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Sermon #1082

Baptism in the Spirit (1)

A Sermon on John 1:26-33

Originally preached Nov. 15, 1964

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Scripture

John 1:26-33 ESV KJV
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he …

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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. The apostles were believers before Pentecost but not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Pentecost.
  6. The Samaritans believed Philip's preaching but were not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came.
  7. Paul believed on the road to Damascus but was not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Ananias came.
  8. The Ephesian disciples were believers but not baptized in the Holy Spirit until Paul came.
  9. Paul says the Ephesians were sealed with the Holy Spirit after believing, showing believing and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are distinct.
  10. To say every believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit contradicts Scripture.

Sermon Q&A

What is the Baptism with the Holy Spirit According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

What is the essential difference between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ according to John 1:26-33?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the essential difference highlighted in John 1:26-33 is that John the Baptist baptized with water, whereas Jesus Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit. This distinction is fundamental to understanding the difference between mere religion and true Christianity. John the Baptist continually emphasized this contrast in his ministry, pointing to Christ as the one who would bring a greater spiritual experience than his own ministry could provide.

Can someone be a true Christian without being baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that it is possible to be a true believer in Christ without having received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. He provides several biblical examples to support this view:

  1. Old Testament saints like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were children of God but had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit
  2. John the Baptist himself, whom Jesus called the greatest born of women, was not baptized with the Holy Spirit
  3. The apostles were believers before Pentecost (John 17 shows they were already "clean" and belonged to God)
  4. The Samaritan believers in Acts 8 who believed and were baptized, but only later received the Holy Spirit
  5. Paul himself who believed on the Damascus road but later received the Holy Spirit through Ananias
  6. The disciples at Ephesus in Acts 19 who were believers but had not received the Holy Spirit

What are the two dangers in interpreting Scripture regarding spiritual experiences?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two equal but opposite dangers:

  1. Claiming experiences beyond Scripture: This is when people put their subjective experiences above Scripture, claiming special revelations or spiritual experiences that go beyond or contradict biblical teaching. This leads to fanaticism and opens the door to serious spiritual errors.

  2. Being satisfied with less than Scripture offers: This is the danger of interpreting Scripture downward to match our limited experiences. People become afraid of enthusiasm, supernatural experiences, or disorder, and consequently "quench the Spirit" by reducing the teaching of the New Testament to match their own limited spiritual experience.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define the baptism with the Holy Spirit?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines the baptism with the Holy Spirit as:

  1. An act of Jesus Christ, not primarily a work of the Holy Spirit (Christ is the baptizer)
  2. Distinct from regeneration and initial belief
  3. Something that can occur simultaneously with conversion or subsequent to it
  4. The means by which believers receive the "fullness of Christ" mentioned in John 1:16
  5. A reality that empowers believers for witness and service (Acts 1:8)
  6. The "sealing" with the Spirit mentioned in Ephesians 1:13

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones consider this teaching so important for the church today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones considers this teaching vital because:

  1. It relates to receiving the "fullness of Christ" which is what Christians are meant to experience
  2. The current state of the church shows a lack of spiritual power and vitality
  3. The moral condition of society and the world requires Christians with spiritual power
  4. Many Christians are content with less than God intends for them
  5. The New Testament church displayed a vibrancy and spiritual life that is largely absent today
  6. Christians need to interpret their experiences by Scripture rather than Scripture by their experiences

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.