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The Holy Spirit and You
buildontherock
2020-12-022021-08-21

The Holy Spirit is an essential part of being a Christian. In the Old Testament it was pictured in the template for life in various ways but chiefly as the fire and cloud that brought Israel out and the flood that opened the way over the Red Sea but destroyed Pharaohs army. In the New Testament there is the matter of speaking in tongues and the many gifts considered as fruit of the spirit. This will be a summary but I will go into further detail on various aspects in other articles.

Let us try to break down how we relate to the Holy Spirit. I will attempt to examine what I consider to be the critical things to know. Also bear in mind that the Holy Spirit is demonstrated to be part of the template for Christian life given in the experiences of Israel.

What

Every Christian has two spirits at work in them. The spirit in man is what we are born with but God can add to that His Spirit which we call the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's presence. It is only by the Holy Spirit joining with the spirit in us that we are able to obtain that crown and the kingdom prepared for us. You can read more on what the Holy Spirit is in The Holy Spirit - presence of God. In a nutshell the Holy Spirit is an extension of God that can fuse with us by our human spirit. It keeps God in direct contact with us. God can also act quite independently of anything by extending His presence. Read more on that in The Holy Spirit in action. Much of the mystery of the Holy Spirit can be dispelled by understanding its similarities with human reproduction. Consider reading The Holy Spirit and Conception. To complete our understanding of the Holy Spirit it is important to also understand what it is not as presented in The Holy Spirit - against common misconceptions. I hope you will be convinced that the Biblical evidence discredits and contradicts the popular notion of The Holy Spirit and The Trinity. If you just consider the language used in the Bible you will notice that the Holy Spirit is revealed through our normal use of language. The Holy Spirit acts to change our attitudes and behaviour into imitations of Christ's. This is why it is said that He is in us. It is best explained in John 6.

John 6:53-58 KJV Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

This is a difficult scripture. It would have been impossible for them to understand at that time. Eating His flesh etc. was a reference to Passover which in itself pointed to something that most would not have comprehended. The Holy Spirit coming from the Father alone could provide many things including knowledge, spiritual growth and understanding but it could not give life. The ability to give life had to be earned by Christ's death. After it was earned it could not be distributed until after He was resurrected and completed all of the heavenly legal requirements to have it made available. Both His death and resurrection were required for Him to provide the Comforter which meant that He was then able to give life after death. The Comforter is the Holy Spirit enhanced by the resurrected Christ. So now we have that the bread and wine showed acceptance and internalization of the resurrected Christ and what He is our redeemer.

Now all that we have to do is combine that with Matthew.

Matthew 4:4 [KJV] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So the scripture is talking about internalizing the word of God, which is also the Word and Christ through the years of dealing with man. There is nothing mysterious or weird if we put together the scriptures. The scripture itself explains that He gets in us by being meat and drink indeed but not tangible food. Remember that while the Holy Spirit is Christ, it is not Christ alone.

Luke 4:1 [KJV] And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

It was leading Christ just as it leads us so it could not be Him alone. There are other evidences of the Holy Spirit active apart from the person of Christ.
Luke 3:22 [KJV]And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Christ and the Father are one, they are in perfect unity and identical in personality. What comes from one is exactly what comes from the other.

By Measure

The Holy Spirit is a gift,

Acts 2:38 [KJV] 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.

We all get the same Holy Spirit but by measure. It is like one tree that bears all manner of fruit. Part of it gets grafted into us and we bear fruit of that type only until we graft in the other parts and that takes time for most people.

Galatians 5:22-25 KJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Another way to look at it is that the Holy Spirit is poured out but none of us can contain all at once.

Acts 10:45 [KJV] And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

How

How do we receive the Holy Spirit? The essentials are spelled out in Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 (KJV) 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.
  • Repent
  • be baptized
  • in the name of Jesus
  • for the remission of sins
  • receive the gift

This is the typical route.

Repent.
Repent from what to what? It is fairly straightforward. Repent means to change. Change from being not a Christian to being a Christian. Christian means being a follower or imitator of Christ. Copy His principles and behaviour. One question then becomes must I become a Jew since Christ was a Jew. The answer to that is that there were Christians before Jews because Abraham, Noah and Seth along with many others are in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

All of the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 were Christians. It is spelled out that David was a man after Gods own heart. Daniel was a man greatly loved, something like the apostle John. They all received the Spirit just like we do and have the hope for the same promise which comes after the resurrection. To be a Christian follow these as they follow Christ.

If we repent we receive the promise that was given to Abraham and that included the promise of eternal inheritance. That inheritance came by Christ who lives eternally and was the only way that it could happen.

Be baptized.
The thief on the cross was not baptized by the commonly understood method and neither were many in the Old Testament. The question then becomes what is baptism? You can cross reference this article with another one called Baptism for further clarity.
Romans 6:4 (KJV) 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.
Colossians 2:12 (KJV) Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Baptism is an outward symbol of something that was done since the Old Testament.

Genesis 15:7-21 (KJV) And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

A study of the scripture shows that Abraham wanted to know what sign he would have that he would inherit the Kingdom. God gave him the sign of Jesus's ministry which lasted three years and ended with His death. The way that the carcasses were laid out was a commitment that whatever happened to the carcasses he would be ready to submit to in pursuit of the objective. Some people say that it was a commitment to die like the carcasses if the covenant was broken but I see no allegory for that in the scriptures. Passing between the carcasses is what the children of Israel did when they crossed the Red sea. They passed between the walls of death that was water and went to a physical Promised Land, but Abraham symbolically did the same thing for the Kingdom to come. God also did it too, in the form of the burning lamp. The thief on the cross did the same thing. He was going to his death and still held the commitment to the hope of the kingdom. He was mentally prepared to pass through death in the firm hope of a future. He did not say 'if' you come into your Kingdom but 'when'. He believed the commitment that God would endure death in order to fulfill His promise. He understood that it was not an earthly promise and committed himself to follow Christ if He would have him. Notice that it does not mean that we will remain dead, just that we will pass through death.

Luke 14:26 (KJV) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

That is what baptism means but it has this symbol given by Christ that should be done as a ritual to show the seriousness of the commitment. In modern baptism you do not remain dead either because you are raised from the water.

In the name of Jesus.
There was also a baptism of John which had different authority. John made it clear the the person coming after him had more authority and so that baptism had greater significance. Yeshua/Y'shua was in common use by Jews during the Second Temple period and many Jewish religious figures bear the name, including Joshua in the Hebrew Bible and Jesus in the New Testament.

The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua/Y'shua, which is based on the Semitic triliteral or triconsonantal root y-š-ʕ (Hebrew: ישע‎), meaning "to deliver; to rescue".

Matthew 1:21 (KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

After Alexander conquered the Hebrew world Greek took over and the Aramaic Bible was translated to Greek. Due to differences in vocabulary (e.g. a masculine singular ending [-s] was added) and the Aramaic word became the Greek word Isous. When the Romans conquered the Greeks the Bible was translated to Latin and Isous was transliterated to Latin IESVS. From the Latin, the English forms Jesus and Jesu were adopted. Jesus is the predominantly used form, while Jesu is still used in some archaic texts. So the name of Jesus is actually in the name of your rescuer or messiah. It is in the name (or by the authority) of our rescuer that we are baptized. If you act in someones name you are acting as a surrogate i.e. in place of them an with the authority invested in them. When someone baptizes another they do in as a surrogate of Jesus the rescuer. That is why there is a difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized by John but came to have greater authority.

John 1:15-36 (KJV) John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

Notice that from verse [17] the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Christ had the power to interpret the law truthfully and offer grace. The rest of us can only follow the law as given except as Jesus gives us the authority or in other words except as we act in His name. Furthermore consider verse 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. There is an enormous difference in authority.

For the remission of sins.
I submit that a statement such as this does not make sense unless we can first establish that Christ has the ability to forgive sins.

Matthew 9:1-8 (KJV) And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Notice verse 8 claims that this power was now given to men. It comes to men through Christ alone. It was never available before and is one of the additional things passed on to the Holy Spirit since Christ. If we are being baptized as a follower of Christ even unto death then it must also mean that we are intent on becoming perfect. The death of Christ was as a blameless lamb and the only way that we can become blameless is if someone who can afford it pays our debt. People who have sin cannot see God. Baptism means that we intend to stop sinning and Christ takes our intention on account like an I.o.u. The act of baptism is our I.o.u. because it does not happen immediately. It did not happen to Paul immediately because he considered himself wretched: Romans 7:24-25 (KJV), O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. We do have to become a new lump but that is a long story. Baptism means that you are considered sinless by God because of your potential and your commitment. Christ has the ability to remove sins but John did not.

Receive the gift (the Holy Spirit).
The Bible indicates that we receive just a little bit and it is done as a down payment on what is to come not to impress people. Many people teach that it is accompanied by signs but we hear no such thing about Paul or Apollos.
Acts 9:10-22 (KJV) And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Paul was baptized in verse 18 and what we see in Paul is a change of heart not any demonstration of power. Paul was now willing to follow Christ to death. This is the same boldness that appeared in the disciples in Acts chapter 2. When baptized we begin to demonstrate the evidence of the fruit of the spirit which includes a lack of fear. Depending on how much of th HS we have then we become more fearless.

When?

The Holy Spirit is typically received at baptism in the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, which ended with John the Baptist, there is no defined event that marks receiving the Holy Spirit. The basic example in the New Testament is the Ethiopian eunuch.

Acts 8:26-40 (KJV) And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

What we find is that this was a man, a Jew or proselyte because he had come to Jerusalem to worship. He was (I) reading scripture and (II) seeking to understand. Philip had this sign to go by. The man did not know the New Testament because it was not yet written and Philip did not ask if he understood all of the Torah although it was obvious that he read the Bible. Complete understanding did not matter, but what did matter was if he understood about Christ and that is the first question that Philip asked. Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? Philip insisted on one more thing: If thou believest with all thine heart. That is all that matters to baptism, understanding about Christ as the fulfillment of scripture and believing in Him, because the Holy Spirit will reveal the rest over time. The Holy Spirit was already working with this man and lead Philip to him. It was not up to Philip. This was in keeping with the instruction that he had been given by Jesus himself and It did not require a five week course.

Mark 16:15-18 KJV And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Notice that the Ethiopian Eunuch did not speak in tongues or take up any serpent or drink anything deadly. That is a general statement made of what is possible with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues (or any other outward miracle) is not evidenced in everyone with the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist is the prime example, John 10:41(KJV) And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. It was not in John the Baptist and he had more of it than anybody except Christ according to Christ Himself, Matthew 11:11 (KJV) Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. He was a Nazarite from birth and was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb, Luke 1:15 (KJV) For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. Doing outward miracles is not mentioned of most of the New Testament Christians. Even Apostles like John had no reputation of miracles except the boiling in oil incident and that is when he was very old.

Christ insisted that they should believe before baptism and Philip showed how it is done. He started from where the person was and preached Christ as the fulfillment of the prophesies concerning God's plan. I understand that to mean that he preached the Gospel. This is also what Matthew and John understood, Matthew 3:2-3 [KJV] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  [3] For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Christ was the good news or gospel that Peter had covered in Acts 2 and notice especially what is said in verse 16. Again the emphasis is on fulfilled prophecy.

Acts 2:14-40 (KJV) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, 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: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 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. 39 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. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Peter goes into greater detail on what we have to believe and hence what the Gospel is and it is all Christ. Those who believed that were expected to be baptized as noted in verse 38 which we have discussed before. He also explained that it was whom God called not who Peter approved of as we see clearly from the example of Paul. Peter also showed here that it was to those who were afar off and that included gentiles from the beginning.

Baptism is not about knowledge or birthright and that was understood even before Christ began to preach. John explained that and if you want to argue about the validity of the baptism of John argue with Christ (Luke 20:4) but I am accepting it as of God.

Luke 3:7-8 KJV Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

It had nothing to do with pedigree but about demonstrating repentance from the surrounding generation of vipers. These were able to see that there was wrath to come but the Gospel that Philip preached and Peter preached says that we can be spared.

So now we have what the person to be baptized is expected to believe:

  • Generation of vipers
  • Wrath to come
  • Deliverance through Christ

To summarise and combine with what we have already discovered, we now receive the Holy Spirit when the following are all in place:

  • We accept that we belong to a generation of vipers
  • We want to escape the wrath to come
  • We seek deliverance through Christ as the prophesied messiah
  • We repent i.e. change the way we live to conform to Christs
  • we are baptized
  • in the name of Jesus
  • for the remission of sins
  • We receive the gift

There are examples of who are not ready to be baptized and therefore would not receive the Holy Spirit as well:

Annanias and Saphira. Their story is in Acts 5:1-11. They sought to trick the Holy Spirit.

Simon Magus. His story is in Acts 8:9-25. He was full of bitterness and the slave of many sins.

There are also conflicting examples like Apollos in the end of Acts 18 versus Pauls encounter with Johns disciples at Ephesus in Acts 19. There is no indication that Apollos was baptized again but the disciples at Ephesus were. God is who controls the Holy Spirit and it is a gift, it is not earned. Christ has earned the right to give it to whomever He pleases whenever He pleases.

Where

We should be baptized at at large body of water. Baptism is about immersion and the threat of death. All of the examples of baptism in the Bible were at at large body of water and the person baptised was always immersed. Since baptism is immediately followed by receiving the Holy Spirit then we receive the Holy Spirit at a large body of water. Aside from that the place can be anywhere.

Why

Primarily the Holy spirit is an earnest or down payment on becoming eternal but it also produces fruit. Having the Holy Spirit is how we join with God and become children of God.

II Corinthians 1:22 [KJV] Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

II Corinthians 5:5 [KJV] Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Romans 8:16-17 KJV The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Romans 8:13-18 (KJV) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Job 32:8 [KJV] But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Romans 8:16 [KJV] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

This is part of a process.

Titus 3:5-6 KJV Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

The Holy Spirit washes or cleans us in preparation for our future with God. This is the same cleaning as represented in the Old Testament with the priests.

It is a washing of regeneration and renewing.

Regeneration means to start over. A fresh start as with the children of Israel on crossing the Red Sea.

Renewing is basically use for emphasis and is redundant because it means the same thing. Make you as new.

Matthew 15:11-20 KJV Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.  12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?  13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.  14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.  15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.  16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?  17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.