OK. The first thing to settle is the difference between the receiving of the Holy Spirit
INTO a man as occurred in John 20:22, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit
UPON a man for power to do God's work as in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. In John 20:30-31 we see the purpose of the gospel of John - that is, to get the divine LIFE of God
INTO man so that he can (i) be the son of God, (ii) be a heavenly being, (iii) be in the image and likeness of God. But this man also has duties for God, from preaching the gospel in dangerous areas, to casting out of demons and healing the sick. For this he needs POWER. And this is why the same Holy Spirit is
UPON men. The man is
INFUSED with the Holy Spirit to partake of the
divine LIFE, and the man is
FURNISHED (lit. Gk.) with the Holy Spirit
for POWER to serve. John 7:39 said that the Spirit that men would receive for LIFE was only given after Christ's resurrection, which came to pass in John 20:22 once Christ was raised. But the Spirit for POWER was given to the Old Testament prophets, Samson and even Balaam's donkey to speak in a tongue. But none of these possessed the divine LIFE. When Balaam's donkey had finished speaking in a foreign tongue (to donkeys), he was still a donkey. John Baptist had the Holy Spirit UPON him, and was the greatest man born to a woman. But he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He sent HIS disciples to ask Jesus. John Baptist has the Holy Spirit UPON him, but not IN him. He was not "born again". He was "born of a woman".
The second thing to settle is that throughout this explanation, when I use the phrase or concept of the "Kingdom of Heaven", I mean a Kingdom with heavenly rules, BUT SET UP ON EARTH like Daniel 2:44. It is "the Kingdom (out) OF Heaven" - NOT "the Kingdom IN Heaven".
With that settled, we turn to your understanding of Mark 16:16. And we (hopefully) agree that there are no scriptures that say a man is saved by the Immersion of the Holy Spirit. A man is "saved" in five ways:
- He must have His sins taken by another, and worthy substitute. He is thus "saved" from God's righteous retribution, or "Gehenna"
- He must be INFUSED with God's Life to be in the image of God. He is saved from failing to fulfill God's purpose of Genesis 1:26-28
- He must be saved from his own fallen human nature. This is by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit (2nd Cor.3:18)
- He must be saved from death and corruption of his body. He is "saved" in this by resurrection
- He must be restored to his former post of ruler and subduer of the earth, sea and sky. That is, he must be part of God's active Kingdom. In Matthew 19:25, Mark 10:26 and Luke 18:26 not being allowed this privilege was counted as not being "saved"
Now, if we see the part played by the Holy Spirit in these five "salvations" NOT ONE OF THEM IS BY THE OUTWARD FURNISHING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - or, if you will, the IMMERSION into the Holy Spirit.
- Number 1 is achieved by the blood of Jesus Christ
- Number 2 is achieved by the INWARD receiving of the Holy Spirit
- Number 3 is achieved by the INWARD changing work of the Holy Spirit
- Number 4 is achieved by the Holy Spirit, but by an action SEPARATE and INDEPENDENT from the man
- Number 5 is achieved by a combination of man's cooperation and the INWARD presence of the Holy Spirit
Not one of the salvations of a Christian depend on the FURNISHING of the Holy Spirit. That is given to men to achieve GOD'S GOALS.
Added to this, if we return to point number 5, we discover an interesting fact. Abraham was promised a Land with borders. This Promise was extended to his "seed" and made a COVENANT. But because of God's original councils, this Promise is extended, in Romans 4:13, to the WHOLE EARTH. And the condition of the Covenant of Promise was circumcision. Any "seed" of Abraham who refused circumcision, was not to partake of this Kingdom (Gen.17:14). Circumcision did not make a man son of Abraham. It made him, who was already a son, eligible for the kingdom of Israel.
Now, Galatians 3 and Ephesians 1 & 2 both build a case that the Christian, even if he is not an Israelite, can be SEED OF ABRAHAM. In Ephesians 1 & 2 we become HEIRS by "adoption" (in Chapter 1) and by being integrated into the "commonwealth❊" in Chapter 2. And in Galatians 3 we become SEED of Abraham by being IN CHRIST - Who is Seed of Abraham (verse 29). So, if we are seed of Abraham by every possible organic and legal way, we need circumcision for the coming ownership of the WHOLE EARTH (Rom.4:13).
But the circumcision made by hands might be good enough for Canaan - an earthly kingdom, but it is not good enough for a heavenly Kingdom. According to 1st Corinthians 15:50, the bodies of men, whether circumcised or not, are unfit for the coming Kingdom. It needs to die and be resurrected. The combination of flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. For Canaan, a bit of the flesh must be cut off. But for the Kingdom of Heaven, when Christ sets it up on earth, the WHOLE BODY MUST BE CUT OFF. But God also needs our bodies for the Church (1st Cor.6:15), so like Abraham, He gives a "sign" of the Body having been cut off (Rom.4:11). But what "sign" will replace circumcision?
- In Colossians 2:10-12 it states it plainly - Baptism
- In Matthew 20:22-23, in context of the Kingdom, our Lord Jesus says that His death is a "Baptism"! And not only would He be Baptized with this Baptism, but so would the DISCIPLES. And the "sign" that death is JONAH who was IMMERSED IN WATER. That is, the NEW "SIGN" for the cutting off of the flesh for the Kingdom is NOW IMMERSION IN WATER.
Now, you might be being confronted with this for the first time, and my explanation is very brief (long posts are not read). So take your time to read this - and then read it again. WATER IMMERSION IS A "SIGN" THAT YOU ENTER COVENANT WITH GOD FOR EARTH! Water immersion is so that you are not cut off from the People who inherit the Kingdom on EARTH. It is is the prerequisite for being a "subduer and ruler" of this earth. In point number 5 above, if you enter the Kingdom you are "saved". It is only one of five points, but it is a vital point in the complete salvation of a man.
Water Baptism allows you to ENTER the Kingdom. This is what John 3:5 is getting at. Thus, Mark 16:16 is perfectly harmonious with WATER IMMERSION. But Mark 16:16 with immersion into the Holy Spirit is neither supported by scripture, nor has it any purpose in being SAVED.
Take your time.
❊ A "Commonwealth" is not being a citizen. A Commonwealth is the way a central government deals equally with its citizens and foreigners who belong to it. Great Britain has a number of Commonwealth countries, like Canada and Australia. An Australian or a Canadian are NOT citizens of Great Britain, but they enjoy a combining of resources. So also the Christian. He is not a Israeli, but in the matter of the Covenant of Promise, he enjoys equality. He would have had to be part of the other Covenant - that of Law too, but our Lord Jesus nailed that to the cross in death and abolished it for the men of the Commonwealth.