If You Don’t Have the Spirit, You Don’t Have Christ
“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.’” ~ Acts 11:16
This verse is often misunderstood, but when we look at it in context of the whole Bible, the meaning is clear. In Acts 11, Peter is explaining to Jewish believers what had just happened in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. Cornelius and his household had heard the gospel, believed it, and were immediately filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44–46). This shocked the Jewish believers, because up to that point, they had assumed salvation and the Holy Spirit were limited to the Jews. Peter responds by recalling something Jesus Himself said, “John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:5).
This is crucial. Peter is connecting what happened to the Gentiles in Acts 10 to Jesus’ promise before His ascension. They had just witnessed what Jesus foretold, a baptism, not of water, but of the Holy Spirit. It was a real-time fulfillment of that promise, proving that Gentiles who believed in Christ were accepted by God the same way Jewish believers were.
So what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” This is not a second experience, not a feeling, not tongues, and not an emotional high. It is the moment a person believes the gospel and is placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. That is what happened in Acts 2 with the Jews, and again in Acts 10 with the Gentiles. It was not tied to water; it was tied to faith.
John’s baptism with water was symbolic, preparing people to receive the coming Messiah (Mark 1:4). It showed repentance, but it could not save. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, however, is the true work of regeneration and salvation. Titus 3:5 puts it plainly, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
When Peter remembered Jesus’ words in Acts 11:16, he recognized that what happened to Cornelius’ household was not some random event. It was the fulfillment of Christ’s promise that believers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. It proved they were saved, not because they were Jews, not because they kept the law, not because they were baptized in water, but because they believed the gospel and received the Spirit.
That said, water baptism is still important. It does not save, but it is commanded. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 10:48 says that after Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded them to be baptized in water. Baptism is the outward expression of inward faith. It shows that a person has died to sin and now walks in new life with Christ (Romans 6:4). If someone claims to be saved but refuses to obey Christ’s command to be baptized, that reveals a serious issue in the heart.
So yes, be baptized. But understand what saves you is not the water, it is whether you have truly been born again by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 8:9 says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” That is the baptism that matters most. And if you have received it, then do what the Bible commands: get baptized in water as a public declaration that you now belong to Christ. Obedience follows salvation; it does not cause it.
Acts 11:16 points us back to the promise of Christ, fulfilled in the lives of real people, not through ritual, but through faith. That is the baptism that saves. And water baptism is how we testify to the world that we belong to Him.
Being baptized by the Holy Ghost is not about speaking in tongues, shouting, or having some emotional experience. According to the Bible, being baptized with the Holy Spirit means that the Spirit of God comes to live inside you the moment you truly believe the gospel. It is not a feeling, it is a supernatural transformation, you are made spiritually alive, adopted into God’s family, and sealed for eternity.
1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” That means the moment you are saved, the Holy Spirit places you into the body of Christ. There is no second event required. Romans 8:9 says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” If you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you, you are still lost. It is that serious.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is what gives you understanding of Scripture. Jesus said in John 16:13, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” Without the Spirit, the Bible will seem confusing or foolish. That is why 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God… neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” It is the Spirit that opens your eyes and gives you a new heart.
Tongues were a sign gift used in the early church to confirm the gospel message, especially to the Jews (1 Corinthians 14:21–22). But they were never the proof of salvation. Many people today wrongly teach that if you do not speak in tongues, you are not saved or have not received the Spirit. That is false. The real evidence of the Holy Spirit is not a tongue, it is a changed life. Galatians 5:22–23 shows the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, and obedience to God.
So be clear, being baptized with the Holy Spirit is not about speaking in tongues, it is about being made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is the moment God takes up residence in your life and begins to lead, convict, teach, and empower you. That is the baptism that matters, and without it, no one belongs to Christ.
If God has given you the gift of tongues, that is a blessing. It is one of the many spiritual gifts used to build up the body of Christ and to spread the gospel, especially in situations where language barriers exist. But it is important to understand that tongues is just one gift, and it is not given to everyone.
1 Corinthians 12:30 asks plainly, “Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” The answer is clearly no. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different believers as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). Some are given teaching, others discernment, others service, others tongues, and others interpretation, but none of these are required for salvation.
The gift of tongues is not proof that you have the Holy Spirit. Nowhere in Scripture are we told that speaking in tongues is the evidence of salvation. The real evidence of the Spirit’s work in your life is obedience to God’s Word, a transformed heart, and spiritual fruit, as seen in Galatians 5:22–23. All true believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, and they are all equipped by God in different ways to serve the body and glorify Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13, 12:11).
Tongues is one of those gifts that people often become prideful about, but that was never the purpose God intended. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that even if he spoke with the tongues of men and angels but had not love, it meant nothing. The gifts of the Spirit were never about elevating self, they were about pointing people to Jesus Christ.
If you have received the gift of tongues, thank God and use it faithfully, but do not let it become a distraction or a badge of superiority. Use it to share the gospel and to edify the church as God intended (Acts 2:4–11, 1 Corinthians 14:12). Remember, salvation is not measured by what gift you have, it is measured by whether the Spirit of Christ dwells in you (Romans 8:9). And the Spirit will always lead you to walk in truth, humility, and love, not pride or confusion. Keep your focus on Christ, and let every gift be used for His glory, not yours.
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