The Scriptures also speak of the “baptism” of the Spirit. The word baptize means to bury, and to be baptized by the Spirit of God simply means to be so fully surrendered to the doing of God’s will that one comes fully under its control, having no will of one’s own. However, from God’s standpoint, the entire church of Christ was baptized by the Spirit at Pentecost, hence there is no necessity for a fresh outpouring of his spirit upon each individual who consecrates to do his will.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized,” and he explains that for the individual this baptism occurs when one comes into the body of Christ. (I Cor. 12:13) It is a burial of our wills into the will of God as expressed through Christ, the Head of the “body.” When we get this proper viewpoint of what is involved in the baptism of the Spirit we will not be looking for repetitions of the spectacular manifestation of the power of God which occurred at Pentecost.

When we understand what to expect as a result of placing ourselves under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will not be wondering why we cannot speak with tongues as did the disciples at Pentecost and for a short time thereafter. Speaking in tongues as practiced by the Early Church was a necessity at that time. At Pentecost, for example, Jews were gathered at Jerusalem from all parts of the known world. They spoke various languages, yet it was the Lord’s will that they should receive a witness of the Truth as proclaimed by the apostles. In order for this to be accomplished, the disciples were miraculously empowered to speak in these various languages. As the church grew, and conversions were made among these various language groups, the need for speaking with tongues no longer existed, for there were disciples among all the various groups capable of witnessing to the Gospel in their native tongues.