1. “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks” (1 Cor. 12:13).
When the Lord baptized the church in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the church became an accomplished fact. Consequently, when we believe in the Lord we partake of this accomplished fact whether we are a Jew or a Gentile. The Lord’s death on the cross also is an accomplished fact; consequently, whoever believes in the Lord partakes of the Lord and partakes of the fact of His death. Just as the Lord’s death is an accomplished fact, the baptism of the Spirit is an accomplished fact. Today people are joined to the Lord’s death and partake of His death when they believe in Him. In God’s eyes, according to the fact, they are already dead because they are joined to the Lord’s death. In the same way, once a person believes in the Lord and is joined to the church, which is the Body of Christ, he also receives and partakes of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which is upon the church. In God’s eyes, according to the fact, he has already been baptized in the baptism of the Spirit which was poured out upon the church. If a family receives a large inheritance, a child who is born as a member of the family will be able to partake of that inheritance. He inherits because he is a member of the inheriting family. May we see that the baptism of the Spirit and our co-death with Christ are accomplished facts. Once we believe in the Lord, we partake of these facts. Just as we died together with the Lord Jesus, we also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit when the church received the baptism of the Spirit. All the Jewish believers in the church were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and all the Gentile believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the house of Cornelius. When a Jew believes in the Lord, he partakes of the baptism in the Holy Spirit that the Jewish believers received on the day of Pentecost. When a Gentile believes in the Lord, he partakes of the baptism in the Holy Spirit that the Gentile believers received in the house of Cornelius. The entire church was baptized in the Holy Spirit in the baptism of the Spirit that was accomplished on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius. This is the reason that 1 Corinthians 12 says, “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks.” Those who are in the church were baptized in the Holy Spirit as a whole, corporately, and once for all, not individually or separately. All the believers in the church, regardless of when they live or where they live, partake of this accomplished fact.
1. “You shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now”; “The day of Pentecost was being fulfilled...And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”; “The Holy Spirit fell on them just as also on us in the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord...You shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5; 2:1, 4; 11:15-16).
These verses in the Bible show that the baptism of the Spirit involved an experience of the outward filling of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius. When we are outwardly filled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit of power falls upon us, we experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit involves receiving the Holy Spirit of power outwardly and being filled outwardly with the Holy Spirit.
The fact of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was accomplished once for all upon the church at Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, but believers can experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit at any time and at any place.
The fact of the baptism of the Spirit was accomplished on the church once for all, but the experience of the baptism of the Spirit is not limited to one place or one time. Some believers experienced it nineteen hundred years ago, and some experience it today. According to the fact, all the believers who belong to the church were baptized in the Spirit at Pentecost or in the house of Cornelius, but according to experience, we all experience the baptism of the Spirit at different times and in different places. According to the fact, everyone was baptized together once for all in the Spirit, but according to experience, we can and should individually and repeatedly experience the baptism of the Spirit.
According to the fact, everyone who is saved and belongs to the church has partaken of the baptism in the Spirit, but according to experience some have not experienced the baptism in the Spirit. Some do not even understand the baptism in the Spirit. Partaking of the fact of the baptism in the Spirit is one thing; experiencing the baptism in the Spirit is another. Although we have partaken of the baptism in the Spirit, some have not experienced it. For example, a young boy may inherit a large fortune but not enjoy it or even know of his inheritance. In fact and in name, he has received an inheritance, but in experience he has not enjoyed it because he is so young. His older brothers, however, will not only receive the inheritance in fact and in name but also enjoy the inheritance in their experience. When the young boy grows up, he can and should enjoy the inheritance as well. Some believers are like this young boy in regard to the baptism in the Spirit. Although the fact is theirs, they are lacking in experience. However, when they see the glorious fact and remove any hindrance that prevents them from experiencing this fact, they can experience this fact by faith.