Question concerning 2 sets of Holy Spirit verses?

Question

Here are the verses:

Ephesians 1:13-14
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Here's another similar set of verses:

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

So my quesion/concern is this:
Why is it that some of my fellow believers in Christ insist upon the baptism of the Holy Spirit as proof of posession?

The Holy Spirit comes at the point of salvation......not weeks or months later.

Thanks,

Primo

As a side note:
I have never spoken in tongues......ever....and I've been saved for almost 8 years now.

Answer 1

I completely agree with you brother.
Most brothers and sisters in the penticostal denomination have the emphasis on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit by way of speaking in tongues as a sign that one is in the Spirit of power.
Here we see verses that indicate differently.
Key words. " heard the word of truth; gospel of salvation; believing. sealed with Holy Spirit of the promise"

What is this sealing of the Holy Spirit upon our salvation and believing?
To be sealed is to be marked with the Holy Spirit as a living seal. We have been designated as God's inheritance as seen in vs 11. At the time we were saved, God put His Holy Spirit into us as a seal to mark us out, as indicated that we belong to God. The Holy Spirit, who is God Himself entering into us,causes us to bear God's image, signifed by the seal,thus making us God's. Even on a deeper level brother, this sealing of the HOly Spirit has a lot to do with us being conformed to the image of Christ by transformation and growth in the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is also the pledge or foretaste, guarantee, that is, like a token payment in advance, guaranteeing the full payment. Since we are God's inheritance, the Holy Spirit is a seal upon us. Since God is our inheritance, the Holy Spirit is a pledge to us of this inheritance. God gives us His Holy Spirit to us not only as a guarantee of our own inheritance, securing our heritage, but also as a foretaste of what we will inherit of God, afforded as a taste beforehand of the full inheritance.

In ancient times brother the Greek word for "pledge" was used in the purchasing of land. THe seller gave the purchaser some soil as a sample from the land. Hence , the pledge, according to ancient Greek usage is also a sample. The HOly Spirit is the sample of what we will inherit of God in full.
Hallelujah! what a sweet rich foretaste! May we truly strive to enter into the enjoyment of the Spirit as believers..

Your verse in Corinthians simply echos the point clearly. The baptism in and of the Holy Spirit is a fact upon our salvation.
Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism. We are all baptized to drink of One Spirit as seen in 1 Cor 12:13

" For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into One Body whether Jews or Greeks whether slaves or free we were all given to drink of One Spirit."

The drinking of the Spirit brings about the daily filling of the Holy Spirit. Where its not a matter of speaking in a the tongues of men or of angels, but this drinking and being filled with the Holy Spirit affects your life and living. Where God is able to saturate and permeate our entire tripartite being with Himself. (1 Thess 5:23)
We are so blessed today brother to have this Spirit of the Promise.
May we always be so clear.
Personally I speak in tongues and also have had the interpretation of it but what has impressed me more as a believer is not the supernaturalness of this gift of the Holy Spirit but moreso its interpretation which builds up the Body of Christ. I am also moreso appreciative for the practical infilling day by day of the HOly SPirit and how He affects my very person. May we be filled to the brim brother. Emptied of all that does not match Christ and be filled with all that He is.

Great Question.
Your sister
sandy

Answer 2

You are right! There have been numerous times I have used these EXACT verses you gave when answering questions on us receiving the Holy Spirit when we believe, and how this also gurantees our salvation, meaning we do not lose our salvation once we are sealed with the Spirit of God. I do not know why some christians refuse to see these scriptures-- maybe they are interpreting them entirely different or something, but these verses speak for themselves! They are pretty simple to understand. And the Bible also says concerning baptism of the Spirit:

Acts 1:5
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
(This is when the Holy Spirit was to come) And the Holy Spirit is here! Amen! And we are baptized in water AFTER we believe, after we are saved in obedience to God- as an outward expression of our faith in Him.

Answer 3

most of the confusion comes from a misunderstanding of the word,
too often we only take the scriptures that we understand, or agrees with what we already believe,

yes we do receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus into our lives,
but there is also a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit, that can come at the same time or more often at a later time.

and although it is often accompanied by speaking in tongues,
it is not always, the true evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit are the operation in the Gifts of the Spirit.
not to be confused with the fruit of the Spirit.

Answer 4

God commanded baptism, and if you don't want to get baptized you're disobeying Him, which means you don't really follow Him. It is only a symbol though, and the Holy Spirit is not so weak that it can't enter you if you're not baptized (many people don't have the opportunity to be baptized before they die, but they can still receive the Holy Spirit).

I guess a lot of people see it as being stamped with the official seal of God, even though God says He stamped us before we were made. Maybe they think God isn't strong enough to save an unbaptized sinner?

Answer 5

I'm in total agreement with you, but unfortunately this is something that has been going on for centuries and it will continue until Jesus comes back. God is not the God of confusion but, the enemy of God is the one who brings confusion within the body of Christ. This is one of those doctrines that has brought much confusion and mostly division within the body of Christ. I am sure the devil laughs at us and is proud of himself for creating division within the church. It is also due to how people are taught, the many different denominations, and spiritual pride. I have seen how this has and is hurting a lot of people, especially new believers because they are made to feel that they are not saved because they are being told if you don't do or have what others have then they are not really saved. How that must grieve the heart of God.

Answer 6

I'm not sure I understand your question entirely. Are you wondering why some Christians say that, if you don't speak in tongues, then you're not saved?

This is a statement mostly made by Pentecostal Christians, who reference Mark 16:17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ..." If you don't speak in tongues, they reason that you do not truly believe; if you don't believe, you're not saved.

This understanding stems from faulty exegesis. The "those" referred to by Jesus at that verse are the Apostles, who received ALL of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This fact later enabled believers to determine that some people falsely claimed to be Apostles.

Answer 7

I am not sure I understand the question. If I am understanding you correctly, I think some believers believe that baptism of the HS is proof of posession having emphasis on the word proof. Because baptism is an outward expression of knowing the Lord as Savior. Accepting the Lord as savior is having the HS.
I don't know I have explained this well.

Answer 8

There is the Holy Spirit coming in, and there is the Holy Spirit making Himself manifest. The two may happen together, they may be minutes, hours, day or even weeks apart.

Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit". (ref John 20:22) Did the Holy Spirit come in them? Yes! Jesus said so. However, the Spirit was not made manifest in them until Acts chapter 2 during the feast of Pentecost.

At the moment of our asking Christ to be Lord and Savior, God seals us with His Spirit. We do not feel it, it may even be "heavenly legal adoption paper work" going on. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is our first, physical hug with God as our official "Abba, Father!" In other words, the legal stuff is done. Now it is time for the personal relationship to begin.

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Answer 9

This is a point to ponder and something, I had been discussing with my children, just the other day, I think a lot of people and christians, do not read or study or pray to come to their own conslusions, I believe they go by what ever the church teaching was where ever they might have raised, we seek God for truth and understanding.

Answer 10

Excellent question!

I believe that when the Bible teaches that we can add NOTHING to the finished work of Christ, this includes adding a 2nd blessing, "gifts of the Spirit," etc.