In Acts 2:38, Peter told the Jews who
murdered their Messiah that they needed to repent and be baptized for the
remission of sins. This would be great news for those who had committed such a
great crime – God provided a way that they could be forgiven! There was even
more good news – those who obeyed God would also receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit!
The promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit has been a point
of controversy among brethren. What is this promised gift? Is it the gift of
the Holy Spirit coming to dwell in believers to work in their lives or is it a
gift given by the Spirit, usually understood to be salvation?
Whenever disciples view a passage differently, we are all
faced with two challenges. One is to develop an interpretation that can
consistently incorporate all related passages in the Bible and the other is to
maintain a proper attitude with one another as we all strive to grow in our
understanding of the Scriptures.
One key to accurate Bible interpretation is to attempt to
determine how the original hearers would understand the passage. We must
remember the historical context because Peter was speaking to 1st century Jews, not 21st century Americans. What would the early Jews
think about Peter’s promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Peter had just said the miraculous sign of tongues was
evidence of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy made over 800 years earlier (Acts
2:5-16). The sound of a mighty wind, tongues of fire, and speaking
in tongues were not what God promised, but were signs to prove the promise was
being fulfilled.
The promise began by God saying; “I will pour out of My
Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:17).
Everyone understands this promise is limited in some sense. It does not include
pig flesh, bird flesh, fish flesh, etc., nor does it include the flesh of the
wicked. Those who understand “the gift of the Spirit” to mean a gift from
the Spirit often limit “all flesh” to the initial Jews and Gentiles converted
in Acts 2 and Acts 10. Those who
understand “the gift of the Holy Spirit” to refer to the Spirit Himself
usually understand “all flesh” to be limited to all believers who call
upon the name of the Lord.
Which interpretation is most consistent with the rest of the Scripture? In
the KJV and NKJV, the phrase “all flesh” is used 43 times. The phrase is
often used in an unlimited sense, but even when it is used in a limited sense,
there is not another example anywhere in the Bible where it could refer to only
a small group of people. It is a broad term indicating large numbers are
involved. The interpretation that “all flesh” includes all believers is
supported by Romans 8:9 where Paul wrote, “But you are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Also, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 , Paul asked, “Do you not know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your
own?” Both of these passages
clearly teach that the Holy Spirit is given to all believers, not just a chosen
few.
If all Christians have the Spirit, and if all Christians are the temple of
the Holy Spirit, when did they first receive the Spirit? A consistent
interpretation would be that we received the gift of the Holy Spirit at
baptism, in fulfillment of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on all flesh.
The Jews who heard Peter on the day of Pentecost would also
be familiar with other prophecies of the Spirit. During the 700’s BC, Isaiah foretold
that the Spirit would be poured out on the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2,
42:1, 61:1). Not only was the Spirit to be poured out on the coming Messiah,
the Spirit would also be poured out on His people.
In Isaiah 32:14-15, devastation would
continue in the land, “until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high.”
In Isaiah 44:1-3, God promised Israel,
“I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your
offspring.”
During the 500s B.C., Ezekiel also prophesied of the Spirit
being given to God’s people. In Ezekiel 11:19-20, God
promised Israel, “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit
within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart
of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them;
and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” In Ezekiel
36:26-27, God promised, “I will give you a new heart and put a
new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to
walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” In Ezekiel
39:29, God promised Israel
that after He brought them back from captivity, “I will not hide My face
from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel.”
Around 525 B.C., God spoke through Zechariah, saying, “I
will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem
the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they
pierced.” (Zechariah 12:10).
The Jews in Acts 2 would be familiar
with these prophecies. As a people, they had been waiting centuries for the
Spirit to be poured out on them during the time of the Messiah. After hearing
the words of Peter, they realized their Messiah had come and they were guilty
of murdering Him. When Peter told them if they were baptized for the remission
of sins they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” what would
they think? Would it not be natural for them to understand that God’s promise to
pour out His Spirit on them was now being fulfilled?
Jesus also prophesied of the coming Spirit. He told the
woman at the well, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will
never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain
of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). What kind of water
causes one to never thirst? Jesus explained it further while in Jerusalem
when He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.” John explained what Jesus meant by adding, “But this He
spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John
7:37-39).
The Spirit had been active throughout history since He first
moved over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). The
promise of the Spirit in John 7:37-39 was different from
what had ever been given before. This gift was dependent on Jesus being
glorified. After the glorification of Jesus, the new work of the Spirit is
called the “indwelling of the Spirit.” There is no record of any Old
Testament saint ever receiving this gift.
The new gift of the Spirit was promised to “anyone”
who believes in Jesus after He was glorified. The glorification of Jesus
occurred when He ascended to the Father. Less than two weeks after His
ascension, Peter said Joel’s promise of the Spirit being poured out on “all
flesh” was being fulfilled. He then said that those who are baptized in the
name of Jesus will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What would the Jews in Jerusalem
think? Would it not be natural for them to believe that “anyone” who
believes in Jesus would receive the gift of the Spirit as He was being poured
out on “all flesh” just as the prophets and Jesus promised?
A short time after Pentecost, the apostles were arrested
because they refused to stop teaching about Jesus. Peter told the chief
priests, “we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy
Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Although some attempt to
limit Peter’s statement to include only the apostles, it is consistent with
what he said earlier on Pentecost, that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to
all who obey God by repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins.
The fact that we receive the Spirit at baptism is further
supported by Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 12:13, where Paul wrote, “For by one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether
slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” The
phrases, “we were all” and “all have been” indicate this passage
refers to all Christians instead of a select group. What did Paul mean when he
wrote we “have all been made to drink into one Spirit” when we are
baptized? This is consistent with the promise of Jesus when He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will
flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). The invitation to come to Jesus and
drink the living water refers to “drinking” the Spirit, whom those believing in
Him would receive (John 7:39).
Paul said that all Christians “have all been made to drink into one Spirit”
when they are baptized. When these passages are included with Acts 2:38, they reveal a consistent teaching. We
receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized and “drink into one Spirit,” and at that time experience the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus and drink
of the living water.
This is consistent with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. In
Acts 9:17-18, Ananias told him, “Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you
may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ananias was
sent so two things could happen. By his coming, Saul would receive his sight
and be filled with the Spirit. What happened? Verse 18 says, “Immediately
there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at
once; and he arose and was baptized.” There is an obvious connection in
these two statements. Verse 17 says Saul would receive his sight and be filled
with the Spirit. Verse 18 says he received his sight and was baptized. The
terms “be filled with the Spirit” and “was baptized” can be
interchanged with each other when speaking of the two events that happened to
Saul. This is consistent with Peter’s promise that we receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit when we are baptized.
What could be more natural than for Christians to follow the
pattern established by their Lord when He was baptized? Matthew 3:16
says, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;
and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” Our experiences are not exactly
like our Lord’s, yet the pattern is clear. Jesus was baptized and received the
Spirit to help Him during His remaining time on earth. Now His followers are
baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help them during their
remaining time on earth.
Acts 2 is a pivotal passage. Before Acts
2, the church is coming. After Acts 2, the
church has been established. Before Acts 2, the kingdom
is coming. After Acts 2, the kingdom has arrived. Before
Acts 2, the Spirit is coming. After Acts 2,
Christians have the indwelling of the Spirit.
After Acts 2, we serve in the newness
of the Spirit (Rom.
7:6), walk according to the Spirit (Rom.
8:1), live according to the Spirit (Rom.
8:5), and the Spirit dwells in us (Rom.
8:9). We are led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14),
have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom. 8:23), have joy
in the Spirit (Rom. 14:17), have the power of the Spirit
in our lives (Rom. 15:13), have the guarantee of the
Spirit (1 Cor. 5:5), have communion of the Spirit (2
Cor. 13:14), have the Spirit sent into our hearts (Gal.
4:6), wait for our hope through the Spirit (Gal.5:5),
have fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and are sealed
with the Spirit (Eph. 1:13). We have access to the Father through the Spirit (Eph.
2:18), are a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph.
2:22), are strengthened through the Spirit (Eph. 3:16),
have unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3), are to be filled
with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), have the supply of the
Spirit (Phil. 1:19), have fellowship of the Spirit (Phil.
2:1), worship in the Spirit (Phil. 3:3),
love in the Spirit (Col. 1:8), and have joy of the
Spirit (1 Thess. 1:6). God gives us the Spirit (1
Thess. 4:8), we are renewed by the Spirit (Titus 3:5),
have sanctification in the Spirit (1 Pet. 1:2), are made
alive by the Spirit (1 Pet. 3:18),
pray in the Spirit (Jude 20), and those who cause
divisions do not have the Spirit (Jude 19).
When did all of this begin? There are many passages that reveal the
activity of the Spirit, but only a few speak on when we initially receive the
Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
tells us, “Repent, and let every
one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When the passages before and after Acts 2:38 are considered, the meaning becomes
simple. When we are baptized, we receive the gift of the Spirit, not a gift
from the Spirit. God keeps His promise to give the Spirit to those who obey Him
(Acts 5:32).