Discussions about the baptism of the Holy Spirit often spark conflict. This confusion is partly due to spiritual opposition—the “prince of the air” seeking to block God’s children from accessing this gift.
The Dual Metaphor: The Well and the River
Jesus addressed the nature of spiritual rebirth and gifting in two primary passages, which at first glance may appear contradictory but actually describe two separate spiritual experiences.
1. The Gift of Salvation (The Well)
In John 4:10–14, during His encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus offers the “gift of God,” characterized as “living water.”
“But the water that I give him shall be in him a well of water springing into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
This “well” represents the internal work of salvation—a self-contained source of eternal life that satisfies the individual’s spiritual thirst.
2. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (The River)
Conversely, in John 7:37–39, during the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus offers a more expansive promise:
“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38).
The Apostle John clarifies parenthetically in verse 39 that Jesus “spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.”
The Distinction: There is no contradiction here, but rather a distinction in volume and purpose. While both gifts involve the Holy Spirit (symbolized by water), the “well” represents the limitation of personal sustenance (salvation), whereas the “river” represents an endless, overflowing capacity intended for outward manifestation and ministry.
How do we receive these gifts that God has for us? Jesus appeared to understand this confusion we would have about receiving his gift. He responds in the 11th chapter of Luke’s gospel in the midst of teaching on prayer: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Vs. 13)[KJV]
The Gift of Tongues
Significant controversy surrounds the manifestation of “speaking in tongues.” This highly visible gift is often dismissed by those who haven’t experienced it and overemphasized by those who have. Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church address this very imbalance, reminding us that every gift is intended to bless the corporate church.
Paul’s discussions of the gifts of the spirit begin in Chapter 12 of the first Corinthian letter. He says he wants the church to understand the realities of those gifts. He discusses in detail the differences in administration of the gifts, how the church as a whole (metaphorically described as the ‘body of Christ’) needs the different gifts not only the manifestation gifts but also the gifts given as offices in the church i.e. pastors, prophets, etc. Barclay’s translation of verse 7 reads, “The visible effect which the Spirit produces in each of us is designed for the common good”. In other words, by whatever means the Spirit manifests himself, it is for the good of all.
God is sovereign and He will make himself known by His power working in the earth i.e. the Holy Spirit in whatever ways he see fit. The spirit world is not limited by time or space so the manifestation of the Spirit as exhibited in biblical times cannot be limited or relegated to those times. We must expect that as God lives, and more importantly, lives in us, His spirit will manifest himself in ways we have seen written in the word and in ways unimaginable.
Ultimately, Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that without Agape (unconditional love), these gifts lose their relevance. Love is the “string” that ties everything together—it is the primary evidence of the “well of living water” within us.
