"Baptism in the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) A New Episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast!

Episode Synopsis:

Almost all peoples and cultures seem to have some sort of utopian dream–a world of universal peace, prosperity, and harmony. John Lennon’s Imagine anyone? The problem with all utopian visions is that ours is a fallen race. Because we are a fallen race we all too often find ourselves divided along racial, socioeconomic, political, and theological lines. Much like the citizens of first century Corinth, we too struggle to find true unity in a world rife with division of all sorts. Because of human sin, the only way unity can be obtained is through force or coercion (“agree or else”), deception (like that of a false religion), or through a “kumbaya” unity (a superficial sentimentalism). The bad news is there will be no earthly utopia this side of Christ’s second advent. The good news is that God does provide us with a true unity based upon our common faith in Jesus Christ realized in the church through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. And while this unity is imperfectly realized in this life, nevertheless, in Christ’s church, God takes a whole host of diverse and different people and baptizes them in the Holy Spirit into one body, the church of Jesus Christ.

The root problem in the Corinthian church is that although many have come to confess that “Jesus is Lord,” they struggle to stop thinking and acting like the pagans they once were. Because factions have formed in the church, Paul must address the question of unity (that the body of Christ is one) while pointing out that the Holy Spirit gives a variety of gifts of the Spirit to the church’s members according to the will of God. God creates both unity and diversity by baptizing his people in the Holy Spirit when they confess that Jesus is Lord. He then signs and seals that baptism to believers and their children in Christian baptism. Where the sign is present (water), so too we believe the reality is present (union with Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit).

Paul also must deal with the fact that many of the Corinthians thought possessing certain gifts of the Spirit was a sign of their own importance and status. Paul corrects this misguided notion by connecting the “higher gifts” to God’s call of certain men to the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. He must also remind them that all of the members of the church are given at least one gift, making the least of them (in the eyes of others) an essential member of the congregation with gifts which are important to the whole. Every member and every gift they’ve been given is vital to Christ’s church.

There may be no utopia this side of the Lord’s return, but Jesus does establish a new society in his church–one in which there is both unity (their confession that Jesus is Lord) and diversity (each possesses gifts of the Spirit).

Show Notes:

This episode was delayed a week. I took time off between Christmas and New Year. Then my Zoom Podtrak P-4 mixer died mid-recording session—”It died with an awful sound.” Thankfully Amazon got a new one here by 6:00 the next morning (not a special rush order either). So I was back in business, but I did lose 9 minutes of material. Oh well, it could have been much, much worse.

The Blessed Hope Podcast now has 100 five star ratings on Apple podcasts! Thank you so much!

This was the first time, I think, I had no interruptions during recording from airplanes, helicopters, street sweepers, delivery vans beeping, or barking dogs. It was a Festivus miracle!

Links:

Christopher Ash on the Baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Kenneth Hagin on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (just kidding and checking to see if you are paying attention!)

R. C. Sproul on The Difference Between the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Guy Waters on Baptism in the Spirit in Acts 8

Kirk Miller on, Baptism in the Spirit

Series Bibliography:

Kim Riddlebarger, First Corinthians --Lectio Continua (RHB, 2024).

F. F. Bruce, Paul: The Apostle of the Heart Set Free. A bit dated but still remains the best biographical study of Paul

Douglas J. Moo, A Theology of Paul and His Letters (2021). A helpful big picture survey of Paul’s theology and epistles.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1 Corinthians : An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (2018). A good and modern commentary on 1 Corinthians. If you buy one commentary, this ought to be it.

Charles Hodge, I & II Corinthians, reprint ed (Banner, or the volume on 1 Corinthians published by Crossway. This has long been the Reformed standard commentary on 1 Corinthians. Theologically solid, but badly dated.

Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (1987). Good material, especially on background and context, but charismatic in its orientation.

Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, (2010). A good academic commentary, although there are several solid ones from which to choose.

Music:

(Shutterstock): Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92m, second movement, Allegretto (A minor)