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Subject 8 : The Holy Spirit
[8-3] Did You Receive the Holy Spirit When You Believed in Jesus? (Acts 19:1-3)
(Acts 19:1-3)
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
2 he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’
3 And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’
Why does Matthew 11:12 say, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”? |
This is because Jesus received baptism from John the Baptist, taking upon Himself the sins of the world, and shed His blood on the cross to remove all the sins of this world. Thus, those who believe can enter the kingdom of Heaven. |
What gospel did Paul preach? He preached the gospel concerning the baptism and blood of Jesus.
Acts 19:1-2 states:
‘And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”’
These disciples believed in Jesus but excluded the meaning of Jesus’ baptism—the beautiful gospel of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, Paul’s question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” must have been unfamiliar to them.
While others might have asked, “Did you believe in Jesus?” Paul specifically asked about receiving the Holy Spirit upon belief.
This was because Paul recognized their lack of understanding about the baptism Jesus received from John. He sought to reform their faith with the true gospel so they could receive the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s ministry focused on testifying to the beautiful truth of Jesus Christ’s baptism by John and His bloodshed on the cross.
Both Peter and John also testified about Jesus’ baptism by John.
Paul’s testimony about baptism is evident in Romans 6:2-3,
“Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”
Similarly, in Galatians 3:27, he stated:
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Peter also testified about baptism in 1 Peter 3:21,
“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
John’s testimony about this beautiful gospel is found in 1 John 5:5-8,
“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. —ASV)”
John the Baptist played a decisive role in fulfilling this beautiful gospel.
The Bible records in Malachi 3:1-3 and Matthew 11:10-11 that John the Baptist is humanity’s representative and the prophesied Elijah of the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, the sacrificial offering received the partial sins committed by a person through the laying on of hands and died by shedding its blood.
However, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrificial offering, received all the sins of the world through the baptism administered by John the Baptist and died on the cross to bear the judgment for those sins.
By transferring all the world’s sins to Jesus through baptism, John the Baptist enabled Jesus to save humanity from the sins of the world.
God planned and accomplished two great works to save humanity from sin.
The first plan was to have Jesus born of the virgin Mary, receive baptism, and shed His blood on the cross to eliminate all the sins of the world.
The second plan was to have John the Baptist born to Zechariah, a descendant of Aaron’s lineage through the division of Abijah, and his wife.
These two events were specially planned and fulfilled by God the Father for the salvation of mankind.
This work was planned and fulfilled by the Triune God.
To deliver mankind suffering from sin from its judgment, God the Father sent John the Baptist six months before Jesus, and then sent Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, to this earth.
John the Baptist gave Jesus baptism, and Jesus received it to take on all the sins of this world.
Jesus testified about John the Baptist in Matthew 11:9, “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.”
John the Baptist also testified about Jesus the day after baptizing Him, declaring in John 1:29, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Additionally, Matthew 11:12 states: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Here, it is said that “and the violent take it by force.” This means that those who believe in the beautiful gospel—that Jesus’ baptism by John and His blood have blotted out all the sins of this world—are the ones who, by faith, seize the Kingdom of Heaven.
In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven can be taken by faith in the beautiful gospel fulfilled through Jesus’ baptism and blood.
The Bible records much about John the Baptist who baptized Jesus, and we must have the knowledge of who John the Baptist is.
In all four Gospels, John the Baptist appears before Jesus does. This was done to fulfill the beautiful gospel that was planned by God.
John the Baptist passed the sins of the world onto Jesus through baptism, and Jesus received the sins of the world through John in order to fulfill the beautiful gospel. That is why the Bible gives so much testimony about John the Baptist.
The baptism Jesus received from John in the Bible was to take on the sins of mankind.
In the New Testament, because John baptized Jesus, we call him John the Baptist.
Then, what is the meaning of the baptism that Jesus received from John? The word “baptism” comes from the Greek ‘βάπτισμα (baptisma),’ which means ‘to wash.’ It means that through the baptism Jesus received from John, all the sins of the world were transferred and implanted onto Jesus’ body, and thus the sins of the world were washed away.
The baptism Jesus received from John has the same meaning as the laying on of hands given to sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament.
The spiritual meaning of baptism is “passing over,” “washing,” and “burial.” Jesus receiving baptism from John was a redemptive act to take on all the sins of all people in the world.
In the New Testament, Jesus receiving baptism from John has the same meaning as the sacrificial offering receiving the laying on of hands from the high priest in the Old Testament to take on sin.
In other words, in the Old Testament, the people of Israel passed their yearly sins onto a sacrificial offering on the Day of Atonement.
In this sacrificial system, the laying on of hands and the shedding of blood in the Old Testament have the same function as Jesus’ baptism and the shedding of His blood in the New Testament.
God appointed the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament to remove the sins of the people of Israel.
On the 10th day of the seventh month, the high priest laid his hands on the head of the sacrificial offering to transfer the sins of the people, and through the shedding of blood, the yearly sins of the people of Israel were removed. This was the sacrificial law established by God. This law was the eternal law of God, which never disappears, by which the people’s sins were transferred to the sacrificial offering through the laying on of hands.
Leviticus 16:21-22 states: “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”
On the 10th day of the 7th month, the high priest Aaron laid hands on the sacrificial animal to transfer sins, and the animal, having received all the sins of the Israelites, had to shed blood and die in their place.
The laying on of hands and baptism carry the meanings of “washing,” “burying,” and “transferring.”
In the Old Testament, when sinners laid hands on a sacrificial animal’s head to transfer their sins, it held the same spiritual significance as Jesus’ baptism (βάπτισμα (baptisma): to wash, bury, or transfer) in the New Testament.
Just as the high priest in the Old Testament transferred the people’s sins to the offering through laying on of hands, John the Baptist baptized Jesus, transferring all humanity’s sins to Him.
Jesus then bore these sins to the cross, removing them through His death—this is the beautiful gospel of truth.
In the Old Testament, Aaron the high priest performed the atonement sacrifice for Israel.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist, a descendant of Aaron’s lineage, fulfilled this role by baptizing Jesus, transferring all humanity’s sins to Him once and for all.
As humanity’s representative (“the greatest of those born of women”), John completed his ministry.
This aligns with Psalm 50:4-5, ‘He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: “Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”’ Amen. Hallelujah!
The baptism practiced in Christianity today holds entirely different meaning from the baptism Jesus received from John.
To receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we must have the same faith as Jesus’ disciples—faith in the baptism John administered to Jesus. Like the Apostle Paul, we must believe in Jesus’ baptism by John and His bloodshed on the cross to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
If the Early Church regarded Jesus’ baptism as important, then we also must consider the baptism Jesus received from John to be important and believe in it. We must also reach the faith that understands the result—that Jesus had to be crucified because He received baptism from John.
We must remember that when we believe in our hearts that Jesus, who was baptized by John, shed His blood on the Cross, died, and rose again, is our Savior, then the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.
The baptism and blood of Jesus received from John hold deeply significant meaning within the beautiful gospel.
To have the faith to receive the Holy Spirit, we must believe in the beautiful gospel of the baptism and blood that Jesus gave us.
The baptism that Jesus Christ received from John was the baptism that took on all the sins of humanity once and for all, washing away sinners’ sins in an instant, and at the same time, it was the baptism of the cleansing of sin that allowed us to receive the Holy Spirit.
However, because people do not know the power of the baptism Jesus received from John, they misunderstand it as a mere ritualistic ceremony.
The baptism Jesus received from John is the beautiful gospel through which He bore the sins of the world and shed His blood on the cross to atone for them. Those who believe in this beautiful gospel message become members of God’s inheritance—the Church—and the Holy Spirit came upon their hearts as evidence.
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift given to those whose sins have been removed.
Jesus fully carried out His ministry as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) through the baptism He received from John.
In John 1:6-7, it says, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.”
In order for us to believe in Jesus as our Savior who took away our sins, we must know and believe in the ministry of John the Baptist and his testimony as recorded in the Bible—only then can we truly believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Through the testimony of John the Baptist, we are able to believe in Jesus as our Savior, and even in receiving the Holy Spirit, the faith that is based on John the Baptist’s ministry and testimony is absolutely necessary.
Therefore, in order for the beautiful gospel of truth to be perfectly complete within us, it is absolutely necessary to have faith in both the baptism that Jesus received from John the Baptist and the blood He shed on the Cross.
We believe that the baptism Jesus received from John is the baptism of the removal of sins, and through faith in this, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
By believing in the beautiful gospel that my sins were transferred to Jesus through His baptism by John, we must testify to this truth to our brothers, sisters, and everyone around us.
Through this testimony, they too can believe in this beautiful gospel, receive the removal of their sins, and be blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism Jesus received from John was the truth that He bore all the sins and curses of humanity. Furthermore, Jesus’ blood was the judgment for all humanity’s sins.
We must explain and spread the beautiful gospel of water and the Spirit in greater detail to others. Only then will people believe in this beautiful gospel and receive the Holy Spirit.
Remember, people must believe in Jesus’ baptism by John and His bloodshed on the cross to remove their sins. Only those whose hearts are cleansed through such faith can receive the Holy Spirit.
By believing this, you too can become a child of God with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a reborn brother or sister in Christ.
You must have faith in the beautiful gospel that Paul believed. Let us give thanks and praise to the Lord who has given us this truth of the beautiful gospel. Amen!
This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.
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