THE HOLY GHOST.--WHO MAY RECEIVE IT.
The reader has observed, perchance, that John the Baptist was sent
to preach repentance and baptism before the coming of him who was to
baptize with the Holy Ghost. We may also have observed in the teachings
of Peter on the day of Pentecost, after his arguments and the power of
the Spirit by which he spake had aroused belief in the minds of the
people, that he required them to repent and to be baptized for the
remission of their sins before he gave them the promise of the Holy
Ghost.
If we turn to the account given in the Acts of the Apostles of the
conversion of the people of Samaria, we shall find the same order
observed. Philip went down to that city, taught them the word, which
they believed, they repented of their sins, and were baptized; then
Peter and John came and conferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[A]
[Footnote A: Acts viii.]
Then, again, when Paul found a number of men in Ephesus, who claimed to
have been baptized unto John's baptism, yet had not so much as heard of
the Holy Ghost, Paul was careful to re-baptize them--since there seemed
to be some doubt as to the validity of their first baptism--before he
conferred upon them the Holy Ghost.[B]
[Footnote B: Acts xix.]
It appears from these circumstances that faith, repentance, and
baptism, precede the reception or baptism of the Holy Ghost, and are,
in fact, prerequisites to a reception of it. This order, in respect to
these principles and ordinances, is further sustained by other passages
of scripture.
Just previous to his crucifixion, Jesus said to the apostles: "I will
pray to the Father, and he shall give unto you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, _whom the world
cannot receive_ because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him."[C] It
is evident from this that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost. And
now, who are the world? I answer, those who have not yet put on Christ;
or, in other words, those who have not yet entered into the kingdom
of God, through faith in God and Christ, repentance and baptism. They
are the world; and, according to the word of the Master, they cannot
receive the Holy Ghost.
[Footnote C: John xiv: 16, 17.]
Again: When Peter and other apostles were brought before the senate of
the Jews, accused with intent to bring the blood of Messiah upon them,
Peter answered: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew
and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a
Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness
of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the
Holy Ghost _whom God hath given to them that obey him_."[D] Not, mark
you, to them who have not obeyed him. This is in harmony with the
statement that the world cannot receive the Holy Ghost, and also with
the other cases we cited where the order in presenting the Gospel to
the people was faith in God and Christ, repentance, baptism for the
remission of sins, and then the reception of the Holy Ghost.
[Footnote D: Acts v: 24-32.]
There is an exception, however, to this rule in the New Testament: the
case of Cornelius the devout gentile;[E] and for this exception there
was a special reason. It seems that the apostles applied the narrow
and contracted views of the Jews to the Gospel. They thought it was
to be confined to the house of Israel--to those of the circumcision.
They appeared slow to understand that in Jesus Christ all the nations
and peoples of the earth were to be blessed, the gentiles as well as
the Jews. Consequently, when the time had come to send the Gospel to
the gentiles, the Lord opened the way by sending an angel to Cornelius
to tell him that his prayers and alms had come up for a memorial
before the Lord, and to direct him to send men to Joppa for Peter, who
would tell him what he ought to do.[F] He at once obeyed the heavenly
injunction.
[Footnote E: Some also note the case of Paul as an exception to the
rule, but I think this an error It is true Ananias, on entering the
house where Paul was, put his hands on him and said: "The Lord, even
Jesus, 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
Ghost. And immediately," the historian tells us, "there fell from his
eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith, and arose
and was baptized." (Acts ix: 17, 18.) But in all this I see nothing to
warrant the assumption that he received the Holy Ghost prior to his
baptism.]
[Footnote F: Acts x: 1-8.]
Meantime the Lord prepared Peter to go to the gentiles. In vision he
beheld a great net lowered down from heaven, filled with all manner
of beasts, and a voice cried unto him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat.
But Peter said. Not so. Lord, for I have never eaten anything that
is common or unclean." "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common," said the voice.[G] This was done thrice, and before he had
wholly concluded what the vision could mean, the messengers from
Cornelius were at the gate,--and the Spirit told him to go with them,
for the Lord had sent them.
[Footnote G: Acts x: 9-17.]
That Peter understood the import of this vision to be that the Gospel
was for all mankind, for all races and nations, is evident from the
fact that when on the following day he went with the messengers to the
house of Cornelius, he said to him: "Ye know how that it is an unlawful
thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of
another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man
common or unclean. Therefore come I unto you without gainsaying, as
soon as I was sent for."[H]
[Footnote H: Acts x: 28.]
Cornelius related to him his vision and expressed himself as ready to
receive the commandments of God. Then Peter preached to him Christ and
him crucified and that whosoever believed on him should have remission
of sins. And "while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell
on all them that heard the word. And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on
the gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they
heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have
received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be
baptized, in the name of the Lord."[I]
[Footnote I: Acts x: 44-48.]
Afterwards, when they of the circumcision complained of Peter going to
them who were uncircumcised, he related the whole matter to them, and
testified that as he began to speak to Cornelius and his kindred, "the
Holy Ghost fell upon them, as on us at the beginning. * * * Forasmuch,
then, as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God."[J] When
they heard this they held their peace, and the saying went abroad that
God had also to the gentiles granted repentance unto life.
[Footnote J: Acts xi: 15-17.]
The object for deviating from the order in which the principles and
ordinances of the Gospel follow each other is obvious--it was that the
Jews might have a witness from God that the Gospel was for the gentiles
as well as for their own nation. But according to the scriptures, and,
I may say, according to the nature and relationship of these several
principles and ordinances of the Gospel to each other, the reception of
the Holy Ghost comes after repentance and baptism.
In Writing to the Corinthian saints who had received the Holy Ghost,
Paul says: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God?"[K]
[Footnote K: I. Cor. v: 19]
And again: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him
will God destroy."[L]
[Footnote L: I. Cor. iii: 16, 17.]
From these passages this much is learned: that the man who receives
the Holy Ghost becomes a temple thereof, even the temple of God; and
since it is decreed that if a man defiles the temple of God him will
God destroy, it may be reasonably inferred that the Holy Ghost dwells
not in unholy temples; hence, through faith in God, sincere repentance
of all sins, and baptism for the remission of them, man cleanses his
temple, his body, that it may be a fit dwelling place for the Holy
Ghost.
Thus faith, repentance, water baptism, and then the baptism of the
Spirit is the order in which these principles stand, both according
to the teachings of the scriptures, and the nature of the things
themselves: the one leading up logically to the other, which follows in
beautiful and harmonious sequence.