This is the second in a series of articles we recently published in the Hattiesburg American

No Spirit Baptism Today —part 2

by Tyler Young

In a previous article we pointed out that the Lord promised—not all Christians—but only the apostles that he would baptize them in the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:13). Since they were to be his inspired ambassadors to take his gospel to the world, it was necessary they had guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to reveal and confirm with miracles the truth of Jesus Christ.

After his resurrection from the dead, the Lord promised the apostles they would receive this power when the Holy Spirit came upon them in Jerusalem. In Acts 1 we read

After that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen…he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father…ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit…(Acts 1:2ff).

When we come to Acts chapter two we find the apostles, in keeping with the Lord’s instruction, gathered together in Jerusalem. They chose, by casting lots, a replacement for Judas, who had betrayed the Lord. Beginning with the last verse of Acts 1:26 we read:

And the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in  one place… And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 1:26 – 2:4.)

Notice the antecedent of the pronoun “they” in the expression, “and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (2:4) is the word “apostles” in 1:26. Those who claim that Holy Spirit baptism is available to all believers contend that other disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit on this occasion, but the language of the text indicates that it was only the apostles who received the baptism of the Spirit. The rest of the chapter makes this clear; the focus is on the apostles and their empowerment by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel. “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice…” (2:14); “They said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles…” (2:37); “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine…” (2:42); “And many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (2:43).

It is a major mishandling of Acts 2 to suggest that anyone other than the apostles was baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We shall continue next time to show that it is an egregious error to believe that Holy Spirit baptism is available to anyone today. ›