THE PROMISE OF CHRIST FULFILLED

Christ had promised that if He went away, the Holy Spirit would come, and His promise was fulfilled literally. He died and rose again. He met the disciples individually and collectively several times, revealing Himself to them as their risen Lord. He gave them a last commission, then repeated His promise and commanded them to wait for its fulfillment.

Luke 24:49

“And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts 1:4-5

^4 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, “which,” saith He, “ye have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

Jesus Christ then ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:10-11). They waited according to His command (Acts 1:12-14). God’s time was fulfilled. The day of Pentecost came (Acts 2:14). The promise of the Father was actualized in the descent of the Holy Spirit in baptism upon the waiting group of believers. 

THE TWOFOLD ASPECT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S BAPTISM

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples had a double import: it accomplished two definite, distinct things.

First, the Holy Spirit came upon each believer, filling him with Himself. Through this baptism, the exalted Christ took up His abode in the individual believer, where He was enthroned as Lord and appropriated as Life. Through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the abundant life of the living Lord was manifested in power in each believer.

Acts 2:4

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”

Second, the Holy Spirit came upon the whole group of believers and baptized them into one body, the Church. Through this baptism, they were united to Christ, its Head, and one another as fellow members of the body of Christ. Through the Holy Spirit’s descent on the day of Pentecost, the exalted Christ was installed as Lord over and instilled as Life into the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

^12 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many.”

Source: “Life on the Highest Plane” by Ruth Paxson

Hallelujah! By the One Spirit, we believers have all been baptized into One Body – Jesus Christ.