Tackling Tradition 82: Acts 19:1 - 7

Those who make much of New Testament baptism have been known to assert that one must be baptized in the name of Christ in order to have received the Holy Spirit.    Some go so far to say that one must be baptized in order to do so. 

One of their major prooftexts is Acts 19: 1 - 7.

19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spiritwhen you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

There is nothing whatsoever in this text that supports the view that one must be baptized in the New Testament way in order to be regenerate, &/or justified, &/or to receive the Holy Spirit. 

1. Baptism & circumcision are corresponding rites (Col. 2). What Paul says about circumcision in Galatians applies to baptism.   Therefore, what these people assert is just Judaizer doctrine concerning circumcision applied to baptism.
2. In addition, Scripture doesn’t repeal circumcision.  It expands circumcision.  Now, I AM worshippers may choose either one or both.  In fact, that has always been true.  It just wasn’t explicitly stated in the OT. 
3. They  are also grossly in error about what happened in Acts 19.  

Paul & his associates met a group of men who had been baptized by John / John’s baptism.   Their understanding of Yeshua & the Gospel was defiecient just as Apollos had been defiecient. 

They had questions about the validity of their baptism, so Paul & his Associstes engaged in an act of pastoral care & rebaptized them. 

4. This Ecclesiastical Tradition also overlooks Apollos.   

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Speaking for myself, I have never heard anyone argue that Apollos was an unbeliever at this time in his life.  The text itself teaches that he was a believer but only knew the baptism of John.  It teaches that he was already engaging in teaching about Yeshua accurately (an act of intuitive prophecy), & that he required more education.   At no point does it argue that he was rebaptized or required rebaptism.    It indicates that he was a great help & was rough around the edges & needed help from Priscilla & Aquila.  

People who believe this tradition sometimes sound as if they think that these men were unregenerate & takes for granted that when the text says the Holy Spirit came upon them this means what they themselves mean by “they received the Holy Spirit” as if they were not already regenerate, justified, set apart, & indwelt by the Spirit or that they were regenerate, &tc. but nevertheless not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 

That isn’t at all the case.  The text says that the same thing that had happened to the men & women in the Upper Room happened to these men.   Ergo, if what you say is true, nobody in the Upper Room in Acts 2 was regenerate, justified, set apart, etc.    

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

If it is true that what happened in Acts 19 is that these men were unregenerate prior to that time, then by parity of logic, the people in the Upper Room were too.   Nobody ever argues that to be the case.  In addition, the text says they were filled with the Spirit— not that the Spirit then indwelled them.    In Romans 8. Paul connects the indwelling of the Spirit with regeneration & justification.  

What we see in Acts 2 & Acts 19 something called Peculiar Unction that resulted in a special prophetic event centered on & celebrating what had just happened & these men’s expanded understanding of the Gospel. 

A certain amount of this tradition rests on their belief that the Johannine (New) Covenant began af after John the Baptist died.  

In truth, it while John the Baptist was still alive.  He was part of a line of prophets who are the Elijah figures described in Malachi 3, each one of who prefigured Yeshua by exercising the 3 Keys (Prophet, Priest, King/Judge) unlike the other prophets in the OT.   Each one stands with one foot in one covenant & the other in another. 

Adam (Eden & Adamic), Noah (Adamic & Noahic), Abraham (Noahic & Abrahamic); Moses (Abrahamic & Mosaic); Samuel (Mosaic & Davidic); John the Baptist (Davidic & the Johannine/“New”).    

Consequently, those baptized by him had received proper NT baptism.  They were already, regenerate, justified, & set apart.   We are justified by grace alone by faith alone.   Adding baptism as a necessary activity to receive in order to be regenerate, justified, &tc is anathema.   All that Acts 2 & 19 tell us is that Peculiar Unction came upon these 2 sets of people, & of those in each set had, presumably, been baptized already & of those 2 sets,  the men in Acts 19 renew covenant via rebaptism & the Holy Spirit decided to fill them & they experienced this unction. 

O LORD, Hear Our Prayers!