Q&A - HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?

WBS.261

Q&A – HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Acts 2: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This is a question that seems to beset many believers.  It is a question that, more often than not, comes from questioning how the Holy Spirit can be inside of me if I am still committing sin, or if I am undisciplined, or am lacking power in my life, or am weak in faith.  It is usually not asked so much as a doctrinal question as it is a spiritual condition question (although it is a pet doctrinal issue for many).

To answer this question, we must first define the critical term. What do we mean by being “filled” with the Holy Spirit? This is where one runs into doctrinal issues rather quickly, and where theological opinions abound.

There are two answers to the question. 

1.  Being filled means, “to be indwelled by” the Holy Spirit.

2.  Being filled means, “to be under the influence of” the Holy Spirit. 

It seems to me that a disciple would KNOW when he/she is wholly under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  The manifestation of the Holy Spirit consuming our life’s expression would be rather obvious; and not the reason why someone would ask this question.  We will touch upon this idea, however, at the end of this study; but clearly what needs to be addressed is whether or not a disciple has the Holy Spirit at all.  So, let’s ask this question in a more direct way.

HOW CAN WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as IAUE our Elohim shall call.

Earlier in his address to the Jews that had assembled around the disciples that morning, Peter had explained that the phenomenon of the 120 disciples speaking in the languages of all the peoples who had gathered from many nations, declaring unto them the mighty acts of Elohim, was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel.  Joel had said that in the latter days IAUE would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.  This was a manifestation of that.

Peter refers to the unmistakable and indisputable manifestation of the Holy Spirit that was the very cause of the crowd having gathered when he refers to “the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  He explained that one must repent and be baptized (in water), and then the gift of the Holy Spirit would be received…not just by the crowd that gathered that Pentecost morning; but “to all that are afar off, even as many IAUE our Elohim shall call.”

Peter was not laying down a formula.  He was not explaining that in order to receive the Holy Spirit you first had to repent, then you had to be baptized in water, and THEN you could receive the Holy Spirit.  If you think about it, the 120 disciples who had just been “filled” with the Holy Spirit had not been baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah since his resurrection.  Before they were visited by the resurrected Messiah, many of them still had not resolved in their minds who he was.  After his death, they were all ready to go back to their old lives.  Any water baptism prior to the resurrection would not represent the same thing as it would after his resurrection.  This is evidenced in Acts 19 with the passionate Ephesian disciples who had received John’s baptism of repentance; but they were baptized again AFTER they had the word of Elohim more fully preached to them by Paul.  (Acts 19:1-7)

There are five instances in the Book of Acts where the experience of new believers receiving the Holy Spirit is recorded. 

The first is the 120 disciples who were in the upper room praying for ten days awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  It is obvious that all of them had repented.  They had not received the Holy Spirit yet because He had not yet been given to man (John 7:39).  Messiah first had to complete the formalities of his sacrifice in the temple of IAUE not made with hands…in the presence of His Father, Himself.  Once that was completed, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, and the disciples received the Holy Spirit (which was made evident, manifested by, their speaking in tongues). They were no doubt numbered among the 3,000 who believed and were baptized that day. (Acts 2:41)

The second incident is in Acts 8:5-17, when Phillip went to Samaria and preached the gospel and cast out demons, healed the sick, and healed the lame.  The whole city came to Messiah and the people were baptized in water; but it took Peter and John coming up to Samaria from Jerusalem to lay hands on these new disciples before they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of Elohim, they sent unto them Peter and John:

15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:

16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Master Yahushua.)

17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The third incident is in Acts 9:1-18, when Paul confronted the resurrected and glorified Messiah on the Damascus road.  No doubt repentance was Paul’s first response.  After being blinded by the glory of the Master for three days, Ananias was sent to him to restore his sight and to fill him with the Holy Spirit.  Immediately after he his sight was restored and he received the Holy Spirit, Paul was baptized in water.

Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Master, even Yahushua, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

The fourth incident is in Acts 10:34-48, when Peter went to the house of Cornelius, the Roman centurion.  As he preached the gospel to him, his family and friends, the Scripture says the Holy Spirit “fell upon them,” and then they began speaking in tongues and magnifying IAUE.  Peter recognized this as evidence of the same event they experienced on the day of Pentecost and said that they had received the “gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately, he instructed them to be baptized in water.

The fifth incident is in Acts 19:1-6, when Paul met with the disciples of John in Ephesus. Though the passage does not state it openly, it was apparent to Paul that these disciples were not “complete,” so he asked them point blank if they had received the Holy Spirit SINCE they believed.  They were unaware of any Holy Spirit. Paul asked them about their baptism; and they said they were baptized unto John’s baptism.  Hearing this, Paul understood they had not actually believed on Yahushua as Messiah.  When they believed on Yahushua, Paul baptized them, then laid his hands upon them; and they received the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and prophesied.

If we consider that the unrecorded event of the 3,000 who were added to the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) followed the instructions of Peter (Acts 2:38), then we have six conversion events in the book of Acts:  Three received the Holy Spirit AFTER they were water baptized.  Three received the Holy Spirit BEFORE they were water baptized. 

The real point to be made here is that one first has to become a repentant believer, i.e., born again, become a new creature in Yahushua Messiah, BEFORE one is qualified to receive the Holy Spirit.  One does NOT automatically receive the Holy Spirit as a “package deal” with believing; therefore, “Have I received the Holy Spirit since I believed,” is the real question.  If you are not aware of a moment in your life AFTER you believed in Messiah when your body was invaded by the presence of the Spirit of the Creator, the answer is, “No.”  If no one has laid hands on you or prayed with you to receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit; or if you have not asked IAUE to give you his “gift” and filled your body with the Holy Spirit, the answer is, “No.”  If you did not approach your water baptism with the full expectation that you would receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit when you emerged from the water, the answer is, “No.”  If IAUE has not sovereignly filled you with the Holy Spirit (like the household of Cornelius experience), the answer is, “No.”

Next post we will discuss a “Yes” answer.

Q&A - WHAT IS THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

WBS260

Q&A – WHAT IS THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

Matthew 26:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.

It is odd that this question seems to be asked often; but odder still is that the question is being asked by Christians.  If there is anyone who should not be concerned about the answer to this question, it would be the disciple of Messiah; but then, that may be what makes the difference…being a Christian, or being a disciple of Messiah.  One who has not yielded his life servant to the Master is always wondering where that line is that he cannot afford to cross while in the pursuit of his own selfish objectives and desires.

First, let’s resolve one issue.  The word “unpardonable” appears nowhere in the Scripture.  That is a “church” term, I suppose intended to sound religious.  A pardon excuses a person from the consequences of his guilt; but it does not declare that person to be innocent. There is no “unpardonable” sin in the Scripture.  There are, however, sins that have eternal consequences. 

We find the story of this event in all three of the synoptic gospels.

Matthew 26:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Yahushua knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of Elohim, then the kingdom of Elohim is come unto you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.

Mark 3: 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

Luke 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.

If we combine all of the comments in these three passages what we find is that “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” shall never be forgiven. “Blasphemy” is saying something that is egregiously in conflict with what is commonly held as a treasured belief. When Yahushua said in John 6, that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood; that would have been regarded as blasphemy because it was repugnant; and it violated the law of Moses.  For Paul to declare that the converts to faith in Messiah were not under obligation to obey the law of Moses, that was held as blasphemy by the Jews; and for these Pharisees to declare the obvious and undeniable work of the Spirit of IAUE to the work of a pagan god, a Nephilim spirit, that was unforgivable blasphemy.

In Luke, there is no frame of reference for this remark.  It is a stand-alone verse.  In Mark it was said “because they said ‘he hath an unclean spirit.’”  It is in Matthew where the setting has its broadest context.

Matthew 26:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

The Pharisees did not believe what they were saying.  They were jealous of Yahushua’s popularity, envious of his power, and fearful of his effect upon their social standing. They would do anything, say anything to deflect the people’s belief that he was a prophet, or even worse, that he was the Messiah, even if that meant speaking against IAUE, Himself. The hardness of heart that represents is almost unimaginable…and unforgiveable; because that kind of fallow ground cannot be broken up by repentance.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Yahushua by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from Elohim: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except Elohim be with him.

All of the Sanhedrin knew that what Yahushua did could only be done through allegiance with IAUE. The Pharisees attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to a demonic spirit.  Specifically, they attributed it to Beelzebub, the prince of demons.  If you have read the series on The Seed War, you will understand that Beelzebub is not a fancy name for the devil; but rather the chief of the Nephilim who was worshipped throughout Old Testament history as a god.  In the days of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the northern kingdom of Israel, they had 400 prophets of Baal.

With that in mind, what you now see in this passage of Scripture is that the religious leaders of the day were attempting to make Yahushua appear to be an emissary of a Nephilim spirit, a pagan deity.  In the Torah, that would require his death.

An aspect of this unforgivable sin that I have never heard anyone discuss is the fact that it is a pre-death declaration of Messiah.  He was referring to a particular sin that his up-coming impaling would not be efficacious to forgive.  He was not talking about something that a post-Pentecost (Acts 2) born-again disciple could commit.  Having said that, let’s take a look at some relevant scriptures.

Deuteronomy 32:48 And IAUE spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,

49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:

50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:

51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.  (See Numbers 20:1-12)

Moses was instructed to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water for the people to drink.  In his anger, Moses struck the rock twice with his rod.  It cost him the Promised Land.  Why?  Because he did not sanctify IAUE before the people.  How often does our willful disobedience fail to sanctify IAUE to the people around us?  Can you reflect on any times that you have deliberately disobeyed IAUE’s will because you were embarrassed at what others’ reactions might be?  Have you acted in ways to prevent others to know that you belong to IAUE?  That IAUE is your Elohim? That your life belongs to Him?  Even in little things like refusing to pray over one’s meal in a restaurant or other public place, when you always pray over your meal at home…you fail to sanctify IAUE to the people around you. If we as disciples of Messiah Yahushua are not going to reveal to others that we are the children of IAUE, that we are the servants of Messiah, who is?

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

5 And have tasted the good word of Elohim, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of Elohim afresh, and put him to an open shame.

2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Master and Saviour Yahushua Messiah, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohim.

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we are made partakers of Messiah, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

These kinds of exhortations are not figurative.  I know of a minister in Houston, TX, who was well known in the 1970s through the 1990s as a Bible teacher who specialized in expositional studies from the Greek and Hebrew.  He held to the position that these verses were only ideas that could never happen in the life of a believer.  Personally, that just demonstrates theological bias rather than a proper understanding of Scripture.  These passages would not be in the Scriptures if they were not valid warnings of that which is possible.

So, in conclusion, there is a sin that the death of Messiah will not cover.  The person committing that sin is unredeemable because the redemption in Messiah pays the penalty for all sins but that one.  Having said that, once redeemed; we are still in need of obedience to the will of IAUE, participation with the Holy Spirit, and service to the Master Yahushua.  We lose our identity as a free agent when we entered into the death and resurrection of Yahushua.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

The church, at large, seems to have missed the whole point of the gospel.  To ask what is the “unpardonable sin” is irrelevant to a disciple who lives only to do the will of IAUE. It would never occur to a disciple to do anything but openly praise and declare the mighty acts of IAUE when seen.  To ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to a false god would be as unnatural to a disciple as trying to breathe while under water.

One thing we can benefit from understanding this particular sin is that in the days coming upon the earth in, what I believe to be, the near future; when we see someone deliberately trying to dissuade people from coming to Messiah by willfully ascribing the works of the Holy Spirit (healings, casting out of demons, miracles, etc.) to demons, we know not to waste our time trying to preach the gospel to them.  They have been disqualified as recipients of the good news; and they are incapable of the requisite repentance.  As for our own lives, we need to remember the story of Moses and sanctify IAUE in our hearts so that we are careful to sanctify Him before others.

[If you have questions you would like discussed in this series, please email them to me at kaprion@gmail.com.]