23. With One Spirit

The issue at hand in this chapter is whether or not 1 Corinthians 12:13 is directly comparable to the contrast between John’s water and Messiah’s Holy Spirit found six times in Scripture. If comparable then all disciples should experience a similar reception of the Holy Spirit from Messiah as the 120 on Shavu’ot. Moreover, if comparable, our view of baptism and being baptized in all of Paul’s letters would be strongly influenced, since it would often mean a discernible spiritual experience which has nothing to do with water. Different beliefs hinge mostly on the interpretation of the Greek preposition en.

“For ‘en’ one Spirit we all into one body were baptized.” As we have seen, en generally means in, indicating relative position, but it was such a flexible word that it is impossible to assign it a single meaning. It often was used with the understanding of instrumentality (with, or by). The question of the meaning of this verse usually boils down to three basic choices of meaning for en which change the meaning of the sentence somewhat. One view is positional and the other two are instrumental.

1. In one Spirit we were baptized into one body. A disciple is surrounded by the Spirit in order to become a part of the body of Messiah. Though mode is what is thought important (surrounded, immersed) the implication is that of changed nature.

2. By one Spirit we were baptized into one body. Here the Spirit is thought to act on His own prerogative to baptize, or join, a disciple to Messiah’s body.

3. With (or, by means of) one Spirit we were baptized into one body. Someone else (Messiah) acts to baptize using the Spirit as an Element which has power to radically change the nature of the disciple, causing them to share in His realm of influence, His body.

This book takes the third understanding as the correct one. This means Paul’s comment is similar to R. John’s, Yeshua’s and Peter’s contrast between water and Spirit. Comments about the three views follow.

The first example of being surrounded by the Spirit means little unless He also changes the nature of the person, and if transformation of nature by the Spirit is the important aspect of this verse then the other two meanings are equally plausible.

The second choice is something which in a very narrow view of the process of salvation is true, the Spirit Himself does radically change the nature of a person to conform to the glorious nature of Messiah. However, in the overall context of the Corinthian passage the Spirit is directly associated with God and Messiah and does not operating independently, but is sent by God through Messiah to change the nature of the disciple, joining him to the Body. The Holy Spirit cannot bring a person into the body of Messiah apart from that person calling on the name of Yeshua, knowing Him as the resurrected Lord. Yeshua is the Person into whom faith is exerted to initiate the process of salvation, not the Spirit. It therefore seems difficult to conclude that Paul was writing that the Spirit acts to baptize of His own prerogative.

Evidently some who hold this point of view, that en means “by,” do not believe Messiah has baptized His disciples with the Holy Spirit since the event of Shavu’ot, see The Baptism, Filling, and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, by W.A. Criswell. Messiah supposedly baptized His body once, and since then the Holy Spirit is fully present on earth to everyone who believes Yeshua is the Messiah. Since Shavu’ot the Spirit is supposed to do the baptizing, not Messiah.

This view also disconnects 1 Corinthians 12:13 from any discernible charismatic experience since being baptized “by” the Spirit in Corinthians has no association with the discernible event of Messiah baptizing with His Spirit in the other “pentecostal” passages.⁹ Supposedly the two are not equivalents, being baptized by the Spirit is exclusively the process which leads a person to believe Yeshua is Messiah. In this teaching a person “has” the Spirit at the point of belief that Yeshua is Messiah and Savior, the supposed reception is believed to occur without knowledge of a discernible influence except the recognition that Yeshua is the Messiah, at that point the disciple supposedly received the Spirit. This means all Christians in Christianity received the Spirit even if they have not had a supernatural experience of receiving the Spirit. Such a Christian may in fact deny or repudiate experiences by others.

This doctrine sets the stage for the “second blessing” of many charismatic teachers. Since all Christians “have” the Spirit they later need a tremendous release through the baptism with the Spirit (or also commonly called, incorrectly, the baptism “of” the Spirit), the noble goal being a release of power into the life of defeated disciples. Sometimes people are simply told to begin to speak by faith whatever comes to their mouth, whether or not they ever had an experience of receiving the Spirit. No doubt many have been blest to be filled with the Spirit through such incomplete instruction. On the other hand, others have no experience with God, do not cry out “Abba, Papa!” by the leading of the Spirit, but wind up stuttering two or three syllables with no other experience, and this “tongue” is supposed to be a “heavenly prayer language.” The uttering of syllables is the baptism, not a transforming, unforgettable supernatural experience, and the forced syllables are said to be prayer for personal edification.

Books like, The Charismatics, by John MacArthur, dispute charismatic experiences in general and the second blessing viewpoint in particular by saying that en in 1 Corinthians 12:13 means this verse is directly comparable to the experience of Acts 1:5-2:1-4. In other words, all Christians not only have the Spirit, but if they believed Yeshua is Messiah they received the Spirit in a way comparable to the first disciples on Shavu’ot. Modern charismatic experiences however, are to be shunned or repudiated, cf. Joseph Dillow, Speaking in Tongues.

We have already seen however, that immediately after Messiah poured out the Spirit on the hundred and twenty, the three thousand new believers did not have the Spirit dwelling in them though they would soon receive the Spirit, “for to you is the promise.” The Spirit was assuredly testifying to them, so forcefully they were “cut” in their hearts, deeply stricken over sin, and it was the conviction of the Spirit that enabled the three thousand to repent and turn to Yeshua. But the ability to hear and listen, to be cut in heart, or even to act on the voice of the Spirit did not mean a person had “received the Spirit.” It was a crucial point in reconciliation to God, but not the final point. The testimony of the Spirit led them to trust Messiah as the Lord and Savior of Israel, but until they received the indwelling Spirit from Him they were not spiritual members of Messiah’s body, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13.

This makes it difficult to believe “by” the Spirit is the correct translation, that the Spirit of His own prerogative baptizes disciples into the body of Messiah. The Spirit does testify in such a way as to lead a person to the Savior, but Messiah Himself then acts to save the person with His Spirit, the riches of His salvation.

THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE

Messiah uses the Holy Spirit as a powerful Element to baptize - inseparably unite - them all into a new kind of existence, becoming members of His body. He has the prerogative of sending His Spirit to transform His disciples, not the Spirit Himself. God, through Messiah, baptizes with His Holy Spirit and the context of 1 Corinthians 12 supports this view.

On His own, the Spirit is able to distribute various gifts according to His will, 12:11. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit, 12:4. He does take the initiative to distribute His gifts. However. In this passage the Spirit is not isolated in His operation, in v. 5 we see diversities of gifts enable a person to participate in diversities of services, not to the Spirit, but to the same Lord who must be the same Lord as in v. 3, the Lord Yeshua. And in v. 6 the diversities of services allow the servant of the Lord to participate in diversities of operations from the same God, whom Paul must be distinguishing as the Father, as he had written earlier in the letter, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 8:6, see also 6:19. The Spirit is not isolated in His operation in 1 Corinthians 12, His work is associated with the services to the Lord and with the operations to God. There are diversities of gifts, services, and operations, yet there remain one Spirit, one Lord and one God, the Father.

 Paul outlines the gifts of the Spirit as they are to operate within the body of Messiah, 12:8-11, and though there are many different gifts it is one and the same Spirit operating in each gift. Then in 12:12 he begins to describe the body, which is Messiah, saying one body is made up of many members and that all the many members are needed to make up the one body, Messiah. Compare what he wrote in vv. 18, and 27-28 that,

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”

and,

“Now you are the body of Messiah and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Here members of the body, and offices and gifts of the Spirit are established, not by the Spirit’s sole prerogative, but by God the Father. Thus in 12:13 we do not conclude the Spirit Himself is solely responsible in joining disciples into one body, He is the powerful, unifying Element which God uses to accomplish unity. In the body of Messiah there are many members which in their diversity have been unified, not by the Holy Spirit operating independently in isolation but by Messiah Himself, vitally changing new believers with His Spirit to make them new members of His unified body.

God, through His Messiah, poured out the Spirit on Cornelius and his house, the Spirit did not pour Himself out. And just as the great prophet R. John purified the repentant of Israel with the element of living water, so the greater Messiah purifies His repentant disciples with the greater Element of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit. The water John used did not begin on its own to purify all Israel after he first poured it on a repentant worshiper, the rite still required his participation. Similarly, the Messiah still pours out His Spirit on each disciple coming to Him for the New Covenant purification which leads to eternal life.

SPIRITUAL DRINK

Moreover, Paul concluded 1 Corinthians 12:13 saying all members of the body had been given one Spirit to drink. Who gives the Spirit to drink if not Messiah Himself? He said, “If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink.” Here Paul is making the analogy of what he had written earlier concerning the nation of Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:4 where all Israel drank the same spiritual drink from the rock which followed them, and the rock was Messiah. In the same way just as ancient Israel all drank a spiritual drink from Messiah, so now also, Messiah gives every thirsty disciple a greater spiritual drink, the Holy Spirit. Members of Messiah’s body drink of the Spirit from Messiah Himself.

Endnotes

⁹Acts 1:5, 2:1-4; 10:44-46, 11:16.

Next