirit and walking in the Spirit and using the strength the Spirit gives to bring our thoughts and desires and actions under control.
Can a person know he is filled with the Holy Spirit if there are no accompanying signs?
Certainly. He can know by faith (1 John 5:14-15), faith based on God’s promises. And his experience afterwards will confirm that he is filled with the Spirit – he will have power for holy living and for witness and service.
