Baptism by Fire, Part 3

Baptism by Fire, Part 3

I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[1]

When John the Baptist was asked if he was the Messiah – the anointed one chosen by God to save the Jewish people – he responded that one greater than he would come as the Messiah. While noting that he (John) baptized others with water, the one to come would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In order to consider the implications of that prediction it is helpful to explore the ways in which the Holy Spirit is presented in the Bible. For starters, the Spirit is nebulous, meaning it cannot be well-defined. I don’t fault the biblical authors for their lack of specificity however, because the Holy Spirit is spirit and, as such, does not lend itself to a precise description in words. Trying to capture the essence of the Holy Spirit in words is no easier than trying to capture the essence of God in words – it cannot be done. The Holy Spirit is named as one of the three persons or faces or expressions of God in the Trinity – Father (Creator), Son (Created), and Holy Ghost (Spirit).

So, what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Baptism is both an initiation and an invitation. It is an initiation into a world larger than what we’ve known or experienced, and it is an invitation to live in a way consistent with a world that extends well beyond our own self-interests. Baptism with the Holy Spirit initiates us into the family of God – into the ineffable, invisible, and all-inclusive Oneness of the divine. Make no mistake, we must still live out and act in our normal, tangible lives, but we do so in a larger context. There is a saying in Eastern mysticism that goes: “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” Baptism with the Holy Spirit does not necessarily change what we do but why and for whom we do it.

The Spirit is presented in different ways in the Bible. At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit descended from heaven like a dove.[2] As his followers discussed their way forward after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Spirit came with a sound like the rush of a violent wind,[3] giving them the ability to speak in other languages.[4] During Jesus’ final discourse with his disciples, he named the Spirit as their Advocate or helper[5] who God would send to them as a teacher in the absence of Jesus’ physical presence. The apostle Paul wrote that our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,[6] affirming its presence within us.

In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, the word rauch means spirit, breath, or wind, which indicates an equivalence and interchangeability between what the words represent. Similarly, in the language of the New Testament, the Greek word pneuma also hints at the essential equivalence of spirit, breath, and wind. In a post-resurrection appearance to his disciples Jesus “breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”[7] In a night-time meeting with a leader of the Jews, Jesus said, “The wind (Spirit) blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.”[8] The initial creation story in the Bible says, “…a wind (Spirit) from God swept over the face of the waters.”[9]

From these and other passages we see the Spirit variously described as dove-like– a symbol of peace – as a violent wind, an advocate, and a teacher. It is hinted at being unpredictable and unknowable. It was through the Spirit acting on the physical matter of earth that God began the on-going process of creation.[10] It is difficult to compile the various references of and for the Spirit into anything concrete that allows us to say, “This is the nature of the Spirit,” or “That is what it means to be baptized with the Spirit.” Which provides emphasis to the main point: The realm of the Spirit cannot be known in our human state. It, like God, exceeds our intellectual capacity. 16^th Century Christian mystic St. John of the Cross said that God cannot be known but can only be loved, meaning God can only be experienced. The realm of the Spirit is the realm of the unknown. So perhaps we can say that baptism by Jesus – the baptism with the Holy Spirit – is an initiation and invitation into the world of unknowing, where our intellect plays a lesser role in understanding as our heart and intuition take on greater roles. Baptism with the Spirit invites us to let go of our neurotic needs for certainty and predictability, living by faith in the goodness of God.

This is the 15^th in a series titled Crucifying Christianity, Resurrecting the Way.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are not objective truths but invitations for readers to explore, too. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 3:11

[2] John 1:32

[3] Acts 2:2

[4] Acts 2:4

[5] John 14:26

[6] 1 Corinthians 6:19

[7] John 20:22

[8] John 3:8

[9] Genesis 1:2

[10] Genesis 1:2