While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:1-2)
Christians place much emphasis on receiving Jesus Christ for salvation. When we receive Christ, we receive eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with God. This is the starting point of our faith and our entry into the kingdom of God. John the Baptist spoke of this when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
But John also prophesied something else, something beyond forgiveness and salvation. He said that Jesus would baptize his people with the Holy Spirit. This baptism of the Spirit is an experience that is distinct from salvation, and it is central to the gospel message that Jesus proclaimed. Jesus declared that his followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. This is the difference between having life and having power, and the Bible makes a sharp distinction between these two experiences.
On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. It was there that Jesus fulfilled his promise and poured out the Holy Spirit upon them. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” This experience happened after they already believed in Jesus, after they had witnessed his resurrection and placed their faith in him.
Receiving Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit are two different things. Receiving Christ is for salvation, to receive life. Receiving the Holy Spirit is for ministry, to receive power. This is the gospel, and it is non-negotiable.
When Paul encountered the disciples in Ephesus, he did not first ask them about their conversion or who baptized them. Instead, he assumed that they were followers of Jesus. If Paul did not think they were disciples of Jesus, he would not have said that they “believed.” John the Baptist never asked people to believe in him, but Jesus did. Therefore, Paul assumed that these disciples were believers in Jesus. The nature of his follow-up question confirms that he assumed they were ready to take the next step, if they had not already: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
When they answered that they had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit, Paul asked them about their baptism. He wanted to understand how they could believe in Jesus but not know about the Holy Spirit. If Paul did not assume that they were disciples of Jesus, why did he not make this the first question he asked? Clearly, Paul believed that they were followers of Christ, but he also understood that receiving the Holy Spirit was a distinct experience, one that was essential for every believer.
The question “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” has become a point of confusion. This is because faithless theology has made nonsense out of what Paul did when he asked about it as a separate issue. There are those who claim that receiving Jesus automatically means they have received the Holy Spirit in the way that the apostles described. But this is not what Scripture teaches. Paul himself, as well as the other apostles, made a clear distinction between the two.
Some of us have tried to qualify this distinction by saying, “We understand that there is a work of the Spirit in you when you receive Christ.” While it is true that the Spirit is involved in our regeneration, in making us new creations in Christ, the biblical language is much sharper. Paul did not ask the Ephesians if they had the Spirit in some sense. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit after they believed. There is a difference between the Spirit’s influence in regeneration and the reception of the Holy Spirit as a baptism of power.
We have become accommodating in our approach because the apostate church is filled with people who have not received the Spirit, and yet insist they have. They have spread much confusion on the topic, and their theology has framed the language used to discuss the topic. However, this compromise has become harmful. It is time to restore the biblical language, to speak as the apostles spoke, and to draw the distinction they drew. Since the confusion is already in the people, it is acceptable to be more nuanced at times, so that we do not appear to misrepresent them or to deny the Spirit any role in regeneration, but we must not allow faithless and heretical theology to forever control how we talk about this.
Those who have received Jesus Christ are born again. They have received the life of God, and it is indeed a work of the Spirit. But they may not have received the Holy Spirit in the way the apostles described. They may not have received the baptism of power that Jesus promised. Paul asked the Ephesians this question because he knew that it is possible for someone to be a disciple of Jesus and yet not have received the Holy Spirit. The language of Scripture places this experience as something separate and distinct, something that ought to happen after salvation.
The experience of receiving the Holy Spirit is described as an infusion of power. This is not an emotional feeling or a subjective sense of spirituality. It is an impartation of divine power for ministry and for the expansion of God’s kingdom. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The disciples were already believers, but they needed to receive power in order to fulfill the mission that Jesus had given them.
Paul asked the Ephesians if they had received the Holy Spirit because he knew that this is a critical component of the Christian life. It is the gospel. We must ask the same question: Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed in Jesus Christ? This is a question that challenges every believer to examine their own experience. Have you received the baptism of power? Have you experienced an infusion of God’s Spirit? If not, then it is time to receive this promise by faith.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is essential. Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were “clothed with power from on high.” The early church understood that they could not fulfill their mission without the power of the Holy Spirit. Even if you believe that you have the Holy Spirit, it is important to consider whether you have truly received what the Bible describes. There ought to be a demonstration of miracle power, or at least a potential of this power that is unleashed through action or when confronted with an opportunity. It could also manifest in visions and dreams, as well as prophecies and tongues.
The apostles viewed the reception of the Spirit as a distinct experience, and they continued to ask believers if they had received it. This was an essential and regular aspect of their ministry. There is solid evidence in the Bible that John the Baptist, Jesus himself, and the apostles all considered this more important than water baptism. There is, in fact, no comparison. However, in many circles, water baptism is regarded as integral to evangelism and discipleship, while this Spirit baptism is either neglected or destroyed altogether by being conflated with receiving Christ for salvation.
Christians must restore the emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This blessing deserves its own place and prominence. We should also be less accommodating in our language and expression. If the apostles made a sharp distinction between receiving Christ and receiving the Spirit, then we ought to do the same. There is no need to always acknowledge that believers have experienced the work of the Spirit in some sense. The early disciples did not do this. It is unnecessary to care about the nuance. We can confront Christians and ask, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” and then let the conversation go from there.