Baptism in the Holy Spirit

A Christian experience understood as empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Many Pentecostal traditions distinguish it from conversion and teach that it may occur afterward.

Holy Spirit: The divine Spirit in Christian theology, associated with God’s presence and action. The experience is understood as the Spirit’s empowering work.
Initiation into Christianity: The rites and experiences by which a person enters Christian life and community. Some traditions treat Spirit baptism as part of initiation rather than a later experience.
Book of Acts: A New Testament narrative of the early Christian movement and its mission. Its accounts of the Spirit’s arrival shape Pentecostal interpretations of the experience.
Pentecostalism: A Christian movement emphasizing the present activity of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. Spirit baptism is a defining teaching in many Pentecostal churches.
Conversion to Christianity: A person's adoption of Christian faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. Some Pentecostal traditions distinguish Spirit baptism from conversion.
Baptismal regeneration: The belief that Christian baptism is a means through which God gives new birth. It locates transformative spiritual reception in water baptism rather than a distinct later experience.
Pentecost: The event in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’s followers in Jerusalem. It is the foundational biblical model for Spirit baptism in Pentecostal teaching.
Charismatic movement: A movement within historic Christian churches that emphasizes contemporary spiritual gifts. Charismatic Christians often affirm Spirit baptism while interpreting its timing and signs differently.
Charism: A spiritual gift understood in Christianity as given by the Holy Spirit for service. Spirit baptism is often discussed alongside gifts attributed to the Spirit.
Cessationism: The view that certain miraculous spiritual gifts ceased or diminished after the apostolic age. It challenges contemporary claims that tongues regularly accompany Spirit baptism.

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Charismatic ChristianityRelated: Different charismatic traditions connect this experience to spiritual gifts and Christian empowerment.