Salvation in Spirit and Truth - Part 2

Acts 19      

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.”
4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that

(1) they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 

                 5 When they heard this, they were 

(2) baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

(3) 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, 

(4) the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all. 

 

1. This is the core of the gospel, to believe on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. These early hearers of John's gospel heard the message of repentance, that is turning away from sin and law, towards love and grace.

2. They were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. John's baptism was an Old Testament ordinance of washing (Exo. 29:4) whereas Christian believers are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:3). Just as Jesus changed the meaning of the Passover meal to the Lord's Supper, so He altered the OT rite of washing into a New Covenant observance. 

3. Paul laid hands on them as an identification with the church. There was nothing mystical or magical in the laying on of hands; rather it is a sign of unity and solidarity one with another (1 Tim. 4:14).

4. The true baptism is in the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit came upon these new believers and they experienced the true change from death to life. We must say that anyone who does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit is not Christ's (Matt 3:11, Acts 1:5; Rom. 8:9). Does then everyone speak in tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit? 

No. Just look back to Acts 18:24ff to see the example of Apollos. He knew only the baptism of John, but was instructed more fully in the truth of Christ. He did not speak in tongues but spoke boldly the gospel. The true evidence of the Holy Spirit is not merely a new tongue but a new life (2 Cor. 5:17).

This then is salvation in Spirit and in truth. The Spirit of God and the truth of Christ working fully in every believer.