The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Paul K. Williams
In an article on the web page of a brother I respect very much, he offers two possibilities for what the gift of the Holy Spirit is in Acts 2:38 where Peter said, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The two possibilities are:
the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift the Holy Spirit gives (viz., salvation) or . . . the gift given is the Holy Spirit Himself (viz., the "ordinary" indwelling of the Spirit, which, in Acts 5:32, is promised to every obedient believer).
I want to explore a third possibility. That is, that the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:32 was the miraculous gift given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles.
The Holy Spirit Himself
That the “gift of the Holy Spirit” is the Holy Spirit Himself rather than the gift given by him becomes most probable because of how the phrase is used in Acts 10:45. “All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” This was the Holy Spirit Himself when Cornelius and his friends were baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is also referred to as a gift in Acts 11:17.
Non-Miraculous Gift Not Found In Acts 2:38 and 5:32
But the idea that there is an ordinary, non-miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit given to all Christians when baptized is simply not found in the texts cited.
Let’s look at the context of Acts 2:38. The Holy Spirit had fallen on the apostles. They spoke in tongues and preached the gospel. When the people asked Peter what they must do, he answered, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
First, Peter did not promise this gift to anyone else. This was a promise to those who heard him. If this promise was given to anyone else, we will have to find that promise somewhere else in the New Testament. He said, “YOU shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” We cannot know from this verse that the Holy Spirit is promised to anyone today when he is baptized.
Second, think of the audience. They had witnessed the miraculous outpouring of the Spirit. When Peter told them, “you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, what do you think they understood him to mean? Right. They expected what the apostles got. And I am convinced they got it!
The Holy Spirit Was Not Given Through Baptism
If we stay with the language of the New Testament it is clear that when one was baptized in New Testament times he did not receive the Holy Spirit through baptism. Two texts make that clear. The first is the account of the conversion of the Samaritans in Acts 8. Here is what Acts 8:14-16 says: “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them 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.” If we take the language as it stands we must admit that the Samaritans did not receive the Holy Spirit when they were baptized. If you say, “They did not receive the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit,” you are not speaking New Testament language. The text says they did not receive the Holy Spirit.
The second text is Acts 19:1-7. We can infer that the reason Paul asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” was that as far as he knew they had not been where any apostle could give them the Holy Spirit, and when men became Christians they did not by the fact of becoming Christians receive the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit only by the laying on of the hands of the apostles. Paul laid his hands on them and “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” Again, the New Testament does not say, “They received the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit.” It says, “the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.”
Acts 5:32
The second verse referred to in the article is Acts 5:32. The author wrote,
“the ‘ordinary’ indwelling of the Spirit, which, in Acts 5:32, is promised to every obedient believer”.
I believe this is a misapplication of Acts 5:32. First, look at the context.
Peter was replying to the Sanhedrin Council who had commanded the apostles “not to continue teaching in this name” (5:28). After boldly replying that “We must obey God rather than men” (v. 29), Peter gave proof that “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus” (v. 30). The last point in his argument was, “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (32); that is, the apostles were testifying to what they had seen, and the Holy Spirit was giving evidence by the miracles which they and the others who had received the Holy Spirit were working.
Second, note what Peter did NOT say. Contrary to what our brother wrote, (“the ‘ordinary’ indwelling of the Spirit, which, in Acts 5:32, is promised to every obedient believer”), the words “ordinary”, “indwelling”, “is promised” and “every” are not found in Acts 5:32. Nor are those words in any way implied.
Peter was not talking about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Why would he instruct the Council about that? He was not talking about a presence of the Holy Spirit which could not be detected in any way. Such a gift gives no evidence for anything.
Peter was talking about evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead. He was talking about the signs which the Holy Spirit whom the apostles received on Pentecost and who was given by the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:17-18) performed. The members of the Council knew what was happening. They knew that Peter and John had healed the lame man (Acts 3). Perhaps they knew about the deaths of Annanias and Sapphira, and certainly they knew about the great healing miracles of Acts 5:12-16. This was the reason the apostles were arrested. The Holy Spirit was witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
There is nothing in Acts 5:32 which promises the Holy Spirit to anyone. It is an historical statement. It is in the past tense. It says, “whom God has given to those who obey Him.” What God was going to do after the time Peter spoke, Peter did not say. Nor is there a promise here for ALL believers. From the rest of the New Testament we can understand that the Holy Spirit was not given to ALL who obeyed Jesus, at least not until an apostle was present to lay hands on the convert. Acts 19:1-7 makes that clear.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit Not Promised Today
Since Acts 2:38 was addressed only to those who heard Peter on Pentecost, and since Acts 5:32 referred to those through whom the Holy Spirit was testifying (working miracles), these verses do not promise the gift of the Holy Spirit to Christians today. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 and other verses show conclusively that the gifts of the Holy Spirit passed away when the New Testament was completely revealed and confirmed. Since Acts 2:38 and 5:32 referred to the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles (speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, etc.), we know that we do not receive that gift today.
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a completely different thing. Paul wrote, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9) The Holy Spirit must dwell in us or we do not belong to Christ.
The explanation of how this is done is found by comparing Ephesians 5:18-19 with Colossians 3:16. Ephesians 5:18-19 say: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”. The parallel passage in Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” We must conclude that to be filled with the Spirit is to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. When Christ’s word controls our lives, the Holy Spirit is controlling us. It is just that simple!
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit actually begins before baptism. The word of God is the seed of the kingdom. When it lodges in one’s heart it begins working and changing that individual. He believes, repents, confesses and is baptized. The word of Christ is richly dwelling within him. As he continues to study and obey and believe and repent, the Holy Spirit is controlling his life. Truly, the Spirit is dwelling within him.
I ask that the reader consider these things carefully. Stick with the words of the New Testament. Be fair with the context. I believe you will also conclude that the gift of the Holy Spirit was for Christians in New Testament times so that the Holy Spirit could witness through them by causing them to speak in tongues, prophesy and work miracles; and that this gift is not for us today. We must be controlled by the word of the Holy Spirit, that He may dwell in us forever.
--P.
O. Box 324, Eshowe 3815, South Africa. paulw@netactive.co.za