Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 20:22 And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [Acts 1:8; 2:1-3] |
Bible Question:
'So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ""Receive the Holy Spirit.' John 20:21-22 Did Jesus first give the Holy Spirit here in John 20:22, or over a month later at Pentecost? If not until Pentecost, what exactly did Jesus do when he breathed on his followers after his resurrection and told them to receive his Spirit? If Jesus first gave the Spirit here, what exactly happened at Pentecost? |
Bible Answer: "Since the disciples did not actually receive the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost, some 40 days in the future (Acts 1:8; 2:1-3), this statement must be understood as a pledge on Christ's part that the Holy Spirit would be coming." (p. 1627, MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997) . . . My answer to your last question will likely provoke some controversy. However, it is not my intention to be provocative or controversial. . . . As strange as it may seem, I believe the following with all my heart and understanding, even though I am a member of a leading Pentecostal denomination. . . . Question: "If Jesus first gave the Spirit here, what exactly happened at Pentecost?" My answer: "The disciples did not actually receive the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost." Acts 2:4 *filled with the Holy Spirit.* "In contrast to the baptism with the Spirit, which is the one-time act by which God places believers into His Body (1 Cor 12:13), the filling is a repeated reality of Spirit-controlled behavior that God commands believers to maintain. Peter and many others in Acts 2 were filled with the Spirit again (e.g., Acts 4:8,31; 6:5; 7:55) and so spoke boldly the Word of God. The fullness of the Spirit affects all areas of life, not just speaking boldy (compare Eph 5:19-33)" (p. 1635, MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997). To be "filled with" the Spirit means to be "controlled and empowered by" the Spirit. I might add that while all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9 "...Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."), it is obvious that not all believers at all times are *filled* (controlled and empowered) by the Spirit. |