Did You Receive When You Believed?

Comments on John 20:22

"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22). Based on this event, some maintain that now all who believe in Jesus automatically receive the Holy Spirit when they believe in Jesus, and that a reference to receiving the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost is a second reception for power for service. For those who may have this understanding, the following points are provided for consideration:

• Thomas was missing. When did he receive the Spirit?
• What about the rest of the 120 in the upper room? If Pentecost is a "second reception," when did they receive the first time?
• When Peter referred to "receiving the Holy Spirit as we did" (Acts 10:47), he mentioned events relating to Pentecost (not the upper room).
• Jesus "blew" or "breathed" ("on them" is not in the original text). If that was the actual event of breathing the Spirit into them as some maintain (such as in Genesis 2:7), then why did he tell them to "receive"? He should have said "now you have received."
• No record is given of any steps taken to obey Christ's command. What did He expect them to do on that occasion to receive the Spirit?
• According to John 7:39, the Spirit could not have been given at this time because Jesus was not yet glorified. In order to overcome this objection, one has to argue that Jesus ascended that day to Heaven (the Father) and then returned to earth. It is not stated in scripture that He did such a thing, so to accept that idea is speculation and reasoning. In John 16:7 Jesus does say that He is "going to the Father." He also said the same thing to Mary. But there are many statements throughout the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension that are general in nature and all-encompassing regarding the whole plan of God. They are not listed in careful chronological order specifying an exact sequence of events. Those that dethrone Jesus from being God in the flesh use His statement to Mary: "to your God and my God." In other words, there is a certain amount of mystery and generality in the record of these events. To use John 16:7 and 20:17 to prove that Jesus had already gone to the Father and received the Holy Spirit is very questionable.
• If this were the reception of the Spirit long anticipated by the saints of old, it is rather amazing that it is not mentioned any other place. Would such an important event be relegated to a few words by Jesus in a relatively obscure passage of scripture, with no account of further evidence that it actually happened? Pentecost was the pouring out of the promise, and it was done in public with much evidence of divine action and presence. That is when Peter said he and other apostles received the Spirit (Acts 10:47).Also he said that "this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel."
• Peter specifically says in Acts 2:33 that Jesus did not receive the promised Spirit to pour out on others until He was "exalted to the right hand of God."
• If this was in fact the first of a "double reception" of the Spirit, where else in scripture do we see any such mention of the need for two receptions? Receiving the Holy Spirit is critical to the New Testament gospel. Would we not see much more mentioned in other scriptures?
• If the disciples in the upper room actually did receive the Holy Spirit on that occasion, how is it possible to draw the conclusion that now all who believe in Jesus also automatically receive the Spirit? Where do we see that in scripture or even in logic? We assume that the disciples had undergone water baptism at some point. Does that mean that all believers now are automatically water baptized?
• To support the teaching that all believers now automatically have the Spirit, some quote scriptures that remind believers that they were "sealed with the Holy Spirit" (such as Eph. 1:13). However this is arguing in a reverse order. The majority of the New Testament letters do assume that believers have received the Spirit, and they are constantly reminded of God's provision in this regard, but for the most part they do not address how or when this happened. Receiving the Spirit was a fundamental aspect of the early church gospel, but in Acts we see that this experience was a specific act of faith accompanied by observable evidence.
• Finally, I believe that an important doctrine must not be based on one scripture verse, especially one that is not clear. The unclear scripture needs to be interpreted in light of other scriptures that are clear. I understand that this was a command by Jesus to receive the Holy Spirit (similar to Acts 1:4). Then the disciples received Him on the day of Pentecost.

Next: Comment on Acts 2:38