4 Things We Get Wrong about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

I grew up in a charismatic church and we believed that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation today. I still hold to the belief that the Holy Spirit still uses the sign gifts today. Yet, if I am honest, I don’t always agree with the way people operate in these gifts. Still, that has not caused my belief in their operation today to waver.

Growing up charismatic, we naturally believed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the way I was taught, the initial evidence of this baptism was the ability to speak in tongues. However, as I have studied this teaching, I now believe we may need to make some adjustments in how we teach this.

Yes, I still believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but I want you to consider four things we charismatics get wrong about it.

4 Things Charismatics Get Wrong about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

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1. We Miss the Real Purpose of What the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Is About

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If I were to revisit how I learned about being baptized in the Holy Spirit, it would seem like the primary goal was to gain the gift of speaking in tongues. That is not the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Consider what Jesus told his disciples in the book of Acts.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

When you read that verse, we see the real purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is power so that you will be a more effective witness for Jesus. When you read through the book of Acts, you will see only three times where people spoke in tongues. However, you will see many times where various men and women, full of the Holy Spirit, declared the gospel to people.

It started with Peter. Just about two months after he denied he even knew Jesus, he stood before a crowd and proclaimed the gospel before them courageously and without fear. The Peter who denied Jesus was not filled with the Holy Spirit, while the Peter who preached before the crowd was. And that made all the difference.

When you understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit from this perspective, then you will see it goes beyond just speaking in tongues.

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2. We Assume Everyone Who Is Baptized in the Holy Spirit Will Speak in Tongues

The other thing we often get wrong about the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the belief that everyone who is filled will speak in tongues. I can understand why this would be the belief if you look at the three incidents when people spoke in tongues after being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The first happened in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. The second happened in Acts 10 at Cornelius’ house and the third time happened in Acts 19 when Paul met twelve believers in Ephesus. He prayed they would receive the Holy Spirit, and after he laid his hands on them, they were filled and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

If you look at just these three instances then you might conclude that everyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit should speak in tongues. The question is, did that happen every time someone was filled with the Holy Spirit? The answer is no. Consider this event that happened to the believers in Samaria.

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).

This group of believers was very similar to the ones Paul had met in Ephesus. They had not received the Holy Spirit. When Peter and John prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, that is exactly what happened. Yet there is no mention they spoke in tongues after they received the Holy Spirit. This means we cannot conclude that everyone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues, based on the initial evidence. That did not even happen every time in the Bible.

To further make the point, when you go to 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul talks about all the sign gifts, he makes this emphatic statement.

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).

In asking these questions, the answer to each one is no. Paul is making the case that everyone does not have every gift. A simple conclusion therefore, is if everyone does not speak in tongues, then we cannot say everyone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues.

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3. We Focus Solely on the Gift and Not the Gift Giver

I was having a conversation with a dear friend of ours about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What she told me was I want to speak in tongues so badly because I never have. In having the conversation with her, I told her you have missed the point. Instead of seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, she was seeking to speak in tongues. These are not the same thing. She was seeking the gift and not the giver of the gift.

The far greater prize in this is the greater presence of the Holy Spirit working in your life. When this happens, he fills you with more boldness, more courage, and he brings forth more of the character of Christ in your life. This will make you a better witness for Jesus, which was the goal all along. When you emphasize speaking in tongues, then the attention is strictly on the gift, and you miss the genuine treasure of the Holy Spirit working in your life.

4. We Try to Get People to Speak in Tongues

Some who take the position that the evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, have come up with some interesting ways to assist in this process. Here are some I have seen and heard.

One person told people at the altar seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit to repeat after me and say what I say. When they did, he told them they had received it.
Another said just listen to what the person next to you is saying and learn from them. After all this is a language and this is how you learn a new language.
I have even heard people say just keep repeating the same word over and over and they used that as evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Please tell me how these align with what happened in the Bible? They don’t. None of these fit with what happened in Scripture. But, when everyone must speak in tongues as proof of the initial evidence, then you have boxed yourself into a corner where you may resort to these kinds of tactics.

For the record, here is how this should happen. You pray. A person is filled with the Holy Spirit. If they speak in tongues, that is great, but it should only happen as the Holy Spirit enables them. It is his gift and he can give it as he sees fit. He does not need your help and – as we have seen with the believers in Samaria – you can be filled with the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues.

Where Do We Go from Here?

I want to encourage all of you to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He is there to empower you to live for Jesus and we all need his help. Don’t get so caught up in speaking in tongues. Instead, look for an increase in boldness and for more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be seen in your life.

The proper measure of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is not whether you speak in tongues. The better measure is are you growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. If you see this fruit growing in your life, you can be confident of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Even if you never speak one word in tongues.