Beliefs and Practices of Pentecostalism
“Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” sometimes referred to as “Spirit baptism,” is a key doctrine in Pentecostal Christianity and is also found in the broader Charismatic Movement.
According to this belief, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct experience from conversion and water baptism. Pentecostals draw from biblical passages, primarily in the Book of Acts, where early Christians receive the Holy Spirit in a powerful, transformative way—most notably during the Day of Pentecost event (Acts 2).
Pentecostals believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers the believer for Christian life and service. It is generally associated with heightened spiritual experiences and often with what Pentecostals call the “gifts of the Spirit” (charismata), such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues.
Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is seen as the “initial physical evidence” of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This means that when believers are baptized in the Spirit, they will speak in tongues as the first sign of this experience. Speaking in tongues is understood to be a supernatural utterance inspired by the Holy Spirit, often either a human language unknown to the speaker or a “heavenly language.”
It’s important to note that not all Christian traditions accept the Pentecostal understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics, for example, typically see the Holy Spirit as being received at conversion or at the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.
Moreover, within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, there is considerable diversity in how the baptism in the Holy Spirit is understood and experienced. Some may emphasize it as an empowering for service, while others may associate it with personal spiritual renewal or the deepening of one’s relationship with God.