From Gary... Spiders, sin and hope

The Golden Crab Spider

Many thanks to brother Walter Vogt for allowing me to use these beautiful pictures, taken from his garden!!!  Frankly, I detest spiders, they are small bloodsucking monsters that sting, paralyze and feed from your life's blood!!!  Most spiders weave a web to capture their prey, but not this one.  His camouflage is his weapon and it works.  However, for me, every time I see a spider web, I think of it as evil, a menacing symbol of ensnarement and death.  With this in mind, I remembered this chapter from the book of Isaiah...

Isaiah, Chapter 59

 1 Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear:  2 but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.  3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.  4 No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and give birth to iniquity.  5 They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.  6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.  7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths.  8 The way of peace they don’t know; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whoever goes therein does not know peace.  9 Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.  10 We grope for the wall like the blind; yes, we grope as those who have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among those who are lusty we are as dead men.  11 We roar all like bears, and moan bitterly like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 

  12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

  13 transgressing and denying Yahweh, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.  14 Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.  15 Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.  16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness, it upheld him.  17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.  18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense.  19 So shall they fear Yahweh’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Yahweh drives. 

  20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says Yahweh.

  21  “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed’s seed,” says Yahweh, “from henceforth and forever.” 

Sin is a terrible word; terrible not only because of the manifestations of it, but because it separates us from God.  And those who actually love SIN progress from worse to worse.  Sin ultimately causes death and who really WANTS TO DIE?  But, God understands and has provided a remedy for our sin through Jesus.  We all have a choice to follow Jesus or not.  We can change our ways!!!  A spider will always be a spider, but we don't have to be committed to a sinful lifestyle.  As far as the spider in the picture is concerned, I was surprised to learn that it CAN change its color to adapt to its flower of choice, but only over a period of days. So, I guess even some spiders can change--- How about that- there is even hope for spiders.

PS. I still don't like them, though!!!!

From Laura Dayton... RESTORE ONCE MORE OUR FEAR OF THE LORD

RESTORE ONCE MORE OUR FEAR OF THE LORD

There are very few of us who have the ability to change lives with the writing of a few words in a sentence. The word of God however, is rich in the ability to enrich and completely change our lives in just a few words from the inspired mind of God. One of these sentences is found in Deuteronomy 10:12-13. The people of God throughout history have struggled with becoming overwhelmed by life and its challenges.

In the above mentioned scripture our wonderful heavenly Father records for us a simple formula that not only describes God’s will for man but gives us instruction on how to be successful in our spiritual walk, guaranteed! The scripture says: “And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord…to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord…with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments of the Lord…for your good..”

 For the next few weeks, we will examine each of these requirements. God wants His creation to love and respect Him. As we continue to move in the right direction we can be assured that God is pleased with us. To FEAR THE LORD simply means we recognize who He is as the almighty creator of all and this is positive and causes us to walk humbly in life as did our Savior. Also, as we think about giving an account for our lives before our God one day we are beneficially restrained from our sinful tendencies. Want to please God this week? Fear Him, walk humbly before Him and He will life you up.

From Jim McGuiggan... The death of a child (3)

The death of a child (3)

  Disease and death are so ugly and brutal. Maybe a terminal ward where everyone is a little child has an added pathos. Because I believe that every little child anywhere in the world is a servant of God I find consolation in knowing that however things appear there's more in it than meets the eye and when the world is better we'll clap our hands over our mouths in enlightened astonishment.

Like everyone else it guts me to see them suffer and die.

The raging fever is real, the gasping for air is real, the incubators, straps, tubes, leads, needles, pumps, drips—they're all real. The silent screaming, the wide-open mouths and the tiny toothless gums, the jerking, twisting, the shrill crying or the silent panting—all real.

There's no point in denying the reality of all that!

But what if what we see is not all there is?

What if there's more (not less!) to what we see than what we see?

Would you not want to be able to believe that there was more?

One day outside Jerusalem there was a young man hanging on the public gallows. The spit, the sweat, the blood, the jeers, the taunts, the treachery, the hypocrisy, the race hatred—all real. The thirst, the loneliness, the sense of abandonment, the grief of a mother and friends, the injustice, the evil—all real.

But there was more!

In all that—not simply after it—in and through all that there was more.

There wasn't less than that! There was more!

There is more in the disease and death of a child!

They speak to us profound truths at a profound cost!

And what do they say?

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... The death of a child (2)

The death of a child (2)

   Some things are worth dying for! I don't say life is to be despised, only that there are some things more important than going on living biologically. Illustrate it for yourself how you will; I'm sure there are people for whom and situations in which choosing death would not only make sense, it would be a glad choice.

Now taking someone's life; that's a whole different thing. I don't say that taking someone's life would never, under any circumstances be a right thing to do. I'm not able to say that, but setting aside "utterly exceptional" situations (if there are such things—and I presently think there are), there's something profoundly sinister about the way we routinely kill the unborn, the developing human child, to make "a better world". Some of us do it to make our world more pleasant, more convenient, more trouble free. Medical people and scientists do it (we're assured) to make a "better" world for everyone. "Better"? Hmmm. Is a world that is built on the routine killing of developing humans a world worth having? Is a world that is built on the use of growing humans as spare parts worth building much less bragging about? Is a world like that a "better" world?

I'm not thinking I can persuade anyone to be satisfied with my own moral protest against the "let's rid the world of disease and death for the future by taking and cheapening and exploiting human life in the present." The lengths to which some are willing to go to get that better world is disturbing. Did I not read some years ago of the work of a Finnish bio-chemist, who decapitated live, aborted "foetuses" and attached the heads to various instruments and contrivances to observe and learn? And was he not the one who with abrupt candour said something to the effect that, "People never truly believed the foetuses were humans or they wouldn't have allowed us to flush them down the toilet"?

Aborting developing humans because they don't suit our taste in gender or physical condition or their arrival time  is sickening! I heard one of the presenters on one of our UK television talk shows blithely remark, "I just wasn't ready to have a baby so it gave me no grief at all to terminate the pregnancy." It wasn't just what she said but her tone as well. It was so matter of fact, such a "yes-it-is-a-rather-nicely-done-ham-pass-me-that-salt-please" tone. It reminded me of the kind of society we have become when a person could speak so off-handedly about such a matter.

But if all that galls me, there's something that galls me profoundly more. The procured death of a developing child is an outrage but the doctrine that says God created that developing child—the one we're killing—only to damn it eternally, that is degenerate and is itself a part of the universal depravity we see in the world.

What if in the name of God we were raging against the powers that be on behalf of the developing child that they were killing and God had ordained that very baby to eternal torture because of something it inherited or something it was alleged to have actually done (in Adam) before ever it existed?

One writer that I both enjoy and admire, who strikes me as a humble and open man in search of truth, is nevertheless so locked in to a version of predestination and election that he says he's unable to assure people that their babies that die do not end up in hell because, he says, the scriptures don't give him the right to assure them of that. He isn't alone in this (numerous creeds will not commit to infant salvation). Augustine and Calvin, of course, made it clear that non-elect infants suffer eternal damnation. Numerous others even in this day hold the same view.

It just seems to me that to rage against those who butcher a well-developed baby in the womb while believing that God might even be capable of sending that baby to eternal conscious torment simply because he wills it is utterly bizarre.

Ideas and doctrines have consequences!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... The Death of a child (1)

The Death of a child (1)

God made us mortal, that is, subject to biological death so in that sense death is "natural". My guess is that since God gave Adam and Eve full and free invitation to eat of every tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17) that they were eating of "the tree of life" and it counteracted their mortality. It makes no sense to me that they would eat of all the others trees in the garden except the one that sustained life; so I'm assuming they ate of it. Would you not eat of it if God freely offered it?

From the moment they were cut off from the tree the death process was on its way to the inevitable end God had appointed. Even if all we had to say about it was that it was "natural", it would still be true that death was ordained by God since that's how he made us—mortal, subject to death. Death in that sense is not unnatural for it's how God made us; subject to death. God did not make us subject to death because we had sinned before he made us. It was after he had created us mortal that we chose to sin against him.

But it's clear that death is more than "natural". Whatever else is true about it, when it came as the judgement of God—and it did at some point—it was more than "natural"—it now had the notion of "penalty" and it carried with it the testimony that the human relationship with God had been distorted in some way. In light of the biblical witness, death continues to bear witness to this very day of that distortion of humanity's relationship with God.

At the very beginning, death as penalty and judgement would only have meant something to Adam and Eve. That aspect of death would not have related to any of their infant children should they have died. God doesn't punish the innocent! Nevertheless, since Adam and Eve closed the door to all their descendants to the tree of life, whatever God thought of infants, they died because of something Adam and Eve did; they died because they were part of Adam's family and because God had made them mortal.

I'm presuming that this is what Paul had in mind when he said that in Adam all died (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). It wasn't that humans were inherently immortal before Adam sinned and as a consequence they became mortal; that's not true. As the Bible tells it, God cut off the mortal humans from the tree of life in response to Adam's rebellion. It didn't matter after that if a human could have been sinless—he was mortal and without something to counteract that mortality he died!

Setting aside for the moment questions generated by Romans 5:19 where Paul says by one man's disobedience all were made sinners, let me make the point again that God does not punish the innocent! We might do that and at times, God forgive us, we do that at times but God forbids it.

This means that when an infant dies it is no punishment from God! The infant certainly dies because it is not able to stay alive; it is mortal—subject to death. But in addition to that, like the rest of us the child was cut off from the source that offset human mortality. Unless we believe that an infant is actually and really guilty the idea that its death is punishment is intolerable! Since it's obvious that infants have committed no personal wrongs the only way to justify their being punished is to say that they truly did sin in Adam's sin. It won't do to say that God holds them guilty though he knows they're not really guilty. Simply saying he would do that sounds like a slander against the Holy Father! With the theological "realists" of the Reformed camp we'd be compelled to say that these infants actually sinned in Adam's sin (though Augustine and Calvin admitted they didn't know how that could be). They feel obliged to say that, don't you see, for it's "the soulthat sins" that shall die for sin (see Ezekiel 18:20 and Deuteronomy 24:16). To credit to infants (or anyone else) what we know they didn't do would be heinous to us though we are great sinners; what would it be but the profoundest moral chaos for the Holy Father to hold them guilty of what he knows they aren't guilty of?

To get away with the claim that the death of an infant is punishment for its sin (committed in Adam) you have to do what Calvin and Augustine did—say it must be true because God wouldn't otherwise punish the child.

Nevertheless, it is true than in Adam even infants die! Why is that? Well, part of the answer I've suggested above—they were cut off from a source that counteracted human mortality; but there's more to it than that. These innocent infants are caught up in God's purpose to fulfil his creation commitment to the human family.

Amos 4:6-11 tells us of famines and droughts and pestilence that God sent to bring apostate Israel back home to him that he might forgive and bless them. The judgements were chastisement for sin committed; in this case the hardships wouldn't have existed if Israel had not gone off after other gods. Babies born during these droughts and famines suffered and they suffered under the judgements God poured out to redeem the apostates but the babies were the innocent suffering along with the guilty. Let me repeat: the drought the child suffered from existed because of sin and the child shared the hurt and death that the drought brought but God wasn't punishing the child. The child died but it wasn't the same death the impenitent apostate died. [What difference does it make if the child still dies? It makes all the difference in the world. The children of an imprisoned embezzler are left without a father but they aren't punished for what their father did.]

The infant in Amos' day died from a famine that God deliberately sent in response to Israelite sin. The existence of the judgement had nothing to do with the infants! It had all to do with sinning Israelites; it had all to do with the guilty! But the instrument of God's judgement (the famine and such) takes the lives of the innocent children (and the devoted servants of God in Israel) who die in the punishment of Israel.

God will not spare even the innocent (see Romans 8:32).

The death of all the children, the death of a single child is the damning evidence of our guilt and a witness to God's relentless pursuit of humanity to redeem it. We need not worry—such children are in good hands.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The First Church Of Christ (Ac.2:42-47)

                                              "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                 The First Church Of Christ (2:42-47)

INTRODUCTION

1. During His ministry, Jesus said He would build His church - Mt 16:18

2. With the preaching of the first gospel sermon...
   a. Those that gladly received the Word were baptized - Ac 2:41
   b. They numbered 3000 souls - ibid.

[From our text (Ac 2:42-47) we learn that thus began the first church of
Jesus Christ, located in Jerusalem.  What was it like?  What should we be
like today?  Note first that they were...]

I. DEVOTED TO APOSTLES' DOCTRINE (Ac 2:42)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Jesus expected people to accept their teachings - Jn 13:20; Mt 28:20
      2. He gave the apostles the Holy Spirit to guide them - Jn 16:12-13
      3. Thus the apostles' word was to be received as the Word of God
         - 1Co 14:37; 1Th 2:13-14

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Many churches today do not, allowing societal trends to
         supplant the Word
      2. We need to heed Christ and His apostles regarding this - 

         Mt 15:8-9; 2Th 2:15

[If we are to be a true church of Christ, we must emulate the Jerusalem
church in its steadfastness to the apostles' doctrine.  Next we note that
they were...]

II. DEVOTED TO SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP (Ac 2:42)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Godly people have always delighted in "spiritual sharing" - 

         Ps 122:1; Lk 22:14-16; 1Jn 1:3
      2. Sharing by assembling together is crucial to spiritual
         wellbeing - He 10:24-25

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Many Christians today do not, allowing many things to hinder
         their assembling
      2. We need to set our priorities straight - cf. Mt 6:33; Lk 10:41-42

[A true church will be made up of members who value the principle of
assembling and sharing in spiritual matters.  The first church of Christ
was also...]

III. DEVOTED TO BREAKING BREAD (Ac 2:42)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. The context would suggest this refers to the Lord's Supper,
         which is a type of fellowship for it is called a sharing, a 
         communion - 1Co 10:16
      2. Jesus Himself instituted the Supper, and was observed weekly 
         - 1Co 11:23-34; Ac 20:7

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Sadly many churches do not, observing it monthly, quarterly,
         annually, or not at all
      2. Others allow many things to hinder their observance:  family,
         jobs, recreation

[But a true church of Christ will provide weekly opportunities for its
members to partake, and its members will make diligent effort to
participate.  Another aspect of a true church of Christ is being...]

IV. DEVOTED TO STEADFAST PRAYER (Ac 2:42)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Jesus taught His disciples to pray and not lose heart - 

         Lk 11:1-4; 18:1-8
      2. He now serves as our High Priest, through whom we can pray 
         - He 4:14-16

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. We are taught to pray fervently, frequently - 1Th 5:17; Col 4:2
      2. Sadly, many churches and Christians are negligent in this
         important spiritual activity

[If we desire to be a true church of Christ, then let us be a people of
prayer!  As we continue in our text, we learn from the first church of
Christ that they were...]

V. DEVOTED TO BROTHERLY LOVE (Ac 2:44-46)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Demonstrated in our text, but also later - Ac 4:32-35
      2. Such love was a sign of true discipleship - Jn 13:34-35
      3. Other churches had similar love for their brethren - 

         1Co 16:15; 1Th 4:9-10

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. We are to love one another fervently - 1Pe 1:22
      2. In dire circumstances, would we be willing to emulate the
         early disciples? - cf. 1Jn 3:16-17

[While we may not face the same circumstances, we should prepare
ourselves should similar occasions arise.  ***  As we continue examining
the first church of Christ, we notice that they were...]

VI. DEVOTED TO DAILY SERVICE (Ac 2:46)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Note the phrase "continuing daily"
      2. They did not serve the Lord just one day a week
      3. Perhaps it was "daily service" that resulted in "daily
         additions" - cf. Ac 2:47; 5:42

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Serving the Lord every day of the week?
      2. Including serving one another? - cf. He 3:12-14

[A true New Testament church will emulate the first church of Christ with
daily service among its members.  Consider also that the Jerusalem church
was...]

VII. DEVOTED TO PURPOSEFUL UNITY (Ac 2:46)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Note the phrase "with one accord"
      2. United in their worship, and in their concern - cf. Ac 4:32
      3. The sort of unity for which Jesus prayed - Jn 17:20-23

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. The unity the apostles worked diligently to maintain? - 

         1Co 1:10; Ep 4:1-3; Php 2:1-2; 1Pe 3:8
      2. Oneness of mind, purpose, and work, with a joyful and humble
         attitude?

[A true church of Christ will work hard to fulfill the prayer of Christ
and maintain the unity of the Spirit.  Another observation about the
devotion of the first church of Christ...]

VIII. DEVOTED TO JOYFUL SIMPLICITY (Ac 2:46)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Note the phrase "with gladness and simplicity of heart"
      2. The word "simplicity" involves "humility associated with
         simplicity of life" - Louw Nida
      3. Likely reflecting their contentment with what they had - cf.
         1Ti 6:6-10

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Having learned contentment like Paul had? - Php 4:11-12
      2. A contentment based on trust in God and willingness to share?
         - cf. 1Ti 6:17-19

[A true church of Christ will consist of members, whether rich or poor,
who go about their lives with joyful simplicity.  They will also go about
their lives like the first church of Christ, being...]

IX. DEVOTED TO PRAISING GOD (Ac 2:47)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Despite their difficulties, they lived their lives praising
         God
      2. Like the faithful saints under the Old Covenant - Ps 145:1-2;
         146:1-2; 147:1

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Delighting in opportunities to praise God?
      2. Offering the sacrifice of praise continually? - cf. He 13:15

[A true church of Christ will be filled with people who love to praise
God, not grumbling or complaining.  Finally, we observe that the first
church of Christ was...]

X. DEVOTED TO PLEASING PEOPLE (Ac 2:47)

   A. REGARDING THEIR DEVOTION...
      1. Note the phrase "having favor with all the people"
      2. As the NLT puts it, "enjoying the goodwill of all the people"
      3. A consequence of following the example of their Lord - e.g.,
         Lk 2:52; Ro 14:17-19

   B. DO WE HAVE THIS DEVOTION...?
      1. Living lives that promotes goodwill from those who are lost?
      2. Lives that as far as depends on us are peaceful and blameless?
         - cf. Ro 12:17-21; 1Co 10:32-33; 1Ti 2:1-4; Php 2:14-15

CONCLUSION

1. With the first church of Christ, God has given us an example of what
   a true church of Christ should be like:  devoted to...
   a. Apostles' doctrine         f. Daily service
   b. Spiritual fellowship       g. Purposeful unity
   c. Breaking bread             h. Joyful simplicity
   d. Steadfast prayer           i. Praising God
   e. Brotherly love             j. The people

2. Too often, churches today are more like those described in the
   following poem...

                          "FACTS 19:71-72"
                     Every individual
                     Each with his own opinions.
                     Competing for his own possessions
                     Looks out for his own,
                     Assuming there are no needs.
                     And once a week
                     Going to their private church
                     (With an annual communion)
                     Each return to his castle,
                     Fellowshipping with his family
                     Over good "native" cooking
                     After a short silent "grace",
                     And glad to be away from everybody.
                     Occasionally there are
                     New faces at church,
                     And last year
                     Someone was saved.
                                    ~ Myron Augsburger

Brethren, may this never be true of us...!

*** Conclude first part here if lesson is presented in two parts

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2012

 

From Mark Copeland... The Gift Of The Holy Spirit (Ac.2:38)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                  The Gift Of The Holy Spirit (2:38)

INTRODUCTION

1. In his first gospel sermon, Peter offered hope to his guilt-stricken
   audience...
   a. The remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit 
   b. Provided they repent and were baptized - Ac 2:36-39

2. What is the gift of the Holy Spirit...?
   a. Is the Holy Spirit Himself, or something the Spirit gives?
   b. If the former, then in what way is the Spirit a gift?

[I understand that the gift of the Holy Spirit to be the Holy Spirit
Himself.  While I respect those who think otherwise, here are some 
reasons for my view...]
 
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE GIFT

   A. GRAMMATICAL CONSIDERATIONS...
      1. "gen., receive the Spirit as a gift, Ac 2:38." - Arndt &
         Gingrich, Dorea, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
         Other Early Christian Literature, p.210
      2. "'you will receive (God's) gift, the Holy Spirit' Ac 2:38." 
         - Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of 
         the New Testament: Based on semantic domains. New York: United 
         Bible Societies
      3. "dorea - gift, free gift, benefit; in the NT used only of 
         spiritual and supernatural gifts that are freely given by God to
         believers, including eternal life (JN 4.10), the Holy Spirit (AC 
         2.38)" - Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. (2000). Vol.
         4: Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids,
         MI.
      4. "Unique to Acts is 'gift of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:38; 10:45),
         but here the gen. is epexegetical: the gracious gift is the Holy
         Spirit." - Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990-). Exegetical 
         dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.
      5. "With the epexegetical gen. of the thing given, the Holy
         Ghost, Ac 2:38." - Thayer, Dorea, Greek-English Lexicon of the 
         New Testament, p.161
      6. "In Ac 2:38, 'the gift of the Holy Ghost', the clause is
         epexegetical, the gift being the Holy Ghost Himself." - Vine, 
         Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p.147
      7. "The genitive is appositional, as in v.33 the promise is the
         Holy Spirit, so here the gift is the Holy Spirit." - Lenski, The
         Acts Of The Apostles
      8. "of the Holy Spirit - this clause is an appositional genitive
         with 'the gift' and means 'the gift, namely, the Holy Spirit.'" 
         - Kistemaker, Acts, New Testament Commentary, p.110
      -- That the Spirit is the gift in Ac 2:38 is the consensus of
         Greek scholars

   B. CONTEXTUAL CONSIDERATIONS...
      1. The immediate context
         a. Jesus spoke of the Spirit to His apostles as "the Promise
            of the Father" - Ac 1:4-5
         b. Peter spoke of the outpouring of the Spirit as "the promise
            of the Holy Spirit" - Ac 2:33
         c. Having just mentioned the "the gift of the Holy Spirit",
            Peter then says "For the promise is to you..." - Ac 2:38,39
         d. What promise is Peter referring to in Ac 2:39?
            1) The context suggests the promise already mentioned and
               just offered as a gift
            2) I.e., the promised Holy Spirit who has been poured out
               is now available as a gift to those who obey
      2. The remote context
         a. The Spirit is given (i.e., a gift) to those who obey God 
            - Ac 5:32
         b. The same phrase ("the gift of the Holy Spirit") is used
            elsewhere when it clearly means the Holy Spirit Himself as 
            the gift - cf. Ac 10:44-47
         c. Other passages refer to the Holy Spirit as that given to
            Christians - Jn 7:37-39; 2Co 1:21-22; 5:5; Ga 4:6; Tit 3:5-6
      -- That the Spirit is the gift is supported by both immediate and
         remote contexts

   C. HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS...
      1. "The Holy Ghost is one of the promises of the New Testament,
         Ac 2:38-39." - Barton W. Stone, Works of Elder B. W. Stone
      2. "The phrase 'the gift of the Holy Ghost' occurs in Ac 2:38;
         10:45, and in both places must be understood as equivalent to 
         the 'the Holy Spirit as a gift'' - T. W. Brents, The Gospel Plan
         Of Salvation
      3. "The gift of the Spirit promised in Ac 2:38 was the Spirit
         itself" - David Lipscomb, Queries and Answers
      4. "The expression means the Holy Spirit as a gift" - J.W.
         McGarvey, New Commentary on Acts of Apostles
      5. "Certainly the gift of the Spirit is the Spirit itself given."
         - Moses Lard, Lard's Quarterly
      6. "The gift of the Holy Spirit is not some definite thing the
         Holy Spirit gives, but the Holy Spirit as a gift." - R. L. 
         Whiteside, Reflections 
      7. "I believe the Holy Spirit is the gift to those who repent and
         are baptized." - Ferrell Jenkins, The Finger Of God
      -- That the Spirit is the gift in Ac 2:38 is a view that has been
         held by many; these are but a sampling of those in the 
         Restoration Movement

[For such reasons, I understand the gift of the Holy Spirit to be the
Holy Spirit Himself.  In what way, then is the Spirit a gift?  Allow me
to summarize just a few blessings of the Spirit for the Christian...]

II. THE BLESSINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

   A. HE REGENERATES...
      1. Saving one through the washing of regeneration (baptism) - 

         Tit 3:4-7

      2. Causing one to be reborn, in conjunction with the Word - 

         1Pe 1:22-23

   B. HE SANCTIFIES...
      1. A process begun when washed and justified - 1Co 6:11
      2. A process that continues with the aid of the Word - cf. 

         Jn 17:17; Ac 20:32; Ep 6:17

   C. HE INDWELLS... 
      1. Otherwise we do not belong to Christ - Ro 8:9
      2. He will give life to our mortal bodies - Ro 8:11
      3. Which ought to motivate us to live holy lives - 1Co 6:18-20

   D. HE EMPOWERS...
      1. That we might put to death the deeds of the flesh - Ro 8:12-13
      2. Serving as God's instrumental agent whereby He strengthens us
         - Ep 3:16,20

   E. HE INTERCEDES...
      1. In times of weakness, when we do not know how to pray - Ro 8:26
      2. Making intercession for the saints of God - Ro 8:27

   F. HE SEALS...
      1. A seal marking us as belonging to God - Ep 1:13; 4:30; 2Co 1:22
      2. "It is our conviction that when a person obeys the gospel he
         is given the Holy Spirit. In this way God seals the person. In 
         effect God says 'This person belongs to me; let everyone take 
         note." -  Ferrell Jenkins, The Finger of God, p.19

   G. HE GUARANTEES...
      1. An earnest or guarantee as a promise of our inheritance - 

         Ep 1:14; 2Co 1:22; 5:5
      2. "The Holy Spirit is God's earnest (down payment) to the
         Christian as assurance of the complete promised inheritance. 
         There is no comfort here for the advocate of the impossibility
         of apostasy.  The Christian can 'grieve' the Spirit (Ep 4:30).
         We can forfeit the down payment and not receive the inheritance."
         - Ferrell Jenkins, ibid.

   H. HE BEARS FRUIT IN OUR LIVES...
      1. Leading those who walk in the Spirit - Ga 5:16-18; Ro 8:5-6
      2. Producing spiritual graces of Christ-like conduct - Ga 5:22-26
      3. Engendering a deepening love for God as our Father- 

         Ga 4:6; Ro 8:15-16
      4. Filling us with love and hope - Ro 5:5; 15:13

CONCLUSION

1. What is the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38? I am mostly
   persuaded by ...
   a. The overwhelming consensus of Greek scholars
   b. The immediate and remote context in which the phrase is found
   c. What else is taught regarding the Spirit in the life of the
      Christian

2. I believe "the gift of the Holy Spirit" is the Spirit Himself...
   a. Given to those who become children of God - cf. Ga 4:6
   b. A promise related to the indwelling of the Spirit - cf. 1Co 6:19

3. Even if "the gift of the Holy Spirit" in Ac 2:38 refers to something
   the Spirit gives...
   a. Other passages speak of the Spirit as being given to the Christian
      - Jn 7:37-39; Ac 5:32
   b. What a wonderful gift, one that refreshes the Christian like
      "rivers of living water"!

There is much more that could be said about the Holy Spirit, His role in
the scheme of redemption, and work in the life of the Christian (cf. The
Holy Spirit Of God).  

But one does not have to have a comprehensive understanding of the Holy
Spirit to begin enjoying the blessings of the Spirit.  

They need only to respond to the gospel as proclaimed by the apostle
Peter... - cf. Ac 2:38-39

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2012