Lets continue with our study of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and baptism.

Acts 11:15-17

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”

Here is another one:

Acts 19:1-5

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

Ok, lets look at these two sets of verses about the Holy Spirit and baptism. Is Acts 19 talking about two forms of baptism here, John’s baptism of water and another in the name of the Holy Spirit/ Jesus? I can only make sense of this if that is so. It seems clear that baptism by water is of less significance compared to being baptized by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said go and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit was he talking about water baptism or something else. Quakers believe that the baptism by the Holy Spirit comes to each of us in it’s own time and has little to do with the water part that John The Baptist instituted. John’s baptism was for repentance and the Holy Spirit’s baptism was to bring God into our hearts. Or I could say to release God from our hearts, where He has always been, and into our conscience so that we can live as the wants us to live.

Some say there are two types of Christians. Carnal Christians and Spiritual Christians. Carnal Christians are Christians in name only. They have been baptised but only with water. Spiritual Christians are those that have turned their body over to Jesus to do as he says. These are the Christians who have received the Holy Spirit. I don’t think I really agree with this premise but the concept behind it does have some validity.