The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Luke 3:21-22

Last week, we looked at how baptism in Christianity began. When it first started, there was the baptism of John the Baptist, that is, the baptism of water. This baptism signified repentance.

John urged people to repent with an attitude that prepared themselves for the endwhich was coming near; and the sign of repentance was none other thanbaptism with water.

As we studied last week, to be baptized means, in a word, to repent in public.

Then how should a Christian who has repented and has been baptized live? John the Baptist’s answer to the crowd’squestion“What should we do then?”(Luke 3:10)was“The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”(Luke 3:11) He also taught tax-collectors not to collect more than what they are supposed to and soldiers not to take from the people by force and to be content with their wages.

Last week we deeply reflected on how a baptized person ought to live through these words.

The baptized man is the one who has repented; and to have repented means to see relationships in a wholly different light, to view others with empathy, and to make justice flow wherever he/she is.

Today I want to talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When we receive baptism, we are baptized with water; but that baptism is made complete with a baptism of the Holy Spirit. As John the Baptist said, while he baptizes with water, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the one who has been baptized with water becomes a complete Christian when he/she is baptizedwith the Holy Spirit.

As I mentioned last week, these two baptisms, that is, the baptism of water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, may occur simultaneously; but at times they occur separately. Furthermore, sometimes the baptism of the Holy Spirit may precede the one of water.

For example, when Jesus received His baptism in the Jordan River, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. In this case the baptism of water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred simultaneously.

But looking at what Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection, we will find that the two baptisms may occur separately:

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”(Acts 1:4-5)

This, then, means that even among us there may be some who have received the baptism of water but have not been baptized with the Holy spirit. Then how is the latter different from the former and how can we be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

In terms of baptism of the Holy Spirit, manypeople think of speaking in tongues. They imagine dramatic scenes such as separating tongues of fire. This may be because of the strong images we get from Acts 2. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not confined to such loud, heated, and large gatherings.

The reason God revealed the presence of the Holy Spirit in Acts through a dramatic scene where all the saints were gathered together was to prove that things happenedjust as Jesus had foretold.

Then what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, really? And what happens when we receive it?

Today’s passage clearly teaches us what it is through Jesus’ baptism. The text describes the scene of our Lord’s baptism as such:

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was openedand the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”(Luke 3:21-22)

First of all, the passage records at the beginning that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. When all the people were being baptized by John with water, Jesus was baptized with water in the Jordan just like everybody else. Though our Lord was without sin, our Savior who carried all the sins of men received the baptism of repentance that menreceived.

Then the Bible says that the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. Then there was a voice from heaven:

“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At the moment when Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit, He heard this voice: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

This incident clearly reveals what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is. It is a moment when we hear, “God loves me and is pleased with me.” It is an occasion when wetruly realize these words.

These words are not just a voice, a thought, or a piece of information.We hear the clear voice of God—a voice that penetrates our souls. And that voice awakens us. The place where we hear God’s voice telling us “I love you” is the very place of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

This is what Jesus experienced. And those who are baptizedwith the Holy Spirit as they follow in Jesus’ footsteps hear the same voice. Therefore, the question “Have I been baptized with the Holy Spirit” may be rewritten as follows:“Was there a moment in my life when I heard and realized that God truly loves me? Does that love continue to move me even now?”

Once when I was going through deep troubles and difficulties and when everything seemed to be going wrong, I met the Lord in prayer. As I prayed, I felt as though my hands and armswere on Jesus’ knees. I tried to see His face, but it was so bright that I could not look upon it. Then I heard the Lord’s voice: “I love you. I love you dearly.”

At that moment I cried out to the Lord in tears like a little telltale child talking to his mother:“But why is this happening? Why are You doing this to me?”

Nevertheless, the Lord said to me, “I love you.”Although my prayers ended without a resolution of my anger and frustration, I felt peaceful after this prayer.

It was an emotion that I had never felt before. I felt as though I hadeverything, as though I were a dearly loved and unshakably secure child. And a deep confidence welled up within me.

I felt as if I could do anything, as if I would be able to face anything. At the time, I was scared of ministering as a pastor and wanted to remain a professor a little longer. But God preventedme from continuing my professorship eight times; and I was hurt by this. However, after this experience during my prayer, I felt as if I could minister as a pastor and do anything that came my way.

When Jesus was baptized, He had such an experience. Jesus, of course, already knew He was the Son of God; but God reaffirmed this fact when Jesus was baptized. Every Christian who follows Jesus in being baptized hears this voice of God when he/she is baptized with the Holy Spirit:

“You are my son/daughter whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

This voice is the Gospel, our joy, and our delight.

Therefore, the person who has been baptizedwith the Holy Spirit lives in the realization of God’s love. He/she realizes that God’s love is upon him/her:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

These words becomepersonal. He/she lives with the joy that God has given him/her His one and only Son for God so loved him/her. This is the person who has been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

We learnsomething else from Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was how Jesus later interpreted His baptismto thepeople:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”(Luke 4:18-19)

In other words, Jesus was certain that God anointed Him when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. Anointing signifies the bestowment of an official duty. When God appointed kings, He anointed them with oil; when He appointed priests and prophets, He anointed them too. For Jesus, the baptism of the Holy Spirit meant an anointing.

His baptism was anofficial call to God’s work. Immediately after being baptized with the Holy Spirit, Jesus started His public life. The first thing He did was to cast out demons, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to feed the hungry, and to give hope to the hopeless. This call to a public life was preciselyJesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Early on, Isaiah prophesied about the relationship between public ministry and the Holy Spirit:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.”(Isaiah 42:1)

The one who has received the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, holds on to the call of Jesus.

Acts 1:8 records the words of Jesus:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

This means that the one who has been baptized with the Holy Spirit will be anointed as a witness of Christ.

Then what does it mean to become a witness of Christ? It is not merely to tell people to believe in Jesus but to testify about His love by proclaiming who Jesus is and how God’s love was revealed through His crucifixion and death.

The duty of those who have received the Holy Spirit, those who have been baptized, is to proclaim the word of God—“You are My beloved son with whom I am well pleased”—so that it may be heard.

Of course, to become Jesus’ witness means to live likeHim. We testify about God’s love for us by healing the sick. By caring for and being with our neighbors in need, we testify that God loves us. We become witnesses of the Gospel.

Then how can we receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit? We receive a baptism of water by going to the place of baptism. But a baptism of the Holy Spirit is not something we can get on our own; the heaven must be opened and the Holy Spirit must descend upon us. Then how can we receive it?

First, we can receive it by being baptized with water like Jesus. Since Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit after being baptized with water, the Holy Spirit will descend upon us when we are baptized with water.

However,some have yet to be baptized with the Holy Spirit even after being baptized with water. Then how can such people receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

As Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His followers to stay in Jerusalem and wait for what the Father has promised, which they have heard Him speak about. In short, we must wait. Then how should we wait?

There is a perspective unique to the Gospel of Luke. God seems to want to teach us how to be baptized by the Holy Spirit through Luke.

First, let’s look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer which we are familiar with:

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”(Luke 11:9, 13)

Unlike the other Gospels, Luke asks a rhetorical question to its readers as he teaches a lesson on prayer:“Won’t God give the Holy Spirit to those who pray, to those who ask?” He is saying that one can receive the Holy Spirit through prayer. This means that we can expect, and will receive, a baptism of the Holy Spirit throughprayer.

This clue is also found in today’s passage:

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened.”(Luke 3:21)

Jesus was baptized with water. And Luke records that He prayed. Furthermore, with that prayerheaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended. And a voice from heaven was heard.

In between these events, there was prayer. Theother Gospels omit the part on Jesus’ prayer. But Luke kindly tells us in a detailed manner about the connection between prayer and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Church, the person who has been baptized with water will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. And that baptism of the Holy Spirit will transform our lives. We will become men and womenof God who hold steadfastly to our Lord’s voice that says, “You are my son/daughter whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” We will live as anointed people who joyfully proclaimto others this amazing secret, this Gospel. This is the life of the one who has been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

May all of us at Somang Church live with this joy, this gratitude, and this calling. Desire the Holy Spirit as you pray. Wait in prayer. The Holy Spirit will come into our hearts and rule us with true peace.