The Baptism and The Filling

The Baptism in the Spirit and The Filling of the Spirit

***A Comparison and A Contrast***

THE BAPTISM	THE FILLING
Definition: The Baptism in the Spirit is that work of God whereby the believer is immersed into Jesus Christ and into His body which is the church (1 Corinthians 12:13 and Gal. 3:27).	Definition: The Filling of the Spirit is that work of God whereby He fills and controls and enables the believer who is yielded and dependent and fit for the Master's use (Ephesians 5:18).
The BAPTISM is presented as a fact to be believed (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27).	The FILLING is presented as a command to be obeyed (Eph. 5:18).
Every believer has had this baptism (1 Corinthians 12:13-"ALL" and see Galatians 3:26-27).	Not every believer is filled with the Spirit (though he should be and this is God's will for him--see Eph. 5:17).
The believer is never commanded to be baptized in the Spirit nor is he commanded to seek this baptism.	The believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 and compare Galatians 5:16).
PAST TENSE USED: "For by (in) one Spirit were (aorist passive indicative) we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13) IT'S DONE!	PRESENT TENSE USED: "Keep on being filled (present, passive imperative) with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). IT NEEDS TO BE A PRESENT REALITY!
It is a once for all work of God never to be repeated.	It needs to be repeated. The believer who is not filled needs to be filled.
It relates to a believer's standing and position in Christ.	It relates to a believer's walk and his fellowship with the Lord.
THE RESULT: The believer is placed into Jesus Christ and into His body the moment he trusts Christ as Saviour (1 Cor. 12:13). As a result the believer is "in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17) and in His church (Acts 2:47).	THE RESULT: The believer is controlled and empowered by God for testimony (bearing witness to Christ and manifesting His life) and service (Acts 1:8).
The Condition: In order to be baptized in the Spirit the unsaved person must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31 and see Galatians 3:26-27).	The Condition: In order to be filled with the Spirit the believer must confess all known sin (1 John 1:9), depend fully on God and not on the flesh (Gal. 5:16) and yield fully to God's control (1 Thess. 5:19).
The Baptism involves POSITION. The baptized person has a brand new position. He is "IN CHRIST" (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 8:1).	The Filling involves POWER: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you" (Acts 1:8 and see Acts 4:31,33).
Spirit baptism is something each and every believer has.	Spirit filling is something that each and every believer needs and may or may not have.
Spirit baptism relates to a person's salvation. It is one of the many salvation blessings that is found in Christ (Eph. 1:3 and compare Eph. 4:5).	Spirit filling relates to a person's walk and fellowship with the Lord in time. The "spiritual" believer is the believer who consistently is filled with the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; 6:1).
A believer can never be "un-baptized." God would never take a believer out of the body of Christ (compare Ephesians 5:25-32). The believer is securely positioned "in Christ."	A believer can be "un-filled" due to sin in his life, refusal to yield to God's control or by placing confidence in self rather than placing all confidence in Christ.

Historically, the BAPTISM of the Spirit took place as follows:

Acts 2 - The Jews became members of the body of Christ.

Acts 8 - The Samaritans became members of the body of Christ.

Acts 10- The Gentiles became members of the body of Christ.

Today every believer becomes a member of the body of Christ at the moment of saving faith (1 Corinthians 12:13).

The BAPTISM and the FILLING may both occur simultaneously. For example, in Acts chapter 2 the believers were BAPTIZED (Acts 1:5 and see Acts 11:15-17) and they were filled (Acts 2:4).