The Water Baptism of 1 Corinthians 12:13

[praise_yeshua]

Yes, man must baptize in water, but that is not controlling the door. That is the Door stating who He will and will not admit through the door.

So Jesus obeys Baptism? Or does baptism obey Him?

 

[TomL]

That is your misconception talking. You are not accepting all of what Scripture says about it; only taking partial statements from things that seem to agree with what you already believe.

Yes, man must baptize in water, but that is not controlling the door. That is the Door stating who He will and will not admit through the door.

First you failed to address this

This is not water

1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV) — 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

And water failed to do so at Acts 8, 19

And was accomplished before water in Acts 10,11,15 (Cornelius and the gentiles)

second you make water baptism the controlling element in imparting the Spirit

third

The promise of the father

John 14:16–17 (LEB) — 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him. You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

concerns the indwelling

The Spirit was not given to indwell men before the glorification of Jesus

John 7:38–39 (LEB) — 38 the one who believes in me. Just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 (Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)


This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost

Acts 2:33 (LEB) — 33 Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out this that you see and hear.

which is when the baptism en the Spirit transpired

Acts 1:4–5 (LEB) — 4 And while he was with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

At the baptism en the Spirit, the Spirit comes to indwell men

 

[TomL]

First you failed to address this

This is not water

1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV) — 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

And water failed to do so at Acts 8, 19

And was accomplished before water in Acts 10,11,15 (Cornelius and the gentiles)

second you make water baptism the controlling element in imparting the Spirit

third

The promise of the father

John 14:16–17 (LEB) — 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him. You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

concerns the indwelling

The Spirit was not given to indwell men before the glorification of Jesus

John 7:38–39 (LEB) — 38 the one who believes in me. Just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 (Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)


This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost

Acts 2:33 (LEB) — 33 Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out this that you see and hear.

which is when the baptism en the Spirit transpired

Acts 1:4–5 (LEB) — 4 And while he was with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

At the baptism en the Spirit, the Spirit comes to indwell men

The Father's promise

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (LEB) — 26 And I will give a new heart to you, and a new spirit I will give into your inner parts, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give to you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will give my spirit into your inner parts, and I will make it so that you will go in my rules, and my regulations you will remember, and you will do them.

is the indwelling

and the baptism

Acts 1:4–5 (LEB) — 4 And while he was with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

 

[Johann]

The Father's promise

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (LEB) — 26 And I will give a new heart to you, and a new spirit I will give into your inner parts, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give to you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will give my spirit into your inner parts, and I will make it so that you will go in my rules, and my regulations you will remember, and you will do them.

is the indwelling

and the baptism

Acts 1:4–5 (LEB) — 4 And while he was with them, he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Who is the Baptizer?
Matthew 3:11 – autos hymas baptisei en pneumati hagiōi kai puri (αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί)

The subject autos ("He") refers to Christ.

The verb baptisei ("He will baptize") is active, meaning Jesus is the one performing the baptism.

En pneumati hagiōi ("in the Holy Spirit") functions as the element or means of baptism, just as en hydati ("in water") does for John's baptism.

Acts 1:5 – humeis de baptisthēsesthe en pneumati hagiōi (ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ)

baptisthēsesthe is future passive, meaning believers receive the action.

No explicit subject performing the baptism is mentioned in this verse, but the reference to John’s prophecy (Matt. 3:11) implies continuity, meaning Christ is the baptizer.

Acts 2:33 – exechēen touto ho hymes blepete kai akouete (ἐξέχεεν τοῦτο ὃ ὑμεῖς βλέπετε καὶ ἀκούετε)

Christ, having been exalted, pours out the Spirit.
This aligns with John’s prophecy that the Messiah, not the Spirit, is the baptizer.

2. Does the Holy Spirit Ever Act as the Baptizer?
1 Corinthians 12:13 – en heni pneumati hēmeis pantes eis hen sōma ebaptisthēmen (ἐν ἑνὶ Πνεύματι ἡμεῖς πάντες εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν)

Some argue that the Holy Spirit is the agent here, but the Greek preposition en allows for an instrumental sense, meaning “by” or “in” the Spirit.
The meaning differs from Acts 1:5 and Matthew 3:11 since the context is incorporation into the body of Christ, rather than the Pentecostal outpouring.

Given that Christ is the baptizer in the Gospels and Acts, it remains more consistent to see the Spirit as the means rather than the agent.

3. Historical and Doctrinal Considerations
The early church consistently interpreted Spirit baptism as something Christ administers.

The Spirit’s role is one of empowering, filling, and regenerating, not baptizing in the sense that Christ does.

4. Final Clarification
The Holy Spirit does not baptize believers; rather, Christ baptizes them in or with the Holy Spirit. This is consistent across Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5, and Acts 2:33. The only possible exception is 1 Corinthians 12:13, which can be read as the Spirit acting instrumentally rather than agentively.

Therefore, the weight of evidence strongly supports Christ as the baptizer.

Do you agree @TomL?

J.