1. The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles
(composed between 60-62 A.D.)
The Last Promises of Jesus
Acts 1:4-5
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which”, He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (See also John 1:33; Acts 1:2).
The disciples still felt the sensation of Jesus´ resurrection in their bones. Therefore, their Lord granted them another 40 days of instruction from the Old Testament, explaining to them that the Messiah had to suffer before entering into His glory. He assured his shocked followers: “that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” He opened their understanding so that they could comprehend the Scripture…”Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:44-49). The promise of the Father means the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in mortal mankind on the basis of the atoning death of His beloved Son on the cross. Jesus made the way free, through His substitutionary suffering, for justified sinners to become children of God. This judicial and existential change was the hidden goal of Christ´s incarnation, as well as the eternal will of the Father. The Lord had been preparing the way for this epoch-making salvation for centuries in advance through His promises. He desired to become the spiritual Father of an innumerably great number of children from all nations! (Rev. 7:6-17)
The action of God´s offering salvation through Christ had been prepared by the baptism of John. Lost sinners could once again appear as new, cleansed people. This baptism of repentance presented an indispensable illustration for the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The repentant were to be drowned in the love of God, receive new life in His Spirit, and arise to live a holy life in His power. The natural man can neither see the kingdom of God nor enter it. He needs new eyes, a new heart, and a new Spirit.
Jesus commanded His disciples to wait for the breaking in of the Spirit of God into our rebellious world. He had legally prepared everything. First, however, He wanted to return to His Father, present to Him His offering of atonement, receive the authority to reign over all the universe, and to, at the appointed time, pour out God´s gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus described the Holy Spirit, His authority and His inexhaustible potential on spiritual energy, as the power of God. The name for God Himself, in the Semitic languages, means “Power and Might” (El in Elohim, Eloah, El-Roi etc.). That means that God Himself, the Almighty, in the person of His Spirit, comes to those exercised in repentant prayer.
Jesus called this incomprehensibly great power “the Holy Spirit.” He is a person, a Spirit who wills, sees, hears, speaks, and acts. The Spirit of God is no formless breath or fog, but the third Person of the Holy Trinity. In our own selves we are unable to understand, fathom or comprehend Him. Whoever wants to open himself to the Spirit should meditate over the high-priestly prayer of Jesus, in which the Son testified of His unity with the Father, and asked that His followers, through His Spirit, might be drawn into this unity (John 17:20-26).
Jesus testified that the Spirit of God is holy. He continually and unconditionally stands available to do the will of the Father. He is without sin or blemish, plans no rebellion, and does not magnify Himself. He is meek and humble, just as Jesus. Whoever wants to understand this comforting Spirit and His holiness should look to and contemplate Jesus, for Jesus is “the Spirit of God incarnate.” Every sin is fought and overcome wherever this Spirit enters in. Arrogance, obstinacy, pride, hatred, and lies perish as soon as He is present.
Jesus revealed that God, the Spirit, would indwell His followers. They were no better or worse than other men. They had, however, confessed their sin before John the Baptist. They remained faithful to Jesus even while He was being slandered. They received power and authority over unclean spirits and sickness. The Resurrected One had prepared them for the indwelling of the Spirit of God in their hearts and minds.
Jesus also prophesied that the Holy Spirit would not magnify Himself, but exalt Jesus, the Lamb of God. His disciples will be His witnesses and not witnesses to the Spirit! They will testify, in the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, to the works of Jesus, to His existence as risen Lord and Saviour. They will truly discover how this Spirit quickens and renews people through their faith in Jesus. They will not receive the Spirit of Grace for their own wellbeing and eternal pleasure, but in order to serve Jesus! Therefore, the book of Acts reports in relatively few significant places of how the Holy Spirit came, spoke, or acted. Instead, it mainly presents the Crucified and Risen One as Lord and Saviour for those who are repentant. The book of Acts could be described as the history of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the faithful witness, the Spirit of Truth, chose not to exalt Himself but to continually exalt and glorify Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of mankind. In the end, this book could be called “The words and deeds of the risen Christ through His ambassadors”.