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BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT DEREK PRINCE Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked (NAS) are from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT Derek Prince Ministries - International P.O. Box 19501 Charlotte, NC 28219 ISBN: 0-88368-377-6 Printed in the United States of America Copyright © 1995 by Derek Prince Whitaker House 30 Hunt Valley Circle New Kensington, PA 15068 No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 / 06 05 04 03 02 01 Contents A Study of Prepositions..............................................................................7 The Nature of the Experience...............................................................23 Warnings...............................................................................................................41 The Purposes of the Experience........................................................54 About the Author...........................................................................................84 A Study of Prepositions A Study of Prepositions For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. —1 Corinthians 12:13 T he baptism in the Holy Spirit is a topic which everyone is talking about. In the last few years, I have traveled and preached 7 8 Baptism in the Holy Spirit quite widely in three different continents. Everywhere I go, I find that the baptism is the topic of interest, discussion, and also, perhaps, controversy among Christians around the world. Sometimes, Christians have the impression that speaking about spiritual things is largely a matter of emotion. Therefore, they believe that they will not have much need for their intelligence. This is a complete mistake. Instead, we need to give very careful attention to the teaching of God's Word. Unless it is regarded with understanding, the information that you read here will be of little help to you. The verse cited above needs a certain amount of clarification, since trouble has been created for many people due to the whims of translators. One prominent feature of A Study of Prepositions 9 the verse is repeated three times. This is the short but important word, one. This verse cannot be properly appreciated unless it is realized that the apostle Paul's main emphasis was not on a doctrine but on the unity of the body of Christ. Apart from any individual and personal blessings that those of us who have had the blessing of being baptized in the Spirit may have received through the experience, we need continually to keep in the forefront of our minds that God's supreme purpose for bestowing it is the unity of the body of Christ. I do feel that many times we have not been centered in God's line of teaching and revelation because we have strayed from this foundational principle concerning the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It so happens that I used to be a teacher of Greek at Cambridge University, and I've studied it since I 10 Baptism in the Holy Spirit was ten years old. So, in this respect, I dare to say that I know what I'm talking about. I do not doubt that some readers are also familiar with Greek and can turn to any literal translation or any commentary to check on the truth of the translation modification that I am about to make. However, I am not asking you to accept the minor modification because of my educational background. Rather, I am asking that you check into it for yourself. I would say that 1 Corinthians 12:13 could be more accurately translated this way: "For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body ... and we were all given to drink of one Spirit" (author's translation). First, the preposition in the original Greek means "in" and not "by." That so many interpretations of this verse have been based on the word "by" is a minor tragedy. With regard to the Greek verb