In Acts 19:1-7, the men Paul spoke to were disciples. Where were those men standing with God if they had repented and been baptized and forgiven of their sins? What "Holy Spirit" was Paul talking about then, and what difference did it make in their relationship with God? -- John Dohlman (Houston)
Yes, Acts 19 mentions "disciples." But does "disciples" in this passage mean they were saved? The term disciple sometimes stands as a synonym for a Christian, though more often it connotes the commitment, or learner's stance, of the individual. Another question: is this section meant to stand as a parallel to the case of Apollos (18:24ff.), or as a contrast? There are two possible understandings, and which you choose will influence your answers to all the questions that are involved.
They had been baptized with John's baptism, which evidently some branch of his movement, or combination of it with Jesus' movement, still retained. But repentance and baptism lead to forgiveness of sins under John's ministry, yet without the Spirit (see John 7:38-39). Another question might be, Were these men baptized with John's baptism after it had run its course, or before? It appears they could have known of the Spirit, and should have, but their hybrid theology was a result of an outmoded system being followed after its "expiration date"!
The Spirit here is either an external outpouring (as in Acts 8 and 10) or possibly the reception of the indwelling, though I am not convinced this is what Luke is trying to show us. As you know, without the Spirit (indwelling), we do not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). Although I would like to be more decisive here, I admit the interpretation of this passage may need to remain a "gray area." For more thoughts, see my book The Spirit (IPI, 1998, 2005).
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