Legacy · Q&A
If the baptism of the Spirit is the only way that anyone can get into the body of Christ, then why do we see instances in the Scriptures where it says things like "the same day there were added unto them (the early believers) about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41), but yet nothing is said about anyone being baptized with the Spirit or speaking with tongues?

Question:
If the baptism of the Spirit is the only way that anyone can get into the body of Christ, then why do we see instances in the Scriptures where it says things like "the same day there were added unto them (the early believers) about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41), but yet nothing is said about anyone being baptized with the Spirit or speaking with tongues?
Answer:
The best way to answer this question is through a common sense scenario comparison. Let's think about someone who is sitting outside of a movie theater watching people go into the theater, and afterward writes about what he observed. Mostly what he would say in his writing would be something like this: "The first fifteen minutes that I sat there, I must have seen a hundred and fifty people file into the theater." But if he were to momentarily focus on a few select people that he saw making their way into the movie, he might say something more like this: "This one particular family that I saw seemed to be really eager to get in. After purchasing their tickets they all moved anxiously ahead, stretching their arms out in front of them toward the ticket taker, as though they might get in just a little bit sooner if they could just reach a little further. After having their tickets taken, they quickly moved ahead in anticipation of getting the best seats possible."
The point is this: If this individual sat outside the theater for thirty minutes watching a multitude go through the lines buying their movie tickets, and having them collected, it's certain that he is not going to describe in specific detail exactly how each person got into the movie theater; though in a few cases he probably would. This is exactly what took place with the writers of the new testament scriptures, particularly Luke in the book of Acts, who wrote about so many events. It is certain that the Scriptures cannot lie, seeing that they are inspired by God. And it is just as certain that the Scriptures inform us that the baptism of the Spirit is the way that we get into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). But it would surely be an exhausting effort, to say the least, for someone to write specifically of how each and every person out of three thousand went about receiving the baptism of the Spirit with the evidence of speaking with tongues. It would also be ridiculously repetitive, like beating a dead horse.
On the other hand, it is quite revealing how that in several instances he did break down the details for us so that we would be assured of the God ordained method by which any and every person becomes a member of the body of Christ (Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:1-19; Acts 10:34-46; Acts 19:1-6). And it is equally revealing how that through these several instances where Luke focused on just how certain people entered God's Congregation, that it lines up perfectly with the Apostle Paul's statement in I Cor. 12:13, regarding how we get into the the body of Christ. This same principal runs true in cases such as the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts ch. 8, the woman Lydia and the Philippian jailor, both in Acts 16, where some details are provided specifically, but it still doesn't mention the baptism of the Spirit or speaking with tongues. Once this experience was given from heaven, it never changed; and it has always been the only way into the body of Christ, regardless of whether or not it is graphically described every time it says that someone believed on the Lord, or was added to the number of His people, or whatever the case might be. See our page on The Witness of Speaking With Other Tongues for a detailed explanation of how the apostles and early elders were well aware of this reality.



