Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and its sequel The exceeding economy of Scripture will prevent our supposing that these verses lie on the page of Scripture for no end, and will equally prevent our supposing they are present for no distinct and important end. Starting from quite the opposite creed, we are led to notice— I. THAT THE STRESS OF THE PASSAGE BELONGS , NOT TO THE SUBJECT OF BAPTISM , BUT TO THE SUBJECT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT . The... read more
Have ye received the Holy Spirit? - Have ye received the extraordinary effusions and miraculous influences of the Holy Spirit? Paul would not doubt that, if they had “believed,” they had received the ordinary converting influences of the Holy Spirit - for it was one of his favorite doctrines that the Holy Spirit renews the heart. But, besides this, the miraculous influences of the Spirit were conferred on many societies of believers. The power of speaking with tongues, or of working miracles,... read more
Acts 19:2-7. Having found certain disciples Who had been formerly baptized by John the Baptist, and since imperfectly instructed in Christianity, he said, Have ye received the Holy Ghost? The extraordinary gifts, as well as the sanctifying graces of the Holy Spirit; since ye believed These disciples were converts to the Christian faith, that is, they believed that Jesus was the Christ; but Paul inquires whether they had received the Holy Ghost, whose operations on the minds of men for... read more
18:23-21:16 BACK TO ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE (THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY)Through Galatia to Ephesus (18:23-19:7)On his third great journey to the west, Paul set out by visiting the churches of Galatia once again. This was the fourth time he had visited these churches and he had also written them a letter (23; cf. 13:14,51; 14:21; 16:2-6).In the meantime a learned Jew named Apollos had come to Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. Like many of the Jewish teachers in Alexandria, he had a detailed... read more
Have ye received . Literally If ( App-118 . a) ye received. the Holy Ghost . Greek. pneuma hagion. No art. App-101 . since ye believed = having believed. App-150 . There is no note of time, or sequence, any more than in Ephesians 1:13 , "after. "See note there. We have, &c . Literally But not even (Greek. oude) heard we if ( App-118 . a) holy spirit is (given). John taught the coming of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11 ), and Paul that no one could believe without the enabling power of... read more
And he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit was given.When ye believed ... This cannot mean, as suggested by Trenchard, that Paul expected that they had received the Spirit, merely upon their having believed;[2] but, as Plumptre said, the meaning is this:Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed? that is, did you receive the Holy Spirit upon your conversion and baptism? We are left... read more
Acts 19:2. He said unto them, Have ye received, &c.— St. Paul found at Ephesus twelve disciples, who either had been converted there, or, as is more probable, had come to Ephesus out of some remote country since he had left that city;—for these men, it is most likely, were pious Jews, who, having waited for the kingdom of God, and being many years before baptized by John, or some of his disciples, had, on receiving something of the evidence of Christianity, believed in Jesus; but perhaps... read more
2. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?—rather, "Received ye the Holy Ghost when ye believed?" implying, certainly, that the one did not of necessity carry the other along with it (see on :-). Why this question was asked, we cannot tell; but it was probably in consequence of something that passed between them from which the apostle was led to suspect the imperfection of their light. We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost—This cannot be the meaning, since the... read more
Two roads led into Ephesus from the east, and Paul travelled the northern, more direct route (cf. Acts 18:23). [Note: Cf. Ramsay, St. Paul . . ., p. 265.] Ephesus, like Athens, had reached its heyday and was in decline when Paul visited it. Its claim to fame was twofold. Its location on the west coast of Asia Minor near the mouth of the Cayster River made it an important commercial center. As commerce declined due to the silting up of the port at Ephesus, its religious influence continued to... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 19:2
And he said for he said, A.V. and T.R.; did ye receive for have ye received, A.V.; when for since, A.V. ; nay, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Ghost was given for we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost, A.V. Did ye receive , etc.? The R.V. gives the sense much more accurately than the A.V., which is, "Did ye receive the Holy Ghost at the time of your baptism, when ye first believed?" Something led the apostle to suspect that they had not... read more