Study of baptism of Holy Spirit and Fire
Word Study for:
Baptism
Definitions and Descriptions
- Washing
- Dip
- Baptism of repentance
- Pouring out over
Fire (greek = πῦρ)
Definitions and Descriptions
- fire, both literally, and metaphorically, and eschatologically (as an instrument of punishment in the conception of later Judaism, the fire of the Divine wrath which burns in Gehenna
- Fiery
- Blazing
- Hellfire
- Burning
- Flaming fire
- Flame
- Charcoal fire
- Set on fire
- light
- Septuagint translation
Tongues
Definitions and Descriptions
- usually in the plural, for the unintelligible sounds uttered in spiritual ecstasy.
Holy Spirit
(Holy) Definitions and Descriptions
- Sanctify
- Faithful reliable healing
- set apart by (or for) the God, holy, sacred, e.g. ἁγία πόλις (of Jerusalem) Mt. 4:5; τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, practically synonymous with τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ; ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ (Mk. 1:24) of the Messiah; οἱ ἅγιοι, of the Christians as the new people of God, taking the place of the Hebrews: τὸ ἅγιον, τὰ ἅγια, the temple; τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, the inmost part of the temple, the inner shrine.
(Spirit) Definitions and Descriptions
- Breath
- Ghost
- Wind
- Prophecy
- has as its earliest meanings breath and wind, and it is from the former that the characteristic use is derived), (a) wind, John 3:8, Heb. 1:7; (b) breath, what distinguishes a living from a dead body, (anima) the life principle, Mt. 27:50, Lk. 8:55, 23:46, John 6:63, 19:30, Ac. 7:59, 2 Thess. 2:8, James 2:26, Rev 11:11, 13:15; (c) the breath was often in early times identified with the life or soul itself. Hebrew employed three words for the breath-soul, nephesh, ruach, neshāmāh, of which the first and second are the more important, indicating respectively the personal soul and the invading spirit. Nephesh, originally breath, (a) refers predominantly to the emotional life; (b) is a strong personal or reflexive pronoun; or (c) is equivalent to person. Ruach. originally wind, indicates also especially, (a) supernatural influences acting on man from without; (b) the normal breath-soul, the principle of life (like nephesh) or of its energies, directly derived from the wind at the bidding of God; (c) the resultant psychical life, like nephesh, ‘heart’, the inner life in general. It is distinguished from nephesh by its association with Yahweh. Normal human nature was regarded as animated by the same divine ruach to which its highest inspiration is due. In the Greek O.T. nephesh is represented by ψυχή (which see) and ruach by πνεῦμα (a purely Hebraistic usage of the word). In the N.T. πνεῦμα (spiritus) refers nearly always to supernatural influences. Sometimes it is employed of the higher nature in man, e.g. Rom. 1:9, and is hardly to be distinguished from the result of the influence of the divine πνεῦπα. Sometimes, e.g. Rom. 8:16, 2 Cor. 7:1, it denotes a normal element in human nature. But the Christian is essentially the product of the divine πνεῦμα, which is mediated to us by the Messiah. Parallel to the divine πνεῦμα are the unclean, evil spirits, the spirits of demons, &c., which act in a corresponding way on the spirit of man. πνεῦμα ἅγιον, holy breath, spirit of holiness, adopted originally from Deutero-Isaiah 63:10 f., Ps. 51:11, practically synonymous with πνεῦμα θεοῦ, &c., gradually tends to become personalised. The first step in the process is reached by affixing the definite article and making it τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον (τὸ Ἅγιου Πνεῦμα). Each operation of the Holy Spirit is most commonly represented as due to a holy spirit
Context Study for the phrase:
Matthew
Matthew 03:01-12
- Summary of context:
- 03:1 to 03:12 covers the context
- John baptized in repentance of sins
- Pharisees and Sadducee’s were there. John called them a brood of vipers.
- Who warned you, repent and produce good fruit.
- Those who do not produce fruit will be thrown into fire
- Water is for repentance
- Jesus baptizes in holy spirit
- Jesus baptizes in fire
- Jesus has a pitchfork and uses it for the threshing of wheat
- He will gather the wheat into the barn (baptism of holy spirit)
- But the chaff he will toss into fire that will never go out. (Baptism of fire)
Luke
Luke 03:16
-
- Summary of context
- 03:01 – 03:20
- John proclaimed baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins
- .john spoke to the crowds “you brood of vipers”
- Who warned the crowd of the wrath.
- Repent of sins and produce fruit.
- Do not rely on the bloodline of Abraham to save you.
- Anyone who does not produce fruit will be cut down and thrown into fire
- They asked what should we do.
- If you have extra give freely
- If you are a tax collector, be fair and take no more than authorized.
- For the soldiers do not take by force, or by false accusations, but instead be satisfied with the wages you have been given.
- Same as Matthew
Mark
Mark 1:1-8
-
- Summary of context.
- It lacks those who bare no fruit
- it lacks fire,
- it lacks examples
- No judgement
- Summary of context.
John
John 1:29-34
-
- Summary of context
- It is more a third person account of John witnessing Jesus being baptized
- No reference to those who bare no fruit, brood of vipers, examples.
- Says Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit with no mention of fire..
- Summary of context
Corroborating Study:
Notes:
Fire is referenced 3 times one right after the other.
- Tree will be cut down and thrown into the fire
- Jesus baptizes in holy spirit AND fire
- The wheat is brought to the barn and the chaff burned in everlasting fire
Fire is described in these ways
- If you have fruit you will not be cut down and burned in fire. Instead produce fruit and repent for the kingdom of God is near. He preserves one and destroys (judges the other)
- The third is similar as he saves the wheat and he burns the chaff.
- Now in the middle statement the same thing is being said. Remember he is talking to the crowd called them broods of vipers. He will save those who repent and judge those who are unrepentant. Ones he saves and gives the holy spirit the other he judges and gives them fire.
When we look at these three we see that Jesus gives hope to His believers though the baptism of the Holy Spirit. On the other side those who do not believe have judgement in the form of fire.
When we look at the other two gospels John and mark we see that they lack:
- Judgement,
- lack of fruit
- Cutting down the tree
- Burning the Chaff.
Instead they discuss and focus on Jesus being the Christ. That Jesus is greater than John. He will come and baptize in the Holy Spirit.
We see that there is no mention of fire involved at all, In the two cases (John and Mark) once judgement is removed fire is removed as well.
What about Acts and Pentecost?
In acts 1:4-5 Jesus makes mention of the promise that was given. In this case it was to his disciples and not to those who were in judgement. As such the promise was the Holy Spirit. Every time the gift is mentioned and judgement is not being spoken of fire is absent from the conversation.
Is there maybe a different meaning for baptism? What does the old testament say?
Joel covers what the baptism (is): Joel 2:28-29.
- The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
Likewise the old testament also covers what it is like to have a “pouring out” baptism of fire.
- Zephaniah 3:8
Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.
So just as the Old pointed back to the baptism of “pouring” out of the spirit aka baptism. It also pointed out the pouring out of fire. Aka fire baptism.
Other Refrences:
- Lamentations 2:4
- Lamentations 4:11
- Nahum 1:6
- Ezekiel 22:31
Examples that show separation between those who repent and those under judgement:
- Matthew 13:24-30
- Matthew 13:37-43
- Matthew 25:31-33
- Matthew 25:34
- Matthew 25:41
- Matthew 25:46
- Revelation 20:15