Acts 19:2-7 He said to them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said to him… I. THE HOLY SPIRIT TESTIFIES OF CHRIST. To manifest Him, to draw men to Him, to bring them into captivity to His easy yoke and light burden — this is the Spirit's operation in the human heart. And this it could never be before Jesus was glorified. II. THE SPIRIT HAS WROUGHT SINCE THE DAY OF PENTECOST AS HE NEVER WROUGHT BEFORE, IN THE TESTIMONY WHICH HE BEARS IN THE HEART OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER. We do not read of any such direct access to God granted to individual men in ancient times. III. Again, the indwelling Spirit of these latter days of the Church is eminently THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM. The humble child, walking by the light of this Spirit, is wiser than his teachers if they have Him not. IV. Lastly, the Spirit of God now abiding among us is a TRANSFORMING SPIRIT; not merely enlightening, nor merely comforting, nor merely conferring the adoption of sons, but changing us into the image of God, begetting in us a thirst to be like Him whose sons we are, to have done with sin, and to cast off corruption and to put on perfect holiness. (H. Alford.) Parallel Verses KJV: He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. |
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