We need to see clearly in order to see the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We should never think that the Triune God is three Gods. We can never separate the Son of God from the Father. In John 14:8-10 Philip asked the Lord to show them the Father and they would be satisfied. The Lord immediately rebuked him by saying, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” Then He told Philip that the Father was in Him, and that He was in the Father. Are the Son and the Father two or one? According to the pure Word of the Bible, we should not separate the Son from the Father. The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. The Son and the Father are one (John 10:30). Is there then no difference? Yes, there is some difference, for the Son is the Son and the Father is the Father. But the Son is also called the Father in Isaiah 9:6. Therefore, we see that it is a mystery.
In the same way, we should not separate the Spirit from the Son. According to the Bible, this is absolutely wrong. We have at least two verses which tell us that Christ is the Spirit. Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is that Spirit,” and 1 Corinthians 15:45 says, “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit” (A.S.V.). Then is there no difference between Christ and the Holy Spirit? Surely there is some difference. Christ is the Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. But to say that they are two is also wrong, because these clear verses tell us that Christ is the Spirit. It is a real mystery.
When we come to the matter of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is absolutely not wise to separate Christ from the Spirit. Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Have you been baptized into Christ? When were you baptized into Christ? Many Christian teachers insist on saying that Christ is the baptizer, but here it says that we have been baptized into Christ. This translation in the King James Version is according to the original Greek text. Christ the baptizer has baptized us into Himself. To say that Christ has baptized us into the Spirit is logical. But to say that Christ has baptized us into Himself is rather mysterious. This is because Christ is not only the baptizer, but also the Spirit into whom He has baptized us. Hence, to be baptized into Him is to be baptized into the Spirit. This corresponds to 1 Corinthians 12:13 which says, “In one Spirit were we all baptized.” Therefore, we should never separate the Holy Spirit from Christ. The Holy Spirit is just the realization of Christ. The Holy Spirit is nothing less than Christ. He is the reality of Christ. This is why He is called the Spirit of reality. Without the Holy Spirit, we can never realize Christ, meet Christ, or touch Christ. Today Christ dwells in us, and the Spirit also dwells in us. This simply means that the two as one dwell in us.
After His ascension, Christ became qualified, approved, anointed, and inaugurated. Moreover, He was committed with all the necessary things to complete God’s project. The first step He took after this was to come down in the form of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. On the one hand, He was the baptizer, and on the other hand, He was the Spirit for this baptism. As the Head of the Body, He was the baptizer. He put all of God’s chosen people into the Spirit, that is, into Himself. On the day of Pentecost, the ascended, approved, and inaugurated Christ came down in the form of the Spirit into whom His people were immersed.