THE DISCIPLES AT EPHESUS (Acts 19:1-7)
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Cor-
inth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts
came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He
said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost
since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have
not so much as heard whether there be any Holy
Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were
ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism
of repentance, saying unto the people, that they
should believe on him which should come after him,
that is, on Christ Jesus. Whey they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy
Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve
(Acts 19:1-6).
The major discussion concerning this account revolves around the question
of SUBSEQUENCE: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" Is the
"receiving" SUBSEQUENT to the "believing" or is the "believing" and the "receiv-
ing" simultaneous? Some Greek grammarians would argue that the aorist tense
used in this statement always has the connotation of simultaneous action; howev-
er, other scriptures that have the same aorist tense constructions cannot be
construed as simultaneous action. For instance, in the statement of Jesus
concerning marriage in heaven:
And the first, when he had married a wife, deceased,
and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother
(Matt. 22:25).
If the aorist tense always portrays simultaneous action, this man died at the
moment he married his wife, and he left no children. Also, in the account of
Ananias and Sapphira, Luke records,
And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried
him out, and buried him (Acts 5:6).
If the above rule of grammar be true, the young men were carrying Ananias
out and burying him at the same time. Quite an accomplishment. It is difficult
from the grammatical rules of the aorist tense to determine the relationship
between the "believing" and the "receiving." We bring our own theological bias to
the scripture and interpret it accordingly. The Pentecostal would, however, argue
for a SUBSEQUENT action in the Ephesians' experience based upon the fact that
they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, were baptized in water, and then Paul laid
his hands on them that they might receive the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
There must of necessity have been a time lapse between believing, being baptized
in water, and then having Paul's hands laid upon them--at least two and possibly
three separate events. The Pentecostal would also point out the fact that their
receiving of the Holy Spirit was known by the EVIDENCE of speaking in tongues
and prophesying.
OTHER SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
The Pentecostal, in further support of his position, would refer to Paul's
letter to the Ephesians which implies that the Ephesians were sealed by the Holy
Spirit of promise after that they believed:
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed: ye were sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheri-
tance until the redemption of the purchased posses-
sion, unto the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
Many non-Pentecostals criticize the Pentecostals for building a doctrine of
the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT on the writings of Luke, the Acts of the
Apostles, which is a history book. Others emphasize that Paul's teaching about
the Holy Spirit is different from that which is expressed by Luke, and, therefore,
Luke's teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is inconclusive.
Paul seems to have written very little concerning a doctrine of the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit. One of his most important statements is in his letter to the
Corinthians:
For by [en] one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into
one Spirit (I Cor. 12:13).
The question is whether the preposition en is instrumental--"by one Spirit"--
or locative--"in one Spirit." Does Paul mean that the Holy Spirit "baptizes the
believer" into the body of Christ and the scripture refers to the experience of
SALVATION? Or, does Paul mean that "in one Spirit," which is the BAPTISM IN
THE HOLY SPIRIT, the believer is initiated into Christ? Some would say that the
scripture is not pivotal because Paul says that we "have been all made to drink
into one Spirit" and that may refer to the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
As we have reviewed the scriptural references to the doctrine of the BAP-
TISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, the GIFT OF THE SPIRIT, or the PROMISE OF THE
FATHER, we can see that there are various interpretations of the same scriptures.
Therefore, each individual must "work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling" (Phil. 2:12). We now turn our attention to the teaching of the church
concerning the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT after New Testament
times.
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