2. Is the Holy Spirit received through the
help of Apostles or Elders of the Church?
(Part 3 – Understanding the three examples)
Now, in the light of the above let us understand the
three examples: The First thing, that has already been stated, is that – in
none of these examples did anyone ever express any desire, or pray, or ask or
do anything special to receive the Holy Spirit; when they
received the Holy Spirit, they received it in God’s time and through God’s way.
Only one had wanted to have the ability to be able to give the Holy Spirit to
others, Simon the sorcerer, and he
was not really saved; he was severely condemned for asking this, and was asked to repent! The Second
thing, these three categories, different from the Jews – Samaritans, Gentiles, and
followers of John the Baptist, their coming into the
Christian Faith and receiving the Holy Spirit is only mentioned in the Book of
Acts – which is the historical record of the initial deeds
and practices of the first Church. Once, when people had come and become one by
faith in the Church of the Lord, joined into His body, then never again in any of the Epistles (which
are a record of the instructions given by the Holy Spirit to discard, correct
and set right, or take up and apply many teachings, beliefs, practices and
rituals etc. in the Churches), has it ever been stated or
taught that after having come into the Christian Faith any Believer has to ever
do anything else to receive the Holy Spirit, and neither
has any significance of the different social backgrounds of any of the
believers ever been stated. The Third thing, never
ever have these three categories of non-Jewish people used as an example in
God’s Word, to give the teaching, that
like them, to receive the Holy Spirit the mediation or
help of an Apostle or Elder, or any special person is required. In the Epistles
the responsibilities of the Church Elders and leaders are stated,
but it is never stated that they should help the people to receive the
Holy Spirit. The Fourth thing on the basis of these
incidents, let alone any doctrine or teachings, not even the slightest of hints
has ever been given, that these incidents are examples
that to receive the Holy Spirit one has to wait for some time, or to do
something special, and that the Holy Spirit is not given spontaneously on its
own on coming into the Christian Faith.
In other words, the incidences given in the Book of
Acts, were only examples to illustrate the merger of all
the non-Jewish background Believers along with the Jewish background into one
Church. Once the Church was formed as one through the assimilation of all the
various categories of people, there remained no reason to look at them as
different from one-another in any way. In the third of
these incidences, the question asked by Paul to the
followers of John the Baptist is very important, in
context of the initial reasoning – that the Holy Spirit, is received immediately on coming into the Christian Faith, and is another of its affirmation. Paul
asked, “...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 ” (Acts 19:2). In other words, it was the natural expectation of Paul that
when they had come into the Christian
Faith, they would have received the Holy Spirit at that
time itself. But it becomes apparent from the rest of the
conversation (verses 3-7) that they
had not actually come into the Christian Faith, therefore
there was no question of their receiving the Holy Spirit. And
at the very moment they actually came into the Christian Faith, they received
the Holy Spirit as well.
So, to use these examples to say and teach that the
Holy Spirit is received separately is to misunderstand and misinterpret the
facts related to this matter. Doing this is to draw and teach wrong conclusions
that have no support from the Word of God. When these incidences are seen in
their proper context and along with other related teachings from the Word of God,
the truth becomes apparent.
- To Be Continued
Next: Is the Holy Spirit received
by the Laying of Hands by the Apostles or the Church Elders?
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