Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Divine Love

Baptism in the Holy Spirit and divine love are closely related. Divine love, agape love or supernatural love is given to the believer by Jesus, the Baptiser, in the act of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is pointed out by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans:

"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice that Paul said "The love of God" and not "human love" or "love for God". He was speaking about the love of God - God's own love - which the Holy Spirit pours out in the believer's heart in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The phrase "poured out" indicates the action of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The Scripture says "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and so by "pouring out God's love", God essentially pours out Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit into the heart of the believer in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit! I hope every believer needs to understand that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not only necessary for him to have the power to witness (Act 1:8), but also to impart the love of God to those he is witnessing to.

The love of God, imparted by the Holy Spirit is the highest form of love far far above human love - as far as heaven is above the earth!

There are many forms of natural human love. Married love of husband and wife for each other. Within the human family, there is the love of parents for children and of children for parents. Outside the bonds of the family, there is the love of one friend for another, such as the love of David and Jonathan for each other. These forms of love, in varying degree, are found in all sections of the human race - believers or non-believers.

The love of God - agape, supernatural or divine - denotes the perfect love between the Persons of the Godhead - The Father, the Son and the Spirit. It is also the love of God toward man. It is the love which caused God the Father to give His Son, and Christ the Son to give His life, that man might be redeemed from sin and its terrible consequences. It is the unique love God through His Holy Spirit imparts to the hearts of those who believe in Christ.

Let us study these verses of Scripture again (quoted in my last posting):

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7,8, NKJV, emphasis added).

The Greek words which John uses are "agape" (noun) and "agapao" (verb) describe love which is divine in its origin and nature. The above verses clearly say that no one can experience this divine love unless he has been born of God. Love of this kind comes only form God.

A christian (a born again believer) who manifests this kind of love has come to know God through the new birth. Conversely, a christian who had never known or manifested this love has never known God. For a christian who comes to know God, he is changed and transformed by the divine love, so that he himself begins to manifest it to others.

What John said about the manifestation of divine love commences in human experience with the new birth is in harmony with what Peter said:

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:22,23).

Notice that Peter connects the possibility of christians' manifesting the divine love with the fact that they have been born again of the inccorruptible seed of God's Word. In other words, the potentiality of divine love is contained within the divine seed of God's Word implanted in their hearts at the new birth, even before the christians receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

However, God intends for this initial experience of divine love, received at the new birth, to be immeasurably increased and expanded through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. For this reason, Paul said in Romans 5:5

"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (emphasis added).

Notice that the phrase "has been poured out" is in the perfect tense. The use of the perfect tense indicates finality and completeness. In other words, in this one act of baptizing the believer in the Holy Spirit, God has emptied out into the believer's heart all the fullness of the divine love. Nothing has been reserved or held back; all has been poured out. Thereafter the believer does not need to seek more of God's love; he needs only to accept what he has already received within.

On the other hand, if a christian is unable to love others with the love of God, he needs to examine himself whether he has actually baptised in the Holy Spirit or not. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians addresses this problem of believers failing to love others with divine love. The christians in Corinth were baptised in the Holy Spirit, they had spiritual gifts (1 Cor.1:7), but they abused the gifts. They also abused the Lord's Super (1 Cor. 11:27). They had gifts but lacked in fruit - divine love is part of the fruit. They have charisma but without character, so to say.

Examples of manifestation of Divine Love

1. God's Love

"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9).

God gives love first and freely to those who are unlovable, unworthy and even in rebellion. Jesus expressed this divine love in His prayer for those who were crucifying Him.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).

2. Stephen, the first martyr

The same divine love is expressed in the dying prayer of the martyr stephen for those who were stoning him.

"Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (Acts 7:60).

3. The apostle Paul

"I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Romans 9:1 to 3).

Paul's love for his own Jewish brethren was so great that he yearned for their salvation. He would have been willing to forego all the blessings of salvation for himself and return under the curse of unforgiven sin with all its consequences, if this could bring his brethren to Christ!