The Holy Spirit?

August 14, 2022

“Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?” This was Paul’s

question to the Ephesians (Acts 19:2). Their response was we do not know if

there is a Holy Spirit. Paul’s follow-up question was, “Unto what then were ye

baptized?” (Acts 19:3). To which they responded, “John’s baptism”.

Obviously, John’s baptism did not bring with it the gift of the Holy Spirit or

the remission of sins, but a looking forward to Christ and to follow the lamb of

God which taketh away the sin of the world (Acts 2:38). So, the Ephesians

were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5). At which time they

received the Holy Spirit, began to preach, and their language was changed.

This happened to twelve men who had yielded to John’s baptism and his

preaching to repent, but it took yielding to the Son of God for forgiveness of

sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit to be received at Paul’s laying on of hands

and prayer. When they yielded to his inspired words, they were gifted the

same. Forgiveness of sins will come as we yield to Christ and obey his word

(Matthew 7:21). Jesus said those will go to heaven who comply to his will as

he obeyed his Father. After all, the word of God is the sword of the Spirit,

God’s gift to us (Ephesians 6:17). Understanding this, we value the gift of the

word of God by choosing to comply with the words of Scripture knowing that

we are in the process of yielding to the Holy Spirit, God’s comforter. The one

that Jesus promised would come and comfort us even as he had been

comforted. It strikes me that yielding and humility may both be essential to

receiving the gifts of God especially that of forgiveness. Choosing to begin by

submitting to the example of Christ in baptism and rising to walk in newness

of life (Romans 6:4ff). So, we see that these twelve who were baptized by John

“unto repentance” were then baptized of sin and received the Holy Spirit as

well as the Holy Spirits gifts.

Dr. Kenneth E. Morrison