5. Baptism of the Holy Spirit
BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
This evening we are to study "The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit." Of course, our general over-all theme for the week is, "The Holy Spirit and His Work." Certainly, we do not know too much about any vital Bible subject. If we knew all that God has revealed about any given subject, we would not know too much. We can learn more and more about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit by prayerful study of what he has revealed. One text we have used in the background study says, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children." (Deuteronomy 29:29.) We are interested in the things which are revealed, not in some speculative theories, nor in some imaginary system which some-one has worked up and thought out for the rest of us.
Was A Promise
First of all, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a promise made unto the apostles of our Lord. John the Baptizer made the statement: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he swill burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:11-12.) Beside water bap-tism, two other baptisms are mentioned in this context. "I indeed baptize you with water" assuredly refers to water baptism, with which the people who heard John were familiar. It is stated in this same chapter that the people "were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." (Matthew 3:5-6.)
Baptism An Immersion
Baptism is an immersion. The English word BAPTISM is from the Greek BAPTIZO, which means to dip, immerse, overwhelm, submerge, and such like kindred ideas. It never meant to sprinkle or pour. It has reference to the burial, as mentioned in connection with baptism. The apostle Paul says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted to-gether in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." (Romans 6:4-5.) Hence baptism is a burial. Paul also used the word "planted" here in describing the act. So, regardless of what the element might be in which one is baptized, the baptism itself is always an immersion, submersion, or overwhelming of some sort. Bap-tism never meant a sprinkling. It never meant just a bit of the element referred to. This is true of the baptism of the Holy Spirit the same as it is true of baptism in water.
Baptism Of Suffering
Jesus said, "Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with." (Matthew 20:22.) He was talking about his suffering. Who would be so blasphemous as to say that Jesus-- endured only a little "sprinkling" of suffering? that when he called his a "baptism" of suffering, he meant that there was just a small bit of suffering connected with his death? No! The Bible teaches us that he suffered terribly in death for us--that he suffered indescribably for us that he might bring us unto God. (1 Peter 3:18.) His suffering was beyond what any human tongue can describe. That suffering was a "baptism" of suffering! It was an overwhelming of suffering, and a submersion, as it were, in what is figuratively referred to as the "element" of suffering. Hence, the word "baptism" connected with any-thing, any element--literally or figuratively--describes an overwhelming. This word necessitates a large measure of the element, rather than just a small amount of it.
Greek Literature In classical Greek literature we find the word "baptism" connected with such experiences, for instance, as a man being "drowned" with questions. He was said to be "baptized" with questions. That didn't mean only a few questions, but had reference to a great quantity of questions. If a man were overcome with debt--so deeply in debt that he could not pay he was said to be "baptized" in debt. This is the use of the word "baptize" in the language of the people whom Jesus addressed in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit, through the apostles and other inspired writers of the New Testament, addressed the people in their own--the Greek--language. They understood that language, and received the word of the Lord in the new covenant in that language. To them the word BAPTIZO (baptize) meant to overwhelm, submerge, and the like. When water is the element, "baptize" has refer-ence to a burial, and a resurrection. (Romans 6:4-5.) It refers to a "planting" in the likeness of his death--thus a covering up--for when we plant our seeds we cover them up. Not only 'so, but Paul says we are "buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him." (Colossians 2:12.)
So, baptism has reference to the act of submersion. It has reference to an act ,which differs from receiving just a bit of the element considered. Of John the immerser we read that the people "were baptized of him in Jordan." (Matthew 3:6.) One man quibbled, "Well, it didn't say River Jordan." True, that text doesn't; but Mark 1:5 does: "They were baptized of him in the river of Jordan." Later we read, when the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, that "both Philip and the eunuch" first "went down into the water" preparatory to the performance of the act of baptism. (Acts 8:35-39.) Then the Bible says, "And he baptized him." After the baptism we read: "They were come up out of the water . . ."--that is, they came back up on the land.
Now, the word "baptize" connected with the Holy Spirit carries with it the idea (although figuratively expressed) of the amount of the Holy Spirit given and received in the case. Our Lord's baptism of suffering implies the great amount of suffering he endured. The one baptized in debt was overwhelmed in the enormous amount of his debts. One baptized with questions was submerged or "drowned" in the multitude of inquiries. So likewise we refer to a certain large, voluminous measure (we might say) of the Holy Spirit when we talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is no ordinary gift of the Holy Spirit under consideration.
Christ To Administer Holy Spirit Baptism
John said Christ, whom he referred to as coming "after me," "shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" or "Holy Spirit." (Matthew 3:11.) Christ was to administer Holy Spirit baptism. When you find the Holy Spirit administered by some man, as by the laying on of some apostle's hands, such is not the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit--because only Christ was the administrator of that. The baptism of the Spirit was not given through the imposition of apostolic hands. (Tomorrow evening we will consider that measure, which in the Bible is never called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will see that it was bestowed by the laying on of the apostles' hands.)
God had given John a sign that, when he baptized Jesus, he would see the Spirit descending in the form of a dove. (John 1:33-34.) He said, "This is he"--the Messiah, the Savior and hope of the world--". . . the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." So, Jesus alone, is said to baptize with the Holy Ghost.
Baptism Of The Great Commission Not Holy Spirit Baptism
We know by this that the baptism, of the Great Commission is not the baptism of the 'Holy Spirit. Jesus said to his disciples, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them . . ." (Matthew 28:19.) Who were to do the going? The disciples. Who were to do the teaching? The disciples. Who were to perform the baptizing? The disciples. Hear Jesus again: "Go ye"--you disciples--"and teach all nations, baptizing them." That was water baptism; for only Jesus could administer Spirit baptism, as we have seen.
Another reason for saying the baptism of the Great Com-mission is water baptism is that it is to be performed "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 28:19.) Certainly, Holy Spirit baptism would not be "in the name of . . . the Holy Ghost"--by the authority of the Spirit himself. Great Commission baptism is in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There-fore water baptism is the "baptism" of the Great Commission. Except the Society of Friends (Quakers), every reli-gious body or denomination in my knowledge baptizes (?) some way or other, according to their ideas of baptism. And they never administer what they call "water baptism" without doing it in some "name."
Some of the Differences Let us note some of the differences between water bap-tism and Holy Spirit baptism.
1. Water baptism is for "all nations," and is required of "every creature" who is a gospel subject. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15-16.) Holy Spirit baptism was not for all men, for in speaking of "the Spirit of truth" Jesus said, "whom the world cannot receive." (John 14:17.)
2. Water baptism is a command of God. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:48; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16.) Holy Spirit baptism was a promise of God unto a very few. (Acts 1:2-5.)
3. Water baptism is an act of obedience, an act of man. (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Acts 10:48.) Spirit baptism was an act of the Lord, not an act of man. (Acts 1:5.)
4. Water baptism is administered by men, by those doing the teaching. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 1:14.) Spirit baptism was administered by the Lord himself. (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33.)
5. Water baptism is a condition of salvation to a lost world. (Mark 16:15-16; 1 Peter 3:20-21.) Spirit baptism had to do with either revealing the gospel, or confirming it. (John 16:13; Hebrews 2:4.)
6. Water baptism is "in the name" (or by the authority) of Christ, and "into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19, ASV; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:14-16; Acts 22:16.) Holy Spirit baptism was in no name at all--was not performed by man. (Matthew 3:11.)
7. Water baptism is an act of faith. (Galatians 3:26-27; Mark 16:15-16; Colossians 2:12.) Spirit baptism was not an act of man, hence it could not have been an act of faith. (Luke 24:48-49.)
8. Water baptism has in the action both a burial, and a resurrection--as Christ was buried and raised. (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12.) Spirit baptism had no resurrection, and no visible burial. (Acts 2:4.)
9. Water baptism is a baptism "of repentance" (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 19:4; Acts 2:38)--that is, it belongs to, and grows out of, repentance. But Holy Spirit baptism came three-and-one-half years after the apostles repented and were baptized in water. (Mark 1:4; Luke 7:29-30; Acts 1:5; Acts 2:1-4.)
10. Water baptism is a condition of cleansing one from the guilt of sin. (Acts 22:16; Ephesians 5:25-26.) Spirit baptism came long after the apostles were already "clean" (John 15:3) through the word.
11. Water baptism puts one "into Christ." (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27.) Spirit baptism of the apostles came after they already were "in" Christ, and had been urged to "abide in" Christ. (John 15:1-6; Acts 2:1-4.)
12. Water baptism is in order to "receive" the ordinary "gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38; Acts 5:32.) Spirit baptism itself was a reception of the miraculous "gift of the Holy Spirit" administered by Christ. (Acts 1:5; Matthew 3:11.)
13. Water baptism is to continue in God's program "al-ways, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20.) There is no promise of Holy Spirit baptism this side of A.D. 64, when Paul wrote Ephesians 4:5.
14. You can obey the Lord's command to be baptized in water. (Acts 2:38; Acts 10:48; Acts 22:16.) But there is not now a thing you can scripturally do to obtain Spirit baptism--for there is only "one baptism" now. (Ephesians 4:5.)
It is just like old Satan to get people to refuse to obey God, and instead, spend their time trying to "get" some-thing which God has not promised us today, and which is not for us at all.
Holy Spirit Baptism Promised
John promised that the disciples of Jesus would be baptized with the Holy Spirit: "I indeed baptize you with water . . . but . . . he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" or "Holy Spirit." (Matthew 3:11.) Baptism in water even in the case of the apostles--would not take the place of, be a substitute for, Holy Spirit baptism. Neither would Holy Spirit baptism alone be sufficient. As apostles, they first had to be baptized with water. (Matthew 3:11; Luke 7:29--30.) But cases are not always uniform: we find a vast difference between the baptism of the apostles in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit baptism of the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. (Acts 2 with Acts 10, 11.)
Promised To Apostles
We notice next that Jesus (in addition to John) promised to the apostles the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let us read from Acts the first chapter. I want you to get the noun and the pronouns that follow clearly in mind. (You may not have read it carefully!) Luke says, "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles . . ."-- there is our plural noun, apostles; now watch the pronouns which follow all the way down for the next twelve verses--". . . he had given commandments unto the apostles whom . . ."-- the very next word after 'apostles' is a plural pronoun, referring to the noun 'apostles'--". . . unto the apostles whom he had chosen. To whom"--the same pronoun-- "also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them"-- that's another plural pronoun, refer-ring to the apostles--". . . being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and being assembled together with them"--the apostles--"commanded them"--that's the apostles again--"that they"--another pronoun referring to the apostles--"should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye"--another plural pronoun referring back to the noun 'apostles' "ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water;"--as we quoted from Matthew 3:11 --"but ye"--a plural pronoun again, meaning the 'apostles'--"shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:1-5.) Pentecost follows in the next chapter, and it was "not many days hence"--usually considered to be about ten days after the ascension. But let us read the sixth verse, going right on without skipping a verse: "When they"--the apostles--"therefore were come together, they"--the apostles--"asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them"--the apostles--,"It is not for you"--the apostles--"to know the times or the sea-sons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye"--the apostles--"shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you"--the apostles--"and ye"--that, too, is the apostles--"shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter-most part of the earth."
At The Ascension
Luke continues: "And when he had spoken these things, while they"--the apostles--"beheld , he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their"--still talking about the --apostles--"sight. And while they"--that's the apostles "looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them"--by the apostles--"in white ap-parel; which also said, Ye"--apostles--"men of Galilee," these apostles were men of Galilee,--"why stand ye"--you apostles--"gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you"--all these pronouns refer to the noun 'apostles' back in the second verse. But we continue in verse 11: "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye"--you apostles "have seen him go into heaven. Then re-turned they"--the apostles--"unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey." We have considered this meeting until it broke up. The apostles went out and saw the Lord ascend; now they have come back into the city for some things that occurred during the interval between the ascension and Pentecost, which is usually regarded as a ten-day period.
Apostles Needed Holy Spirit Baptism
Now, I wish to call attention to the fact that these apostles were just fallible men. They were not qualified as yet to go out and preach the gospel under the Great' Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16.) In a "former treatise" (Acts 1:1) by this same author, we have another record: "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise"--here's the promise about which we have been talking (Matthew 3:11); the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to take place later, on Pentecost day. (Acts 2.) "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you"--Jesus was talking to his apostles, and was here giving them the Great Corn-mission--"but tarry ye"--that's the apostles--"in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:46-49.) So the promise is made unto the apostles; and the noun "apostles" (Acts 1:2) is the antecedent of the pronouns which we have followed all the way down until our Lord ascended to his throne in heaven. Those "apostles" turned back unto the city. (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:12.)
Apostles Received Holy Spirit Baptism
There was no promise of the Holy Spirit to be poured out in a baptismal measure upon all mankind, nor on the multitude of people, nor on the "hundred and twenty." We have seen that this promise was to the apostles. Of them we read further in Acts 1. The last word in the closing verse of Acts 1 is the noun "apostles." Remember that God did not divide the Bible into chapters and verses. (This was done by men for convenience.)
Let us read the last verse of Acts 1, with the first four verses following it, ignoring the division into chapters: "And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." There is the noun 'apostles;' it is the last word in the first chapter. We read right on: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they . . ."--'they' who? The apostles! The pronoun 'they' refers back to the preceding noun 'apostles.' "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they"--the apostles--"were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they"--there's the same pronoun again, referring to the apostles--"were sitting." (Note that Luke does not say, 'where they were wallowing or rolling in the sawdust, or down in the dirt,' but they were 'sitting'--in an orderly fashion, 1 Corinthians 14:40, of course.) "And there appeared unto them"--that again is the apostles--"cloven"--or forked "tongues like as of fire . . ." (These "tongues" were "cloven" or forked, like flames of fire leaping up, forking out this way and that.)
No Fire Baptism On Pentecost
"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire . . ." There was no "fire" baptism on Pentecost. Good people were not promised "fire" baptism. Fire baptism is hell fire! We read that the wicked "shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." (Revelation 21:8.) Hell is here spoken of as a "lake" of liquid brimstone (sulphur) on fire. Now, John said Jesus would baptize with two baptisms: (1) one would be the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the other would be the baptism of fire. In this context John mentions this "fire" on both sides of verse eleven. (Matthew 3.) He says, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit"--that is not good people--"is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (v. 10.) Now, that fire is not something to be prayed for, and sought after; it's for the bad and fruitless trees. John also said Jesus "will gather his wheat"--those are the good people--"into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (v. 12.) Don't you see that is hell fire? "Unquenchable fire" is never said in the New Testament anywhere to be for the righteous, for good people; but it is for the wicked, and has reference to eternal punishment in torment. Later, when Jesus repeated this promise to his faithful apostles only, Jesus omitted any reference to the fire baptism. (Acts 1:5.) Hence, when John said Jesus would "baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matthew 3:11), we know the apostles were in one group, apart from those for whom fire baptism is intended--for they received the Spirit baptism, as we are tracing the account in Acts 1:26 to Acts 2:4. In Acts 1:5 Jesus renewed the promise to the apostles that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit "not many days hence." And they did soon receive Him. (Acts 2:1-4.)
Both Visible And Audible
Thus we learn that the "fire" mentioned on Pentecost (Acts 2:3) was not real, literal, fire. Luke simply said the tongues were cloven or forked "like as of fire." He did not say they were actually tongues of fire. So down goes the theory that the apostles would be, and were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire on Pentecost! There isn't a word of truth in that idea; it is false doctrine! Your Bible says, "There appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them"--there on each of these apostles was a visible appearance. The multitude, when they assembled (v. 6) could all see that forked or cloven tongues sat upon the apostles. That was not some-thing which depended upon the apostles' testimony. One apostle did not get up and claim, "I've got it! "and then another eventually arise, saying, "Well, I've got it, too' It's come upon me, too!" The audience that "came together" (v. 6) did not have just the apostles' word for their baptism in the Holy Spirit. The multitude could see this demonstration of Holy Spirit baptism upon the apostles. That is why Peter says Christ "hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (v. 33.) And the people could hear the apostles speaking in their language, which is another mighty miracle connected with the baptism of the apostles in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1-4.)
We read right on in Acts 2 : "And they" that is still talk ing about the apostles "were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues"--that is, other languages --"as the Spirit gave them"--the apostles "utterance." (Acts 2:4.) Now the apostles have been bap-tized with the Holy Spirit by the time we finish this verse.
Apostles Only On Pentecost
It was the apostles who received Spirit baptism on Pentecost, not the "hundred and twenty," not the multitude, nor everybody in the city round about. But let us read further: "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this"--the Spirit's coming upon the apostles--"was noised abroad"--when people of the city heard that the apostles had been baptized with the Holy Ghost, or heard the 'sound . . . as of a rushing mighty wind'--"the multitude came together." (v. 5-6.) The multitude was not present when this great miracle occurred. "The multitude came together, and were confounded . . ."--the multitude, not the apostles, were confused--"because that every man"--every one of the multitude--"heard them" --the apostles--"speak in his own language." The apostles were enabled to speak in the languages of the people of the multitude, even though they had never studied those languages a day in their lives! "And they were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these"--these apostles--"which speak Galileans?" Remember, we read (Acts 1:9-11) where two men (angels) in bright apparel at the ascension called the apostles "men of Galilee." The apostles were "Galileans," whereas the multitude were from all over the civilized world. "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" They could hear the gospel as it was preached to them in their own language which they could understand. No miracle was performed on the multitude. It did not take a miracle for a man to hear the gospel preached in his own tongue when by the power of the Holy Ghost a man preached it in that tongue. This miracle was still upon the apostles, not upon those who heard.
The apostles were not 'jabbering' or 'muttering' something that nobody could understand! The multitude inquired, "How hear we every man in our own tongue" or language--"wherein we were born?" The audience spoke different languages in the communities where they were reared; but the apostles were enabled, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to "speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (v. 4.)
Then Luke lists fifteen countries from which the multi-tude had come. He says there were "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome,"--then he explains that all of them worshiped according to the Old Testament, for they were all "Jews and proselytes," which are not places;--"Cretes and Arabians, we"--the multitude--"do hear them"--the apostles--"speak in our tongues . . ." (Now, were the apostles really 'speaking,' or were they just 'jabbering' something? Let's read that again.) "We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." They knew what the apostles were talking about! They were telling about God's wonderful works in raising Jesus, and exalted him!
How Audience Reacted
"And they" the audience--"were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (There are many people who do not yet know the mean-ing of it!) "Others mocking said, These men"--there were no women in the group baptized by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost! The people were right there looking at the group that had been baptized by the Holy Spirit; they could see the "cloven tongues like as of fire" sitting upon them, and they could hear them in their own language as they told the multitude the "good news" (gospel) of the great works of God in raising Christ, and exalting him. They knew who received Holy Spirit baptism that day! Some who stood by said mockingly, "These men are full of new wine." They did not say any ladies as well as men were filled with the Holy Spirit on this occasion.
Sometimes some fellow will say, "Well, God said, 'On my servants and on my handmaidens will I pour out in those days of my Spirit.' (Joel 2:28-30.) Thus there had to be some 'maidens' there--unless one of the apostles was a 'daughter' or a 'maiden'." The truth of the matter is, Joel's prophecy only began to be fulfilled on Pentecost. Later, at the house of Cornelius, the Spirit was poured out upon the whole household, and it involved ladies as well as men. You remember that Cornelius had invited his friends and his kinsmen. (Acts 10:26-27.) Hence men and women, his friends in general, were present; and all of them were baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10, 11.) Then, and not before then, was Joel's prophecy completely fulfilled so as to include the pouring out of the Spirit on the hand-maidens, as well as upon "all flesh." (Cf. Luke 3:6.)
Returning to Acts 2, we continue our reading: "But Peter, standing up with the eleven"--Peter was not standing up with the hundred and twenty, nor standing up with the three thousand, nor standing up with a lot of men and women; but he was 'standing up with the eleven,' the other apostles!--"lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words." Now the multitude must be converted by words that they must quietly hear, consider, and understand, believe, and obey in order to be saved.
Apostles Not Drunk
"For these"--here is a plural pronoun again; 'these' who? Well, 'these men.' Some had said, "These men are full of new wine," and Peter said, "These"--meaning these men--"are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel . . ." Then follows Joel's prophecy, and Peter's sermon reaches this conclusion: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted,"--that's Christ's exhaltation--"and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost . . ."--this does not mean Christ received, after he got to heaven, the Holy Ghost which God had promised to give him. No; but he received from God the "promise of" (or made by)"the Holy Ghost"--the prom-ise upon which Peter at that moment was commenting. What was that "promise?" That Jesus would be raised to sit upon David's throne. The Holy Spirit promised that to David. (2 Samuel 7:12-13.) And now Christ has been raised, and has ascended into heaven, and has received David's throne, which was the thing promised by the Holy Ghost.
"And having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he"--Christ--"hath shed forth this"--the baptism of the apostles in the Holy Spirit--"which ye now see and hear." Peter did not say some apostle shed it forth by laying hands on somebody, but Christ has "shed forth this"--for only Jesus could administer Holy Spirit bap-tism. (John 1:33; Matthew 3:11.) Peter proceeded to preach further to them: "Let all the house of Israel know assured-ly"--believe most confidently--"that God bath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (v. 36.)
What The Multitude Needed
Note the result of this sermon: "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart"--the hearers were pricked in their heart by the gospel which they heard, which is 'sharper than any two-edged sword' (Hebrews 4:12) "and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles . . . " They didn't inquire of Peter and the "rest of the hundred and twenty." Neither did they ask Peter and the "rest of the three thousand," nor ask Peter and the "rest of the multitude." But--"they said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren . . ."--and sisters? No! Just, 'Men and brethren.' "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" This question was propounded to nobody but the apostles; they were the only ones who were qualified to answer it. That the apostles were the proper ones to ask, was demonstrated in the presence of the multitude by the "cloven tongues like as of fire" sitting upon the apostles, and by the fact that the apostles miraculously preached the gospel in the languages of the people present. (v. 37.)
Remember that the Holy Spirit is speaking through the apostles, for "they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4.) The Spirit, speak-ing through the apostles, is now directing the multitude, and telling them what to do to be saved: "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." (Acts 2:38.) "For the promise is unto you,"--you Jews--"and to your children,"--they will be Jews, too--"and to all that are afar off,"--that is us, Gentiles--"even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this un-toward generation." (v. 39-40.)
Notice that the multitude did not receive any direct rev-elation of the Spirit to them; but of the audience we read: "Then that that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (Acts 2:41.)
Why Were The Apostles Baptized With the Holy Spirit? We have found that the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles (Acts 1:26 to Acts 2:4), and it came upon them as sent by Jesus, and was thus administered by Christ--that Christ did bap-tize them in the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33.) Now, why were the apostles baptized with the Holy Spirit?
1. In the first place, these apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit in order that they might be enthroned. Jesus said they would "sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30.) They were enthroned, in power, and made to sit upon these twelve (figuratively called) "thrones" when they were thus given power. Jesus promised, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . ." (Acts 1:8.)
2. That they might be empowered to function as apostles. We read: "Ye shall receive power, after that" (A.S.V. 'when') "the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . ." (Acts 1:8.) Again: "But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:49.) Holy Spirit baptism was to give them supernatural power, to reveal and confirm the gospel, the New Testament, for all time to come.
3. It was to make them able ministers of the New Testament. Paul wrote that Christ "hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Corinthians 3:6.) Hence, this was to make them "able ministers" of the New Testament, by enabling them to reveal the gospel, and to confirm the New Testament, for all generations to come, so long as the world stands.
4. The baptism of the Spirit was to enable the apostles to fulfill this promise of Jesus: "Greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12.) After his ascension they would do greater works (not great-er miracles). Holy Spirit baptism was to enable them to perform these greater works, which would involve bring-ing people into the kingdom of God. Remember that Christ ascended before the kingdom was established. (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4.)
5. It was to confirm through the apostles the word or gospel, which "was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will." (Hebrews 2:3-4.)
6. The Spirit was to be their Comforter. While with them, Jesus comforted them: "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:1.) But now he says, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter." (v. 16.) Of course, the Holy Spirit now comforts by his promises, by teaching and encouraging us, through the apostles. They would, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, be comforted. Hence we read of the "comfort of the Scriptures." (Romans 15:4.) Paul said, "Comfort one another with these words" --words just revealed and written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:18.) The Spirit used words; the words of inspired men are written by the Spirit for our comfort. Therefore, we do not have any direct comfort of the Spirit. Some erroneously imagine that we must have the Comforter come and do his work "in addition to, and independent of, the written word of God."
7. Jesus said the Spirit would teach the apostles all things. "Thou gayest also thy good Spirit to instruct them," and "testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets." (Nehemiah 9:20; Nehemiah 9:30.) Jesus said, "He shall teach you"--the apostles--"all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26.) They could not remember everything Jesus had personally taught them; but the Holy Spirit would enable them to accurately recall what Jesus had taught, and bring it to the apostles' remembrance when needed. This prevented their leaving out something that ought to have been in the gospel, or in the new covenant.
8. Then, "He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13.) They didn't have a line of the New Testament in writing. They had to give the world the New Testament, orally at first, then put it in writing. Without any guide, depending on fickle human judgment and memory in giving us a testament, they may have mixed and scrambled truth with error--like vegetable soup! But the Spirit guided them to give us a book of truth, without error.
9. The Holy Spirit was to show the apostles "things to come." (John 16:13.) He foretold of the apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:4), and predicted that false teachers would come. (Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3.)
10. He was to enable these apostles to lay hands on others, to confer the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit on them. "Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given." (Acts 8:18.)
11. By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were enabled to make known the terms of the remission of sins. "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20:23.)
12. Spirit baptism gave the apostles the "keys of the kingdom." (Matthew 16:18.) It enabled them to "bind on earth" what is bound in heaven, and "loose on earth" what is loosed in heaven.
13. By it the apostles were enabled to be "witnesses." (Luke 24:48.) Jesus told them to tarry for this power as witnesses. (v. 49.) Then he said, "Ye also shall bear wit-ness . . ." (John 15:27.) Also with their own eyes they had seen certain things of which they could bear witness.
14. There was a language barrier in their way. In giving the apostles the Great Commission, Jesus had said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15.) They could not do that without divine help, because not every creature in all the world could speak the same language. This humanly-impossible barrier was in the way, and they would be unable to carry out the Great Commission, unless the Lord gave them the power to preach in the various languages. Holy Spirit baptism enabled them to speak in languages they had never studied or learned, and thus get the gospel started among all tongues, by empowering them to preach in the various languages. (Acts 2:1-14.)
15. It was to establish the church. The Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1-4); the kingdom came "with power" (Mark 9:1) --the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8.) Peter said, "The Holy Ghost fell on . . . us at the beginning. (Acts 11:15.) But the Holy Spirit fell on them on "Pentecost." (Acts 2:1-4.) Hence, Pentecost was the beginning--the beginning of the church or kingdom, which came with power. (Mark 9:1.)
16. The apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit to in-spire them. They began to preach the gospel, or speak "as the Spirit gave them utterance" in other tongues (or languages). Peter said the gospel was preached "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." (1 Peter 1:12.) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Timothy 3:16.)
17. In the next place, Holy Spirit baptism was to aid the apostles to carry out the Great Commission. Whatever was required in the matter of revealing and confirming the great Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Spirit showed them --even things to come. (John 16:13.) He guided them into all the truth that the world will ever need. (John 16:13.) They were the "last" apostles, says Paul. (1 Corinthians 4:9; note marginal reading.) The only current, living 'apostles' on earth are "false apostles." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15.) Jesus said the Ephesians had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." (Revelation 2:2.) So they had lying "apostles" back then; and there are today lying "apostles"--"false apostles, deceitful workers, transform-ing themselves"--as Mormon 'apostles' do--"into the apostles of Christ." They claim to be real 'apostles,' successors of the apostles of Christ; but the apostles of Christ had no successors! Paul said, "God hath set forth us the apostles last." (1 Corinthians 4:9.)--"L-A-S-T!"
No Successors
One function of an apostle was to be a witness; and a witness cannot have a successor. If a prominent and important witness in a legal case dies, we can't have some neighbor, or anyone else, come in and take his place, and testify in his stead. A witness can't have a successor! Since that is one of the prominent functions of an apostle--to be a witness--it follows therefore that we can have no other apostles. These New Testament apostles are our apostles tonight. They are on their thrones (Luke 22:30) to-night. They have ruled, and do now rule; they have made inspired decisions and they are on record. Every decision necessary, every truth ever to be revealed, has been reveal-ed by them, and has been confirmed. This truth needs no new revelation; and it needs no new miraculous confirma-tion. Thus, my friends, when we follow the apostles' teach-ing in the New Testament, we are being governed and guided by the Holy Spirit through them. The New Testament apostles are our apostles--and we don't need any 'liv-ing apostles' tonight. This was one purpose of Holy Ghost baptism for the apostles. (Acts 2:1-4.)
The Case Of Cornelius
Now, let us briefly turn to the house of Cornelius: Cornelius and his household were also baptized with the Holy Spirit, but not for the purpose of revealing and confirming the New Testament, as were the apostles. The purpose of the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10, 11) differed from the purpose of the Spirit baptism of the apostles on Pentecost. (Acts 2.) Peter said that as he "began to speak" (Acts 11:15) at Cornelius' house, "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." (Acts 10:44.) All who heard the word--kinsmen, near friends, all those gathered by Cornelius (Acts 10:24) --all who heard the word. It didn't fall on just a few here, and a few there, who were 'seeking' it--nothing of that sort happened! It fell on everybody, seemingly unexpected. This was a great miracle! They could "speak with tongues" (v. 46); this was a miraculous outpouring. Perhaps it came with the noise of a cyclone or tornado, as it did on Pentecost when it was accompanied by the sound "as of a rush-ing mighty wind;" and "cloven tongues" (Acts 2:2-3) no doubt sat upon these also. There was some visible manifestation of it, so that Peter could say, "As I began to speak . ." He knew exactly when it happened! "As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." (Acts 11:15.) He did not say that it fell on them as on us last week, last year, or during the 'big meeting' where I was recently preaching!
Only New Case
Several years elapsed between Pentecost and the house of Cornelius--about eight or ten years, according to Bible scholars' estimates. But Peter could not think of another case like the house of Cornelius between that time, and Pentecost! He had to go all the way back to Pentecost to think of another case like it. "The Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." (Acts 11:15.) Well, the apostles received the "baptism" of the Spirit in the beginning--for Jesus said it would be that. (Acts 1:5.) And Cornelius also received the "baptism" of the Spirit--for Peter said, "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said" (in Acts 1:5) ". . . ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." (Acts 11:16.) (Peter left off--did not quote--the "not many days hence" part of Christ's promise, because the "not many days hence" part would fit only the apostles. Acts 1:5 with 2:1-4.) So Peter remembered Christ's promise about the "baptism" of the Holy Spirit, and applied it to the household of Cornelius. Hence, he and his house received a "baptism" of the Spirit, like the apostles did on Pentecost. Luke says that it "fell on all them which heard the word" --at his house. (Acts 10:44.)
Did Not Save
Spirit baptism to Cornelius' household was not to save them--nor did it fall on the apostles to save them. They had been out preaching under the limited commission (Matthew 10:5-7) for three-and-a-half years before Pentecost, before they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2.)
It was not to give either Cornelius and his household or the apostles a "second blessing," in the sense of taking the "Adamic nature" out, and making it impossible for them to ever sin any more; because John (one of the apostles) says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8.)
Man could note when the house of Cornelius received the baptism of the Spirit. It was a direct outpouring, like that on Pentecost, in a baptismal measure. (John 1:33.) Christ administered it. Nobody laid hands on Cornelius and his house as Peter started to speak, so that they received this! But it came directly from God. Christ was "baptizing" with the Holy Spirit, as had been promised. (John 1:33; Matthew 3:11.) Joel's promise (Joel 2:28) was now being fulfilled: God poured out his Spirit on "all flesh," which includes Gentile flesh. There are just two "fleshes" (if you please), Jew flesh, and Gentile flesh. Jew flesh had received this promise on Pentecost (Acts 2), and now Gentile flesh received it. There is no other "flesh" of man left.
Purpose Of It
Now, in view of that, we read that the purpose of it on this occasion was to bear witness of the fact that Gentiles can be saved if they obey the gospel--just like anybody else. For fifteen hundred years the Gentiles had been excluded from God's covenant grace and mercy, as revealed to the Jews. (Exodus 31:17; Romans 3:1-2.) Paul explains: "That at that time ye"--Gentiles--"were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off"--the Gentiles had been far off--"are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." (Ephesians 2:11-16.) Here is a great mystery which Jesus solved. Even the apostles seemed not to understand the very words of the Holy Spirit. Their prejudice, established for fifteen hundred years, was so great that they couldn't think of any but Jews as being recipients of the blessings of the Great Commission. (Mark 16:15.) So, it took these miracles (Acts 10, 11) to break down this great barrier, and to get the gospel started to the Gentile world. God planned it all, and executed his plan for us. The mystery was, "That the Gen-tiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." (Ephesians 3:6.)
Before They Heard But the 'Holy Spirit fell on these Gentiles before they heard the gospel! Peter says, "As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them." (Acts 11:15.) Thus it was before they heard the word. The Spirit did not, nor does he now, have to fall on people to get them to obey the gospel--that is, people who were already understood to be involved in gospel provisions and promises. But these Gentiles did not understand themselves to be acceptable; neither did the Jews think Gentiles were acceptable. It took a miracle, in the first place, to get the Gentiles to send for a Jew, a preacher like Peter. The angel said to him, "Send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." (Acts 11:13-14.) Cornelius sent for the preacher; but it took a miracle--the housetop vision--to convince Peter to go over there! Finally, the Spirit said, "Go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them." (Acts 10:20.) So it took a miracle to make the Gentile send for a Jew; and a miraculous work was required on the preacher him-self (a Jew) to get him ready to go to these Gentiles. But when he arrived he said, "God bath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." (Acts 10:28.) These two miracles were for the purpose of getting the preacher and the unsaved together.
So the preacher came. As he arose to speak, the Holy Spirit "fell on all them which heard the word." (Acts 11:15.) This was God's way of bearing witness to the fact that the gospel is for all people, Gentiles, the same as Jews. Peter later said, "God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and be-lieve." (Acts 15:7.) Like all others, the Gentiles had to get their faith by hearing the gospel preached, and not by di-rect information or revelation from God. "And God, which knoweth the hearts"--not 'their' hearts, as you often hear Peter misquoted as saying, but--"the hearts"--God knew the prejudice in the minds of the Jews, in their hearts; and he knew the doubts in the minds and hearts of the Gentiles. So, "God, which knoweth the hearts"--the prejudice and doubt from both sides, Jew and Gentile. "God, which knoweth the hearts, BARE THEM WITNESS . . ." (Acts 15:8.) "Bare them witness"--How? and witness to what? To the fact that a Jew has no more chance of being saved by the gospel than a Gentile; that a Gentile can be saved through the gospel of Christ the same as a Jew. God "bare them witness" to this fact. How? Let Peter answer: "God . . . bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them." There is no difference in the conditions of pardon to the Jew and the Gentile! (Acts 10:34.) It took several miracles to convince Peter the gospel is for those who, under the Old Testament, were "far off." (Ephesians 2:13.) So Peter said the baptism of Cornelius and his household with the Holy Ghost was to bear them "witness." "God bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, puri-fying their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:7-9.) That simply means that Gentiles can be saved by hearing the gospel, believing and obeying it, so as to be saved by obedient faith --just like Jews and everybody else on earth who will ever be saved in the gospel age.
Was To Confirm
Thus the purpose of Holy Spirit baptism at Cornelius' house was to reveal the fact the gospel is for all people; that God is no respecter of persons; that in every nation Gentile as well as Jewish nation--"he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is acceptable to him." (Acts 10:34, ASV.) It was also to confirm this great truth. But when it was confirmed, it remains confirmed; it does not have to be proved over, and over, again and again, every time some-body wants God's truth. The old truth is sufficient; there is no "new" truth; and there is no new confirmation of the truth. For instance: Christ was raised from the dead to prove, to declare, him to be the Son of God with power. (Romans 1:4.) Now, he does not have to be raised again and again in order to declare and to prove that fact, nor to keep it established. He was raised one time, nineteen hundred years ago. It proved that fact; and it stays proved! It stays established! It has never been in doubt to anyone who believes the gospel, from that day to this. So also this truth was confirmed in the gospel for all time to come.
The Report Confirmed Truth When Peter went back to the church at Jerusalem, they took him to task about his preaching to the Gentiles: "Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." (Acts 11:3.) Peter explained the whole thing "by order," somewhat like I've gone into detail with it here. Hearing about it --not seeing it transpire again the second time in their midst, not seeing it re-enacted, but just hearing about it--convinced the Jewish church, and all people who believe in Christ, that the Gentiles are acceptable. "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (Acts 11:18.) What was the evidence of this fact? Well, the miracles connected here, abundantly confirmed it. If they proved to the Jewish nation that the gospel, as revealed and confirmed, includes Gentiles, then the hearing of it tonight ought to establish that fact in our minds without our wanting a new case of Holy Ghost baptism. Hence, there has not been a new case of it from Cornelius until tonight!
One Baptism Now
Paul said, "There is . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Ephesians 4:5.) That was written in A. D. 64. Cornelius' case of Holy Spirit baptism was in A. D. 41. Pentecost was in A. D. 33. So, by the time Paul said (A. D. 64) there is "one baptism," the baptism of the Holy Spirit had served its purpose in (1) guiding and qualifying the apostles, preparing them for their life's work, and (2) in confirming the fact that the gospel is for Jew and Gentile alike, thus getting the gospel going out to the Gentile world. This was established with proofs which, when anybody else ever hears the gospel message (including these "proofs" in preached form, as revealed), will satisfy all other people to the end of the world. These proofs never need to be repeated in a single case. Hence, there are only two recorded cases of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (I think Saul also was baptized in the Holy Spirit, but there is no record stating it, as in these two cases.)
One Baptism Is What?
Now, in view of this, what is the "one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5) that is left? Well, it is whichever one was intended to last, and was f or all people. Holy Spirit baptism was not for all. Jesus says, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive." (John 14:15-17.) It is not for the world, not for everybody; it was intended for only a few, just a few necessary ones. (Acts 2, 10.) But water baptism is for all people: Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:15-16.) Peter, when speaking of water baptism, said, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us." (1 Peter 3:21.) Salvation is for the world; and so is the baptism (water baptism) upon which it is conditioned. But Holy Spirit baptism is not for the world. Hence the world is not to be "saved" through Holy Ghost baptism--and this was also true of the apostles, and the household of Cornelius.
Water Baptism In Matthew's record Jesus says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them . . ." (Matthew 28:19.) This baptism is for all men. It is not Holy Ghost baptism, but is water baptism instead. ". . . baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them"--after you baptize them--"teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you"--with you, in what? In this work of teaching all nations, baptizing people, and then teaching those taught and baptized. But, wait a minute, Lord: how long are you going to be with this work? "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:18-20.) This work of the Great Commission will last "unto the end of the world" or always! This baptism, which can be administered by the disciples, must be water baptism. (Matthew 3:11.) But this baptism--water baptism--will continue always, "even unto the end of the world." Holy Spirit baptism was nowhere promised to last unto the end of the world. Hence, water baptism is the baptism of the Great Commission; it is a condition of salvation, and is for all people of the earth who will accept the gospel and who want to be saved. Therefore, the "one baptism" of Ephesians 4:5 is water baptism.
Preach The Word
That's sufficient, I think. This explanation is as brief as I can make, yet be sufficiently clear in a time of controver-sy. Recently I received an eight-page document from a brother in California who has gone off into sectarianism, and now contends for Holy Ghost baptism--including 'speaking in tongues' (?)--for members of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ! Brethren, if we have any true regard, reverence, and respect for the word of God, we'd better get back to preaching the WORD! It seems strange to me that people can't see that it is easy to drift off into error.
The simple things which I have preached here tonight are nothing new in gospel preaching. The old pioneers preached them! And people back there understood and be-lieved the truth about it. But we are producing a genera-tion of preachers who talk about the word, and preach about the word--instead of telling people what the word says, and what the word teaches! They don't study God's word; they read after denominational preachers, and denominational commentators; and they fill our hearts with chaff. They don't' have the wheat to present!
I'd like to plead for a return to good, old-fashioned GOSPEL preaching! That is the only kind that will ever convert the world to Christ. Stop this idea of trying to get people to 'hit the sawdust trail' with a little fifteen or twenty min-ute psychological appeal to get them into (?) the church! Such "converts" will be ignorant of the gospel of Christ, and will be nothing but problems in our midst, to decoy, to lead astray, and to divide us up into little 'tenth-rate' sects and parties! The uninformed and untaught can be nothing but problems on our hands!
Teach the truth, preach the word of God. Don't support a man with one copper cent who won't faithfully "preach the word." (2 Timothy 4:2.) Don't stand behind him! He is not a gospel preacher if he doesn't fully preach the "gospel of Christ." "Make full proof of thy ministry" is God's exhortation to gospel preachers. (2 Timothy 4:5.) "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21.) "Make all men see" the truth. (Ephesians 3:9.) Now, we are not sent to make them believe it; but you are sent to make them see it.
But the time is up for this occasion. After we sing the invitation hymn, you may ask whatever questions you may wish on this subject. Let us sing.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question:Since Peter was baptized with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, as were the other apostles, then why did he exclude himself when he said, "These are not drunken as ye suppose, since it is but the third hour of the day!" Acts 2? Why did he not say, "We are not drunken as ye suppose . . ."?
Answer:I do not know just why that is true. I think about the only way that I could recommend that you could be sure to find out is to just be a Christian and live the Christian life and go to heaven. Then you can ask Peter, and he can tell you exactly why. But there is no argument in it against anything that the Bible says in the scriptures presented. It does not prove that Peter was not involved in the number. In fact, "These men are full of 'new wine," they said. Peter might have been included in that number. And then when he got up, naturally, it would be enough to say that "these are not drunken as ye suppose," and refer to the others. Naturally, if it fit them, it fit him, too.
Question:Why is it so important to affirm that the Holy Spirit, in Acts 1, 2, descended upon the apostles only and not on the 120?
Answer:Well, for the very reason that if the Holy Spirit came upon the 120, then the doctrine would be established that the baptism of the Holy Spirit on this occasion was for the disciples in general, and would thwart the very purpose of God in revealing it to be the other way--that it was for the apostles. Regardless of the reason for it', we do find, and have shown, that the Spirit fell upon the apostles; and not upon the multitude, that the multitude was not there. Miraculous powers were not to be received by the multitude, nor one hundred twenty. They are just not in it as far as this miracle is concerned. It had to do with revealing the gospel, and was for the Lord's apostles to be the men through which that would be done.
Question: Why do not other religions realize that they are doing wrong? They say that they are the right religion, when they do not even go by the Bible?
Answer:Well, they need teaching, and we are not doing it as well as we could if we would just get a little more interested in their salvation. Many are taking it for granted that error will save the world the same as truth. We ought to function in our true setting and responsibility, and re-member that if we do not preach the gospel to the world, the gospel will never be preached to the world. Other people are not preaching it; they are preaching certain parts of it, and we would not have them change the part that is right, but the gospel as a system of truth is not taught by anybody else on God's earth, than the Lord's people.
Question:When you said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Well, what if you do not know about some island, and people who live on it, and you do not know their language? What would you do?
Answer:If I wanted to preach to them, I would do like everyone under heaven has to do--I'd study the language, and then go and preach to them. Or I'd take an interpreter. I spoke in Jerusalem at the Church of Christ in 1962, and Brother Henley had to interpret for me. We had the house nearly filled with Jews, about half of them perhaps were not members of the church. They listened while I talked about Abraham, but when I developed the promise that in his seed, which is Christ, all nations would be blessed, then they began to lose interest because I was establishing Christianity in their minds. And they were reluctant, of course, to accept Christianity, and it is hard to convince them. But, anyway, you will have to either speak to them in their own language or use an interpreter or learn the language in some way. But God did not want to wait years and years to get the gospel started to different nations in their own tongues, there on Pentecost. God started it right then in their different languages, and let them take it back to their people in their own tongues. (Acts 2:4-11.) Now we have people who have translated it into the various languages--more than a thousand languages, and dialects.
Question:Last night you said, "If you sin against the Holy Spirit, you will never be forgiven." What do you mean by that?
Answer:I mean the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." Those are the very words of the Bible. (Mark 3:27-30.)
Question:When you die, do you receive the Holy Ghost, and if you have sinned a lot, will your soul go to hell? If you have not sinned real bad, will your soul go to heaven, or what?
Answer:I think I will answer this because it might help some precious soul to obey the gospel and be saved while he can. First of all, we do not receive the Holy Ghost when we die; there is not any proof that you receive the Holy Ghost when you die. Acts 2:38 says, "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." Acts 5:32 ". . . so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." You had better not expect to receive something in death that God has not promised. As for the other, I have already answered.
Question:What is really the point in trying to show the pronouns in Acts 1, 2 are exclusive, and then have to say that Cornelius and Paul also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Answer:Because the Holy Spirit is given for one purpose on Pentecost, and that was to reveal through the apostles, and confirm through them, the gospel of Christ. It did not inspire Cornelius. He still had to be told what to do. It was to confirm what had been revealed by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter in their preaching and teaching that God is no respecter of persons. That was the revealed truth, but it needed confirmation. And it would show, in the first place, and that is our purpose in it of course, that Cornelius and his household were not inspired like apostles, for they were not apostles and not in that class, and did not need what the apostles needed. The need on that occa-sion was confirmation of the gospel of Christ, and it con-firmed for the Gentile world rather than being for new revelation.
Question:You said, "Things that were created in the beginning were created miraculously, but contend for natural law today." I missed your scripture reference for the last part. Please, give it again: that things continue by natural law today.
Answer:Well, in the first place, I do not need to prove that which is obvious. If you want corn, you know better than to plant cotton seed. It is because you know that natural law would be violated if you were to plant cotton seed to reap corn. "The seed is the word of God." (Luke 8:11.). "The sower soweth the word." (Mark 4:14.) And if you want Christians, you have to preach the word, the thing that makes Christians; and then if you want them to remain Christians, to live the Christian life, continue to preach the word. If you want man to produce prayer in his life, sow the seed that produces prayer. If you want him to attend the worship services of the church as God ordained, preach that part of the word that shows that that is necessary and that is God's will; and so on down the line.
Question:Last night you said that we should get out of our minds the idea that the Holy Spirit is somehow associated with an angel. You did say that God had manifested himself as an angel. Why is the above idea wrong? What Scripture teaches you to say this?
Answer:What Scripture teaches you to say that the Holy Spirit is an angel? And that is the thing that I called for last night, and stated that it is not in the Bible. And I am sure that it is not there now, or you would have produced it. I stated that God is presented AS an angel, and I have proof. (Jude 1:13.) I gave Abraham and Lot as cases, where an angel appeared, and God talked to the people through this angel on the occasion. (Genesis 18-19.) And yet, he looked like a man, and Abraham did not know any better at first. And I quoted from Hebrews 13:1, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels un-awares." Unawares means not knowing who they were at the time. And so I proved my point that God sometimes presented himself as though he were a man, but yet he was in the form of an angel, in the form of man, no doubt, because Hebrews 13:1 says the person was an angel. But you have not produced the verse, and you will not produce the verse that says the Holy Spirit is an angel. Angels were created beings; the Holy Spirit is an eternal being, never was created. (Hebrews 9:14.) He who "through the ETERNAL SPIRIT offered himself to God." Hence, the Holy Spirit is eternal.
Question:I had heard the following argument put forth: On the day of Pentecost, there were more than 12 different dialects represented in the multitude, and if only the 12 apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit, then a miracle was worked upon the multitude so that all could hear in their own tongue. What is the truth in this matter?
Answer:The truth is that the multitude was not present at first. That is the first truth to remember. The multitude was not there when the Spirit came. "When this was noised abroad, the multitude came together." (Acts 2:1-7.) They were not there when the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles. And in the second place, it has been understood by Bible scholars who have studied these different nation-alities, the Parthians, the Medes, etc., that these people spoke less than a dozen languages. Now, the idea that each one of them had a language separate from all the others is not necessarily established at all. And the apostles simply spake in each language or tongue and all heard. I started the first night by referring to 1 Timothy 3:16, "Great is the mystery of godliness." We cannot understand all the mysteries connected with everything and explain all those things, but we are to stay with what is revealed. I want to emphasize that again tonight. (Deuteronomy 29:29.)
Question:How do you know that the apostles are on their thrones tonight? Is this their heavenly throne? If so, when were they resurrected?
Answer:Their thrones were thrones of power. I stated tonight that they were (figuratively speaking) upon thrones. That they were enthroned with power, and quoted Acts 1:8, "And ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." I referred to Matthew 19:28. He said that, "ye that have followed me," --then there is a comma-- "in the regeneration"--well, we are now in the regeneration. We know we are in it because Titus 3:5 says God saved us by "the washing of regeneration." They were in the regeneration nineteen hundred years ago under the apostles' preaching. "Ye that have followed me, in the regeneration, when the son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory"--you see, this was spoken during the personal ministry, in Matthew 19, while Christ was crucified in the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh chapters, raised from the dead in the twenty-eighth chapter. And then he was looking forward to Pentecost and the Christian age that would soon be established, and the giving of the Great Commission, and how it was going forth. And he said, "In the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory; ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." He said that they would be on thrones in the regeneration, and at the same time he was on his throne. In Zechariah 6:12-13, we read that he would sit and rule upon his throne; and Acts 2:29-36 says that he was raised to sit on the throne. So he got on his throne when he started reign-ing and ruling, was declared to be on his throne on Pente-cost, raised to sit on his throne. And they were to be on their thrones at the same time he was to be on his, "when the son of man shall be seated on the throne, ye also shall be seated on twelve thrones?' And so, we know by that the thrones of the apostles were for the time of their lives here on earth. And there they exercised the authority and pow-er by functioning as apostles while they lived upon the earth, and there is no evidence that they will get on any apostolic throne hereafter. The apostles are still upon their thrones and judging. Their inspired teachings and decisions for people are now in the inspired New Testament. (2 Corinthians 3:6; John 16:13.)