The Significance of Pentecost

 

By: Moses Flores

 

 

            Since the 1960’s, few topics have been met with as much attention as the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The mid twentieth century saw the emergence of many “healing evangelist” such as Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin.  Prior to them, the English evangelist, Smith Wigglesworth was already known for his operation in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the gift of tongues.  Today, the Trinity Broadcasting Network is most noted for its many preachers who claim to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and perform many miracles and even speak in tongues on the air.  This movement of the resurgence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has been labeled the “Charismatic Movement[1]” and it has transcended denominational lines such as Methodism, Presbyterianism, Baptists and even Roman Catholics. 

            This issue itself is very personal and very intense for it deals with the very experience of being a Christian.  I myself can testify to the hatred that has been directed toward me, and the lost friendships, because of the critiques that I have offered toward the charismatic movement and practices.  Even simply asking for scriptural verification of certain practices has left me branded as “argumentative” and “divisive”.  Some have gone so far as to say that I was not a Christian because I did not manifest my Christianity in the charismatic way that they did and I have even been accused of blaspheming the Holy Spirit by critiquing the movement. 

            However, I believe that Christians have the responsibility to examine whatsoever is done in the name of Christ, as well as to uphold truth and refute error. St. Augustine himself said that “it is the duty, then, of the interpreter and teacher of Holy Scripture, the defender of the true faith and the opponent of error, both to teach what is right and to refute what is wrong…[2]” Therefore, it is with Christian responsibility and duty to seek the truth that we engage in this study. 

 

A Re-affirmation of Sola Scriptura for this study

 

            The following study will be a Biblical view of charismatic teachings such as the Pentecost experience, revelation and the gift of tongues.  This study will examine the scriptures on each of these topics, since it is the scriptures alone that are the sole infallible rule of faith.  It is all too common for people to want to define Christianity based on their experiences as a Christians.  However, we know that it is the scriptures alone that claim to be God-breathed (qeopneustoS) thus profitable for “doctrine” (2 Tim. 3:16).  Our experiences are not infallible as the scriptures are and are even subject to fallible interpretations.  Therefore, it is to the Word of God alone that we will seek to derive our views about the experience of the Christian life.

In 2 Peter 1:19, the apostle said, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…”  In doing this, Peter affirmed that the Scriptures – the prophetic word – was “more sure” than the very experience of the transformation of Jesus Christ that he himself witnessed.  Interestingly enough, when Peter did have that experience, Peter interpreted that experience in such as way as to want to make three altars – one for Moses, one for Elijah, and another for Christ (Matt. 17:4).  Before he could even finish speaking, the Word of God came from the clouds and gave the true interpretation – that Christ is God’s only Son and that he should obey Him.  This is one clear example that shows that our experiences should be interpreted by the Word of God rather than our experiences interpreting the Word of God[3]. 

The common experiences of charismatics tend to be more closely associated with Mysticism.  John MacArthur has defined mysticism as “as system of belief that attempts to perceive spiritual reality apart from objective, verifiable facts.[4]”  Basically, mysticism seeks to establish truth through “feelings”, intuition and other types of internal senses.  For the most part, spontaneous feelings and intuitions carry more authority than objective criteria – even the scriptures[5].  MacArthur also notes that this method of determining truth is common to many forms of ancient and modern paganism including humanism, Hinduism and the New Age philosophy[6]. 

Thus, it is important that we affirm – over and against subjectivism – that the Word of God alone is the sure and objective standard for all that is to be called Christian doctrine.  It was the standard the Jesus used as well as the apostles.  Traditions that have used subjective standards for determining doctrine, like Roman Catholicism, have inevitably fallen away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as into heresies of all sorts[7]. 

 

The Anticipation of Pentecost

 

Even before the Spirit of God had been promised to the people of God, it was the desire of Moses that the Spirit of God would come upon all of God’s people (Numbers 11:29).  In Numbers 11, Israel complains against God that they have no meat and they become a burden for Moses.  So much of a burden were they, that Moses wanted God to strike him down and kill him right there.  Instead, the response of God was to gather the seventy elders of Israel and God said, “I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them…(v17).”  When the Spirit of God came upon them, the Bible says that they began to prophecy, “though they never did again (v 25).”  Two of the elders who were not with the others, but were in the camp also received the Spirit and were prophesying in the camp, to which a young man, including Joshua, came and told Moses to forbid them to speak.  “Then Moses said to him, ‘Are you zealous for my sake?  Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD’s would put His Spirit upon them (v29)!” 

Moses prayer reveals that the Spirit of God was not given to all His people at those times.  We may say that God was with His people, but His Spirit did not dwell in them.   It was more the case that the Spirit of God would come upon certain individual in order to complete certain tasks.  For instance, in Exodus 31 Bezalel was “filled with the Spirit of God” in order to complete “all manner of workmanship” in the building of the Tabernacle.  Likewise, the prophets and judges were filled with the Spirit of God.  Sometimes, the Spirit of God would even leave those whom He had come upon as was the case with Saul (I Sam. 16:14 cf. Judge 16:20).  Each of the instances of the giving of the Holy Spirit for a task also show that those who received the Spirit of God for a task were able to effectually do the work that God had for them to do as long as the Spirit was with them.

After failing to uphold their covenant with God, the prophets began to announce the introduction of a new covenant to the people of Israel.  Ezekiel prophesied,

 

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean;  I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezek. 36:25-27)

 

            Later the same prophet prophesied, “ ‘And I will not hide My face from them anymore, for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD (39:29).”  Likewise, the familiar passage from Joel 2:28-32:

 

And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

 

And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:

Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.

For in the Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the LORD has said,

Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

 

            For Israel, the Spirit of God appears to be a source of the future new life which includes both material and ethical renewal (see Isaiah 32:15-17; 44:2-4). 

Highly anticipated with the promise of the Spirit of God was the One in whom the Spirit of God would rest upon and give the Spirit: the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Isaiah’s prophecies reveal that in the “Rod of Jesse”, the “Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him” (Isaiah 11:1-2).  Also in Isaiah 42:1 while prophesying about the coming Messiah, he says, “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!  I have put My Spirit upon Him.”  Also in 61:1 we read of the Messiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”   

After roughly four hundred years of silence from God, the coming of John the Baptist brings an awareness of the coming of the Messiah.  He was the one who would prepare the way of the Messiah, but some people almost came to the conclusion that He was the Messiah.  But John made it very clear that He was not that man.

 

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matt. 3:11-12, cf. Mark 1:8; Luke 3:15-17)

 

            John’s anticipation of the Messiah included the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as well as eschatological judgment[8].  Jesus’ many miracles that He performed by the power of the Spirit of God also raised the hopes of many people, especially His Disciples.  Jesus even did this through His word.  For instance, in John 7:37-38, Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John then gives the apostolic interpretation of Jesus’ words in the next verse by saying, “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (v 39).” 

            Likewise, Jesus explanation of the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 14-16 is offered to encourage and bring comfort to the apostles in the midst of what is about to occur.  Luke ends his Gospel account with the ascension of Christ telling his Disciples, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”  Then in Acts, the same author records Jesus as reminding the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise and says of this, “which you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:5,8).”

            All these scriptures and words of the risen Christ have created a dire expectation of the things to come once the Spirit has come upon them.  So much eschatological anticipation has been created that the Apostles ask if it is at that time – when they are baptized with the Spirit – that He will restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6).  The apostles are on the verge of the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies concerning the Kingdom of God[9] and the restoration of the people of God. 

 

The Day of Pentecost:  An Exposition of Acts 2

 

            In Acts chapter 2, the long awaited day of the coming of the Spirit of God to the people of God had finally arrived.  In order to best understand the significance of Pentecost, it is necessary that we understand what happened on that day.  Therefore, since the meaning of Pentecost is bound up with the events of Pentecost, this section will be a brief exposition of Acts 2.  The exposition will be divided up into five major sections:  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (v1-4), the effects of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (v5-13), the Apostolic interpretation of the phenomena (v14-21), Peter’s sermon about Christ (v22-36), the crowd’s response and Pentecost (v37-41). 

 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

 

Acts 2 picks up on the apostles and the rest of the followers of Jesus, one hundred twenty in all (Acts 1:15), being together and praising God, patiently waiting in Jerusalem as their Lord had so instructed them (Acts 1:4 cf. Luke 24:49).  Thus we read, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”  The Day of Pentecost was a based on the Jewish festival of the Feast of Weeks (cf. Lev. 23:15-16, Deut. 16:9-12).  The name “Pentecost” is derived from the fact that it was celebrated after the seventh Sabbaths, or on the 50 day after the Passover.  The place where all the disciples were gathered is difficult to determine with certainty.  Some have suggested that the place where they were gathered was an upper room in the temple.  However, verse 2 reveals that it was a house of some sort[10].  In any case, it is safe to say that they were all gathered together in Jerusalem, as the Lord had commanded them, and they were probably near the temple, at least, since it is “devout Jews” who first respond to the event that are about to occur.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Here, let us first note the suddenness of the appearance of the Holy Spirit.  As the disciples were gathered together, probably praying, or fellowshipping with one another, the heavens open to them and the Spirit of God rushes upon them like a mighty wind.  The origin of the sound is from heaven, and it is compared to the sound of a mighty rushing wind.  Then, there are three elements of the Spirit that are worthy of noticing. 

The first of these is “wind”.  Linguistically, the word that is used for “wind” is also the same word that is used for “spirit” in the both the Greek (pneuma , pneuma) and Hebrew (  ;hWr, r’uah) languages.  Both of these words, depending on the context, can be translated as “wind” or “spirit” (cf. Ezek. 37:9,14; John 3:8).  Thus, the sound that comes from heaven signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Recall from John 3:8 that “the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

The second element of the Holy Spirit that should be noticed is in verse three: “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”  In the Old Testament, fire is often a symbol of God’s presence in respect to holiness, judgment and grace (cf. Exo. 3:2-5; I Kings 18:38; I Kings 2:11).  It is in this sign of fire that the Holy Spirit appears and “rests” upon each of the believers.  The textual note on this verse leads us to see that “fire” was distributed to each of the members, and that it was not merely one “fire”[11]. 

The third element is the ecstatic speech (that is, the speaking that followed) mentioned in verse four:  “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  This filling that was received by the one hundred and twenty is a once for all filling[12].  This even was something that happened one time for each of those present in the room.  The effect of the Spirit resting upon them was that the spoke.  Too often, in this text, people focus on how, or through what medium they spoke with, but I think that the text makes is clear that their act of speaking is the verb and where the emphasis lies.  It was not unusual, when the Spirit of God had come upon someone in the past, for one to began speaking things of God (eg. Numbers 11:25, 26-29;  I Samuel 10:10; 19:23; Luke 1:41-45; 67-69). 

All these elements of the Spirit resting upon each of the believers shows that this event was of utmost significance to the Church.  “The relationship of the Spirit to the members of the body of Christ became much more intimate and personal.[13]”  Jesus words from John 14:17 concerning the Spirit of God had been fulfilled for all believers; “for He [the Holy Spirit] will be in you.”  Now one could say that the “Spirit HAD been given” (cf. John 7:37). 

 

The Effects of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

 

Obviously, an event of such magnitude cannot be kept a secret.  Sure enough, the Bible says,

 

“And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.  And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.  Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?  And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?  Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappodicia, Pontus and Asia, Phyrgia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 

 

The men that were near the presence of this powerful event are described as “devout men” and “Jews”.  The NIV calls them “God-fearers”.  They were simply devout Jews who were living in Jerusalem who obeyed God’s law faithfully and reverently.[14]  We can also in infer that it was God’s will that the Jews be the first to receive the blessings, for Christ had commanded his apostles to remain in Jerusalem where they would be faithful witnesses for him there first, and then move out to the uttermost parts of the Earth (Acts 1:4, 8) and also from Romans 1:16 which tells us that salvation is “first for the Jew”.  These Jews are probably Jews of the Dispersion[15] who have returned to their homeland and possibly spend their last few years of life[16].  The noise that they had initially heard was probably the sound of the mighty rushing wind.  Thus, these bystanders are gathering together to find out where the sound had come from.

What they find, instead, is a large group of people declaring the “wonderful works of God in their own language”.  At this point, our concern is not the nature of tongues, but it may be said in passing, that the phenomena of the filling of the Holy Spirit and the ensuing declarations being understood in the respective languages of the nations represented have undone the scrambling of the languages that took place in Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel.  All of a sudden, God’s redemptive work was not limited by means of communication, but was able to be communicated to “men of every nation, tribe, people and language” (Rev. 5:9; 7:9).  “Linguistic barriers that hinder effective communication are removed when the Holy Spirit enables the believers to convey God’s revelation in numerous languages.[17]”  Another thing that amazed these bystanders, was that these people who were speaking were Galileans.

Galileans, apparently, had trouble being understood because of some of their pronunciations[18].  In the eyes of many Jews in Jerusalem, Galilee was a culturally backward area of Palestine inhabited by uneducated people[19].  Yet, these unlearned people were proclaiming the works of God in other languages, of which Galileans were know for not speaking[20].  These devout Jews were witnessing, before their very eyes, an act of God and evidence of the Holy Spirit in these men and women as they heard the “wonderful works of God” proclaimed to them.

“Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’”  “The miraculous is not self-authenticating, nor does it inevitably and uniformly convince.[21]”  Although, we know that the speech from the Spirit and the miracle of the removal of the language barrier was evidence of the Holy Spirit’s filling of the believers, the initial hearers were not sure what to think.  We can assume that these God-fearing men well appreciated the declaration of the works of God, but they were bewildered as to what it all meant.  “Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine,’” which is to accuse the believers to be drunk and rambling non-sense.  This accusation gives Peter his opportunity to respond and give the meaning of what has just occurred.

 

Apostolic Interpretation of the phenomena

 

            “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.  For these men are not drunk as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.”  Peter’s initial response is to rebut the charge of drunkenness against those filled with the Spirit.  Peter does this by saying that it is “only the third hour of the day” which is to say, that it was too early in the morning to have a drink for they had not even had their first meal while on the last day of their festival celebration.  The answer, in essence, is an appeal to common sense.

            Peter continues to speak positively to his audience about what did occur.  He says,

 

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old man shall dream dreams.

And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pout out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath

Blood and fire and vapors of smoke. 

The sun shall be turned to darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.’ ”

 

            That there may be no ambiguity about the meaning of what has taken place in verses 1-4, we must note immediately that Peter gives us an inspired apostolic interpretation of what has just happened.  Therefore, we must refuse any interpretation that is not aligned with the one that Peter is giving here in Acts. And what does Peter say?  Peter says that the filling of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent speech that was heard, is the fulfilling of the long awaited prophecy that Joel delivered in Joel 2:28-32[22].  We may note that Peter views the prophecy as being fulfilled by changing the phrase “afterwards” in the O.T. text to “in the last days” and by the addition of the words “and they shall prophecy”.  With the latter addition, Peter is drawing the apostolic conclusion that since the pouring out of the Spirit has taken place, the times have now become the “last days” of God’s redemptive program.  Likewise, the validation of all this comes from the re-emergence of prophesying to the people of God.

            Careful reading of Joel’s prophecy and Peter’s rendering of the fulfillment of it will also help to bring out the significance of the Pentecostal experience.  That is, that the Spirit of God will be given to “whoever calls on the name of the LORD.”  The emphasis of Joel’s prophecy about who would receive the Spirit was that it would be given without distinction to all who call upon the name of the LORD.  Notice, that the Spirit would be poured out on “all flesh”;  on “sons” and “daughters”, “young” and “old”, “menservants” and “maidservants” and, by implication we may adduce the distinctions between male and female as well – on all of these, without distinction, the Spirit of God will be poured upon!  And Peter says, after ridding the distinctions of to whom the Spirit would come to, he says that “they” – all who were mentioned above – “shall prophesy.” 

            It is quite unclear just how the “wonders” and “signs” aspect of the prophecy has been fulfilled, but that does not mean that Peter is saying that only half of the prophecy has been fulfilled or any such thing.  Peter’s main point, in any case, is summed up in the final clause of the prophecy:  “whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  Keep in mind that at this point, the audience, as Jews, understands “LORD” to be God (the Father) as revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures. 

 

Peter’s sermon about Christ

 

The final clause of Joel’s prophecy is what Peter uses to lead into his sermon about Jesus Christ.  He begins his sermon by saying, “Men of Israel,” showing that he is not speaking generally now, but is speaking individually to all whose audience he commands.  He continues,

 

“hear these words:  Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know – Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.  For David says concerning Him:  I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.  Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.  For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.  You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.

            Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.  This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.  Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you know see and hear.

            For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:  The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

 

            Peter’s first words introduce the central character of this sermon: Jesus of Nazareth.  This sermon is Christ centered from beginning to end.  The way that Peter emphasized Jesus Christ was to draw his audience’s attention to what He was in relation to God: a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst.  These are things that his audience themselves, “knew.”  Perhaps, many of them had even been at place where Jesus was and had witnessed one of the many miracles that Jesus performed in his life.  The other things that God did for Jesus beside “attesting” to him with miracles, signs and wonders, include handing Him over to be killed (v22), raising Him from the dead (v24,32), and making Him Lord and Christ (v36).  All this emphasis about what God has done for Christ is to show that God was with Christ.  Even Jewish leaders acknowledged that God was with Christ for Nicodemus admitted to Jesus that “no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” in John 3:2 and Jesus even exhorted many Jews who were hostile toward Him to “believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38). 

            Now, to the Jewish mind, it was believed that anyone who hung on a tree was cursed by God (cf. Deut. 21:23).  So the fact that Jesus was crucified (in essence, hung on a tree) seems to mean that He was cursed of God and that God was not with Him, even though He did many miracles. Yet, this Jesus whom God was with was delivered by the “determined purpose” and “foreknowledge” of God.  These terms clearly show that it was always within the will and purpose of God for Christ to die.  But this does not absolve the personal responsibility that men have before God, so Peter continues to say that they have taken this Jesus whom God was with and had him crucified and put to death!  Thus, their guilt is clearly laid out for the death of their long awaited Messiah. 

            But His deliverance up to death was not the end of God’s works with Him; God raised Him up from the dead!   Peter states, clearly, the fact of Christ’s resurrection.  This, God did, because “it was not possible that He should be held by it” especially in the light of the fact that Christ was sinless and thus not under the power of death, for He had willingly submitted to death at the will of the Father.  He then quotes from Psalm 16:8-11 in order prove that the Anointed of God was not to see corruption from the grave.  Although the readers understood that David prophesied this passage, it was obvious, as Peter points out that David was not referring to himself for David is dead and his audience knows it.  Instead, Peter points out that David knew that someday, the fruit of his body would come forth and this would be the Messiah and Peter gives the apostolic interpretation of the text as an explicit reference to the Resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  It was His soul that was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

            God raised up Jesus according to prophecy and promise, and the apostles were all witnesses.  Peter concludes, “therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you know see and hear.”  This is Peter’s answer to the previously raised question, “what does it mean?”  Peter’s answer, is basically, “This things that you now see and hear are the evidence of the fact that the Holy Spirit has been poured out as Joel prophesied and this has taken place becauseJesus has been exalted to the position of authority with the Father to send the Holy Spirit.     

Peter further supports this point about Christ by, again, quoting from Psalm 110:1 just in case there is still any doubt that Psalm 16:8-11 is about Christ.  In quoting, “The LORD said to my Lord…” David is admitting that this verse, though penned by David, is not about David, for David never ruled in this absolute sense of which he speaks of here.  David was never admitted to the “right hand of God”.

Therefore, since it was Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Messianic prophecies mentioned in the Scriptures, Peter declares to His audience with no questionability, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  That is, Jesus is undeniable the LORD[23] – that is, the same God of the Old Testament whom his audience was ever familiar with – and the long awaited Messiah – the anointed of God.

 

The crowd’s response and Pentecost

 

            “Now when they heard this,” – that the one whom they had crucified was their LORD and Christ – “they were cut to heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  “On the day of Pentecost they see the evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they hear Peter’s exposition, and they realize that they have sinned against God by refusing to accept his Son.  Now they turn to Jesus’ immediate followers and ask the apostles for advice[24]”  

            Peter’s answer best sums up the significance of Pentecost for the Church.  He says, “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”  Here is the significance of Pentecost:  the one who repents of his or her sins and places their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation “shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  “The promise” of the Spirit is for all without distinction.  It is the promise of Joel 2:28-32 to all classes and manner of people.  Thus, the significance of Pentecost is the shattering of barriers of distinction (like language, race, social status, gender, etc…) and the promise of the Spirit to “all flesh”!  The Spirit is given to all members of the Church equally.  There is no member of the Church who does not have this promise and gift of the Spirit of God[25].

 

The Other Pentecostal Experiences Explained

 

            As significant as this event of Pentecost is, the book of Acts records several other instances in which a similar Pentecost experience seems to take place.  These events are recorded in Acts 8:14-17, 10:44-46 and 19:1-6.  In each of these instances, the Holy Spirit comes upon these believers in a like manner as recorded in Acts 2[26].  It is often asserted that because of these separate Pentecost experiences that believers today should expect similar events to occur, including the evidence of speaking in tongues and prophesying to accompany their own baptism in the Holy Spirit.  That question what will be asking is:  what is the significance of these other Pentecost experiences? 

            The answer to this question lies in our understanding of the purpose of Acts and our hermeneutical approach to the work.  Most people have the tendency to read Acts as merely examples of early Christian practice and piety, or as a “loose collection of edifying and inspiring episodes, usually with the nuance that they are from the ‘good old days, when Christians were really Christian.’[27]”  However, this approach tend to cause the reader to become preoccupied with the experiences of particular individuals and groups, as well as the tendency to elevate and idealize the experiences themselves rather than their intended significances.  There is also the desire to want to experience the exact same things[28].  If, however we read Acts in the light of the overall composition of the work, then we can begin to get an idea of Luke’s central theme and purpose for the book of Acts and then interpret the significance of the experiences, accordingly.

            So what is Luke’s intention in recording and documenting the event that he did?  Richard Gaffin asserts that Luke “in intent on recording the initial, once-for-all establishment of the new covenant Church as made up of both Jew and Gentile, through the ministry of the apostles and those associated with them.[29]”  Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8, then, serve as the overarching theme of the book of Acts[30] : “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  This pattern is what emerges as one begins to read through the book of Acts.  Notice the initial spread of the Gospel begins in Jerusalem in Acts 2-7; then it spread through Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-9); finally, it spreads to the Gentiles, and “unto the ends of the earth[31]” in Acts 10-28.  Thus, Luke is concerned about showing the development and growth of the Kingdom of God and the fulfillment of Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8. 

            At this point, it needs to be said that, in context, Acts 1:8 is NOT addressed to all believers indiscriminately.  On the other hand, it is directed to the apostles.  That is, when Jesus says, “you shall be My witnesses,” He is only addressing the apostles concerning their foundational work.  To them, alone, was given the foundational task of spreading the Gospel and being witnesses for Christ unto the “ends of the earth.”  Colossians 1:6 and 23 reveal that they did their job well, too.  Many people try to interpret this verse by applying it to themselves or their local congregations.  Their interpretation often sounds something like this:

 

“Jerusalem” is those areas of immediate influence in your life like your home or your work place; “Judea” are those places associated near your immediate influence like your neighbors and neighborhood; “Samaria” is those places that you hate to go to and usually don’t go through because they are not in your comfort zone which could include witnessing to drug addicts, in prisons and to other outcasts of society; Finally, the “ends of the earth” are those places that are far from your normal living which could include other countries and people of different cultures.[32]

 

            Though this is an interesting incentive to spread the Gospel, this is not the meaning of Acts 1:8.  The verse still applies to us today, but only in a derivative sense[33] as we continue to build on the Gospel foundation already laid by the apostles.  Today we are part of the “ends of the earth” that has been reached by the Gospel, not the initial spreaders of it.  If this is not grasped, nor the theme of the book of Acts previously mentioned, the result will be a misunderstanding of the book of Acts as a whole as well as the individual parts and their significance in regards to the whole.

            With the overarching theme of the book of Acts in mind, what is going with the Pentecost-like events in Acts 8, 10 and 19?  Let it be plainly said that these other events are NOT repetitions of what happened at Pentecost[34].  As has already been mentioned, the apostolic interpretation of Peter about the events at Pentecost leads us to believe that the Pentecost event in Acts 2:1-4 was something that occurred once never to be repeated[35].  Instead, these events each serve as elements of the initial and foundational spread of the Gospel[36] as well as proofs that the significance of the Pentecost through the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 has been fulfilled.  In a sense, they are “extensions” of Pentecost but still part of the once for all foundational spreading of the Gospel by the apostles.

            This approach to each of these texts becomes clearer when we see that the focus of these texts is not the experiences of the individual believers.  In Acts 8, the significance of the events is in verse 14, where we see that “the apostles in Jerusalem heard that SAMARIA had received the Word of God.”  The apostles were not focused on what happened but to whom it happened to.  In Acts 10 at Cornelius’ house, the significance is that “the GENTILES also had received the Word of God” (Acts 11:1)[37] and they too had received the Holy Spirit, not as a “post-conversion” experience, but in view of their “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18).  This is further supported by the astonishment of those “circumcised believers” who were with Peter who were amazed that the Holy Spirit came upon “even the Gentiles” (Acts 10:44-46)[38].

            Acts 19:1-7 presents some difficulty in understanding the discipleship of these men (v 2)[39].  It seems that these men were baptized by John the Baptist and had adhered to his teachings from a time.  However, they had probably returned to Ephesus before they could hear about “the one who would come after John, whose sandals John did not consider himself worthy to loosen.  The significance of the encounter is that they were disciples of John the Baptist who had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit.  From what Paul tells them, they had not even heard of Jesus, the one whom John said would come after him and baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Thus, Paul spoke to them about Jesus and they submit to water baptism in Jesus’ name and they receive the Spirit of God when the apostle lays hands on them[40].  Paul’s primary purpose is to declare the fulfillment and reality of what John spoke about to his disciples.

            All that has been said so far in relation to Acts 2 is not to downplay the events that took place, nor to deny them.  However, we must understand the unique position that the apostles held in the redemptive history (historia salutis) of the Church.  Their experience with the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens to be “post-conversion” for them only because it was they who lived in the “fullness of time” in which God sent His Son  into the world and when the Spirit was given to the Church, once and for all.  Richard Gaffin notes some difficulties for those who want to interpret their events as ongoing:

 

“The attempt to read out of Acts 2 and the other passages a permanent model (Ordo Salutis) for receiving the Spirit creates a number of unanswerable questions:  Does the ‘Holy Spirit Baptism’ take place at the same time as or subsequent to initial faith in Christ?  The former is the case in chapter 10 and perhaps (but not indisputably) chapter 19, the latter in the chapter 2 and 8.  Before or after water baptism?  The former in chapter 10, the latter in chapters 8 and 19, with chapter 2 giving no indication.  With our without laying on hands?  The former in chapters 8 and 19, the latter in chapters 2 and 10.  These dilemmas simply show that the passages in question are being pressed into doing something Luke never intended.[41]”

 

            Along with these unintended difficulties, we can note that those who received the Spirit after Acts 2:1-4 are those who received it as a response to the preaching of the Word of God (Acts 2:37-41; 8:14; 10:44-48; 19:4-6).  They are not like the apostles who had been with Christ and had come to believe in Him as the Messiah (Matt. 16:13-18) as the apostles did.  The first audience in Jerusalem had to be told that the Jesus, whom they had crucified, was made Lord and Christ by God. 

 

Who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

 

            The expression “to baptize in” or “with” the Holy Spirit occurs seven times in the New Testament, with six of them alluding specifically to Pentecost (Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16).  The seventh occurrence is found in I Corinthians 12:13 and is addressed to believers, much like us today, who were not present at the Pentecost event nor associated with the other Pentecost “extensions”. 

            The larger context of I Corinthians 12 is concerned with the variety of spiritual gifts in the one Church.  Undergirding the many gifts, is the participation in the one body of Christ.  Thus, Paul is dealing with the unity of the Church in the presence of many gifts. 

 

[1]  “charisma” (carisma) being the Greek word for “gift”

 

[2]  Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, rep. 1997, (IV: 4) pg. 576

 

[3]  If our individual experiences were the hermeneutical rule to follow for interpreting Scripture, then Christianity would be as variant as there are members in the body of Christ since everybody has different experiences and they each are susceptible to interpreting them differently.  Two people may even have the same experience and interpret it in two different ways.  Thus, Scripture, as God-breathed revelation from God is able to serve as that infallible guide because it is the Word of God to us.

 

[4]  MacArthur, John F., Charismatic Chaos, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992, pg. 35

 

[5]  John M. Frame has done a marvelous job in his Doctrine of the Knowledge of God (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 1987) in critiquing various sources of knowledge about God.  In critiquing subjectivism – of which this mysticism is a form of – he says, “The subjectivist seeks to avoid responsibility to anything outside of himself;  he seeks to become his own lord, and that is a form of idolatry” (pg. 121)

 

[6]  ibid.  Gnosticism, one of the first heresies in the Church, is also noted for promoting the need for true knowledge to direct revelation from God similar to what we are talking about here. 

 

[7]  The comparison of extra-Biblical revelation existing outside of the Bible in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Charismatic movement is not that difficult to make.  Both claim that there is something “extra” that is necessary to live the Christian life; for Rome it is the Traditions that come through the Magisterium, while for Charismatics it is the revelations that may come through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Also, the verifiability of each claim of revelation is equally impossible to verify.  Roman Catholic Tradition is not necessarily verified by tradition or scripture; it only matters what the Church teaches (Viva Voce).  For Charismatics, the experiences that they claim to have are equally unverifiable to anybody else.  What matters is that the person had the experience, period.  And if they believe that that experience is from God – even if it is contrary to the plain teachings of scripture – they believe their experiences to be true over and above scripture, and thus, their experience dictates the interpretations of scripture, even as Roman Catholic Tradition is able to define and interpret the Scriptures.  John MacArthur notes that, “the major flaw in the charismatic movement is that it calls on experience rather than the word of God to dictate what is true” (Charismatic Chaos, pg. 41). 

 

[8]  John, when He had baptized Christ and saw the Spirit of God descend upon him as well heard the voice of God declare that Jesus was God’s beloved Son, would later doubt if Christ was the Messiah because he did not see the “fire” of judgment that he believed would immediately follow the coming of the Messiah (Matt. 11:1-6.  Although I will not deal with the eschatological elements of judgment here, it should be noted that judgment that John thought would immediate proceed the coming of the Messiah does not happen.  Instead, it is proceeded by a period of Christ’s own reception of the Spirit as well as submission to John’s Baptism.  Likewise, John 7:39 reveals the connection between the giving of the Spirit and the glorification of Jesus Christ which must take place first before the Baptism of the Spirit as well as the fire judgment.

 

[9]  O. Palmer Robertson has done an excellent job of pointing out some of the misunderstandings that the Apostles had about the nature of the kingdom of God in these passages in Acts 1.  The Israel of God (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 2000) is a recommended read on this subject as well as the hermeneutical approach to the book of Acts which is significant in understanding Pentecost, though the length of this work will not be able to deal with that topic in a thorough manner as others, like Robertson, have done.

 

[10]  See textual note on The New Geneva Study Bible, edited by R.C. Sproul, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1995, , pg. 1712

 

[11]  See textual note on The New Geneva Study Bible, edited by R.C. Sproul, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1995, , pg. 1712

 

[12]  note the aorist tense of the verb “to fill” in the Greek text.

 

[13]  Longenecker, Richard N., Acts, from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 9, John, Acts, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, Zondervan Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1981, pg. 271

 

[14]  Kistemaker, Simon J., New Testament Commentary: Acts, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1990, pg. 80

 

[15]  This was basically a scattering of the Jewish people after their captivity to Babylon.

 

[16]  Longenecker, Acts, pg. 272

 

[17]  Kistemaker, pg. 81

 

[18]  Longenecker, Acts, pg. 272

 

[19]  Kistemaker, pg. 81

 

[20]  ibid.  “They prove that God’s revelation is not bound to one particular language but that it transcends all variations of human speech.” (Kistemaker)

 

[21]  Longenecker, Acts, pg. 273

 

[22]  Careful attention must be given here because Charismatic often try to portray the prophecy of Joel as unfulfilled or as a prophecy that is ongoing throughout the entire Church age until the consummation at the end of the age.  But Peter leaves no room for such an interpretation.  The immediate context only leads us to conclude that the “this” that Peter is talking about is the events of verses 1-4 and that he says that is the fulfillment of the word of the prophet Joel.  Make no mistake;  Joel 2:28-32 is fulfilled according to Peter and not something that is future any more or something that is ongoing. 

 

[23]  This passage is clearly teaching the Deity of Jesus Christ and His co-equality with One True God of the Old Testament. 

 

[24]  Kistemaker, pg. 104

 

[25]  Most charismatics teach that one can be a Christian and not have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  However, this passage clearly teaches that it is the very Baptism of the Spirit that is rightfully gifted to all Christians without disctinction.  What Charismatics end up doing is creating a distinction between “carnal Christians” and “spiritual Christians”, the latter having the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 10:9 says that one must “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus” yet Paul  also taught that “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12:3).  This is clear evidence that no one can be Christian apart from the indwelling of the Spirit of God.  Thus, the distinction that Charismatics tend to make between Christians who have been Baptized with the Holy Spirit and Christians who have not been Baptized with the Holy Spirit is false, and unscriptural, for the one who does not have the Spirit of God cannot profess Jesus to be Lord unto salvation.

 

[26]  Certainly it is not parallel since the sound of the might rushing wind is missing, as well as the appearance of the divided tongues of fire.   But it is clear to the apostles, in each instance, that the Holy Spirit had come to these groups as it did to them.

 

[27]  Gaffin, Richard B, Perspectives on Pentecost: New Testament Teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co. , Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 1979, pg. 23

 

[28]  too often, Charismatics tend to read the Scriptures this way and portray the experiences in the book as part of everyday Christianity and as a part of the process of salvation for every believer (Ordo Salutis).

 

[29]  Gaffin, pg. 23

 

[30]  O. Palmer Robertson, in The Israel of God (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 2000) notes that the Kingdom of God and the nature of the kingdom is the predominant theme in the book of Acts.  In short, Robertson demonstrates that the book of Acts is to be understood through Acts 1:8 as a response to the apostles’ question about the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel.  The apostles’ misunderstanding about the nature of the Kingdom and its dominion, is answered by Jesus in Acts 1:8 and the rest of the book of Acts is the fulfilling of the spread of the Kingdom of God and showing that the nature of the Kingdom of God, in its inaugurated form, is in the Holy Spirit, and is to extend to the ends of the whole earth, and not merely a kingdom of a certain nationality of people who inhabit a small portion of land in Palestine (see pg. 111-165).

 

[31]  At the time of this writing, Rom would be considered “the ends of the earth” being that it was across the Mediterranean from Palestine.

 

[32]  The author has heard this interpretation several times from many Charismatic preachers and is also familiar with it from the author’s past experience with Charismatic leanings.

 

[33]  Gaffin, pg. 24

 

[34]  ibid.

 

[35]  That is, Christ has poured out His Spirit on the Church already and He is ever present with the Church.  Pentecost CANNOT happen again because the Spirit is already with believers and in believers without distinction.  Therefore, there is no need to give the Spirit to the Church again in that manner because she already possesses it.

 

[36]  Gaffin, pg. 24

 

[37]  note the structural similarity of Acts 11:1 and 8:14; both are amazed that a certain ethnic group had received the “Word of God.”

 

[38]  Remember, that the misunderstanding of the Jews was that the Kingdom of God, and even salvation, was for their nation alone.  They had not yet fully understood the nature of the Kingdom of God as including Gentiles.  Some commentators have noted that another significance of the post-Pentecost “extensions” were to prove that the Kingdom would include not only those in Jerusalem, but also those in Judea and Samaria, and people from the “ends of the earth” as well.

 

[39]  Charismatics tend to interpret their discipleship as being Christian and without the Spirit thus, revealing a “second blessing” doctrine.  However, this does not seem to be the case since these men admit that they only know of John’s baptism, which was only a baptism of repentance, and not Christian baptism.

 

[40]  “What takes place in their encounter with Paul is with a view to removing the unusual, indeed anomalous, situation of those who have responded to the ministry of John and received the sign of his water baptism but have not learned of or been involved in the reality of the fulfillment in Jesus, to which John’s ministry with its baptism sign pointed.  Paul’s primary concern is to proclaim this reality with its implications for Christian discipleship (vv. 4ff.)  At any rate, the right interpretation of this passage must confront the specific redemptive-historical delimitation involved.” (Gaffin, pg. 25)

 

[41]  Gaffin, pg. 26