Acts 1:4 & 5, “await the promise of the Father which you heard from
Me.
Act 1:5 For John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not
many days from now”
Question : were the apostles saved at this point or not? John 15:3, Jesus
clearly said, “Now you are clean
through the Word which I have spoken to you.”
They were saved already at this
point, yet, they had not been ‘baptized in the Holy Spirit yet’. And therefore, it is eminently
possible, especially after reading the account of the 12 disciples in Acts 18
and 19, who were saved under the ministry of Apollos, but had only been
baptized in the baptism of John, a baptism for the repentance of sins only,
that there are some who are truly saved and disciples of the LORD, but not
baptized in the Holy Spirit, and therefore, not effective in gospel witness and
living.
When Paul arrived at Ephesus, he straightaway asked if they had
received the Holy Spirit, and referred to this receiving of the Holy Spirit to
being baptized with the baptism of Jesus. The early church had already made a
distinction between the baptism of John, as a baptism of repentance, with the baptism
of Jesus, which is a baptism to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the
earnest of the Spirit, a down-payment, guaranteeing the inheritance awaiting
the believer in heaven.
Peter’s sermon on the day of
Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out upon the first-fruits of Christ,
began with a reference to the Old Testament, from Joel’s prophecy. “And it
shall be in the last days”; and has the last days come to an end? And if not,
should we not still expect that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh?
And why do we major and
emphasize only the prophetic as it pertains to preaching, and discard “wonders
in the heaven above, and signs on the earth below”?
Why is justification so hugely
important? Because through justification, the finished work of Jesus’
salvation, which includes forgiveness of sins, and the giving of the Holy
Spirit, is secured. The Father gives His stamp or seal of approval upon Christ’s
finished work by imputing the sins of the sinners upon the Savior, and through
His resurrection, imputing Christ’s righteousness and His rewards, the gift of
the Holy Spirit, to these very same sinners!
Reformed Theology highlights
and emphasizes the preaching of the Word, and makes light and barely even comes
up with a robust and biblical theology of the Holy Spirit as part of God’s
Package of Salvation in union with Christ. Reformed theology downplays the
Person, Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as an indispensable part of the
package of salvation. Reformed theology emphasizes the pactum salutis, and the ordu
salutis, and not the pneuma salutis.
The early church gives us such
a clear model of ministry growth we ought to follow. The entire ministry of the
apostles centered upon “teaching and proclaiming
the gospel of Jesus the Christ” (Acts 5:42). Why do we think we are
cleverer than the apostles, and proceed to teach and proclaim every other thing
than the gospel of Jesus Christ? Even up to last Sunday, I heard one ordained
to the ministry, and having been in the ministry for over 40 years, respond to
this by saying that I may not have an audience if all I had was the gospel of
Jesus Christ! The teaching and proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ has to
include the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit as the evidence of the sinner
being justified by Christ.
Peter’s preaching recorded in
the book of Acts shows that he ended each sermon with an exhortation that the
people repent of their sins, so that they may receive forgiveness and the Holy
Spirit as a reward of their faith in Christ.
Paul barely preaches this,
however, emphasizes the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ ‘reigning through
righteousness’ (Rom 5:21). Paul appears to be highlighting the grace of the
LORD Jesus Christ in the same intensity or inter-changeably with the gift and
promise of Holy Spirit to the believer upon believing on Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment