Where In The  Bible Will I Find: Baptism Of The Holy Spirit Given Today?  By:  Gary Colley Date:  June 15, 2003 Past/Future Articles

It never ceases to amaze us how far some will go to uphold a false theory, and especially when it comes as an attempt to the minimize water baptism in God’s plan of salvation, and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Some claim to be able to baptize with the Holy Spirit today, although the Bible clearly teaches that only Jesus had that power (Matt.3:11).  John, who could only administer water baptism (Mk.1:4; Lk.3:3), was talking to a mixed audience of righteous and wicked people when he stated Jesus would baptize some with the Holy Spirit and others with fire.  There is not a man living now, nor has there been one in the past beside Jesus, who can or could baptize with the Holy Spirit or with fire.  For this reason we know that the baptism of the commission is not Holy Spirit baptism (Matt.28:29-20).  Man administers water baptism, but only Christ can administer Holy Spirit baptism.  Holy Spirit baptism was promised to the apostles (Mk.9:1; Acts 1:8) and Jesus fulfilled this promise on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  No one can obey a promise, and beside this, that promise has been fulfilled and therefore no man can receive it today.  It was in a “like manner,” though not a like degree, that Cornelius and his household received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10; Joel 2:28).  Another fact that some seem to continently miss is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was never given to save anyone.  This we know because the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after being baptized in water for the remission of sins (Jn.3:3-5; 15:3; Mk.1:4), and Cornelius received the out pouring of the Holy Spirit’s power before he was commanded to be baptized in water for the remission of  sins (Acts 10:44-48).  The word “baptism” always means to bury, dip, submerge, immerse.  The element may be suffering, the Holy Spirit, water, or fire, but its connection always means a burial in the element.  The word “fire” is used three times in Matthew 3:10-12, and in every instance refers to destruction (II Thess.1:7-9).  No one today is promised the baptism of the Holy Spirit, hence no should expect this baptism today.  Paul wrote 65 years after the establishment of the church, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM” (Eph.4:4-5).  The one baptism of which he spoke is water baptism, which must be in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s teaching.  This is made evident in the next chapter of Ephesians: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph.5:25-26).  Have you been baptized in water for salvation? --Gary Colley