Difference between Baptized with the Holy Ghost and being FILLED with the Holy Ghost vs

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Mar 13, 2022
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But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21

Praying in the Spirit whereby we build ourselves up on our most holy faith, is directly linked to keeping ourselves in the love of God.

JPT
Wow, those Verses are amazing! Keeping yourself in The Love of GOD is being in a constant Relationship with Him! It is remaining on The Narrow Path of SALVATION. It is Obeying JESUS as our LORD. It is keeping Righteous Intentions. It is correcting the corrupted image of Adam.
 

Wansvic

Well-known member
Nov 27, 2018
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I might email you about the potential third option of not baptizing because of perceived unworthiness of the potential baptizee.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
We see this truth in John's exchange with Pharisees and Sadducees in Matt. 3:5-9. Clearly they wanted their previous sins remitted without having any intention of turning away from their current sinful lifestyle. Only those who are willing to turn away from their sin and to God should be considered as candidates for baptism. Also interesting, John makes a connection between obedience to the God-given of water baptism and being raised a child of God.
 

KelbyofGod

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Oct 8, 2017
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We see this truth in John's exchange with Pharisees and Sadducees in Matt. 3:5-9. Clearly they wanted their previous sins remitted without having any intention of turning away from their current sinful lifestyle. Only those who are willing to turn away from their sin and to God should be considered as candidates for baptism. Also interesting, John makes a connection between obedience to the God-given of water baptism and being raised a child of God.
I was thinking about that this morning in terms of Matthew 13:47-48 (and others) and didn't think it fit:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: [48] Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." - Matthew 13:47-48

And before you start a response, keep reading. Next I thought I should go reread the passages that you are referencing to see if there was something more substantial to support what you suggest. And I actually found the opposite.

Here are the verses you referenced:

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, [6] And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. [7] But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: [9] And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. - Matthew 3:5-9 KJV​

But here's the rest of what John said, where he actually clarifies what he does with "vipers" and those who are perhaps insincere (Matthew 3:10-12) :

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [11] I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: [12] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. - Matthew 3:10-12 KJV​

Please note that first telling them what is expected, then going ahead and baptizing them after warning them of what will happen to every tree "which bringeth not forth good fruit" works perfectly with Matthew 13:47:48.

AND it allows them (not him) to make the choice concerning themselves. That way they have no excuse on judgement day as if it were JOHN's responsibility (to make the decision) rather than their own.

The Luke 3:7-18 States it again (making two or three witnesses). Verse 7 also makes it clear that he wasn't just speaking to those you or I might consider unworthy... He said it unto the MULTITUDE. (Are you going to suggest that John refused to baptize the MULTITUDE?) The warnings are unto ALL just as the promises are unto ALL.

The choice of how we want to proceed remains with us.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

KelbyofGod

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Oct 8, 2017
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@Wansvic I should also give credit where credit is due. Glory goes to God for having my newly-baptized coworker ask about the passage in Luke last night, making sure I'd notice what was important for the topic today.

Which actually means it was yesterday morning when I'd started thinking about Matthew 13:47-48 because I'd already started writing the email before my coworker started asking questions.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
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@Wansvic
Sigh... working non-standard shifts can mess with your sense of when I did what. Bible studying Luke 3 was last night. It stood out because of the "vipers" aspect I was already thinking about. But my memory of when I started the email might be skewed. (just trying to be honest about all).

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
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i think you are saying a Child of GOD is in a constant state of prayer ...not literally. It's kind of hard to do willful repeated sin when you are in a state of prayer ...constant connection to GOD.
My very first statement is really important...that the thread would likely seem strange (be a mystery) if a person hasn't yet been baptized with the Holy Ghost.

In Acts 19:2 Paul asks a group if they have received the Holy Ghost yet, and they honestly answer that they don't really know what he is talking about. THAT is an awesome response because it allows Paul to start teaching them. It also seems very rare in terms of how church people would answer nowadays. But I'm going to ask you that same question.

I already assume you are a believer in the fact that Jesus died for your sins... BUT... "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" And do you honestly know what it is I'm asking?

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 
Jan 31, 2021
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This may sound strange to those who have not yet received the Holy Ghost.

Being BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit means a person has received the Holy Ghost/Spirit permanently.
And this baptism occurs when a person puts their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Gal 3-
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Being FILLED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit means it has pushed everything else out until there is no room left for anything else (like SIN).
Please quote any verse that teaches this.

Instead, being filled with the Holy SPIRIT means being under the influence of the Spirit. This is where the fruit of the Spirit comes from.

Throughout Acts, we find believers doing great things when filled with the Spirit. It's the difference between accomplishing things in your own power (will power of the flesh) and the power of the Spirit.

A common mistake among those who have been BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost is to claim they are FILLED with the Holy Ghost.
Agreed. Unless a believer is keeping "short accounts" by confessing their sins per 1 John 1:9, they are out of fellowship with the Lord and cannot be filled with the Spirit. Once cleansed and purified (1 Jn 1:9) by through confession, the believer must submit or yield to the Spirit in order to be filled. It is a command to be filled; Eph 5:18 - Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

So you see, the comparison is between what the believer is being influenced by; alcohol or the Spirit.

So, how does one submit or yield to the Spirit? First, the believer have confessed all known sins up to that moment. Then, since being filled is a command (imperative mood), which is God's will for every believer, we must ASK to be filled. 1 John 5-
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears uswhatever we askwe know that we have what we asked of him.

iow, God hears those believers who are in fellowship with Him, which is through confession of sin which cleanses and purifies. Then, by asking for the filling of the Spirit, the believer is yielding or submitting to the Spirit and "we know that we HAVE what we asked".

Psa 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

This is why the believer must confess their sins; so that the Lord will hear.

Yet a person who is FILLED with the Holy Ghost will not be sinning... because there is no room in them for sin. (People claim this more often than it is true.)
To clarify, when one is under the influence of the Spirit, they WILL NOT sin. However, Paul also commands that believers will NOT grieve (Eph 4:30) or quench (1 Thess 5:19) the Spirit.

So unless the believer is filled with the Spirit, everything the believer does is by the power of their own sinful nature (willpower). It may look good to others (morality) but it stinks to God.

Isa 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

hint: "filthy rags" is literally "used menstral rags". That's how stinky our human good produced from our own sin nature smells to God.

Being BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost is a singular event that you keep forever.
Being FILLED with the Holy Ghost is currently only temporary because we can (and soon do) allow other things (like the desire for old habits) to enter in.
Correct.

Ephesians 5:18 hints at the relationship between what we fill ourselves with, and what results will be. We need to realize that whatever we fill ourselves with is going to yield a corresponding change in our actions/behavior.
True. And, we can just as quickly lose the filling by shifting our focus on "things below" rather than "things above".

So... how can we be FILLED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit?

First, if you haven't been BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit, you need to seek Jesus until that happens.
To be specific, a person needs to recognize that Jesus is fully human and also the Son of God, Deity. They need to believe that His death on the cross was for them and that He promises eternal salvation to all who believe in Him for it. John 3:15,16, 6:40, 20:31.

Then, once you have been BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit you need to USE IT. We need to pray in the Spirit once we have received it. Jude 21 commands us to build ourselves up in faith and keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in the Holy Ghost.
We can only "pray in the Spirit" when we are in fellowship through confession of sin.

Those who have been BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit will likely understand what that means.
Not necessarily. Everyone needs to be taught these spiritual truths. It doesn't come naturally.

Those who have not been BAPTIZED with the Holy Ghost/Spirit probably don't know what praying in the Holy Ghost really is. (I also make allowance that some simply have not been taught to use what they have been given.)
Exactly.

Lastly, there is another meaning of filled/full that also needs to be recognized. That is the idea of being full/filled to capacity. This acknowledges that every vessel has a capacity limit based on its "size". When God gave Solomon the vast amount of wisdom, it is also stated that God gave him "largeness of heart" so he could retain it.
 
Oct 31, 2015
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Wow, those Verses are amazing! Keeping yourself in The Love of GOD is being in a constant Relationship with Him! It is remaining on The Narrow Path of SALVATION. It is Obeying JESUS as our LORD. It is keeping Righteous Intentions. It is correcting the corrupted image of Adam.
Amen.



For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3