Baptism

an essay by Chris Lovingood

How to Read This Essay

Water as a Symbol of Cleansing and Purity in the Old Testament

Jesus and Baptism

Baptism in Acts and the Early Church

Baptism in the New Testament Letters

Questions

Appendix: Baptism of Fire and the Holy Spirit

 

 

How To Read This Essay

If you are reading this essay, it probably means you have some interest in baptism.  Possibly, you have already been baptized and want to learn more about this important biblical topic.  Or, maybe you are thinking abut being baptized and want to make a wise decision.  Whatever the case, we hope this essay helps.

As you read, be aware of the following:

• This essay is not intended as a substitute for the Bible.  The essay includes many references to the biblical text.  As you read, have the Bible in one hand and the essay in the other. 

• Baptism involves many different subtopics and we have attempted to address some of those ancillary topics in the footnotes and the appendix.  This additional information is not intended as an exhaustive discussion of the topics but are only intended as guides to a biblical way of thinking about and exploring those related areas.

• Don’t try to read this essay quickly or during a time when there are numerous distractions (like on the metro).  The writing is rather dense and demands an attentive reader.  Read slowly and carefully, making certain you understand each connection being made. 

• Besides reading this essay, we strongly encourage you to talk with Christians from Nivki Church about why they were baptized.  Personal testimony can greatly illuminate the biblical text. 

• As you read, mark sections you like and want to read again.  Anything you have a question about, place a question mark in the margin to remind you of places you were not sure about. 

May God bless you in your journey of faith!

Water as a Symbol of Cleansing and Purity in the Old Testament

Water.  Without it, we die.  It is the most abundant compound on earth and essential for every living being. While essential for life, it also brings much enjoyment: a cool, refreshing drink; a relaxing swim in a placid lake; a bubbling Carpathian spring; the wide, serene expanse of the Black’s Sea horizon.  In water, we sea God’s creative genius, his beauty, his brilliance.

Throughout the Scripture, God has used this amazing substance to teach us about the divine nature.  Water in Genesis serves as an instrument of divine wrath and judgment against a completely corrupt, violent, and merciless society [1] . The dividing of the Red Sea brought liberation to a pursued people [2] .  During the wilderness wanderings on at least two occasions, God provided clean water for Israel as a sign of the Lord’s faithfulness and compassion [3] .

When God covenanted with Israel at Mt. Sinai, water took on new significance.  In order to relate to the Jewish people, God established a group of people (Levites) who would have special responsibilities in the Tent of Meeting, the place where God’s presence resided among the people during their wilderness wandering [4] .  As these priests entered the Tent of Meeting, they were to clean themselves ceremonially by washing with large amounts of water provided in a special basin [5] .  This elaborate cleansing indicated the inner spiritual cleansing God was bringing to the hearts of the people as the priests sacrificed [6] . Temple [7] priests continued this ceremonial cleansing.

Jesus and Baptism

During the Intertestamental period [8] , many scholars believe that this priestly ceremonial washing also became the means by which non-Jewish persons became Jews.  Apparently, the process involved some kind of ablution.  As we see John the Baptist making his way in the Jordan River valley preaching a fiery, almost apocalyptic message, his audience must have been already familiar with ablution as a symbol of the turning of the heart [9] .  John called for repentance, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” [10] .  Many were persuaded by this unusual preacher and were indeed baptized [11] in the Jordan River, the river being used as a place for immersion.  John immersed them, symbolically washing and cleansing their hearts.  Alexander Men’ notes the following of John’s practice:

As the symbol of the entry into the Messianic era, John chose the ordinance of immersion in the waters of the Jordan, the water which from ancient times was considered the frontier of the Holy Land.  Just as water washed the body, repentance cleanses the soul.  When Gentiles joined the Old Testament church, they received the ordinance of Tevila, or washing.  The Prophet required it of the Jews themselves as a sign that they were born into new life.  For this reason, they called John Khamatvil, the Baptist. [12]  

Jesus too came to be baptized by John.  Jesus had nothing to repent of but wanted to align himself with the message John preached and wanted to set an example for his followers.  John initially didn’t want to baptize John, but Jesus told him to “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” [13] .  Jesus insists that his baptism be permitted in order “to fulfill all righteousness,” to let everything that is right be done.  By fully aligning himself with John’s message, Jesus made certain there would be no question as to whose side he was on: John’s radicalism or the religious establishment of the Pharisees.  God also uses Jesus’ baptism to miraculously show the Godhead’s approval of Jesus with the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the voice of God the Father is heard.     

Water baptism was important to Jesus.  He was baptized though he did not “need” to be.  He taught his disciples to baptize others and began to baptize even more than John.  But then as Jesus’ ministry progressed, his attention turns to the Twelve and little is said of baptism.  The post-resurrection Jesus, though, is ready to usher in a new significance to baptism, a significance only foreshadowed by the importance of baptism in John’s and his teaching and practice.  The post-resurrection Jesus’ parting words are recorded by two of the gospel writers.  Matthew, in a Jewish manner, emphasizes the baptism of new disciples before they are taught more of the Master Rabbi’s ways [14] .  The alternative ending of Mark [15] connects baptism to salvation.  Luke does not mention baptism though he emphasizes that the entire story is not finished and that the apostles are to wait in Jerusalem for power [16] .

Baptism in Acts and the Early Church

When the Holy Spirit came with power on Pentecost (30 AD), Peter was unalterably clear in what persons must do to become followers of Jesus.  With echoes of John the Baptist and Jesus’ parting words, Peter exclaims that each person should “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” [17] The crowd understood his words rather clearly and more than 3,000 persons were baptized that day.  These first believers were forgiven of their sins and received the gift of the Holy Spirit as they confessed their faith in Christ through being baptized, a physical sign of an inward change.  The early church was born.  And to use Matthew’s words, 3,000 disciples had been made, they had been baptized in the name of each person of the Trinity, and now needed further instruction [18] .  Early church leaders—following Jesus’ example and instructions—continued teaching the new disciples in the nascent community [19] .

In Acts, baptism is not mentioned again until the Jerusalem church is forced to go underground or leave the city following Stephen’s stoning [20] .  Philip baptizes Samaritans (including Simon [21] ) and the Ethiopian government official [22] .  In both cases, ethnic boundaries are crossed by the gospel; no longer is baptism just for Jews in Jerusalem but disciples of Christ have now been made of Samaritans and a non-Jewish African [23] . In both cases, the persons are baptized immediately following their coming to faith in Jesus.  Philip’s example with the African government official clearly indicates that there was also an understanding that baptism was simply the beginning of being a disciple of Jesus.  Once basic aspects of the Master’s teachings were understood, one could make the decision to become a disciple.  There was no correlation between one being “morally perfect” and being baptized.   There is no delay since the early Christian community understood the close connection between coming to faith and the need to be baptized.  It marked the beginning of the journey.  The notion of delay so prevalent in many modern Christian groups is extrabiblical. 

Saul (or Greek, Paul) was also baptized as soon as he came to faith [24] .  Peter, consistent with his teachings on Pentecost, sees no reason for delaying the baptism of Cornelius and others, and thus Cornelius and others were baptized immediately [25] . Lydia’s baptism is mentioned almost as an incidental [26] which indicates not the insignificance of baptism to the early Christian community but simply that immediacy of baptism was so well understood that there is no reason to repeat this observation at each conversion.  Luke’s narratorial pattern seems to be that when named individuals become disciples, it is clearly mentioned that they are baptized (Simon, the Ethiopian, Saul, Cornelius, Lydia, and Crispus [27] ). When large groups convert, other expressions are used (e.g. “came to faith,” “those appointed to salvation were saved,” etc.) and baptism is generally not mentioned.  This pattern, however, is not followed in each case [28] . 

Even though the Christian movement is in its nascence in Acts, some confusion emerges about baptism: primarily, if a person was baptized under John the Baptist’s baptism, should the person be baptized again?  The issue is addressed in two places—Acts 18:24-28 and Acts 19:1-7.  In both cases, even though the person had been baptized for a good reason under John, since they themselves had not chosen to follow Jesus Christ in baptism, they were encouraged to be re-baptized. 

As the narrative of Acts switches to Paul’s trip to Jerusalem, arrest, and trial, Paul gives two substantial speeches [29] concerning his conversion to Christ.  In the speech to a Jewish audience, he discusses not only his meeting Jesus on the way to Damascus but also the fact that Ananias clearly told Paul to “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his [Jesus’] name” [30] .  Here, baptism is clearly connected to a person coming to faith in Christ and at the same time having their sins forgiven—not because the water of baptism somehow magically, through the physical act, removes sin [31] but because it is at the time of baptism that the person comes to faith in Christ and thus, in that moment, by God’s grace the sins are “washed away.” 

From Acts, we can see a close connection between a person becoming a Christian and being baptized immediately.  However, in the Gospels and Acts, we are not given a substantial discussion of theological reasons as to why converts are baptized.  The reference to one’s sins being washed away is the closest we come to such an explanation.  The New Testament letters, however, offer a much more substantial explanation for the meaning of baptism. 

Baptism and the New Testament Letters

Before analyzing that explanation, a brief note about the nature of New Testament letters may clarify a possible lapse in the New Testament: why doesn’t the New Testament offer a long, comprehensive explanation of the meaning of baptism?  Generally, the letters that compose most of the New Testament were written to address specific problems in churches and don’t usually offer comprehensive theological treatments.  Since the letters are written to Christians, there is no real need to explain the basics of the faith.  Even Hebrews 6:1-3 indicates that baptism is considered something that every disciple learns early on, and there is no need to emphasize it among believers.  However, since baptism is referred to quite often with little explanation in the New Testament it is clear that early believers had been taught about baptism as they first became Christians and did not need advanced written instruction on the matter. 

Six primary references to baptism in the New Testament letters--Romans 6:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:13-15, Galatians 3:26-27, Ephesians 4:5, Colossians 2:11-12, and 1 Peter 3:18-22--establish profound links between coming to faith in Christ, the death of Christ, and baptism. Here are these passages with commentary, but one should read the entire context in the Bible. 

I.  What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We died to sin; how can we live it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

                                                                                                                                                Romans 6:1-4

This passage comes in the middle of Paul’s discourse on how God is bringing salvation to both Jews and Gentiles.  His primary argument is that obeying a law—either the Law of Moses or any other set of moral standards—is insufficient for being made right with God, for human beings are never capable of keeping any set of standards perfectly.  Thus, we all have sinned and are in need of someone to be moral perfection for us. Paul claims repeatedly that Christ is this perfection and we accept Christ through faith.  Through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. 

In Romans 6, he responds to a natural objection to his thesis: if we are truly made right with God through faith in Christ and not through obeying a set of laws, can’t we simply do anything we want in the area of morality?  Can’t we sin more so that God’s grace might increase? [32]   

Paul reminds his readers that every Christian has died to sin and thus will no longer seek to live in sin.  A baptized believer has experienced Christ’s death and simply does not want to live a life of sin.  This death to sin occurrs at one’s baptism.  Thus, Paul establishes a profound link between baptism and the believer’s continued sanctification.  It is in baptism that one’s old, sinful self [33] that is unable to follow the law of Christ dies and a new person is born, a new person who is not completely controlled by the power of sin. Baptism is that central moment in which the believer acknowledges their faith in Christ and participates in his death so that their old self can die, so that a new life might begin. Verses 5-14 of that same chapter continue Paul’s discussion of how we died with Christ so that sin’s power over us could be broken.      

II.  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 

1 Corinthians 1:13-15

   

The Corinthian church had divided her loyalties among a small number of influential teachers, and Paul here argues that our allegiances are not to be devoted to people but to Christ. In trying to persuade the Corinthians not to devote themselves to human beings, Paul reminds them that no one was baptized in his name.  Mentioning baptism in such a complex, vexed problem is important because Paul knew that all the Corinthians had been baptized and that they all knew they had been baptized into Christ’s name.  By reminding them of this moment of importance, he hopes to assuage their animosity toward one another and their divisiveness. As they remember that through being baptized they all became a part of Christ, they will hopefully cease to be divisive and unite.   

Paul, later in this text, claims that he was not sent to baptize but to preach the gospel.  This reality in no way denigrates the place of baptism in the believer’s life.  Paul was the preacher of the message that included baptism. He himself was baptized immediately after coming to faith in Christ.  His letters indicate the importance of baptism.  However, the person who does the actual baptizing is not of significance and Paul clearly understood this truth.  In the Corinth situation, he is simply thankful he baptized so few (which shows he did actually baptize people) so that those who were causing division could not claim that they had been baptized by him as more ammunition for their disruptive arsenal.    

III.  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew not Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.                                                                                                                                            

Galatians 3:26-27

After a rather long discussion of the Law of Moses’ place in Christianity, Paul concludes by asserting that faith in Christ is what now justifies us and the Law served to lead us to Christ.  He reminds his readers that they are all children of God through faith in Christ.  A clothing metaphor is then employed to further amplify this truth. In baptism, all believers are “clothed” with Christ.  Paul emphasizes that baptism—since it is available to all persons no matter their ethnicity, economic status, or gender—makes all believers one in Christ.  In Christianity, the divisions that often divide human beings from one another are taken away.  And every believer’s participation in baptism embodies this unifying and society-changing truth.  Paul’s theological statement about the importance of baptism and its barrier-breaking power is a radical statement for the ancient and modern world.     

IV.  one Lord, one faith, one baptism    

                                                                                                        Ephesians 4:5

This brief mention of baptism serves as a reminder of baptism’s importance.  It is listed among seven ones: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father.  Baptism is so important to the Christian’s life that it is listed among what appears to be cardinal aspects of the Christian faith. Participation in baptism serves as a unifying factor among all believers.  It is an identifying mark for every believer.     

V.  In him you were also circumcised in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

                                                                                                      Colossians 2:11-12

Just as Ephesians 4 points to the unifying power of baptism among the early Christian community, Colossians 2 raises an interesting aspect of the unifying nature of baptism.  Here, baptism—the sign of the new covenant—is compared with circumcision—the sign of the old covenant (the Law of Moses) [34] .  Circumcision was limited to males and thus was not able to be a sign that demonstrated all person’s participation in the covenant; it excluded women.  Baptism, however, is not in any way limited on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or any other distinction. The circumcision of the sinful nature [35] occurs at baptism when the believer is buried with Christ and raised to live a new life.  Notice that the work of removing the sinful nature is not achieved simply by being baptized—as if baptism itself has the power to change us spiritually—but Christ is the one who changes us and crucifies the sinful nature.   And it is the same Christ who places this importance on the physical act of baptism. 

VI.  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.  As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.  For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.  They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.  But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 

                                               1 Peter 3:18-4:6

It’s necessary to quote this passage at length in order to understand Peter’s explanation of what baptism is for the believer.  Peter has been encouraging these early believers to have a Christian response to the persecution many were beginning to face [36] .  Christ’s death is used as an example of how a proper response to persecution led to something wonderful—Christ bringing us to God.  To further elaborate why Christians should respond appropriately to persecution, he notes Noah’s building of the ark and how Noah was mocked [37] (just like these early Christians were being mocked and persecuted).  Noah, though, was “saved through water” from the persecution.  The flood destroyed those who had been mocking him. 

Peter then connects baptism to the flood and claims that the water of the flood was a symbol for baptism which now saves us.  But baptism does not save us from people who persecute us; it saves us from an even greater threat—our own sinful selves.  By our participating in baptism, we “suffer in the body” via Christ’s suffering and are “done with sin.”  And since we have suffered in the body through baptism, we seek to live our lives for the will of God rather than our own evil human desires [38] .

But Peter is very quick to point out that baptism is not some kind of magic.  The actual water of baptism has no power.  It’s the “pledge of a good conscience toward God”—the faith of the believer—which is empowered by the “resurrection of Jesus Christ.” In other words, simply being immersed in water has no power.  But the resurrected Christ enabling the believer to respond to God in faith gives baptism its power and importance. 

Echoing Paul’s sentiments in Romans 6, Peter’s somewhat complicated Noah-and-the-flood analogy further illuminates the importance of the believer’s on-going struggle to live life for God. 

Common Questions

Should I be baptized again if I were baptized as an infant or small child?

The decision to be baptized is very personal, but, by its nature, involves a community of believers since it is an announcement to the community of faith that you want to become a part of them. 

The Bible requires that a person have faith when they are baptized and that they be fully immersed (to emphasize the participation in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection).  If one was baptized as an infant, probably one didn’t have personal faith nor could one be immersed. 

By being baptized as an adult, it does not invalidate one’s baptism as an infant.  When parents or grandparents decided to baptize an infant, they did so because they wanted them to have faith in God and that’s what they believed to be the right thing to do.  Being baptized as an adult is simply a continuation of their desire for their child or grandchild to have faith.  Being baptized as an adult does not invalidate their act of love; it simply completes it. 

Does it matter who baptizes me?

The Bible does not say who should baptize.  Everyone who baptized someone in the Bible was a believer, so it seems reasonable that believers should baptize new believers. Often people ask someone who helped them come to faith to baptize them.

Does it matter where I am baptized?

The Bible also does not say where we should be baptized.  The only inference we can make is that we need enough water for immersion. It can be a river, lake, sea, or even a bathtub.

I don’t feel like I am ready or good enough to be baptized. 

Most every person who has been baptized probably thought this.  For some reason, most of us feel that we should try to clean up our lives before we come to God.  It is true that we must decide—before we are baptized—that we will no longer live in a wrong way and will pledge to live in a right way, in Jesus’ way.  On the other hand, though, baptism is simply the beginning of our walk with God.  It is not saying to the world that we are perfect; it is the opposite.  Being baptized says to the world that we know we are not perfect, that we are filled with sin and our condition is so bad that the only way out is death—participation in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. As we discussed earlier, there was no delay in the New Testament between a person coming to faith and being baptized [39] .   

Sometimes people feel they won’t be able to live the right way after they are baptized so they wait until they feel like they are ready to live a Christian life.  Unfortunately, this idea too has reversed the order.  By dying to our old selves in baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, God gives us supernatural strength to follow him, a presence we did not have before we were baptized.  God will thus help us live our lives for him in a way that we can’t in our own strength.  On our own, we will never be able to live our lives for him.  Only following our death to sin and his indwelling presence entering our lives will we be able to follow him.  But even then, it does not mean we will follow him perfectly.  Paul struggled with sin (Romans 7) and so will we. 

Conclusion

This essay has been an honest attempt to survey what the entire Bible teaches about baptism.  The decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ by being baptized into his death, burial, and resurrection so that you can live a new life is the most important decision you can make.  But it’s not always easy to decide to be baptized.  Sometimes our families are against it; other times our friends will think we are joining some kind of sect.  We often think we won’t be capable of living the right way after we are baptized so we should wait till we are ready.  Every person must make their own decision.  We encourage you to study the Bible for yourself and weigh carefully what it says.

We hope that we as a family of faith can help you through these struggles and questions.  We want to love you in every way we can.  Most of all, we want the very best life possible for you.  And we believe the best life is the life from Jesus Christ.  And baptism is the moment of our surrender to that new life. 

Appendix:  Baptism of Fire and the Holy Spirit

Following his baptism [40] , Jesus quickly attracted disciples and instructed them in baptizing [41] and soon his following was larger than John’s.  Whenever questioned, John insisted he was only a forerunner.  With resolution, John assured his followers that his baptism was only of repentance [42] and that one would come after him who would bring a baptism with the Holy Spirit and of fire [43] . 

The gospel writers never fully explain what John meant by Jesus’ baptizing with fire and with the Holy Spirit.  Some believe that on the Acts 2 Pentecost, tongues of fire descending on the 120 gathered in the upper room is a baptism of fire and the water baptism to follow is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, for Peter claims that all those who are immersed will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [44] (such a promise of the Holy Spirit had never been made to a group outside the Twelve [45] ). Some claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs not only with the Pentecost baptism (the tongues of fire) but also the Holy Spirit baptism of Cornelius and his household in Acts 10.  Peter’s Acts 11 recounting of the story to explain his acceptance of non-Jewish believers to Jewish believers indicates that he understood the event to be a fulfillment of Jesus’ statement that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  This statement [46] is our closest explanation of what John the Baptist’s words mean (that Jesus will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit).  Possibly baptism with fire and with the Holy Spirit is the same event, occurring on Pentecost and with Cornelius and his household.  Pentecost miraculously demonstrated God’s acceptance of the Jewish people through Jesus Christ.  Cornelius’ “baptism” indicates clearly that God now accepts non-Jewish persons.  Only after Peter saw very clearly that God accepted Gentiles would he allow them to be baptized.  This baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire catapulted Christianity from a sect of Judaism to a way of life for all peoples, the very thing Jesus desired. [47]

However, Scripture never indicates that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and of fire was intended as a normative experience for all believers.  The supernatural experiences on Pentecost and with Cornelius (whether or not they are considered the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire) were divine instruments of breaking the almost insurmountable prejudice between Jews and non-Jews.  After Cornelius, there is no other reference to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire.  However, water baptism does continue to be practiced and further elaborated upon in the letters.  It’s also important to note that neither group (at Pentecost or with Cornelius) prayed for this experience nor was this practice ever advocated as something believers should try to experience [48] .  It was entirely a sovereign act of God. 

It is taught in some churches that unless one experiences “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” (which is generally equated with speaking in unknown tongues or languages) one has not actually been saved.  Peter clearly understood though that the baptism for Cornelius was a sign that Gentiles were accepted by God and that truth was the significance of that event.  None of the other conversion stories record the persons experiencing a baptism associated with speaking in tongues (sometimes called the “baptism of the Holy Spirit, a misnomer since water baptism is the time when Peter says we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit), but it is clearly affirmed that they have been saved.  This noticeable omission is much different than the omission of water baptism in some of the conversion stories.  The difference rests in that in about half the conversion stories, water baptism is mentioned.  Baptism associated with speaking in tongues is only clearly identified in the unique situation with Cornelius. Acts 8:9-25 is sometimes cited as an example of baptism connected to speaking in tongues but there the apostles are clearly the only persons who can pass along the “gift of the Holy Spirit”—since they must actually lay their hands on the persons in order for them to receive it--and it involves “signs and miracles,” not simply the tongues of Cornelius.  A similar situation occurs in Acts 19:6 when Paul places his hands on a group of people in order for them to receive this miraculous aspect of the Holy Spirit.  1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6  shows that Timothy had a similar experience but we are never told that Timothy could pass that gift on to others.  Since Paul’s remark is addressed only to Timothy, most likely this kind of gifting was unique among the early Christian community.  It is believed that this temporary measure was granted by God to ensure the spread of Christianity during the early, formative years and eventually ceased once the apostles died.