Bible Study Week 8
Part 4
Holy Ghost Baptism
Have You Received the Holy Ghost
The last part of the plan of salvation given to us in Acts 2:38 is to "receive the gift of the Holy Ghost".
Jesus Commanded It
Jesus foretold this glorious experience in John 3:5 when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." This verse establishes the absolute necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost.
Paul Proclaimed It
The essentiality of receiving the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost is further emphasized by the words of the apostle Paul: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9). Receiving this gift is a beautiful privilege, purchased for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is the greatest experience a person can have. Christ actually comes and takes up His abode in a human body (temple). That body becomes the very temple of the almighty God.
Peter Preached It
The apostle Peter spoke in Acts 2:30 about the Holy Ghost experience. He later described the feeling when the Creator dwells within His creation through the baptism of the Holy Ghost, saying it is "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Peter 1:8). Paul described it as "righteousness, and peace, and joy" (Romans 14:17). The baptism of the Holy Ghost is promised to all who obey God's command to repent and who exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
Have You Received It?
The apostle Paul traveled to Ephesus where he found disciples who had not yet received the Holy Ghost even though they believed on Jesus. Although they had been baptized unto John's baptism, they had not been baptized in the name of Jesus. Paul instructed them in their need to be baptized in Jesus' name "and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues." (See Acts 19:1-6).