[Biblemat] Who received Holy Spirit Baptism

Fri Apr 25 20:32:25 CDT 2008

                                                                                          Who received Holy Spirit Baptism? 
                                                                             And what is the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts2:38?
                                                                                                                                                                                          Written by Jessie Daniels
                                                                                                                                                                                      Evangelist for the Ragland Church of Christ

 The Holy Spirit's dispensation was the Lord's promise to his apostles of the Comforter, which was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which he would send after his departure from them and his return to the Father. Jesus said, in John 14:16-26 "I will not leave you comfortless,"  "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive," The Comforter therefore was the measure of the Holy Spirit possessed by the apostles for the revelation of the truth-"the Spirit of truth," or complete inspiration, and was promised only to the apostles of Christ. The phrase "whom the world cannot receive" The term world here has reference to men in general as opposite to the apostles of Christ, and it means that this promise was special and not general; it was a promise to the apostles alone, and to no one else. The proof of this is seen in the gospel of John. 14:26, and John.16:13 the comforter would "bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you" and "he will guide you into all truth." There was a two-fold office of the Holy Spirit in the apostles: first, the reminding office of the Holy Spirit in them: "bring all things to your (the apostles) remembrance"; second, the revealing office of the Holy Spirit in them-"he shall teach you all things" and "he will guide you into all truth." The men chosen to be his apostles were to be forever the teachers of the world-not for their time only, but for all time-and it was imperative that there should be no mistake in recalling the words of Christ, and no error in their teaching. For that reason the Comforter would "bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever Christ said unto them" therefore their recollection might be faultless; and their teaching was without error. It was a fact that these words were addressed to the apostles alone; the promise of the Comforter was not a general promise, but a special promise to the apostles alone. There is not one verse of scripture that teaches that anyone besides the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for Christ made the promise to them and to them alone in "And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: (apostles) but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high Luke 24:48-49." I know many teach that Cornelius received Holy Spirit baptism in Acts.10, but they surmise that Cornelius was baptized with the Holy Spirit without scriptural evidence, and there is not one verse that teaches that he was baptized with the Holy Spirit. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit at the house of Cornelius, as recorded in the tenth and eleventh chapters of Acts, was not Holy Spirit baptism and can not be proven that it was, Cornelius received the like gift Peter could as well have said the same gift-but it was not the same, it was like it in the manner that it descended form heaven and it reminded Peter of what had occurred on Pentecost; Cornelius received not one thing that the apostle's received, speaking in tongues in itself is not a Holy Spirit baptism power for the apostle's laid hands on some in the church an imparted that gift (Rom 1:11) (1Tim4:14) (2Tim 1:6) and Acts 8 is the proof of this fact; when the two apostles, Peter and John,  were dispatched from Jerusalem to Samaria to impart the spiritual gifts where Philip the evangelist was baptizing many people. Though Philip himself possessed the gifts, and performed the miracles, he could not impart the gifts to others, why? Philip was not an apostle and only the apostle's could impart spiritual gifts by the laying on of there hands. The Comforter was synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which also was a promise to the apostles only. Properly defined the Holy Spirit baptism was the clothing with power which came to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.  Seeing then that only the apostles received Holy Spirit baptism and that Peter preached the first gospel sermon that ever graced the earth he told those Jews "that ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Jesus Christ) Acts 2:23" "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostle's, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost Acts2:37-38."  There are many that misunderstand what the gift of the Spirit is in Acts 2:38, they believe that this gift was a miraculous gift that when one obeyed the gospel that they received the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way,  that's a misconception and not so, any one should know what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for the text itself says; "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call Acts 2:39." Peter said' "that this gift was a promise to them, and to them that are afar off," therefore it would be for us today if it was miraculous then it is miraculous now and we would have that miraculous power believe it if you can. It was not miraculous then and it is not miraculous now, the gift of the Holy Spirit is simple when we harmonize the scriptures. When one obeys the gospel he receives the gift of salvation from the Spirit for it was promised by the Spirit," repent and be baptize for the remission of sins" there is the gift the remission of sins, it was the Spirit that delivered the gospel of our salvation and he said that we be come the seed of Abraham as God promised, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed Gen 12:3."  That's the promise God made to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through his seed. Here Paul gave the answer to that promise; "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying , In thee shall all nations be blessed Gal 3:8." and" That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith Gal 3:14." There is no deference between the gift of the Spirit, and the promise of the Spirit, Paul makes it plain what that promise was in Gen 12:3 all families or nations would be blessed through his seed and Christ is that seed, "Now to Abraham and his see were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ Gal 3:16."  In Acts 2:38 the gift of the Spirit is not receiving the Spirit itself but a gift from the Spirit, when we receive the gift of God we do not receive God as a gift but God's gift John4:10. When one obeys the gospel and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit they do not receive the Holy Spirit itself, but the Spirit's gift which in this case is salvation from their sins and they become the seed of Abraham, "for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise Gal 3:26-29." When one receives the gift of Christ they do not receive Christ as the gift but a gift from Christ. If we can understand that then why can't we understand that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not the Holy Spirit itself but a gift from the Spirit? Therefore these scriptures are sufficient to prove that the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38 is salvation, for it is a promise to them and to them that are afar off and to all that obey will receive the promise that we become the seed of Abraham in Gen 12:3    
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