Baptism in the Spirit (1)
A Sermon on John 1:26-33
Scripture
26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where …
Sermon Description
“Perhaps the greatest danger of all is to interpret the Scriptures in the light of our own experiences, rather than the other way around,” preaches Dr. Lloyd-Jones. In this sermon on the Baptism of the Spirit from John 1:26–33, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares two main ways to go wrong in relating experiences to Scripture. First is claiming that things are beyond or contrary to Scripture. Second is being satisfied with something less than Scripture and reducing to the level of one’s own knowledge and experience. The Christian is called to listen and evaluate personal experiences on the basis of Scripture. The danger of the church today is the whole of Scripture’s teaching being reduced to what humanity is and thinks. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones engages with John’s gospel, he asserts that one can be a believer in Christ without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This seeming contradiction is teased out from both the Old and New Testaments. Fundamentally, the Spirit must convict and give the ability to believe, for no one can be a Christian at all without the work of the Spirit. In the interest of an individual’s personal point of view, the devil gets people to bypass portions of Scripture and Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges his listeners to forsake this way of reading the Bible.
Sermon Breakdown
- It is possible to be a believer in Jesus Christ without receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Clarification: No one can become a Christian without the Holy Spirit's work. The Holy Spirit convicts, enlightens, and regenerates us. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is Christ's act of giving us the Holy Spirit in a particular way.
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is distinct from and in addition to regeneration. Regeneration is the Holy Spirit's secret work in us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is Christ's act of giving us the Holy Spirit in a special way.
- Old Testament saints were children of God but not baptized in the Holy Spirit. Abraham was the father of the faithful but not baptized in the Holy Spirit.
- John the Baptist was a child of God but said Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John was not baptized in the Holy Spirit.
- The apostles were believers before Pentecost but not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Pentecost.
- The Samaritans believed Philip's preaching but were not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came.
- Paul believed on the road to Damascus but was not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Ananias came.
- The Ephesian disciples were believers but not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Paul came.
- Paul says the Ephesians were sealed with the Holy Spirit after believing, showing believing and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are distinct.
- To say every believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit contradicts Scripture.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.