Study #34: Saul of Tarsus was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10

Study #34: Saul of Tarsus was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10 - 19a)

Acts, Chapter 1.4: God elected special Jews to hear the Gospel and be saved (8:5 - 9:31)

§Unique Introduction: Philip and the Apostles Peter and John destroyed the evil influence of Simon Magus among the Samaritans with the Gospel (8:5 - 25)

¶Opposite Philip won many Samaritans to the Lord Jesus, and away from the evil influence of the Simon the Magician (8:5 - 13)

¶Opposite Peter uncompromisingly rebuked the wicked attempt of Simon to bribe the Apostles for the power to give the Holy Spirit (8:14 - 25)

§Complement Body: Saul of Tarsus was chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer for his Name’s sake (8:26 - 9:22)

¶Opposite Philip preached the Gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch (8:26 - 35)

¶Opposite After baptizing the eunuch, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip (8:36 - 40)

¶Complement Saul of Tarsus met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and was blinded by the experience (9:1 - 9)

¶Complement The Lord Jesus Christ sent Ananias to baptize Saul and restore his sight (9:10 - 19a)

¶Unique Saul immediately preached Christ in the synagogues of Damascus, and proved that Jesus is the Christ (9:19b - 22)

§Complement Conclusion: Saul suffered persecution by his former allies at Damascus and Jerusalem (9:23 - 31)

¶Complement After Saul escaped persecution at Damascus, he met with the Apostles in Jerusalem (9:23 - 28)

¶Complement After Saul escaped persecution at Jerusalem, the churches of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were strengthened and multiplied (9:29 - 31)

Comments: In the previous study, Saul of Tarsus met the risen Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, and was instantly converted from an unbending enemy of Christians to their greatest Apostle and advocate for the Gospel of Christ.

Now we will look at the experience of Saul after he trusted in Christ as his Savior with water baptism and his first experience with the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Paragraph 4 Bible text with Golden Ratio outline:

¶Complement The Lord Jesus Christ sent Ananias to baptize Saul and restore his sight (9:10 - 19a)

Unique And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, I am here, Lord.”

Complement And the Lord said to him, “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he is praying, and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.”

Complement Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard by many of this man: how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on your Name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him what great things he must suffer for my Name’s sake.”

Opposite And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to you in the way as you were coming, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight at once, and arose, and was baptized.

Opposite And when he had received food, he was strengthened.

Paragraph 4 outline: The “UCC-OO” (one unique, two complements, and two opposites) Golden Ratio design of the sub-paragraphs:

Unique The risen Christ spoke to Ananias in a vision

Complement Christ told Ananias about Saul of Tarsus, who was waiting for him

Complement Christ told Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel to Him

Opposite Ananias put his hands on Saul, and he received his sight and was baptized

Opposite When he had received food, he was strengthened

Comments: Recall from previous studies in the Book of Acts, that the relationship between baptism in water and being filled with the Holy Spirit was different in almost every instance that we have studied so far.

1) On the day of Pentecost, Peter said,

Acts 2:38 - 39: “Then Peter said to them, “Repent; and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ as a sign of the forgiveness of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: for the promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are far away, even ‘as many as [Jehovah] our God shall call.’”

So in this instance, Peter said that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given AFTER the Jews were baptized in the Name of Jesus.

2) Acts 8:14 - 17:

“Now when the Apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent to them Peter and John; who, when they came down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet he had fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

In this instance, the Samaritans had already been saved and baptized, but they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, until the Apostles Peter and John laid their hands on them. This is much different than Acts 2:38-39.

3) Acts 9:17 - 19: “And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to you in the way as you were coming, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight at once, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received food, he was strengthened.”

In this instance, Saul had already been saved on the road to Damascus, but he had not been FILLED with the Holy Spirit nor been baptized. Notice that the text doesn’t say that Saul had not RECEIVED the Holy Spirit; but only that he had not been FILLED with the Holy Spirit. These two operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same thing. I will explain them in a moment.

So Ananias said to Saul, “...that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” So when Saul received his sight, he was FILLED with the Holy Spirit, and he was baptized. I believe that the text implies that the filling of the Holy Spirit occurred along with the water baptism, although the text is not clear on that.

Saul had already received the Holy Spirit on the road to Damascus, but he had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit.

So the point is that here are three different instances of water baptism and being filled with or receiving the Holy Spirit; and in every case, the order is different; which means that the historical period covered by the Book of Acts is a TRANSITIONAL period from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant; and the final New Covenant order had not yet come.

We find the New Covenant order in the letters written by the Apostles, primarily Paul (e.g. Ephesians), which I will explain further below.

So the next time you hear a preacher quote Acts 2:38, and then ask if you have obeyed Acts 2:38, you will immediately know that he does not know what he is talking about! Turn around and walk away.

Now let me briefly explain the difference between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the FILLING of the Holy Spirit.

1) When a new Believer repents and accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, he/she is immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is the same thing as “receiving” the Holy Spirit. He is the gift that God gives to every Believer in Jesus Christ as the Down-payment of their inheritance in Heaven.

Ephesians 1:13-14: “In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also after you believed in Christ, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the down-payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory.”

2) The filling of the Holy Spirit is an experience of the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit upon the life of a Believer that only comes with seeking the will of God in prayer, searching the Word of God to learn more about Christ, and completely repenting of all sins.

Ephesians 5:17-21: “Therefore be not unwise; but understanding what is the will of the Lord. And be not drunk with wine (in which is excess), but be continually filled with the Spirit: speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

I was saved in August of 1982. But I did not get baptized or join a church for over a year for several reasons. During this time, I was not happy. I knew that I was saved, and I read the Bible regularly and sought to serve the Lord; but I was powerless and weak. I constantly struggled with sin, and failed. I had received the Holy Spirit, but I was not filled yet.

But when I joined a church and I was baptized in deep water there, I was FILLED with the Holy Spirit! Instantly, I knew that my life was completely different. I was saved before I was baptized, but there was a major difference in my experience of knowing Christ after I was baptized! Yes, I still struggled with sin; but this time, my walk with the Lord was much closer; and I knew that I had obeyed Christ and done the right thing. My reward for obedience to his command to be baptized was to receive the FULLNESS or the filling of the Holy Spirit.

I was indwelt by the Holy Spirit when I trusted Christ as my Savior in August of 1982; but I was not FILLED with the Holy Spirit until over a year later, when I was baptized in deep water and joined my new church. This is the Scriptural order for all believers today: Repent and accept Jesus as your Savior (you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit); be baptized in deep water (Romans 6:1ff), you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

No, I did not “speak in tongues”! I have talked about this in previous studies, but briefly, “speaking in tongues” has NOTHING to do with being filled with the Spirit. Nothing at all! I have never “spoken in tongues” (so-called), yet I have been filled with the Holy Spirit many times over more than 38 years as a Christian.

Also, be careful about the term “baptism in or of the Spirit”. This is a term that has been perverted by many false teachers, and even many otherwise good teachers because they were taught wrong on this term, and do not understand what they are teaching. It only refers to the events on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), the salvation of Cornelius with his family and friends (Acts 10:46), and the disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19:6)

Many false Pentecostal and Charismatic teachers confuse the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit with the “baptism in or of the Spirit”. This is unscriptural and dangerous.

If you currently attend a charismatic or Pentecostal church, I advise you to leave it immediately and find an Independent Baptist church to attend and learn the Bible more correctly.

We will clear up this terminology as we proceed through the Bible, Book by Book, Chapter by Chapter, and paragraph by paragraph.

What can we learn from these texts in the Book of Acts?

1) The Baptism in or of the Spirit was a temporary event that occurred only in the Book of Acts time period, and only in certain specific times. The indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit has occurred in every Dispensation of the Bible (including the Book of Acts until today), with some differences between the Old and New Covenants.

2) The only Biblical terms that are important for us today are “Receive the Holy Spirit”, and “Be filled with the Holy Spirit”.

3) Water baptism has nothing to do with getting saved! Saul was saved long before he was baptized. In every instance in the Book of Acts, the persons being baptized in water had already been saved before then. This fact alone disproves the idea of “infant baptism”, because baptism in water has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins or “washing away” sins. It is important for a believer to do for obedience, but it is symbolic only.

4) Receiving the Holy Spirit is a once-in-a-lifetime event when you repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

5) Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a lifetime exercise that begins with baptism in deep water as your first act of obedience to your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, and continues as you obey the Word of God daily through avoiding sin, seeking the will of God in your life, and reading his Word daily.

6) “Speaking with tongues” (or foreign languages) was an event associated with the Baptism of or in the Spirit, which only clearly occurred during three distinct events in the Book of Acts. The Apostle Paul wrote to the immature believers in the church at Corinth to correct their abuses and mis-uses of the gift of speaking in foreign languages. They were not a model for believers today.

Jesus Christ paid for all of your sins on the cross almost 2,000 years ago, and rose again from the dead on the third day, and returned to Heaven 40 days later. This same Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus, and will soon return to Earth to claim his Kingdom and judge mankind.

If you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and rose again from the dead on the 3rd day, you can be saved, right now! But you must pray to receive Him; a belief in your head will not be enough; you must repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart to save you. This act of receiving Christ as your Savior can only occur one time in your entire life; it is not the same as receiving Communion, or your daily prayers.

Before God will hear your prayers, you must be born again by receiving Christ as your Savior. All of your religious works or your baptism in water or church membership or good name in the community will not save you; only the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for your sins will work to save you from going to Hell when you die.

The fact that you are reading this is evidence that God is still calling you to salvation through his Son Jesus; there is still hope for you!

You must pray to God to ask forgiveness for your sins because you acknowledge that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for you, so that you might be saved, IF you repent and accept Jesus as your Savior.

Here is a prayer that you can use to be saved:

“Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against YOU. I am no good, and you are righteous! I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, were buried, and rose again from the dead on the third day. I want you to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Please come into my heart right now. Forgive me for all my sins, and save my soul. In the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!”

If you have turned from your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and only Savior from sin, please message me through Facebook and let me know that you have done that, so that I can pray for you and rejoice with you in what God has done in your life. Amen.