Acts 1:4–5

Context

In the opening of Acts (1:1–3), Luke, traditionally regarded as its author, summarizes how the risen Jesus Christ appeared to the apostles over forty days and spoke of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. These two verses record one scene from that period.

Jesus commands the apostles "that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father." This command picks up the instruction at the end of the Gospel of Luke to remain in the city "until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). The contrast in verse 5 between water baptism and baptism with the Holy Spirit echoes the prediction of John the Baptist (Luke 3:16). John said that he baptized with water, but the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Shortly afterward, in 1:8, Jesus says that the apostles will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and will be his witnesses. Acts 2 presents the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, after the Ascension, as the fulfillment of this promise.

Interpretation

Readings differ over what "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost" refers to.

• Pentecostal reading: Pentecostal denominations such as the Korea Assemblies of God note that the apostles still had to wait for Spirit baptism even though they were already disciples following Jesus. They therefore regard baptism in the Holy Spirit as a distinct experience received after regeneration (being born again), and traditionally consider speaking in tongues its initial evidence.
• Holiness reading: The Korean Holiness Church has understood Spirit baptism, within the framework of the Fourfold Gospel (regeneration, sanctification, divine healing, and the Second Coming), as a second work of grace received after regeneration. Here the second work of grace refers to the experience of sanctification, in which the heart is made pure.
• Reformed and evangelical reading: The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, and many evangelicals regard the Pentecost event as a once-for-all redemptive-historical event that inaugurated the church age. "Redemptive-historical" means viewing it within the unfolding history of salvation that God is bringing about. On this view, later believers receive Spirit baptism when they believe (1 Corinthians 12:13), and subsequent repeated experiences are called being "filled with the Spirit."

Debates and Issues

• This passage is frequently cited in debates over Spirit baptism. More broadly, it also figures in the cessationism and continuationism debate. The central question is whether the apostles' experience is a pattern for all believers today or a unique, transitional event.
• Some translations render the Greek word translated "being assembled together" in verse 4 as "while he was eating with them" (for example, the NIV).
• Korean Baptists use the term chimnye (immersion) rather than the usual Korean term serye for "baptism," and often read this verse as "you will be immersed with the Holy Spirit." The difference in terminology is treated in the article Baptism and Immersion.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently used as a sermon text at Holy Spirit gatherings, revival meetings, and on Pentecost Sunday. In Full Gospel churches it is cited as a basis for prayer meetings seeking Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues. The command to "wait" is also used, together with the scene of the disciples continuing together in prayer before Pentecost (1:14), in sermons encouraging prayer meetings.

Related Passages

• Luke 3:16 — John the Baptist's prediction of Spirit baptism
• Luke 24:46–49 — The command to remain in Jerusalem
• Acts 2:1–4 — The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
• Acts 10:44–46 — The Holy Spirit falls on the household of Cornelius
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 — Baptism by one Spirit into one body