John Calvin Commentary Acts 11:16

"And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit." — Acts 11:16 (ASV)

I remembered the word of the Lord. We have already explained sufficiently in the first chapter that when Christ spoke those words, he was not making a comparison between two baptisms. Instead, he intended to declare what difference there was between himself and John (Acts 1:5).

For, just as we distinguish the sign from its truth, so it is good to distinguish the minister from the author, lest mortal man claim what is proper to God. Man has the sign in his hand; it is Christ alone who waters and regenerates.

For it matters greatly where men’s minds are directed in seeking the graces of God, because they will not receive a single drop without Christ. Therefore, this is the general difference between Christ and all the ministers of the Church: they give the external sign of water, but he fulfills and performs the effect of the sign by the power of his Spirit.

The readers needed to be reminded of this again in this place, because many falsely infer that John’s baptism and ours are not the same, while Christ, claiming the Spirit for himself, leaves nothing for John except water alone.

But if anyone, trusting in this testimony, makes baptism a cold spectacle and void of all grace of the Spirit, he will also be greatly deceived. For Holy Scripture usually speaks in two ways about the sacraments. Because Christ is not unfaithful in his promises, he does not allow what he institutes to be in vain; yet, when Scripture attributes to baptism the strength to wash and regenerate, it ascribes all this to Christ and only teaches what he works by his Spirit through the hand of man and the visible sign.

When Christ is thus joined with the minister, and the efficacy of the Spirit with the sign, as much is attributed to the sacraments as is necessary (Titus 3:5). However, that union must not be confused, so that men’s minds, being drawn from mortal and frail things, things similar to themselves, and from the elements of the world, may learn to seek salvation from Christ and to look to the power of his Spirit alone. This is because whoever turns aside even a little from the Spirit to the signs misses the mark of faith, and he is a sacrilegious person who takes even an inch of Christ’s praise to adorn man with it.

And we must also remember that Christ included under the word Spirit not only the gift of tongues and similar things, but the entire grace of our renewing. But because these gifts were an excellent demonstration of Christ’s power, this statement may well be applied to them. I will make this clearer: since Christ bestowed upon the apostles the visible graces of the Spirit, he plainly declared that the Spirit was in his hand. By this means, he testified that he is the sole author of purity, righteousness, and of the entire regeneration. And Peter applies this to his purpose in this way: since Christ went before, carrying with him the power of baptism, it was fitting for Peter to follow with the addition, that is, the outward sign of water.