Question: The Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles who in turn bestowed the gift on others. Peter in the Acts says: repent and be baptized and ye shall receive the Holy Spirit; the promise was given unto you and your seed and to many afar off. Is “the promise” the gift of the Holy Spirit, or the promise made to Abraham? If the former, to whom do the bold words refer?
Answer: One could wish for more space than this section permits for a complete answer to the various points involved in the above question. We verily thought at one time, that the promise mentioned, which is found in Acts 2:39, justified one who was baptised into Christ, in expecting to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We believe, however, that a careful attention to all that is said in regard to the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, will dispel that expectation as, affecting us today. It will be necessary just now, however, to confine ourselves to the passage cited.
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Author: F. Whiteley
Keywords: Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Gift of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit gifts, Promise of the Spirit, Promise of the Holy Spirit, Promise of the Holy Ghost, Spirit of God, Promise of God's Spirit, Gift, Spirit of God
Bible reference(s): Act 2:38-39
Source: “Readers’ Problems,” The Testimony, Vol. 8, No. 94, October 1938, pp. 436-8.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.