The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and plays a vital role in the life of a believer. Though the Holy Spirit has been present and active throughout Scripture, there was a particular point in time when He began indwelling believers in a new way. This took place after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to them as a helper and guide once He left the earth (John 14:16-18). The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the fulfillment of this promise.
According to Scripture, here are some key moments when the Holy Spirit is received:
1. At salvation
The moment a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, they receive the Holy Spirit and are born again by the Spirit (John 3:5-8). When a person believes in Jesus, they are immediately sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) and the Spirit comes to permanently indwell that person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence is the distinguishing mark of a true Christian and gives evidence that a person belongs to God.
2. After believing the gospel message
In the early church, people sometimes received the Holy Spirit shortly after coming to faith in Christ, as the Spirit was evidence of their new life in Christ. This is seen in multiple examples in the book of Acts:
- In Acts 8, the Samaritans believed the preaching of Philip but it wasn’t until the apostles prayed for them that they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
- In Acts 9, Saul (later called Paul) received the Holy Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him after his conversion, in order for him to regain his sight and be filled with the Spirit (Acts 9:17-18).
- In Acts 10, Cornelius and his household believed Peter’s message about Jesus and immediately received the gift of the Holy Spirit before even being baptized (Acts 10:44-48).
In the early church, the filling of the Holy Spirit like this often accompanied outward signs and manifestations to authenticate the receiving of the Spirit. As the church matured, sometimes these external signs were not as frequent or pronounced.
3. At water baptism
Water baptism is an act of obedience for those who have become believers to publicly declare their new life in Christ. For some in the book of Acts, the baptism of new believers was also an occasion where people received the Spirit. This can be seen in:
- Acts 2, when people who believed Peter’s message were baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
- Acts 19, when followers of John the Baptist were baptized into the name of Jesus and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands immediately after (Acts 19:5-6).
However, water baptism itself does not confer or activate the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates a believer at the point of initial belief, even if He fills them in greater measure later on. Water baptism is a symbolic picture of the inward washing of conversion that has already occurred by the renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
4. By the laying on of hands
In the book of Acts, for new believers who had not yet experienced this filling of the Spirit, the apostles would sometimes lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. This is seen in:
- Acts 8, when Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Spirit by laying hands on them.
- Acts 9, when Ananias laid hands on Saul to be filled with the Spirit.
- Acts 19, when Paul laid hands on the Ephesian disciples who had only known John’s baptism and they received the Spirit.
The laying on of hands was a means of imparting spiritual gifts for ministry and identifying believers with the greater church. However, it was not the only way or a required way to receive the Spirit. The Spirit is not under human control or constraint. He moves as He wills based on God’s sovereign purposes.
5. When exercising faith
Galatians 3:2 states that the Galatians received the Spirit by the “hearing with faith.” Sometimes the Spirit would fill believers in an extraordinary way when they exercised faith to receive Him, apart from any human intermediaries. This is seen in:
- Acts 10, when the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius’ household while simply listening to the message Peter preached about Jesus.
- Acts 19, where Paul found some Ephesian disciples who had not heard about receiving the Spirit. After hearing Paul’s teaching, they believed and then received the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is not activated by any special formulas, but by faith in Christ. The Spirit blows like the wind according to the wisdom and will of God (John 3:8).
6. As a gift from God
Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is a gracious gift of God that He sovereignly bestows. No actions or methods on our part cause the Spirit to be given. As Scripture declares:
- “God gives the Spirit without limit” (John 3:34).
- “God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32).
- “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6).
While certain patterns are seen in Scripture, the Holy Spirit cannot be reduced to a mechanical formula. His regenerating and indwelling work is a divine gift of grace, according to the will and wisdom of our sovereign God.
7. Multiple fillings over a lifetime
While the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in a believer at conversion, Scripture also speaks of the importance of being continually filled with the Spirit throughout the Christian life:
- “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
- “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:19).
- “Have the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand” (Ephesians 1:18-20).
Believers are exhorted to continually seek the empowering presence of the Spirit to overflow with the Spirit’s fruit, avoid grieving the Spirit through sin, and mature in experiencing His sanctifying work.
The Holy Spirit was given permanently to the church at Pentecost, but believers can and should continually be filled with the Spirit throughout their walk with God. He is the supplier of power for godly living and service.
8. The baptism with the Holy Spirit
Some Christian traditions teach about a distinct experience called the “baptism with the Holy Spirit” that often accompanies spiritual gifts. They cite verses like:
- “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me…will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
- “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:5,8).
According to this view, this is a subsequent, post-conversion experience distinct from receiving the Spirit at initial conversion. Other believers see less evidence for a separate baptism with the Spirit experience. They emphasize that all Christians have been baptized with the Spirit and drink of the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). The key issue is cooperating with what the Spirit is already doing in a believer’s life, not seeking a particular experience.
So how do we receive the Holy Spirit? Some key summary points:
- The Holy Spirit regenerates us and comes to permanently indwell us when we first believe in Jesus as Savior.
- After initially receiving Christ, believers can experience subsequent fillings of the Spirit through various means God sovereignly chooses.
- Our role is to keep trusting, repenting, obeying and desiring more of the Spirit’s empowering presence in our lives.
- Rather than focus on seeking a particular experience, we are called to be filled with and walk in the Spirit each day.
- The Holy Spirit cannot be manipulated or controlled. He works according to God’s will and for our good.
- The Holy Spirit gives gifts and manifests fruit in believers to edify others and bring glory to Jesus Christ.
In summary, reception of the Holy Spirit begins at salvation but continues throughout the Christian life. By the Spirit, we are sealed as belonging to Christ and able to enjoy new life as children of God. The Spirit energizes and equips us for living victoriously and sharing the gospel with others. Our role is to rely on, obey and be filled with the Spirit each day.