Acts 10:44

44-46. We are next informed of a fact which is new to this narrative, and was very surprising both to Peter and his companions. (44) "While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word, (45) and the believers of the circumcision who came with Peter were astonished, because on the Gentiles was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. (46) For they heard them speaking in tongues, and magnifying God." The matter of astonishment to the Jewish brethren was not merely that these men received the Spirit; for if Peter had gone on to finish his discourse, promising them the gift of the Holy Spirit as he did on Pentecost, and had then immersed them, these brethren would have understood, as a matter of course, that they received the Holy Spirit. And if, after this, he had laid hands on them, as he did on the Samaritans, even miraculous manifestations of the Spirit could have created no surprise. The circumstances which caused the astonishment were: First, That the Holy Spirit was "poured out" upon them directly from God, as it had never been before on any but the apostles; Second, That this unusual gift was bestowed upon Gentiles.

In attempting to classify the manifestations of the Holy Spirit known in this history, we are compelled to distinguish the case before us from the gift of the Spirit enjoyed by all disciples in common, by the fact that these parties "spoke in tongues;" and from the gift of the Spirit bestowed on the Samaritans, by the fact that it was bestowed without prayer or imposition of hands. We have no event with which to classify it except that which occurred on Pentecost. That these two events constitute a class by themselves is further evident from the fact that these two parties alone are said to be "immersed in the Holy Spirit." These two are the only instances of immersion in the Holy Spirit on record, and they are distinguished from other gifts of tongues, in that they alone were bestowed without human agency.

There is only one passage of Scripture in even apparent conflict with this conclusion, which, from the interpretation frequently given to it, demands some notice in this connection. It is the statement of Paul: "By one Spirit we were all immersed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, and have all been made to drink of one Spirit." If the apostle intends by this to assert that all the disciples "were immersed in the Holy Spirit," then this immersion was not peculiar to the apostles and the house of Cornelius. The question turns upon the reference of the word immerse; whether it is to immersion in water or immersion in the Spirit. It is settled by the fact that the immersion here spoken of is that which introduces "into the one body." We know by the commission that immersion in water brought its proper subjects "into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." But when, and by whatever means, men were brought into the relation expressed in these words, it is indisputable that they were brought into the one body. It was immersion in water, therefore, by which "all were immersed into one body." Moreover, the immersion in the Holy Spirit did not have this effect; for the apostles were in the one body before they were immersed in the Spirit, and Cornelius was immersed in the Spirit before he was immersed into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This makes it certain that the passage in question is not in conflict with our conclusion. As to Paul's assertion that the immersion into one body was "by one Spirit," the words "by one Spirit" are a declaration that the immersion had taken place under the direction of the one Spirit who was the author of all the gifts mentioned in the connection in which the passage occurs.

The immersion of Cornelius and his friends in the Holy Spirit previous to their immersion in water has been urged as proof that remission of sins takes place before immersion. But it can furnish no such proof unless it be first proved that the Holy Spirit could not be imparted to a man who was yet unpardoned. If Cornelius had been a man of gross wickedness, there would seem to be some incongruity in such an impartation; but, in view of his real character, and the fact that God had previously sent an angel to express his approbation of his conduct, there appears no incongruity in this circumstance.