What does Paul mean by the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Different streams of Christianity hotly debate this issue. 1 Corinthians 12: 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[1]
We know that the Holy Spirit came upon people in the Old Testament. This is why David was worried after he sinned with Bathsheba. Psalm 51: 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. [2]
At Pentecost, after Jesus had returned to heaven, His promised comforter came. Acts 2: 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.[3]
The Spirit Comes as We Believe
God fills us with the Holy Spirit as we believe and trust in Jesus as our Savior. Ephesians 1:13b And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.[4] All believers experience this as God begins to restore our sinful nature.
God can refill us with the Spirit. Why? Because we humans leak. After Peter and John were released from prison, they met to pray with the other believers. Even though they had been filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, they experienced a second filling. Acts 4: 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.[5] The boldness was a gift of the Holy Spirit. God can give spiritual gifts at these refillings to build up the Kingdom. We constantly need to be filled with spiritual power to glorify God.
Nourished by the Spirit
Paul makes a case that the unifying factor for the diverse church in Corinth was the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13b and all were made to drink of one Spirit[6] The Greek word translated drink here has the connotation of a nourishing fluid.[7] I think Paul wanted them to picture the Holy Spirit soaking them as water baptism and sustaining both individuals and the church as a whole.
The Holy Spirit will impart spiritual gifts as God desires for the building up of the body. Not all have every gift, which is why the body is interdependent. Thus, Paul gives them the image of the church as a body. To learn more about the baptism of the Spirit, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/worship-as-the-body
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Co 12:13). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
[7] Baker, W. (2009). 1 Corinthians. In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians (Vol. 15, p. 183). Tyndale House Publishers