Standing In The Sandals of The Author The Holy Spirit Some issues which create confusion on the subject of the Holy Spirit. 1. In Acts 1: 1-9. Luke tells us that Jesus promised the apostles, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit to be able to preach and teach the gospel. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen. He told them to go into Jerusalem and they would receive this power (promise) to begin preaching concerning the remission of sins Lk, 24: 47. John 14:16. 2. This power was given to the apostles as Jesus promised in John 14. This promise was not to all disciples. It was to His apostles whom he had chosen. To them He said,...wait for the promise of the Father 'which' He said, you have heard from me; They heard this promise in John 14. In Acts 1 we see Jesus instructing His apostles to go into Jerusalem to wait for the promise. To whom did he make this promise? NOT us. If so, when do we purchase our tickets to Jerusalem and how long do we wait? Please remember the rules of bible study. Who is speaking, to whom and, what is the subject? If we don't keep this in mind we will NEVER understand the bible properly. 3. In verse 2 when Jesus had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen : and says in verse 8, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. We need to be good bible students and not read into the scriptures what is not there. 4. In Acts 2 we see the apostles in one place. That place was the Temple in Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost there were thousands of Jews gathered to celebrate the end of The Feast of Weeks which ended the previous day, the Sabbath, the 49 th day of this process. The word Pentecost means 50 th day. The apostles now receive the promise Jesus spoke of at his ascension. They began to speak in tongues, that is they spoke in any language or dialect necessary to proclaim the gospel to the crowd gathered there. It was part of the promise that they would be witnesses of the wonderful works of God, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 5. Peter and the rest of the apostles tell the crowd they had crucified the very one promised in the scriptures who was sent to save them. Acts 2:23,24. Then in verse 30 they declare Christ was a prophet and was sitting on the throne in heaven at God's right hand and proclaims we are all witnesses. Jesus said they, the apostles, would be witnesses. They were witnesses because they witnessed Him. They saw Him, they knew him. We, nor anyone since his resurrection can be a witness of Christ. 6. In verse 33 the apostles announce, Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and here. The mission of the Holy Spirit was to provide the words spoken by the apostles to prove Jesus Christ was The Messiah with many wonders and signs done by the apostles. V 43.
7. Now in verse 37 there was a response from the crowd to the words brought by the Holy Spirit and spoken through the mouths of the apostles. what shall we do? They woke up to the fact they had indeed killed the very King they were waiting for. These thousands of people gathered in the Temple were children of God living under The Law of Moses. This event marked the beginning of the New Covenant and the last days, Verse 17 of the old law. 8. Peter and the apostles responded by speaking words they were instructed to speak by repeating the very command given them by Jesus in Mark 16:16 as he sent them into Jerusalem to wait. And He said to them 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned. The apostles told the multitude exactly what they were told to tell them, repent and let everyone 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, for the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. Much confusion has been associated with this passage due to a lack of understanding of the grammar and syntax. 9. Let's clear up one very important issue. Many teach that Acts 2:38 promises that all who are afar off means that as far as time goes converts will receive the gift of the holy spirit. What does that expression actually mean? When Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, made up of Gentiles, he used a term common in the Koine dialect of Greek and understood by all Greek speakers of the day. The term afar off there does NOT mean down the road forever and ever. It was a colloquial expression meaning, Gentile. Or, one who was not a Jew. See Ephesians 2:11-17. Remember that the promise of God under the gospel was that there would be no Jew, no Gentile, no male nor female, no bond and no free that would be privileged in the process of salvation. The last part of the verse is speaking of as many as The Lord our God shall call, or all who respond to the words of the gospel. 10. As to the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must separate the promise Jesus made to his apostles from this expression in Acts 2:38. Jesus promised the comforter or helper to his apostles. The purpose of that promise was the Holy Spirit would, as Jesus told them teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26. That promise was NOT to us. It had nothing to do with the salvation of the apostles, but was to make possible the pure gospel reaching those to whom they were to preach. Luke spoke of this promise in Acts 1:4 when he wrote And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father which he said you have heard from me In Acts 2 the gospel promise of salvation was to the Jews and the Gentiles, in other words, to all men. The apostles were already disciples, saved men, Christians. 11. The gift of the Holy Spirit promised to all men is the promise of salvation. What was it that Jesus said he promised the apostles? It was the ability to remember all things He had taught them and to be able to teach things they were yet to know. They would have the unique ability to convey the good news to all men by the promise of this special power. 12. Words. The Holy Spirit's mission was to bring words to the apostles. Words they would remember and preach to all men in any language, i.e., tongues. Words that would produce the remission of sins. These words, known as the gospel was the mystery Paul wrote of in Ephesians 3:4 whereby when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.
13. When God sent Peter to the house of Cornelius, God taught Peter and his Jewish companions a special lesson. In Acts 10:34 Peter tells us that he did indeed get the message; Then Peter opened his mouth and said, In a truth I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Peter went to the house of Cornelius and preached the gospel to him and his family. Later, Peter gives an account of his encounter. In the 11 th chapter he rehearses this event and says of the conversation with Cornelius that Cornelius was told by the angel Peter would tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved. We know from chapters 10 and 11 that Cornelius and some in his house spoke in tongues. This was before Peter finished speaking the words of salvation to them. The important point here is that the speaking in tongues by Cornelius was NOT a sign of salvation. It was a sign to Peter that he had the authority and approval from God to preach the words that would produce salvation and that God has also granted the Gentiles repentance to life, Acts 11:18. Please note also Peter's statement in Verse 15, And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. The word as is an adverb of manner, i.e., how the Gentiles obtained the miraculous gift to speak in tongues. It came directly from God, not by the laying on of the hands of an apostle. Neither does it mean Cornelius and family had the same power as the apostles. After the speaking in tongues by the Gentiles, Peter completes his mission by speaking the words he came to utter and, commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. What was baptism for? Salvation from sins. i.e., the remission of sins. Peter did not simply suggest baptism, he commanded it under the authority and mission objective given to him by the Lord himself. It was the reason he was sent to Cornelius and family. Please read this with careful attention. 14. In Acts 6 we see some language that might be very instructive in our study of this subject. Here we see the church in Jerusalem with a specific issue. There was a complaint that some Christians who were Hellenistic widows i.e., Greek Speaking Jews, were neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles told the church to pick out seven men, among them were Philip and Stephen, to take care of feeding these widows. They said seek out seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. V3. They did just that. These men were said to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit. They were faithful Christians with the right qualifications for this work. It says they were filled with the Holy Spirit. But, what does that mean? Does it lead us to believe they had the ability to perform miraculous deeds? Please don't read into this passage things that are not in evidence. In verse 6 it states whom they set before the apostles and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Remember, they were already full of the Holy Spirit, but, there is absolutely no evidence they could perform miraculous deeds before the apostles laid their hands on them. Then in verse 8, Stephen, full of faith and power did great wonders and signs among the people. Now, they could. Notice in chapter 8 we see this same Philip on a mission from The Lord. In verse 4 Saul had caused great harm to the church and the disciples went everywhere preaching the word. Among them was Philip. Verse 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them and the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. He obtained this ability by the laying on of the hands of the apostles. We see a man named Simon who believed and was baptized. Simon had been a sorcerer and noticed something that got his attention. V, 14-17 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of
Jesus, Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The bible is clear. V 8 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money. These people were believers, and had been baptized for the remission of their sins. But, they were not able to perform miraculous deeds. The evidence is crystal clear. It was the laying on of the apostles' hands that the ability of performing signs and wonders was given. Why didn't Philip do this for these new disciples? Because, HE COULD NOT! He was not an apostle yet, he was full of the Holy Spirit. Philip could perform signs and wonders but could not pass that ability on to others. Remember that Acts 2:38 says if people would repent and be baptized they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that was a promise from God. This meant salvation. These people did that, but had not received The Holy Spirit. Even though the words are NEARLY the same they are NOT the same. The Gift of The Holy Spirit in Acts 2 is NOT the same as The Holy Spirit in Acts 8. We must not put things in the scriptures that are not there. We must look at the context and intent of the author. 15. Another example of this same idea is found in Acts 18:24-19:6, when Paul follows a man named Apollos into Ephesus. Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, and eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. Though Apollos spoke accurately what he knew at the time, he was uninformed as to the fact that Jesus, whom John the baptizer taught would come, had already come. In verse 26 it states, So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. The language here shows clearly Apollos did not deliberately preach error. He simply had not learned that the Messiah had already come and raised from the dead. Aquila and his wife Priscilla took him aside and explained the whole truth to him, as the scriptures say, more accurately. Notice it says Apollos was fervent in spirit. This does not teach that Apollos had been baptized with the Holy Spirit. If so he would not have been teaching what he did. It is a phrase meaning he had a zeal, (ζεω; Greek) a fervent attitude toward teaching the scriptures. Notice 19:1 when...paul having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus, and finding some disciples, he said to them 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him 'We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. This also confirms that Apollos did not, nor could he lay hands on those he preached to and pass on the Holy Spirit. It also confirms these disciples had no indwelling of the Holy Spirit, even thought they had been baptized in water for the remission of their sins. See Mark 1:1-4. In verse 3 Paul asks them into what then were you baptized' so they said, 'Into John's baptism'. 4, Then Paul said 'John truly baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus, 5, When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. This event is very instructive. It shows when people are baptized in ignorance, even if it's not their fault, they must be baptized again after being properly instructed. And as in the case in Samaria, the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the apostles' hands. This ability for some to perform miraculous deeds was not transferred when people were baptized for the remission of their sins.
Be Filled with the Spirit 16. In Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus, he describes some very important attributes every christian should adopt. In chapter 5:15-21 he starts by writing walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise the word circumspectly is from the Greek,, ακριβως, akribos. It's an adverb of manner in this context and conveys how we are to live. It can also mean diligently and precisely. Paul says all who dismiss this admonition are fools and unwise. He points out the remedy for this in verse 17 but understand what the will of the Lord is. In 3:4 he explains the source of all spiritual revelation, by which when you read you may understand my knowledge of the mystery of Christ. In this context the word read means more than just scanning the words on the page. It contains the concept of understanding, comprehending the wisdom of what is written. How wonderful that by this knowledge written by Paul and others, we can know the words that will save us. That is exactly what Cornelius was instructed when the messenger told him when Peter arrived, he would tell him, words by which you and all your household will be saved. Acts 11:13. Jesus told his disciples in John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. It's always the words that show us the way to salvation. In this one passage the word spirit Greek, pneuma, (πνευµα) is used in two different ways. The first is the Holy Spirit who brought the words and in those words the Spirit dwells therefore, producing a spiritual life, a life filled with spiritual actions if we are filled with the Spirit. The words brought by the Spirit cannot be separated from the Spirit, therefore the Spirit is in the words. It is a popular past time for some to practice what is called illegitimate totality transfer. Meaning to take a phrase and force it to mean the same thing everywhere it is found. Another bad practice is based on forcing a single word to mean the same thing each and every time it is found called a univocal. There are no univocals. There are no words which have only one meaning. Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus teaches very clearly that we must be filled with the Spirit. Does he mean that everyone be filled (baptized) with the miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit? We know that was never the case from what we have already learned. Only those who had the apostles' hands laid on them had miraculous power with one exception, Cornelius and his household. Acts 10 and 11. Paul explains to the disciples exactly what he means by this expression. In verse 15 he says see then that you walk circumspectly or wisely which comes from understanding what the will of The Lord is. How do we do that? Paul told them when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. Read what? The words! Then he gives them two choices, do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation: but be filled with the Spirit. Notice that the disciples had the choice to make and that gave them the control. They could be filled with wine which is dissipation or the Spirit. If they chose to fill themselves with wine their minds would have no room for the words of the Spirit. The phrases, be not filled with wine, but be filled with the Spirit are an oblique application of the passive voice called the permissive and causative. This is reflexive in nature. That is, it's the disciples who had total control of this action. Just as the disciples had control over being filled with wine so with the Holy Spirit in this context. We do not have the authority to invent out own rules of grammar. Paul did not say God would send the Holy Spirit to fill them. In verse 19 and following, he gives the spiritual side of this illustration. He explains what he meant by being filled with the Spirit. The word but is a conjunction. It joins the two sides of the issue, but speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. He continues to point out more of what walking circumspectly meant saying giving thanks, and submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord. He later sums up this idea of being filled with the Spirit by pointing out the mystery he was reveling was about Christ and the church in verse 32. Now let's look at similar language Paul used to the
Colossians. In 3:16-25. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Here Paul substitutes the term word for Spirit in Ephesians. The rest of the words are nearly identical and obviously synonymous. Why? Because they are teaching exactly the same idea. When the word of God dwells in our hearts (minds) we are filled with spiritual thoughts which direct our walk with God. Therefore, we are filled with the Spirit. The great thing about the scriptures is that they are absolutely consistent in what they teach. We don't have to try to find ways to force meanings and definitions if we stand where the author stood when the words were written. 17. Paul says in Ephesians 4:5 there is one baptism. The people in Ephesus were already disciples, believers, Christians. Why would Paul have to tell them to be filled with the Spirit? Why would he have to remind the disciples in Colosse to be filled with the word? He says of them they had a love in the Spirit For this reason we also, since the day we heart it, do not cease to pray for you and ask that you my be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Col. 1:8, 9. And, in 2:12 they were buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead. This is the one baptism of Eph. 4:5, and the one baptism that John the baptizer was sent out by God to teach and carry out, Mark 1:1-5. It is the one baptism, Jesus sent his apostles into Jerusalem to preach in Acts 2:38 and the same one when Saul was commanded to arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins..., Acts 22:16. It is the one baptism Peter was sent to preach to the household of Cornelius that produced the remission of sins as he commanded them to obey, Acts 11:43-48. It was the one baptism Peter wrote about when he said Noah and his family were saved by water and that baptism now saves us. I Pet 3:21. He did not write that the baptism of the Holy Spirit now saves us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was NOT promised to all and when the apostles were gone so was the laying on of the apostles' hands. Indeed, some disciples had the ability to speak in languages they had not learned, to raise the dead, heal the sick and have other gifts of a miraculous nature. But not all disciples had these gifts. See I Cor. 12-14. Paul writes for by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Is this another baptism? Is this the Holy Spirit saving the members of the church at Corinth separate from water baptism? Not even close. Paul to the churches of Galatia says of baptism, 3:26; for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of us as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ. 18. It was water baptism that removed sins, not Holy Spirit baptism. It was water baptism that removed the wall of enmity between Jew and Gentile, bond and free and made all one in Christ. In I Cor. 12:29, 30 Paul asks a rhetorical question. Are all apostles? Are all prophets Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? The answer to these questions is an emphatic NO! Not only that, in chapter 13 he tells of the demise of these miraculous abilities. Vs 8-10, Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease, whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away, 9 for we know in part and we prophecy in part. 10 But then that which is perfect has come then that which is in part will be done away. The phrase when that which is perfect is NOT referring to a person. The word perfect Greek; τελειος, teleios and means complete. It does not say when He who it says when that which. It is making reference to a THING, not a person. The word that is not a personal pronoun. He is speaking of the completed revelation of God's word. At that point the direct oversight of the Holy Spirit would no longer be necessary. He says for we know in part
and we prophesy in part. Yes, Paul and others preached the whole Gospel, but it had not been completed and published to every creature as Paul says to the Colossians. 1:23. The word is now completed and published to every creature under heaven. Does that mean there are not some today who have never heard the word. No. It means what it says. And it says that at one time every creature under heaven had the Gospel made known to them. 19. One other important thought. I have often heard people refer to the Holy Spirit as it. The Holy Spirit is a person. The third person in the Godhood. Jesus told His apostles And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-the Spirit of truth... John 14:16, 17. The Holy Spirit is also referred to as God. Greek, θεος, theos, Deity. Peter told Ananias he had lied to God when he lied to the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:3. 20. The perverted teaching that everyone who becomes a Christian has some miraculous power or indwelling of the Holy Spirit that guides them into an understanding of the truth is NEVER taught in the bible. That is an invention of Satan. It was born of a great misunderstanding of the grammar and syntax of the scriptures. The translation of the bible into English is normally quiet adequate, but men seem to take great pleasure in perverting the truth. If we stand in the sandals of the author, that is, read the words as they were written, we will not fall into these linguistic traps. Paul wrote Eph. 3:4...when you read you may understand my knowledge of the mystery of Christ and needs to be believed by anyone and everyone seeking the knowledge of the scriptures. If it is true that every believer has the Holy Spirit indwelling in some miraculous way, why do most of those believers understand the bible differently? If we ask 100 of these folks a bible question we will get at least 75 different answers. Does that mean the Holy Spirit is confused? Maybe tired and not doing His job? After teaching the bible for nearly 50 years this question has never been adequately answered. In I Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Knowledge is the key to understanding the scriptures. We come by that by reading, study and meditation coupled with a strong desire to make sure we know the truth which will make us free. 21. 2 Tim. 2:15, 16 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. The word diligent is from the Greek; ορθοτοµεω, orthotomeo. It is a compound verb meaning to cut straight, or be accurate. The lack of being accurate is to gender ungodliness. Norman W. Fisk. Ph.D.