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Introduction: 1. A text that is the subject of much controversy is Acts
2:38, "....and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit."
a. Some
say this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Our previous studies rule that out.
b. Others
say it has to do with spiritual gifts.
Earlier lessons have addressed that also.
c. The
question that must be answered is this:
Is the gift of the Holy Spirit to be understood as a gift
from the Spirit, or is it the Spirit Himself as the gift? 2. A second question that we will address also
involves something received: the earnest of the Spirit, Ephesians
1:13-14. The Lesson:
I.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is the salvation promised by
the prophets.
A. It is
easy to make assumptions about Acts 2:38 that are
unwarranted.
1. "The
Holy Spirit Himself is the gift." Though that is possible, to
merely make the assertion does not prove anything.
2. "The
grammar proves the gift is..." The Greek (and English) text
would allow for either position.
It could be the Spirit as the gift; it could be a gift from
the Spirit.
3. "The
gift of the Holy Ghost in Acts 10:45 involved speaking in
tongues. It must be the same thing here." Though that is
possible, must a word or phrase always have the same meaning,
though used in different contexts? Doesn't "like gift"
in Acts 11:17 indicate that different gifts could be given?
Note the difference in meaning in the texts below, though
"gift of God" is used in each. Identify the meaning in
each case. a. Ecclesiastes 3:13. The "gift of God" is
b. John 4:10. The "gift of God" is
c. Romans 6:23. The "gift of God" is
d. 1 Corinthians 7:7. The "gift of God" is
e. Ephesians 2:8. The "gift of God" is
f. In which of these texts was God Himself personally the gift?
g. If
God was not the gift in these cases, why must the Holy Spirit be
the gift in other cases?
B. A study
of the context of Acts 2:38 will help us to identify the
"gift of the Holy Spirit."
1. Peter's
sermon centers on the fulfillment of the prophecy from Joel
2:28-32. See Acts 2:16-21.
a. The key
verse is Acts 2:21, "...whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved." This is Peter's subject.
This is what he sets out to proclaim. b. Who is the Lord upon whom they must call? Acts 2:22-24.
c. Of whom did David speak in prophecy? Acts 2:25-29.
d. What promise was made to David? Acts 2:30.
e. For what purpose was Jesus raised from the dead? Acts 2:30-33.
f. When
Jesus ascended into heaven, He received the "promise of the
Holy Spirit," Acts 2:33.
g. Who is ascended into heaven and reigns there? Acts 2:34-36.
h. What evidence had been offered as proof of this? Acts 2:33b.
i. What have the Jews just learned about their condition?
j. What do you think they want when they ask the question in Acts 2:37?
2. When
the Jews ask the question, "What shall we do?" we must
keep it in its context.
a. The
question is incomplete without the context. They are asking,
"What shall we do to be saved?" They are lost.
b. Peter's
answer in Acts 2:38-39 relates to his primary theme in
Acts
2:21. The issue is one of salvation.
3. Analyzing
Peter's answer, Acts 2:38-39.
a. Peter
has identified who the Lord is upon whom
they must call, Acts 2:22-36.
b. He
now tells them how to call upon Him,
"repent and be baptized.”
c. He
tells why they must call upon
Him, "for the forgiveness of sins."
d. He
tells them the result of calling upon
Him, "...receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The result
of calling upon Him in Acts 2:21 was expressed as
"shall be saved."
e. Who
made the promise found in Acts 2:21?
See 2 Peter 1:20-21 for
help.
f. Who
was the promise in Acts 2:21 for?
It was for
Who is the promise in Acts
2:39 for? It was for
Do you think
Acts 2:39 refers to a different promise?
4. The
"gift of the Holy Spirit" is the promised gift of
salvation that was foretold by the Holy Spirit through the Old
Testament prophets.
a. Just
as when Jesus "received...the promise of the Holy
Spirit," Acts 2:33, indicated that He had received
what the Holy Ghost had promised in Old Testament prophecy, so it
is here. When we "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"
we receive that promised gift of salvation which the Holy Spirit
foretold through the Old Testament prophets.
b. When
we examine Acts 2:38, we will conclude that the purpose
of obedience to Christ in baptism is "for the remission of
sins;" the result
of having the remission of sins is that we receive salvation, the
gift promised by the Holy Spirit.
See Luke 1:77 for a parallel thought. II.
The earnest of the
Spirit is not the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A. Paul
uses the figure of the Holy Spirit as a down-payment or guarantee
of our salvation in Ephesians 1:13-14. The KJV says,
"…earnest of our inheritance." The NKJ says,
“…guarantee of our inheritance.”
1. An
earnest or guarantee is defined as a "first installment,
deposit, down payment, pledge, that pays a part of the purchase
price in advance, and so secures a legal claim to the article in
question, or makes a contract valid...a payment which obligates
the contracting party to make further payments."
(Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Bauer)
a. From
this definition you can see why the word "guarantee"
would be used.
b. In
modern Greek the same word (arrabon) is used to refer to an
engagement ring. The ring becomes a deposit on the commitment that
has been made.
2. In this
case, the Holy Spirit is said to be the guarantee of our
inheritance.
B. Is the
guarantee given personally to every Christian, or is it given to
God's people as a whole? It is to the whole.
1. If I go
to the mortgage company and make a down payment on a house, must I
look up every board member and stockholder and give each of them a
part? Or may I give the deposit to the organization as a whole and
each shareholder receive his part in that way? The latter is
obviously correct.
2. In the
same way, the Spirit was given as a guarantee in the first
century.
a. A
guarantee is a confirmation. The earnest of the Spirit is a
confirmation of God's promises.
b. God's
promises were confirmed by miracles of the Holy Spirit, Hebrews
2:3-4.
c. The
miracles of the Holy Spirit constitute the earnest or guarantee
from God of our inheritance. This guarantees the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles.
d. The
confirmation, like the revelation, does not need to be repeated to
each generation. When the minister pronounces that John and Jane
are husband and wife, and confirms that the wedding has taken
place by signing the certificate of marriage, must he continue to
do that year after year? Is new confirmation necessary?
e. As
each generation does what the first Christians did, they can be
assured of receiving the same blessings that were promised to the
first. The Holy Spirit was given as a guarantee of God's promises
for all time.
C. Note
also that the word “sealed” is used in Ephesians 1:13-14.
1. A seal is
like a signature—something which guarantees the genuineness of a
document or article. Therefore, the Ephesians received the Holy
Spirit in such a way as to show that God accepted them as His
people in the same way as He had accepted those who were the first
to hope in Christ (the Jewish Christians).
2. When
the Holy Spirit was given to the Ephesians, He was given as a
pledge and a seal of their inheritance together with the Jews. A
seal is something which can be seen. In order for the Holy Spirit
given to the Ephesians to be a seal and pledge He had to be given
in such a way as to be seen or sensed in some way. This is what
happened in Acts 19. This is when the Holy Spirit was given
to them. Paul laid his hands on the twelve brethren and they
received the Holy Spirit. Evidence of this was that "they
began speaking with tongues and prophesying." (v.
6) Conclusion: 1. Through His apostles and prophets, God promised man
eternal life. He made a down payment on that promise by miraculous
confirmation. Tangible signs and wonders provided the perfect
pledge that God would stand behind His promise. The down payment
was made at the same time the promise was made—in the first
century. 2. Thus, the miracles of the Holy Spirit served as a
seal and pledge that ALL Gentiles can be saved the same way as the
Jews. 3. As we come to the close of this study on the Holy Spirit,
we can be certain that there is much more that could have been
studied. However, we have studied foundational truths that will
keep us from error, and will protect us from false teachers. 4. We may also rest assured that the revelation given by the Holy Spirit is perfectly suited to the needs of man and serves as an all-sufficient guide for our lives. We may take the Bible in hand and know that we have all of the revealed will of God. Let us now resolve to take that perfect will into our hearts and live by the marvelous truths given to us. If we do that, God will bless us now, and we will surely be His in the world to come!
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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