Pentecostal teaching has commonly maintained that the outward sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. There are many cases where being filled with the Holy Spirit did not result in speaking in tongues. When Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, she spoke a word of blessing to Mary. (Luke 1:41-45) When Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied. (Luke 1:67-69) Other results of being filled with the Holy Spirit were powerful preaching of the gospel (Acts 4:31), wisdom and Christian maturity and sound judgment (Acts 6:3) powerful preaching and testimony when on trial (Acts 4:8) a vision of heaven (Acts 7:55) and faith and maturity of life (Acts 11:24). Therefore, while an experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit may result in the gift of speaking in tongues, or in the use of some other gifts that had not previously been expereinced, it also may come without the gift of speaking in tongues. In fact, many Christians throughout history have experienced powerful infillings of the Holy Spirit that have not been accompanied by speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit “apportions each one individually as he wills.” (1 Cor. 12:11)
The disciples at Pentecost received this remarkable new empowering from the Holy Spirit because they were living at the time of the transition between the old covenant work of the Holy Spir t and the new covenant work of the Holy Spirit. Though it was a “second expereince of the Holy Spirit, coming as it did long after their conversion, it is not to be taken as a pattern for us, for we are not living at a time of transition in the work of the Holy Spirit. We are in the same position as those who became Christians in the church at Corinth: when we become Christians, we are all “baptized in one Spirit into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). The disciples’ baptism in the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues happened because they were living at a unique point in history. This event in their lives is therefore not a pattern that we are to seem to imitate. Nowhere do we hear of the risen Lord Jesus speaking to the troubled and weak churches in Rev 2-3, “Ask me to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the two-level or two-class Christian structure taught by different groups does not have a solid foundation in the New Testament itself.
This being said, we may expect that at many times, as a Christian is sincere in the steps of confessing all sins, repenting of any remaining sin in their lives, trusting Christ to forgive those sins, committing every area of their lives to the Lord’s service, yeilding to Him, and believing that Christ is going to empower them in a new way and equip them with new gifts more ministry, the Holy Spirit will graceously bring a measure of the additional fullness and empowering that sincere Christians are seeking, even though their theological understanding and vocabulary may be imperfect in asking. Eph. 5:18 infers that we should be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, and that this will result in renewed worship and thanksgiving (Eph. 5:19-20). There is nothing wrong with teaching people to pray and to seek this greater infilling of the Holy Spirit, or to expect and ask the Lord for an outpouring of more spiritual gifts in their lives for the benefit of the body of Christ. However, speaking in tongues is not the only evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit; therefore, it is not an element of salvation.
Ref: Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem, 1994
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