Gospel of John [Joh 16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 23. Act 8:14-20; 10:44, 46: 19:1-6.

Title: Gospel of John [Joh 16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 23. Act 8:14-20; 10:44, 46: 19:1-6.

 

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit indwells everyone who is regenerated forever.

 

Misapplied passages:

A. In the OT the Spirit did not indwell anyone, but He did fill some of them temporarily. He could be lost, 1Sa 16:14; Psa 51:11.

 

B. Christ instructed His immediate followers to ask for the Spirit. This was only available during His ministry on earth, Luk 11:13.

 

This blessing was available to any of Christ's immediate followers during His life on earth.

 

C. The apostles in the early Church prayed for others to receive the Spirit. The Spirit was given after the apostles laid their hands on them, Act 8:14-20.

 

Act 8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,

 

This simply states that the gospel was being preached in Samaria.

 

Act 8:15 who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

 

Act 8:16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

Act 8:17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

 

From this it has been falsely inferred that receiving the Holy Spirit is a work subsequent to salvation and requiring the laying on of hands.

 

The Samaritans who did not recognize the temple at Jerusalem, needed to recognize the authority of the church at that place, which only possessed such authority during the very early Church. Submission to the laying on of the apostles' hands thus healed the breach between those Samaritans and the Christian Jews, and identified the former with the Jerusalem church.

 

In the very beginning of the Church, it was important that the gospel be closely identified with the apostles and not false teachers.

 

The growing Church began to be a nesting ground for lustful, prideful people who desired only wealth and power. This was true after the apostles, but by then the foundation of the Church was firmly established and the canon of scripture was fully recorded. Now, false teachers can be identified directly from the word of God.

 

Act 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

 

Act 8:19 saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

 

Act 8:20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

 

The apostles were a foundation of the Church and in Samaria the gospel was identified with them as opposed to charlatans like this Simon.

 

D. The all encompassing ministry to the Gentiles began in Act 10 when the Holy Spirit indwelt at the moment of faith in the gospel, Act 10:44.

 

It was made plain to Peter that the working of the Spirit from this time on was not conditioned upon any special act on his part, but only on faith in Christ.

 

Act 10:34 "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,

 

Act 10:35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him.

 

Act 10:36 "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) — 

 

Act 10:37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

 

Act 10:38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.

 

Act 10:39 "And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

 

Act 10:40 "God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible,

 

Act 10:41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

 

Act 10:42 "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

 

Act 10:43 "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."

 

Act 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

 

Act 10:45 And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also.

 

E. In the early Church the filling of the Spirit was often directly accompanied by speaking in tongues, Act 10:46.

 

Act 10:46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,

 

Act 10:47 "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

 

Act 10:48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

 

When they spoke in tongues it was a clear revelation to Peter that they, Gentiles, had received the Holy Spirit through faith.

 

They are Gentiles and so this became a huge realization to Peter and to the rest of the Church, which at this time consists almost totally of Jews, that salvation and the Spirit of God had come to the Gentiles through nothing more than faith in the common grace gospel.

 

It is apparent that speaking in tongues was by no means a test of either salvation or spirituality in the early church. Its presence in genuine form was a testimony to the reality of salvation, but it was not indispensable, and was, in fact, rare, being mentioned only three times in Acts and once in Corinthians.

 

F. Heeding the message of John the Baptist and receiving his baptism did not save anyone. John was sent to prepare Israel for the coming Messiah and the true gospel through Him, Act 19:1-6.

 

The problem of Act 19:1-6 yields to a careful study of the context and an accurate translation of the text.

 

Act 19:1 And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some disciples,

 

Act 19:2 and he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

 

Act 19:3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism."

 

Act 19:4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

 

Act 19:5 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

Act 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

 

These disciples at Ephesus were followers of John the Baptist and had not yet come into contact with the gospel of grace. For a full understanding of this, first we must quickly look at what John's baptism was for and what he preached.