In Acts 11:1517 Peter reports how the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius just as on the disciples at Pentecost. There are a number of views regarding this episode that attempt to provide a satisfactory answer. The Disciples' Joy The first is that they "returned to Jerusalem with great joy" ( Luke 24:52 ). A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. In Acts when the disciples were filled with the Spirit, they proclaimed the word boldly (e.g., Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31). Poetical Books And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. General Epistles In other words, John recorded the same event as we find in the first chapter of Acts. the ones who "spoke in other tongues." You need to say the blessing now because youll be in heaven when the Super Bowl is played. A In John 20:17, on Resurrection morning, Jesus had Mary go and tell the disciples He was returning to the Father. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. In sum, there are a number of possible answers to the meaning of this episode. He sent the apostles out to tell people about him and the Word of God. is. Its fulfillment took place on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down in a unique way and empowered the disciples. In summary, we can say that this is a difficult passage. But we have done wrong in limiting Pauls understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit to this initial, subconscious divine act in conversion and then forcing all of Lukes theology in Acts into that little mold. Why did you do it? hence." Prophets The answer is very simple. , I think wed see evidence of that recorded in the Gospels. As a convinced Calvinist, I believe with all my heart that the grace of God precedes and enables saving faith. That night, He appeared to them in the Upper Room and invested them with the Holy Spirit. One day, the apostles were all in one place together. We can receive the Holy Spirit without such a person's help. Other terminology is used in Acts to indicate Spirit baptism, such as "filled". together (Acts 6:2). Neither does this view explain Jesus sending our His disciples with the message of forgiveness of sin. The Bible gives us a clear answer. Indeed, Jesus is later described as a life-giving Spirit by the Apostle Paul. You have. Receive ye the Holy Ghost: It's conspicuous enough to discern what happened here, without need of some broader detail, but we can clearly read here that Jesus Christ breathed on "them": who? In this case, Jesus gave them the power to forgive sins at that moment. At the beginning of time, we were slowly made aware of the reality of God the Father. , which is related to the Hebrew word for, The words, Receive the Holy Spirit need not be understood to mean receive the Holy Spirit, . In your podcast you said they didnt receive the Holy Spirit until the Holy Spirit came upon them in the beginning of Acts. Today, being the seventh Sunday after Easter, we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and the birth of the Christian Church.. . There were about 120 disciples of Jesus gathered in the upper room of a house. with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days He comes to America to find a bride. Indeed, we know that there is another statement of Jesus in the context, which we know was not fulfilled at that time. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and Indeed, Jesus specifically commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until the Day of Pentecost had come. apostles doctrine," Acts 2:42. Those Suddenly, an amazing thing happened. It is argued by some that what the expression means is that Jesus breathed out, like with a great sigh, and then promised them the Holy Spirit. But only then were they baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul can say to the Corinthians, "We were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13). There is also the issue of what the Scripture actually says with respect to Jesus breathing on His disciples. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. When He said, Receive the Holy Spirit, He was promising the disciples the Holy Spirit what they would received on the Day of Pentecost not at that particular moment. But you have less than 24 hours to live. You trust his path for your life. The Gospels It lessened a bit and became obscure with the passing of centuries. Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. The thrust of the passage is that they would now go out and preach His message of forgiveness of sins. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. However, in the Greek language, direct objects are not often stated in the sentence but rather are merely implied. It seems risky to me to say, since it happened this way four times it must happen this way all the time. It is argued that nothing actually happened to them at this time with respect to the reception of the Holy Spirit. First, the word of the gospel is received by faith. Verse Concepts. selected one in the place of Judas, Acts 1:12-23. It is said to the apostles, Acts 1:5, "for John indeed baptized Consequently, this view does not fit the facts. What did the apostles do after receiving the Holy Spirit? What we do know is that they did spread Christianity after the death of Jesus and were committed to spreading the Gospel, even if that meant death. In the very next verse (2), we read the following: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty It is not merely the performance of rituals and sacraments. Leviticus 23:15-16). All those who read this page, who have received the infilling of the Power of the Holy Ghost at least once in their life time will simply believe that each one of them who were gathered there received the same infilling of the Holy Ghost. Consequently, nobody should build any particular doctrine about the work of the Holy Spirit around this passage. Acts 2:1. selection of one in the place of Judas. We must note that this is a difficult question. I also found another article, by Cornelis Bennema (see here), in which the author actually takes the view that John 20:22 is proleptic. Acts 1 tells us that forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended from the Mt. In this Scripture, Jesus spoke to his disciples about his coming arrest, death and resurrection. 1. While he was ministering on earth, he was training his disciples to continue his ministry after his eventual death, resurrection, and ascension. on the disciples after He ascended to heaven. What is this brick with a round back and a stud on the side used for? I sometimes fear that we have so redefined conversion in terms of human decisions and have so removed any necessity of the experience of Gods Spirit, that many people think they are saved when in fact they only have Christian ideas in their head not spiritual power in their heart. This experience, therefore, was unique to Jesus disciples and their particular historical situation and does not serve as a pattern for the lives of present-day believers. Power, boldness, and confidence: Jesus says in Acts 1:5, 8 that baptism in the Spirit means, "You shall receive power . That is clear. Whatever view one eventually embraces it should be held with humility. After he understood and received the gospel, Apollos became a great apologist for the Lord Jesus (verse 28). If the apostles did not personally visit the new Samaritan converts and confirm that they were truly added to the church by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there would likely have been a schism. Once the apostles received the baptism in the Holy Spirit they never asked for more of God, they simply learned to walk in fellowship with God and to renew their minds to what they have already been given. The consequence of faith: The fourth reason we should stress the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit is that in Acts the apostles teach that it is a consequence of faith not a subconscious cause of faith. apostles teaching." and you shall be my witnesses. This is an experience of boldness and confidence and victory over sin. We do not initiate our salvation by believing. They did not gain permanent indwelling then. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. . 14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. Major Prophets I cannot but notice that in However, we know that this was not fulfilled at that moment. If they had received temporary enablement at th. 3. The Word has been heard. The apostles returned to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. I looked online and found an article (see here) which says that at least as early as the sixth century, John 20:22 was seen as proleptic. Historical Books The teaching came from the "apostles," because Indeed, the context clearly seems to teach that they received something. He Breathed on Them and Said, Receive the Holy Spirit(John 20:22), I always thought the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples in, 20 when Jesus breathed on them in v. 22 and said. It could be that there were special circumstances in Jerusalem, Samaria, Corneliuss house, and Ephesus that made speaking in tongues especially helpful in communicating the truth that the Holy Spirit was creating a new unified body of Jew and Samaritan and Gentile. As God breathed into Adam and gave Him physical life, God the Son breathed into His disciples and gave them spiritual life. Indeed, they were specifically told to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them with the power to witness to Jesus Christ and preach forgiveness of sins. Wisdom Literature the ones who were speaking, Acts 2:4 and the ones who were speaking There is no question but that the Apostles received the Spirit at Pentecost. He is author of. Is it safe to publish research papers in cooperation with Russian academics? the apostles who take the lead at the beginning of the Gospel of What Is an Explanation of the Salvation of Zacchaeus? The testimony of acts: In fact, the third reason I think so is that, when you take your concordance and look up every text in Acts where the Holy Spirit works in believers, it is never subconscious. After Christ ascended into Heaven, the disciples returned to the upper room and spent ten days in prayer. It is inevitable that when the object of your hearts worship changes, your obedience changes. This is no different than what Paul said in Romans 8:14, All who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God (see 2 Corinthians 13:5 and 1 John 3:24; 4:1213). Could a subterranean river or aquifer generate enough continuous momentum to power a waterwheel for the purpose of producing electricity? A:According to John's Gospel (John 20:22), the apostles received the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them while they were at a meal on the evening of his resurrection. (275), They call this the scriptural pattern of the doctrine of baptisms.. Christianity is not merely an array of glorious ideas. First, a person receives the Holy Spirit at conversion and then later they are baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. If you wish to ask a question about a given blog, email us your question at The Holy Spirit began permanently indwelling believers at Pentecost. Peter has preached that in Gods plan Jesus was crucified, raised, and exalted as Lord over all the universe and that forgiveness of sin and spiritual renewal can be had from him. . They include the following. When you read the New Testament honestly, you cant help but get the impression of a big difference from a lot of contemporary Christian experience. . Remember Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. And that radical commitment to Christ always involves repentance a turning away from your own self-wrought provisions and paths and powers and promises. How to Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit, John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. You can copy the order of your preferred Bible translations from the Bibles Tab to the Version Picker (this popup) or vice versa. It is easy to imagine a spiritual counselor saying to a new convert today, Dont expect to notice any difference. What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? Another possible way of understanding this passage is that it was Johns description of what actually happened on the Day of Pentecost. "Baptism of the Holy Spirit.". This is not the Holy Spirit baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, which you have in 1 Corinthians 12, but it saysJohn says, "I baptize you in water, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, or in the Holy Ghost.". GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). The New Testament 2. We know from Scripture that the Holy Spirit gave . In two verses later, look what transpires in John 20:22: And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Johannine Writings But one thing is sure: the heart in which the Holy Spirit has been poured out will stop magnifying self and start magnifying God. The Old Testament text says he ascended on the fortieth day, Acts 1:3. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Baptism with the Holy Spirit Question 25. Another view regards this as a temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit until the Day of Pentecost. For another thing, we know by the Lords own words that the time they would receive the Spirit would be after He ascended to heaven: Nevertheless I tell you the truth. Galileans spoke to the men of "Judea," Acts 2:14 and the apostles Is There a Difference between the Holy Spirit Being "in" a Person and Being "upon" a Person? Cookie Notice: In the terminology of Acts we could say, what a powerless Christian needs is a baptism in the Holy Spirit. This episode provides a pattern for all believers. It seems obvious that He breathed out on them.. Would you prayerfully consider a gift of support today? General Epistles "120 Received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4?" GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, (Hebrew/Greek Search by English Definition), * 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order', Search verses, phrases, and topics (e.g. Both sermons show that Jesus was the messiah, and that while he was crucified in ignorance, that ignorance will no longer be overlooked, judgment is coming. The fulfillment did not happen until the Day of Pentecost. Ill take the negative first so I can end with the positive. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). There were no unbaptized Christians after Pentecost. Jesus always knew he had come to die, but he also knew he would minister in Spirit through his people for centuries after his body was gone. Remember that Jesus had said in the upper room, the Spirit of truth. If you want to understand the New Testament you need the same experience that all its writers had. claim the 120 receive the "baptism of the Holy Spirit," but this my Such people will never ask the Father for the Holy Spirit as given in Luke chapter 11 verse 13 and as mentioned in Galatians 3: 27 read in connection with Act 1:5 and 8. Does the Book of Acts Provide Any Pattern for Believers to Receive the Holy Spirit? If. On the tenth day: "Suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. This is an experience of boldness and confidence and victory over sin. After Pentecost, Peter was no longer self-centered and vain. Which ability is most related to insanity: Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence? Who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? :). Poetical Books It is the life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad. Some believe this was Johns description of what happened on the Day of Pentecost. What are the advantages of running a power tool on 240 V vs 120 V? So, if He wanted to do that, Hed do it before His ascension. He seems to have in view the person who feels ostracized without tongues and says (verse 16), Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body. Paul responds, Not everybody speaks in tongues!, For these five reasons I cannot say with the Pentecostals that no Christian has been baptized in the Holy Spirit unless he has spoken in tongues. It was Pentecost 33 C.E., and people had come to Jerusalem from many places to celebrate. Also, immediately before He ascended, the Lord Jesus said, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:5). At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.". That did not happen until Pentecost. Paul finds in Ephesus some disciples of John the Baptist who had never heard of the Holy Spirit. Peter quotes Joel to say that the prophecy was fulfilled that day: 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: Is there a non-empty intersection between the believers at Acts 2:1-4 and the believers at Acts 4:31? The person who prays for us and lays hands upon us merely helps us to receive the Holy Spirit. The apostle John summarizes the situation well when he says, 'Jews do not associate with Samaritans' (John 4:9). I don't subscribe to the idea that the "they" in verse 15 of Acts Chapter 1 is to imply that that is referring to the "hundred and twenty" that is to be interconnected with Acts 2:1. After Jesus' resurrection , he spent time with the apostles and told them that God would send down the Holy Spirit to them just as he had promised. (Acts 2:37). ", In this meeting we have the words, "they," Acts 2:1,2,4, and "them,"" I am aware that in 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul says that baptism in the Spirit is an act of God by which we become a part of the body of Christ at conversion, so that in his terminology all genuine converts have been baptized in the Spirit. The disciples were born-again----- born of the Spirit of Eternal Life (the first helper---- while they walked with Jesus Christ for approximately 4 years before his death. The first time Aaron, the High Priest, set the sacrifice on the altar of the Tabernacle, God sent fire from the Ark of the Covenant to light and consume it, accepting it as holy. I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized in water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit. If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I should withstand God?. 2. Were on a mission to change that. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributed and resting on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance., The next time tongues is mentioned in Acts is when Peter went to preach at Corneliuss house in Acts 10:4446. General Epistles The preceding noun is found in Acts 1:26 and it is The Whole Bible The problem with this view assumes the Holy Spirit can be received in a number of different ways. Believers experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When Peter healed the lame man at the temple and a crowd gathered in amazement, Peter said to them, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? There weren't one-hundred and twenty of them. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. It is interesting to note that what was taught was called "the We could talk for hours about what that experience is. was Peter with the eleven, Acts 2:14. What different powers did the apostles have before and after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit? Your partnership makes all we do possible. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Note: This was to prepare them for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was to soon come in full later. wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. When the people on the day of Pentecost heard the words The article says that George Ladd held that view. Luke records Him saying the following. There were fifty of Scripture. Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave Heartfelt praise and worship is the mark of a real experience of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, some other explanation must be in view. Further, when one reads Acts 1:21 and following, the context is referencing to disciples here, so once you come down to Acts 2, the "they" and "all" there implies that these are the disciples. The apostles receive the Holy Spirit When Jesus returned to his Father in heaven, he told the apostles that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit. disciples, this would mean that there were ten (10) days after he Also: What Is the Meaning of the Broad and Narrow Way in Matthew 7:13-14? In addition, the context of Jesus appearance to them is not their regeneration, but rather Jesus sending them out to proclaim the His message of forgiveness of sins to the lost world. This position sees Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to the disciples in a unique way that would allow them to proclaim forgiveness. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. "apostles." conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy On the face of it, in giving the disciples the Holy Spirit, Jesus is giving the ten apostles (Thomas being absent) the power to forgive sins: Surely the Charismatic renewal has something to teach us here. Today, there is no believer who has not been baptized in the Spirit. When calculating CR, what is the damage per turn for a monster with multiple attacks? John 20:22. So the baptism of the Spirit (verse 16) or the receiving of the gift of the Spirit (verse 17) cannot be the same as the work of God before faith which enables faith (which Luke speaks of in Acts 2:39; 5:31; 16:14; 11:18; 15:10; 14:27).