The Error of Holy Spirit "Baptism"
A simple chart (below) to explain the errors of so-called “Holy Spirit” baptism, in both JPG and PDF. Generally, this idea seems to principally stem from a desire to allow open communion to other Christians. In other words, if all the Saved are members of a “universal and invisible” church, then why can they not partake in the Lord's Supper?
The obvious question in response might well be: Why cannot other Christians not vote on financial matters in a church business meeting? Would not “discerning the Lord's body” (1 Cor. 11:29) hold much greater importance than such mundane matters as mere money?
It appears that some make too much of the word “baptize” used colloquially in Luke 3:16 and Acts 11:16. This word means “fully whelmed” and “immersed.” It was a very common word used in everyday speech and therefore does not always have ecclesiastical impact. For instance, notice the word “wash” in Mark 7:4 is also the Greek word baptizo, but no one infers some form of church membership because of it. Similarly, the word church “ecclesia” also had common uses throughout the New Testament, such as Acts 19:41, but (again) no one confuses that meeting of the Ephesus town council with one of the Lord's Churches.
In the vast majority of the instances of the word “church” in Scripture, co-joins the assembly with a specific locality. In the roughly ten times the word is used absent locality, the language is demonstrably used in an institutional sense. For example, seeing a “universal and invisible” church in Eph. 5:23 must also produce an “universal and invisible” wife and/or husband! Furthermore, Christ does not limit this particular verse (Himself being limitless), but only makes the “universal” interpretation more difficult to explain in light of 1 Cor. 11:3 - “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”
Use the PDF for a higher quality print - contact me for a larger size (if needed).
Holy Spirit Baptism Errors Explained
