Subject: are there multiple infillings? |
Bible Note: Greetings lightedsteps, Good commentary! Another good verse on the topic is Ephesians 5:18: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," The word 'filled' in this verse is a present-tense imperative in the Greek, which means that it should be a perpetual, ongoing experience. So, God desires that the filling of the Holy Spirit be a continual and ongoing experience. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not the same thing as the perpetual filling of the Holy Spirit. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event that takes place at the moment of conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13). It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that joins a believer to the body of Christ. By contrast, John the Baptist was continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15, Matthew 11:11, John 10:41). The early disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on at least two different occasions (Acts 2:4; 4:31). Therefore, the filling of the Holy Spirit may be repeated, but the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit that seals a Christian (Ephesians 4:30) for redemption only happens once. Blessings to you, Makarios |