Lesson for September 3, 2023

The Doctrine of Pneumatology

Lesson 3

Mankind’s relationship to the Holy Spirit in the past was different than our relationship with Him in the Church Age. There was no permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit before the Church Age. However, the Holy Spirit did at times, and for specific tasks, indwell certain believers before the Church Age. In order to distinguish between the temporary and the permanent indwelling, the temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit prior to the Church Age is called “enduement.” When any task was completed after being “endued” with the Holy Spirit, He was removed from that believer. I Samuel 16:13, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.” Psalm 51:1, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

Jesus referred to both the enduement and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 14:17, when He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would remain with them and would be in them.

Here are a few believers who were endued with the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:

1. Joseph – Genesis 41:38, “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this (Joseph), in whom there is a divine spirit?’”
2. Joshua – Numbers 27:18,^“So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.’”
3. Ezekiel – Ezekiel 2:2, “And as He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.”
4. Daniel – Daniel 4:8, “But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is the Spirit of the holy God.”
5. Bezalel – Exodus 31:1-3, “Now the Lordspoke to Moses, saying, ^‘See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.’”

The Holy Spirit had a special relationship with the humanity of Christ, which began with the Virgin Birth. It was the Holy Spirit Who provided the male chromosomes that were needed for Mary to become pregnant with Jesus. This miracle assured that Jesus would be born without a sin nature and without Adam’s original sin. It was also the power of the Holy Spirit that enabled the humanity of Christ to live a sinless life free from personal sin. (Luke 1:18; Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22; John 4:1-2; II Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach, to perform miracles, and to resist the temptations of Satan. (Luke 4:14-21; Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus was also led, comforted, and strengthened throughout His ministry by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:1-14) By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was able to sacrificially offer Himself for the sin of the entire human race. (Hebrews 9:14; I Jon 2:2) After His sacrifice on the Cross and three days in the grave, Jesus arose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. (I Peter 3:18)

Jesus said a lot about the Holy Spirit while He was here in Hypostatic Union. Before the Cross, Jesus offered the Holy Spirit to those who would ask for Him, according to Luke 11:13, “So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” The Scriptures do not record anyone ever availing themselves to this apparent legitimate offer from Jesus.

Jesus prophesied the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is recorded in two places. John 7:37-39, ^“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 14:16-17, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.”

After the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus gave some of His disciples the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22, “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be to you; just 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.’”

This unique gift from Jesus to his disciples obviously had a specific purpose. He was about to return to Heaven and the disciples would need the power of the Holy Spirit within them to carry out the task of evangelizing the world. This event was still prior to the beginning of the Church Age when they would receive the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus was enduing them with the Holy Spirit.

There were also unique circumstances in the Book of Acts where believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit in a special way. Here are four of those unique circumstances:

1. At Pentecost – Acts 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues (languages), as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.”
2. At Samaria – Acts 8:14-17, ^“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit. (For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
3. At Cornelus’ – Acts 10:24,44-47, “On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.All the Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues (languages) and exalting God. Then Peter responded, ‘Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?’”
4. At Ephesus – Acts 19:1-7, “Now it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus and found some disciples.He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him Who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking with tongues (languages) and prophesying.”

We must keep in mind that the Book of Acts is not primarily a book of doctrine, but a book of early church history, when the Church was being formed. God chose these unique ways to give the Holy Spirit during this period, but there is no record that this continued after churches began to be established.

During the Church Age in which we live, the Church has been well established, the Canon of Scripture has been completed, published, and circulated throughout the world. Obviously, there is no longer a need for unique and different ways to receive the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can conclude that the Holy Spirit is permanently received upon faith in Christ. Galatians 4:6, ^“Because you are sons and daughters, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’”