People will tell you about their Spirit baptism experiences. Many of these stories sound impressive, but the problem is they don’t seem to agree with 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.

The apostle Paul has been talking about spiritual gifts (since 12:1), and most recently he has explained how there is a diversity of gifts given to the church which all come from the same Lord. There is unity and diversity. Now, he explains why there is unity and diversity and where it came from.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13
(12) For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
(13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

The church is one body with many members
The apostle Paul uses a familiar metaphor (the human body) to communicate the fact that oneness does not exclude multiplicity.

If the church were just one “part,” it wouldn’t be a body; it would be one giant body part! It isn’t one giant body part, but rather one body with many body parts.

The church isn’t just any body - it is the body of Christ. We are different people with different gifts, but we are all united to the same Lord - Christ.

The formation of the body
In verse 12 Paul says that many members make up the one body of Christ so that Christ lives through us. In verse 13 Paul goes on to explain how the body was formed.

1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

By the Holy Spirit we were all baptized, or “put into,” the one body. Note that all believers have experienced this. It is not something they can feel or see or smell, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. If you are a believer, you have experienced this baptism.

A second-blessing? Nope.
Some have taught that the baptism of the Spirit is something that happens as a post-salvation experience. They may refer to it as a second-blessing.

The apostle Paul indicates in no uncertain terms that this is not the case - Spirit baptism is not a second-blessing. If the baptism of the Spirit happened even one week after a person’s salvation, then Paul could not say “we were all baptized into one body.” He would have to think, “Certainly, there could be someone who is in his first “unbaptized” week.”

The Spirit baptism was a long time coming!
Matthew 3:11 and John 1:33 tell how John the Baptist prophesied of Jesus’ baptism of the spirit and fire.

Matthew 3:11
“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John 1:33
[John said,] “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised His disciples that the Spirit would come.

Acts 1:5
…John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

In Acts 2, the church is born and the Spirit is given. What Jesus said would happen, happened.

Acts 2:1
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

It was quite a spectacle. Some thought the disciples were drunk. Peter explained that they weren’t drunk - the Spirit was poured out on them.

Acts 2:15-16
(15) “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;
(16) but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

Acts 2:18
(18) …I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy.

Peter made it clear that the promise and experience of the Holy Spirit wasn’t only for the disciples. God was building His church - full of “repenters!”

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:41
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

So, believers were baptized into the body, and the body of Christ was formed.

Who does this baptism?
As we’ve seen, at times Christ is said to be the baptizer and at other times it seems that the Spirit is the baptizer. Who actually does it? Ultimately Christ does it by means of the Spirit. The Spirit is the agent.

What does this mean for us?
If you are a members of the body of Christ, you have experienced Spirit baptism. Not only have you been baptized by the Spirit, but also indwelt by the Spirit. Paul goes on to say “we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

You share in Christ and you share in the Spirit. You are united with other members of the body. While you experience this unity, that does not mean that you are exactly the same as every other member of the body. Maybe you are a kidney or a toe. You have received the Holy Spirit, and with that comes the empowerment to contribute to the body by edifying individual members.

Through the Holy Spirit, Christ lives His life through the members of His body.

So, we are many members, but one body - the body of Christ. Each of us was put into the body at the time of our salvation when we received the Spirit.

Further implications to consider
Paul now moves from the formation of the body to the functioning of the body. He shows us how we are to function in the body of Christ. He gives four implications of living life in the body of Christ, but those are for another post.