Acts 19:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

NIV: and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

NASB: He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' And they said to him, 'On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.'

CSB: and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" "No," they told him, "we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

NLT: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' he asked them. 'No,' they replied, 'we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.'

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.

NKJV: he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

In Ephesus, Paul encountered twelve men who have heard the message of John the Baptist: that they need to believe in Christ and resolve to live a more righteous life. It's possible they heard this message directly from John, as Jews tried to go to Jerusalem periodically for the feasts. But they may also have learned it from Apollos, a Jewish scholar and speaker who taught about John in Ephesus before learning to follow Jesus and moving to Corinth (Acts 18:24–28).

Paul asks the twelve if they have received the Holy Spirit. If they have, it means they are Jesus-followers and Paul can proceed with discipleship. They respond that they don't know who the Holy Spirit is. Although Aquila and Priscilla have been in Ephesus for a while and host the church at some point (1 Corinthians 16:19), the understanding that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not well established. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, starting in Genesis 1:2 and going through John's ministry (John 1:33), but He isn't quite understood as a distinct Person. And, although the Holy Spirit filled people in the Old Testament, that filling was temporary. It was not the permanent indwelling of the Spirit that ensured salvation.

Paul explains to the men who Jesus is. They agree with what he says and are baptized in water. When Paul lays his hands on them, they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:3–6). That doesn't mean someone has to be baptized and have hands laid on them to receive the Holy Spirit—Cornelius' household didn't (Acts 10:44–48). But the unique sequence of events provides evidence that their decision to accept Paul's teaching is the right thing to do.

Acts 19:1–7 continues the story of Paul's third missionary trip that began with his tour of the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now, he is in Ephesus in the province of Asia in western Turkey. He had been in Ephesus for a short time before and will now stay for about three years (Acts 18:19–21; 20:31). His first encounter is with twelve men who know about John the Baptist and his baptism for repentance but not about Jesus, whom John promised would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

Acts 19 recounts Paul's three-year visit in Ephesus. He starts by revealing how Jesus of Nazareth has brought to life the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit validates Paul's message by healing those struck with physical ailments and demon possession. Amazed by Paul's authority over evil spirits, so many magicians turn to Christ that the craftsmen who make idols fear for their livelihoods. They nearly incite a riot before the town clerk settles them down. Paul realizes his time in Ephesus has ended, and he travels to Macedonia (Acts 20:1).

Acts 19 is the meat of Paul's third missionary voyage. He has already revisited the churches in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). Now he returns to Ephesus for a three-year stay. After firmly establishing the church there, rescuing many from pagan magic and the worship of Artemis, he returns to Macedonia and Greece. A threat on his life sends him back up to Macedonia and across to Troas. He meets briefly with the Ephesian elders to tell them they will not meet again (Acts 20). When he returns to Jerusalem, he is arrested and, eventually, taken to Rome.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.