Acts 1:5

‘For John indeed baptised (drenched) with water; but you will be baptised (drenched) in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'

The risen Jesus now confirms the final fulfilment of all that John's baptism pointed to in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in terms of rain as forecast by the prophets (Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 55:9; Ezekiel 36:25). The prophets had declared that in the final days the Spirit would be poured out like rain from above, and while Luke has already given us examples of the Holy Spirit at work, this is clearly a preparation for Acts 2. The steady downpour is to become a cloudburst. And here Jesus declared that it would come ‘not many days from now'. The Spirit had been constantly at work through the ministry of Jesus (Luke 4:1 following; John 3:5; John 4:10 along with John 4:1; John 6:63; John 7:37 which would finally result in John 7:38), now He would come in even greater measure. The implication from Jesus' reference to the words of John the Baptiser was that it was He, Jesus, Who would drench them in the Holy Spirit, as John had said.

The phrase ‘baptism (baptizo - ‘drench, immerse, inundate') in the Holy Spirit' is only ever used when a contrast is made with John's baptism, for it was what John's baptism had symbolised, and it was partly John's baptism that gave the actual phrase its significance. John had baptised in water those who had sought through repentance to prepare for the expected coming work of the Spirit, which latter was depicted in terms of the pouring out of rain as revealed by the prophets. It was thus well illustrated by John's baptism, and was what John had in mind. For note how much of his teaching was related to natural phenomena and to fruitfulness or otherwise. The vipers were to flee from the coming wrath (as snakes fled from cornfields when the stubble was burned), men were to bring forth fruits suitable to indicate repentance, the tree which did not produce good fruit would be cut down and cast into the fire, with the axe laid to its roots, the Lord would come to His threshingfloor with his threshing fan and purge the floor, gathering the wheat into His barns and burning up the chaff with unquenchable (and thus connected with God and unavoidable) fire (Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7; Luke 3:16). Thus all this was to be seen in the light of the Holy Spirit coming down like rain as promised by the prophets (Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 44:1).

This reminds us of what the prime purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit in this exceptional way was. It was in order to produce fruitbearing lives, it was in order that He might make men's lives pure and righteous (Luke 3:10), in order that through it they may bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16). The spiritual rain would come down on men's lives, and through the seed of the word, would produce fruit in those who responded. From that would then flow their going out to take the message of Jesus, their Lord and Messiah, to others.

It should be noted that this assumes that the work of the Spirit is already taking place through John's ministry. He was after all filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15). The idea of Pentecost is not that it was the first coming of the Holy Spirit, but that it was His coming in the effectiveness and power spoken of by the prophets in order to bring about a new work, the transformation of human lives, and the formation of the true church of Jesus Christ as united with Him by becoming members of His own risen and glorified body. This was why it could not occur until Christ had finally ascended (compare John 7:38 which had to await this, but not Acts 7:37 which was an open offer to Jesus' hearers at the time when He spoke). They could not become members of His earthly body while he lived on earth, but once He was glorified they could be united with Him in His spiritual body.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12 this further aspect is expanded on, for Christ Himself is the one body, and Paul declares, ‘We (believers) have all been baptised in one Spirit into one body -- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit', with the consequence that, having been united with Christ as one body, they would serve Christ as members of His ‘body' (1 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 12:27). Being united with Christ by the Spirit and being made one with Him is what the coming ‘baptism in the Holy Spirit' would accomplish. It would make them one with the risen Christ, as members of His risen body. They would be united with Him by the Spirit. Note that in this picture ‘the body is Christ' and the head is included as a part of the body and Christians are seen as part of the head as well as part of the remainder of the body. The stress is on being made one with Christ. The body ‘is Christ' (1 Corinthians 12:12).

Luke places great stress on the fact that the Spirit's work in Acts is the fulfilment of John's promised ‘drenching in Holy Spirit'. Here he relates it to what will happen in Acts 2. In Acts 11:16 he relates it to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles. Both Jews and Gentiles share in this wonderful promise of God which would come from the Baptiser in Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ.