For more than 25 years I was a pastor with the Christian & Missionary Alliance founded by A.B Simpson. This passage was an important part of his teaching on the Christian life - after conversion “we should lead the convert to the altar of consecration, and never leave him until he has been sealed and sanctified by the same Spirit.” So I have long thought on this and these are some of my thoughts on this from the last couple of weeks.
Acts 18:24-19:7 Apollos and the Ephesian 12
In order to properly understand this passage, we should probably start with baptism. Why baptism? Because twice we read of John’s baptism: of Apollos, knowing only the baptism of John and of the twelve, Unto John's baptism. In both of these situations we encounter people whose spiritual boundary was John’s baptism. This must be significant. I believe understanding this will enable us to understand these verses.
Unto what then were ye baptized? One significance of baptism is the embracing of a faith, a message, and we have two baptisms spoken of: the baptism of John and baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
We don’t have to guess what each baptism meant for Paul tells us: 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. John’s message was, Repent for the Messiah is coming soon. People baptized with the baptism of John had embraced this message (faith), He is coming soon. To be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus was to embrace the message, He has come and Jesus is his name. This tells us exactly where these two groups were spiritually.
Apollos
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue:
Apollos knew the Scriptures, especially the prophetic promises of Christ, and he fervently and diligently taught the soon coming of Christ and the need for repentance to be ready to meet him. But since he knew only the baptism of John, he did not know Christ had come, that Jesus was his name, that he had been crucified in Jerusalem and raised from the dead.
whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
What did they tell him? Messiah has come, his name is Jesus; him they crucified; him God raised from the dead. Jesus is Christ and Lord.
28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Here you can see the difference in his message – “forcibly the Jews he was refuting publicly, proving through the Scriptures Jesus to be the Christ.” (Young’s Literal)
Two questions are left unanswered: Was he re-baptized? Did they pray with him to receive the Holy Spirit. I believe the answer to both questions is, Yes, and that this is one reason for the next few verses.
Ephesian Twelve
Paul comes across a group of disciples and asks them about the Holy Spirit, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed? (I will get back to the question itself). Their answer, We have not heard if the Holy Spirit is. Surely they didn’t mean, "If there be a Holy Spirit.” Anyone familiar with the Old Testament would know of the Holy Spirit. This is similar to John 7:39, The Holy Spirit was not yet. Not yet what? We have to supply “given” - not yet given. These disciples had not heard whether the Holy Spirit was given, had come. They didn’t know about Pentecost. This revealed where they were – Christian baptism is in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and included the laying on of hands for the receiving of the gift of the Spirit - had they been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus they would have heard that the Holy Spirit was (given).
Upon hearing this Paul asked about their baptism. They answered they knew only John’s baptism, so he proclaimed the gospel - Jesus is the Christ - and they were immediately baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
This illustrates a problem unique to the early church – people who had responded to the message of John the Baptist but who had not heard of Jesus. Incredible but obviously true and maybe even common. What was the spiritual condition of such people? I mean, were they lost? On the one hand it is true, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. But on the other hand, these folks had responded to all the light they had from God. I believe the grace of Christ covered them because their hearts were as right as they could be. The evidence for that is as soon as they heard of Jesus they believed.
The Question
Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?
This is translated by everyone else, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" (ESV) But Young’s Literal Translation shows the tension, 'The Holy Spirit did ye receive -- having believed?' Paul’s question is, Did you when or Have you since? What? Yes. Even if you translate it, Did you receive when you believed? this is a yes or no question. Paul expects a yes or a no. Did you receive the Spirit when you believed? No. Have you received the Spirit since you believed? The point being, this receiving the Spirit is a definite and distinct experience. You can know whether or not you have received the Spirit; I don’t argue you into it, you tell me about it. So many today would never even ask this, they would instead say, “Listen, when you believed you received the Spirit.” Paul found a group of people, noticed something missing in their spiritual life, and asked, Have you received the Spirit? When they answered No he immediately took steps to address this. When 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.
What do these passages teach us?
- Jesus Christ
I said earlier, “I believe the grace of Christ covered them because their hearts were as right as they could be.” Yet they still needed to hear about and believe on Jesus Christ. In the providence of the Almighty the message was brought to them: Apollos just happened to be speaking at a synogogue attended by Aquilla and Priscilla, co-laborers with the Apostle Paul; Paul just happened to run into twelve disciples in Ephesus. Their hearts were open and ready and the Holy Spirit delivered the message.
- Baptism
We never read of any individual or any group in Acts who had not been baptized. Faith and baptism are so linked together with salvation that every single person who hears and believes in Christ is baptized. No exception. The idea of an unbaptized believer was inconceivable to the apostolic church. We never read of the apostles coming across a group of disciples and asking if they had been baptized - to become a Christian is to believe and be baptized. This speaks of the significance, importance, and necessity of baptism.
-Holy Spirit
There is a definite and distinct experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? and Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? are legitimate, apostolic questions. Of course, what receiving the Spirit means is a different study!
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