What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

How does the baptism of the Holy Spirit come to believers according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes to believers in various ways, without any fixed formula. He mentions several common patterns:

1. While praying (either alone or in a prayer meeting)
2. During Bible reading (when Scripture suddenly "stands out" in a new way)
3. While listening to preaching (even when the sermon isn't specifically about the Holy Spirit)
4. During times of meditation
5. Through direct and immediate impression on the spirit apart from Scripture

As Lloyd-Jones states: "I am asserting that this blessing may come to the believer apart from the word altogether, directly and immediately." He emphasizes the sovereignty and freedom of the Spirit in how He grants this blessing.

When are Christians most likely to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several occasions when Christians are particularly likely to receive this baptism:

1. After a period of deep mourning over sin and sinfulness
2. Following a special act of self-denial for God's glory
3. After seasons of intense conflict with temptation and spiritual warfare
4. In connection with great trials or suffering (illness, war, persecution)
5. When God has a special task for a Christian to perform
6. Sometimes only on one's deathbed

He suggests God often gives revival before times of national crisis to prepare His people, citing historical examples from Korea, Congo, Rwanda and Kenya.

Is the baptism of the Holy Spirit a permanent experience?

Lloyd-Jones teaches that this experience is not necessarily permanent. He provides several important insights:

1. Some people experience it only once in their lifetime but the memory of it sustains them
2. The experience can be lost, especially if one grieves the Holy Spirit
3. It can be received again multiple times (as in Acts 4, where the same people from Acts 2 were filled again)
4. The intensity varies - it isn't always to the same degree
5. It's not always constant but comes at "favored moments and peculiar seasons"

Lloyd-Jones quotes Philip Doddridge who described these experiences as "not our daily food, but only as the rich dainties with which our heavenly Father thinks fit now and then to delight the souls of his children."

How can one recognize when they've received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

According to Lloyd-Jones, the genuine baptism of the Holy Spirit has recognizable effects:

1. It "silences all objections, scatters all temptations, removes all scruples and doubts"
2. It sets "the heart at perfect rest"
3. It is "secret and inexpressible, certain and infallible"
4. It produces an overwhelming joy and sense of triumph
5. It creates a feeling of "swimming in a river of pleasure"

He quotes Edward Payson who described his experience: "I can find no words to express my happiness. I seem to be swimming in a river of pleasure which is carrying me on to the great fountain."

Why does Lloyd-Jones consider the baptism of the Holy Spirit so important?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the vital importance of this doctrine for several reasons:

1. It is those who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit "whom God has used most signally in the long history of the church"
2. It is "what is meant by revival" when it happens to many people simultaneously
3. It is "the greatest need of the church today" and "nothing more urgent"
4. It is the only thing that will "authenticate our message" and enable the church to "stem the tide of evil"
5. It transforms weak Christians into powerful witnesses who become "a menace" to the devil's kingdom

He stresses that Christians should measure themselves against the New Testament picture of Christians who have "joy unspeakable and full of glory," not merely by doctrinal orthodoxy or comparison with others.