Verse 32
And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
In the history of holy truth, there has never been any such thing as God's giving the Holy Spirit to men in order to make them obedient, or to make them sons, or to save them, or to procure the remission of their sins, or any such thing. On Pentecost, Peter had commanded believers to repent and be baptized with the promise that those who did so, receiving the remission of their sins subsequently to their obeying those commands, would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "Obey," as used here, indicates that "a lifelong obedience to God."[38] was a continuing condition to be fulfilled by those desiring to enjoy the continuing gift of the Holy Spirit. See Galatians 4:6, where it is declared that the Holy Spirit is given to men, not to make them sons, but as a consequence of their already being sons. The popular notion to the effect that God sends the Holy Spirit with the purpose of making men desire to serve God is totally wrong.
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