The Bible teaches that we receive the Holy Spirit at the time of salvation.  John 14:16-31 declares that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to teach us of Christ.  Many groups glorify the Spirit instead of the Son.  The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer.   As you study God’s Word, you will find that receiving Jesus Christ by faith is the critical requirement for going to Heaven.  Those who would add speaking in tongues or other works of the Spirit to simple faith for salvation are adding to what the Scripture says in John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-13 (just two of many passages).

Spirit baptism or “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” is the act of God the Holy Spirit placing the believer into Christ and into His body, the Church, at the moment he trusts Christ as Saviour and Lord.  I Corinthians 12:3 states: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body”.  Romans 8:9 states:  “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His”.  Spirit filling or being “filled with the Holy Spirit” is simply the act of the Holy Spirit of God controlling the believer’s behavior and empowering the believer for service.  It is accomplished in the believer when he is fully yielded to the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-21, I Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30, Galatians 5:16, and Romans 8:1-4).

Here are some contrasts between the baptism of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit:

• The baptism of the Spirit never happened before the day of Pentecost. The filling of the Spirit does occur in the Old Testament.

• Every believer is baptized with the Spirit, but a believer may or may not be filled with the Spirit. There is no exhortation for a believer to be baptized with the Spirit, but all believers are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit.

• The baptism of the Spirit occurs only once in the life of a believer, but the believer may be filled with the Spirit many times.

• The baptism of the Spirit occurs the moment we become a born-again believer by true repentance and acceptance of Christ as Saviour and Lord. The filling of the Spirit can occur anytime throughout the Christian life.

• The baptism of the Spirit cannot be taken away. Once we are saved we are eternally saved.  Many Christians are miserable, powerless, and unfruitful because they have lost the filling of the Spirit.

• The only prerequisite for the baptism of the Holy Spirit is faith in Christ. The filling of the Spirit depends upon our yieldedness.