In the book of Acts there are several accounts of people receiving the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. I would like to share three of these accounts with you, as it will help us understand God's will for us in this regard. It is important that we apply the scriptures to our own lives and not just read them like a history book.
Acts, chapter 8, tells us that when the church in Jerusalem heard that some in Samaria
had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John, “who came down and
prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not yet
fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.” (vs. 15-16) It is interesting
to me that some Christians today assume that when someone makes a profession of
faith in Jesus, and is water baptized, they automatically receive at that moment the infilling of the
Holy Spirit and all that God has for them. That could be true in some cases; however, here is a scripture
that paints a different picture. Verse 17 says that when they (Peter and John)
began laying their hands on these new believers they were receiving the Holy
Spirit. How did Peter and John know that these believers were receiving the
Holy Spirit? Verse 18 tells us that a man named Simon, “saw that the Spirit was
bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands.” In fact, Simon was so
impressed with what he saw that he actually offered the apostles money so that
he could lay hands on people and see the same result. What did he see that so
impressed him? We are not told in this passage exactly what he saw. All we have
to go by is what other passages tell us about what was usually happening when
people were receiving the Holy Spirit. The only evidences that are mentioned in
other passages are that they spoke in tongues, prophesied, and/or glorified
God.
The next passage I would like you to read is Acts, chapter 10, which tells the story of a Gentile man named Cornelius who, along with others in his household who were hearing the gospel, suddenly received the Holy Spirit. How did Peter know that they had received the Holy Spirit? Read verses 44-48. This is amazing! Peter knew that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on these people because he was hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter ordered that these people be baptized in water since God had already baptized them with the Holy Spirit. This was not the usual sequence of events, but God was showing us that we should not try to put Him in a box and expect Him to always do things the way we think He should. It was also showing Peter that God intended salvation for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
The next passage I would like you to read is Acts, chapter 10, which tells the story of a Gentile man named Cornelius who, along with others in his household who were hearing the gospel, suddenly received the Holy Spirit. How did Peter know that they had received the Holy Spirit? Read verses 44-48. This is amazing! Peter knew that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on these people because he was hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter ordered that these people be baptized in water since God had already baptized them with the Holy Spirit. This was not the usual sequence of events, but God was showing us that we should not try to put Him in a box and expect Him to always do things the way we think He should. It was also showing Peter that God intended salvation for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
On seeing what was happening, Peter said, “Surely no one can
refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit
just as we did, can he?” (vs. 47) Notice that Peter says these new believers
were receiving the Holy Spirit just as he and the other disciples did on the
day of Pentecost, and how did they receive? The evidence was that they spoke in
tongues and glorified God.
Another account of believers receiving the Holy Spirit is in
Acts 19:1-6. Paul came to Ephesus and found some disciples. He asked them
whether they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. That question proves
that Paul was not so sure that they had received all that was necessary. It was
very important to him to be sure that they had received the Holy Spirit. He did
not just assume that they had. As it turned out, these disciples had only been
baptized into John’s baptism of repentance. Then Paul told them about Jesus,
they believed and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, “and when Paul
had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began
speaking with tongues and prophesying.” (vs. 6) When believers received the
Holy Spirit we can see that it didn’t always happen in the exact same way for
everyone, but there are some definite similarities for all. There was always
some evidence that a change had taken place. They received gifts of the Holy
Spirit. (See I Cor. 12:4-11)
Is there evidence in your life that the Holy Spirit is filling you? Have you been blessed with any spiritual gifts? Is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life? These are questions we should all be asking ourselves. Let's pray in faith and expect God to give us everything He has for us. He will not override our will, so let's be asking, seeking and knocking. Luke 11:9-13
Steve, I must disagree with you. Jesus paid it all! When He hung on the cross He said, "It is finished!" There is nothing that remains for us to do for salvation or to receive the Holy Spirit other than repent of our sins and believe. Baptism is merely an outward sign of the faith that is already present, and it is that faith that saves us. Abraham was not saved by his circumcision. The circumcision was merely the outward sign of the inward faith he had just like baptism is for us today. Baptism is merely our public profession of the inward faith we already possess.
ReplyDeleteHere are some questions for you. If, as you say, water baptism is necessary "in order to receive forgiveness of sins and to receive the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit,"
1) Why did Jesus promise the man on the cross next to him that he would be with Him in Paradise? This man obviously had no way to be baptized in water before he died.
2) Since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), how does He deal with people who make death bed conversions and are not able to be water baptized?
3) Why did Paul say in I Cor. 1:14-17 "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void." If baptism were necessary for salvation or for receiving the Holy Spirit, I would think Paul would have been anxious to baptize everyone!
4) You say that Cornelius and his family were a special case because they received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized in water, but God is no respecter of persons, so if he did it for them He just might do it for someone else! I think He was teaching us not to put Him in a box and expect that He will always do things the same way every time. I agree with you that He was also proving that salvation was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Water baptism is not required for salvation or for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Dave Hunt puts it very well when he says, "The gospel contains nothing about baptism, church membership or attendance, tithing, sacraments or rituals, diet or clothing. If we add anything to the gospel, we have perverted it and thus come under Paul's anathema in Galatians 1:8, 9." (The Nonnegotiable Gospel, p. 11)