God's Fullness
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS GIFTS

Part III – The Spirit As God
Reception, Distribution, Purpose
The day of Pentecost was a day to remember. On that day Jesus fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit directly to the apostles. On that day the apostles realized the assurance and peace they had been promised. They perceived the greatness of their commission. They experienced for the first time the receiving of God the Holy Spirit into their lives.

But that was not all. The apostles immediately received the Spirit's gift to proclaim publicly the Spirit-breathed words of God in many languages concerning Jesus and God's great plan of redemption. Luke, the historian of the Book of Acts, recorded Peter's message in Acts 2:14-40. In that message, Peter did not hesitate to stress the divine origin of the events and words unfolding that day. For example: Peter stated that "this Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33).

Peter spoke to the "men of Israel," saying, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ [Messiah] this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36).

Although Peter had already said that Jesus was "nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put to death" (Acts 2:23b), they knew they had demanded that it be done. Nothing could be more horrifying to a Jew than to be convinced he had participated in the crucifixion of his Messiah:

"Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself'" (Acts 2:37-38; emphasis mine).

That day about three thousand people repented and were baptized in the name ,of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. They received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This event marked the beginning of the church. These people became followers of Jesus. Jesus had described Himself in these words: "I am the way; and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). For a time the followers of Jesus were simply referred to as those in "the Way" (Acts 9:2, 19:9, etc.). By the time the Gospel had been taken to Antioch in Syria, the followers of Jesus were called Christians (Acts 11:26).

The number of Christians began to multiply rapidly From the initial three thousand the numbers increased to over five thousand (Acts 4:4). They continued to grow (Acts 6:1, 7, 11:21, 24, 16:5). What did all of these Christians have in common? Note the three commonalities that were first given to the apostles, then, through response to their inspired message, were shared by all the Christians. They all received peace.¹ They all received the commission to share the saving Gospel with all people.² They all received the gift of the promised Holy Spirit.³ The first and second commonalities present no misunderstanding of an interpretative nature.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a vital part of this study. A clear focus will help us to appreciate this indescribable gift:

"We must distinguish the gift of the Spirit from the gift of the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself, bestowed by the Father through the Messiah; the gifts of the Spirit are those spiritual faculties which the Spirit imparts, 'dividing to each one severally even as he wills' 1 Cor. 12:11) . . . but the free gift which is promised in [Acts 2] v. 38 to those who repent and are baptized is the Holy Spirit Himself. This gift of the Spirit may comprehend a variety of gifts of the Spirit . . ."⁴

The Holy Spirit Himself is given without measure to every Christian. That was one of the Pentecost promises (Acts 2:33, 38-39). However, Peter announced that among the happenings of that eventful day was the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophet Joel's words: "'And it shall be in the last days,' God says, 'that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind'" (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:16-17). Of course, "all mankind" does not mean every individual of the human race. The legitimate use of hyperbole is found in every language, including the inspired language of the Bible.⁵

What does "I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh" mean? There are two biblical answers to that specific question. There is a distinction between the Holy Spirit Himself and His gifts.

The prophet Joel was referring to the Holy Spirit Himself. This was the way Peter presented it on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit Himself was promised to all mankind! He was first given to the apostles, who were Jews. Then He endowed them with His gifts – in this case, the gift of tongues. Three thousand Jews surrendered to Jesus that same day by their obedience of faith. As a result, they received the promised Holy Spirit Himself. There is no indication whatsoever that they received any of His gifts.

As the Gospel of Christ spread, an evangelist named Philip preached in Samaria. Many of the Samaritans, Jews with a racially mixed background, were baptized, "men and women alike" (Acts 8:5, 12). We know they received the Holy Spirit Himself when they were faithfully responsive to Christ in baptism. This companionship of the Holy Spirit was one of the precious promises of the Gospel. Therefore, when the apostles Peter and John came to Samaria from Jerusalem they found Christians who had received the Holy Spirit at their baptism. That being the case, what does one make of the following text?:

"Peter and John . . . came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now . . . Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands . . ." (Acts 8:14b-18a).

Peter had told the believers in the audience in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, the inauguration day of the church, they were to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This same Peter and John came to these Samaritan baptized believers. Note three reasons why they did not come to give them the Holy Spirit Himself: First, they did not have that power. Second, these Christians had already received the Holy Spirit Himself. Third, there is no New Testament record of any apostle laying his hands on anybody for him or her to receive the Holy Spirit Himself.⁶

A major rule of biblical exegesis is to never interpret a difficult passage so as to contradict plain biblical passages on the same subject. The rule applies here. Peter had preached that all people receive the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins they had committed upon their obedience of faith (Acts 2:38-39). God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11; 1 Peter 1:17). Therefore, the Samaritans who responded to the Gospel under Philip's preaching received the Holy Spirit the same way the Jews did on Pentecost under the preaching of Peter, John, and the other apostles. This interpretation of this specific event (Acts 8:5-18) is in harmony with the general teachings of Scripture.

We are told that the Holy Spirit "had not yet fallen upon any of them." When the apostles laid their hands on them, Simon saw that they were receiving the Holy Spirit. The evidence that they had received the Holy Spirit was something visible. Why had the Spirit not been visible before the apostles arrived, since the Samaritan Christians already had received Him?

Luke, the writer, is speaking of gifts of the Holy Spirit, not the Holy Spirit Himself. By the laying on of their hands, the apostles served as a conduit through which the Holy Spirit gave gifts to Christians. Linguistically speaking, we see here an example of metonymy.⁷

Some biblical examples show how common this figure of speech is. The teaching of Jesus concerning the rich man and Lazarus is very familiar (Luke 16:19-31). In Hades, the rich man begged Abraham to send a warning to his five brothers lest they, too, end up in Hades. Abraham's reply was: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them" (v. 29). Everyone who heard Jesus' teaching knew Moses had been dead for well over a thousand years and the voices of the prophets, except for John the Baptist, had not been heard for hundreds of years! How could Abraham say, "They have Moses and the prophets"? He let "Moses and the prophets" signify "the law of Moses" and the "teachings of the prophets." Again: Paul taught the Christians at Corinth the significance of the Lord's Supper and the proper way to observe it (1 Corinthians 11:23-30). In his teaching he said: ". . . let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (v. 28). How could Paul say "drink of the cup"? He let "the cup" signify the fruit of the vine in the cup.

In the passage under study (Acts 8:5-18), Luke used the common linguistic technique of metonymy. He used the term Holy Spirit to refer to that with which the Holy Spirit Himself is closely associated, "the gifts of the Holy Spirit." This means we have correctly interpreted the passage in agreement with other teachings on the same subject. We have not "explained it away."

In Acts 10 and 11 we find the account of a non-Jew (Gentile) who was an army officer in charge of a Roman company of 100 men. He was a God-fearing man to whom the apostle Peter was directed by the Holy Spirit Himself (Acts 10:19-20 ). Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius. He heard his explanation of why he had been sent for. He realized "that God is not one to show partiality; but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him" (vv. 34-37). He proceeded to preach to these Gentiles about "Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power" (v. 38a). As Peter continued his sermon,

". . . the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 'Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?' And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (10:44-48a; emphasis mine).⁸

The question that motivated the preceding discussion grew out of a statement made by the prophet Joel: "'. . . and it shall be in the last days,' God says, 'that I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all mankind'" (Acts 2:16-17a). The answer is before us. The baptism (overwhelming) of the Holy Spirit occurred on the Jewish apostles on the day of Pentecost and on the Gentiles at the home of Cornelius. In biblical terms the people of the world consisted of Jews and Gentiles (Greeks).⁹ When the Holy Spirit fell on the Jewish apostles at Pentecost and on the Gentiles of Cornelius's household, God's prophecy spoken by Joel, ". . . I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind," was fulfilled.

Note: The apostles were not saved because they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Neither were the Gentiles at Cornelius's house. The inbreaking of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem was a convincing demonstration to thousands of those Jews present that the age of the Spirit had arrived and they could receive the benefits therefrom through obedience of faith in baptism.

Likewise, the Spirit's work at the home of Cornelius was a convincing demonstration to both Jews and Gentiles that the Gentiles were included in God's saving work through their obedience of faith. God's prophetic word through His prophet Joel was fulfilled. No other examples of the baptism of the Holy Spirit are in the Bible or in subsequent history.

All baptized believers received the Holy Spirit Himself as a gift. Many of those baptized believers also received various gifts of the Holy Spirit when the apostles laid their hands upon them.

The church continued to flourish in the first century a.d. As time passed, the apostles continued to be the instrument through whom the Holy Spirit was "distributing to each one individually just as He wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11b). The miraculous gifts were from the Person of the Holy Spirit Himself. The apostles were privileged to be His way of sharing those gifts with whom and as He willed.

In principle, this reminds us of Jesus' earthly ministry: We learned that He shared with many of His disciples and His apostles selective miraculous gifts of the Spirit to aid them as they helped Him in fits work. After Jesus returned to the glory of His Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to the apostles as promised. When He came (on Pentecost) to the apostles, they became the means by which the Spirit shared His miraculous gifts with Christians to enhance the ongoing work of the church.

As one studies the broad dimensions of the Spirit in the first century church, one finds an impressive display of the Holy Spirit's power (Acts 5:12-16).

The Book of Acts shows the prominent role of the Holy Spirit in the history and growth of the church in the first century. In addition to the episodes we have already discussed, there are frequent references to various Christians filled with the Holy Spirit,¹⁰ speaking by the Spirit,¹¹ prophesying by the Spirit,¹² being sent by the Spirit,¹³ lying to and testing the Spirit,¹⁴ guided by the Spirit,¹⁵ and comforted by the Spirit.¹⁶

Furthermore, the early church was aware that the Holy Spirit had spoken through prophets and kings,¹⁷ was speaking to them,¹⁸ and was taking a leading role in providing leadership for God's people.¹⁹

This astounding relationship of the Holy Spirit to the early body of believers was firmly founded on what Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit and the life and experience of the first-century church. They were intimately and personally influenced by His supernatural guidance. They were convinced that the Holy Spirit was a divine Being Who could truthfully be called God (Acts 5:3-4, 9).²⁰

Therefore, as God (Deity), the Holy Spirit is readily referred to as "the Spirit of Jesus" (Acts 16: 6-7). In this instance Paul and his companions were forbidden to speak or travel against the will of "the Holy Spirit/the Spirit of Jesus." One would have to play theological gymnastics to separate the two! In the Godhead, the Persons of the Trinity are often distinguished but never separated. Furthermore, the apostle Peter wrote later that the Spirit of Christ had guided the prophets of old in their predictions about the coming sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow and that the Holy Spirit had guided those who preached the glory of Christ's death, burial, and triumphant resurrection – that is, the Gospel (1 Peter 1:10-12). He went on to say, "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Peter 4:14).

It must have been a profound joy for those early Christians that God was giving the Holy Spirit to all who obeyed Him (Acts 5:32), for in so doing they received the promised benefits of both Christ and their Comforter. Note Paul's statement in Romans 8:9-11. Verse 9 reads: "However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (emphasis added).

It is evident that God the Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We can readily see why He is indeed "the Spirit of glory"!

As time went on, more and more Christians were given miraculous gifts by the laying on of the apostles' hands. Jesus Himself had shared the power of the Spirit with His apostles and many of His other disciples for the advancement of the Gospel during His ministry. After Pentecost, the apostles were privileged to share with many Christians various gifts of the Spirit by the laying on of hands. The Gospel message was, indeed, the veritable Word of God revealing salvation in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). The miracles being done by the apostles established the credibility of that message. Later, they were recorded to help others to accept the message as the truth and come to saving faith in Jesus.²¹ Disciples upon whom the apostles had laid their hands used the Spirit's gifts for the same reason (Acts 6:3, 5-10, 8:5-8). However, we do not find these disciples laying their hands on others to give them miraculous powers.

We are not to conclude from the preceding examples that the only motive for the use of miraculous powers was to establish the truth of the Gospel message. Sympathy for one in physical distress was often a factor in aiding one who was also spiritually deprived. Time and again Jesus was "moved with compassion" over the physical distress of others. He used miraculous power to help them (Matthew 14:4; Mark 1:40-41, etc.).

Peter was also moved with compassion when he was told that "a certain disciple named Tabitha" had died. She is described as an outstanding servant by the saints at Joppa who wept and mourned her death. Peter raised her up and presented her alive to the mourners. As news of this event spread, "all over Joppa, . . . many believed in the Lord" (Acts 9:36-42). What a beautiful scenario of compassion, love, power, and faith! If compassion does not accompany evangelism, the light of truth is reduced to gloom.

We find among the writings of the apostle Paul letters that were written while he was engaged in missionary travel. Paul's work is described by the historian Luke in the Book of Acts. However, Luke does not tell us anything about Paul's correspondence. From studying the activity of Paul recorded in Acts and the letters he wrote while engaged in that work we may safely conclude that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians about a.d. 55; Romans in about a.d. 56 or 57; and Ephesians in about a.d. 60 or 61. (The ill-founded skepticism that Paul was not the author of Ephesians does not need to be addressed here.) In these three letters, Paul listed about two dozen gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, some of these gifts are so closely related as to be virtually synonymous. For example, the gift of mercy often may have been visually demonstrated by one who also had the gift to heal; the gift of service may have been often practically manifested by the gift of helps; etc.

Even the apostles themselves were appointed, or set in, the church of God. They were gifts. We have learned in our study that these gifts of the Spirit were given to many Christians who were selected to receive them by wav of the laying on of the apostles' hands (1 Corinthians 12:11; Romans 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:5-7).

Paul wanted his fellow Christians to understand the nature and use of these gifts. He wrote to the church at Corinth, saying: "Peri de ton pneumatikon," meaning: "Now concerning spirituals [gifts], – I do not want you to be unaware" (1 Corinthians 12:1). These different gifts were called charismata in v. 4. This word is related to charis, meaning "grace," and charisma, meaning "gift." The gifts of the Holy Spirit were freely given through the apostles whom He chose. The gifts of which Paul spoke are found in the letters mentioned. The following list may not be exhaustive but is certainly impressive:

Some comments about these gifts are in order. First, we remember that the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit on God's people, and through God's people, was primarily to confirm the teachings of their word as God's Word. Faith was established in those who heard the message. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: ". . . how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will" (Hebrews 2:3-4; emphasis mine).²²

Second, we should note that these gifts were given to individual Christians according to the Spirit's will (1 Corinthians 12:11). However, the overall purpose of the gifts was for the "common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Indeed, in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he pressed the theme of the common good. For example: `And this I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly; and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:35). And again: "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. . . . All things are lawful, but not all things edify I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:23, 33).

It is not surprising that Paul stressed the use of the gifts for the common good (1 Corinthians 14:3-5). Indeed, if the Holy Spirit's good gifts had been merely for individual use, Paul would not have resorted to fervent prayer to get rid of his own "thorn in the flesh." He would have used the Spirit's gift of healing (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Acts 19:11-12). Neither would he have been so concerned about the sickness that brought Epaphroditus, his fellow worker, to the very point of death (Philippians 2:25-30). Paul did not use the Spirit's gift of healing in such cases because the gifts of the Spirit were not for "personal use." Therefore, he told the Corinthians: "So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church" (1 Corinthians 14:12). In fact, Paul says: "Let all things be done for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26b) and in a proper and orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Third, all of the gifts were not of the same magnitude or kind. Paul urged the Corinthians to "earnestly desire the greater gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:31a). Some gifts were greater than others. This may be accounted for in several ways. Some gifts were more spectacular than others. Healing would likely be more dramatic than teaching. The effecting of miracles would catch more attention than giving, etc.

Fourth, some gifts were demonstrated in miraculous ways while others had the appearance of being merely exceptional human abilities. Examples of gifts that would be considered miraculous are: miracles, prophecy (foretelling), various kinds of tongues, and healings. Examples of gifts that may have been perceived by some as "natural" are: teaching, mercy, giving, and faith. However, all the gifts bestowed were characterized by miraculous features. Even the individuals mentioned as gifts bear miraculous features. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit "set in" (from tithemi, to set, with design, in a certain arrangement or position) apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors (1 Corinthians 12:6-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-11). These individuals would need gifts such as the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and mercy. These people were gifts to the church, and they were "gifted" to fill their respective roles efficiently.

Fifth, the gifts of the Holy Spirit filled a need in the young, growing church. It was a great need. It is difficult to overestimate it. However, Scripture shows that this need was sufficiently met by the Holy Spirit's gifts. One of the great needs of the early church was a full and complete revelation of God's Word, specifically defined and readily available to all. They faced opposition from without and within. They addressed these difficulties with God's Word. However, the Scriptures were not completed until near the end of the first century. The writings were not generally available to the widely scattered congregations for many more years.

In addition, the conviction that God's inspired Word was to be restricted to a fixed number of manuscripts was slow in emerging. Eventually, the church became convinced, with some lingering doubts about a few books from some quarters, that the New Testament was complete. We have evidence that the New Testament then consisted of the twenty-seven books we have today. This evidence dates from a.d. 367.

In the broad context of about three hundred years of history (ca. a.d. 50-350) the church as a whole experienced tremendous growth. This occurred in spite of the fact that the Word of God, written, was not readily available to all and not definitely defined until near the end of that long period. Those early Christians were able to survive and grow in such numbers and at such a pace that Christianity became the favored religion of the Roman Empire.

It is difficult to overestimate the Holy Spirit as He indwelt the people of God and shared His gifts with them. By God's grace, the church was supplied with sufficient power and resources to proceed in the grand work of spreading the Gospel. This task was ongoing even during the period when He was revealing His Word and the Spirit was inspiring men to write it.

Termination of the Miraculous Gifts
The early church was informed by the Holy Spirit that there would come a time when His miraculous gifts would no longer be needed or given. The comprehensive purpose of the Spirit's gifts was to attest to the Word and edify the church. Passages like Ephesians 4:11-16 are helpful in aiding us to see the duration of these gifts in light of their stated purpose.

In this passage we find great stress on "equipping," "building up," and "growing up" with reference to growth of the church. They were to continue to press for (attain) the unity of "the faith." "The faith" is the doctrine of salvation, the Gospel of Christ. It is that which is obeyed (Acts 6:7). Of course, "our faith" is based on "the faith," which is the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Jesus came as the Word incarnate (John 1:1, 4). While here He taught the Father's words (John 14:10) as words of spirit and life (John 6:63). When He returned to the Father, He sent the Spirit to teach the apostles all things (John 14:26). When they wrote this Word it was by the inspiration (an inspirited process) of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

However, this Word had not reached its teleion (complete, perfect) state until the apostle John wrote in Revelation that no one may add to or take from the words of that book (Revelation 22:18-19). Although this solemn pronouncement referred to the Book of Revelation, warnings against adding to, subtracting from, or changing the Word of God are found in both Testaments (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6). However, the full application of this principle was not brought to bear until the church had in its hand a Bible that was the canon – that is, the book containing all the inspired Scriptures, no more, no less!

Just as the Scriptures did not reach their teleion (perfect) state until they were completed, the church did not reach its teleion (mature) state until Christians realized they had in hand all of God's written Word, which could be applied fully to their lives. This process was designed to bring them to a teleion (mature) state, "which belongs to the pleromatos tou Christou (fullness of Christ) (Ephesians 4:13).²³

During Paul's lengthy discussion of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14), he made the point that love is "a still more excellent way" (12:31). He described love in very lofty language. In showing the superiority of love over miraculous spiritual gifts he said: "Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part [ek merous] and we prophecy in part [ek merous]; but when the perfect [teleion] comes, the partial [ek merous] will be done away" (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

This statement would be quite surprising if we had not already determined what the teleion is. We know that the teleion is the completion of the writing of God's inspired Word and the church's realization, possession, and application of that Word, bringing them to full growth (teleion) in Christ. We can readily understand why the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit had served their purpose. That which was partial, in part (merous), was being done away with by that which was complete, full-grown, perfect (teleion). When one grasps the broad perspective of the Holy Spirit's miraculous work in the first century and the overall purpose of that work, one can clearly see why Paul said the miraculous gifts would cease or be done away with.

One can also better understand the views expressed by church leaders during the first four centuries of the church in regard to the passing away of the Spirit's miraculous gifts. The miraculous gifts were given to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. They, in turn, served as conduits for the Spirit to give miraculous gifts to other Christians. However, these Christians could not lay their hands on others to impart spiritual gifts. This meant, by the nature of the case, that there would come a time when the miraculous gifts of the Spirit would no longer be exercised by those early Christians.

Consider the following scenario. The last apostle to die was John. He lived into the last decade of the first century. Suppose he bestowed miraculous gifts upon a group of twenty-year-old Christians in about a.d. 95. Some of them performed miracles for seventy-five years, until a.d. 170. Young Christians saw these miracles. They testified they had seen them for seventy-five years, until a.d. 245. For another generation other Christians could tell younger ones they had known Christians who had been personally told by others about miracles performed by the "old ones." This brings us to about a.d. 320.

This sequence fits the records of early church writers. Justin Martyr lived in the first half of the second century (ca. a.d. 100-165). He recorded that Christians had the gift of prophecy, power of healing, and power to exorcise demons. Irenaeus lived in the last half of the second century (ca. a.d. 120-192). He spoke also of those who could drive out demons, foretell the future, and heal. Tertullian lived into the first half of the third century (ca. a.d. 150-220). He spoke of many spiritual gifts that were forthcoming during his day. Origin lived in the first half of the third century (ca. a.d. 185-254). He said that even in his time there were traces of the Holy Spirit's signs among a few who had obeyed the Gospel. Eusebius lived almost to the middle of the fourth century (ca. a.d. 270-340). He looked back on the age of miraculous gifts as the heroic age of the church. Likewise, Chrysostom, who lived in the second half of the fourth century (ca. a.d. 347-407), made reference to the fact that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit had been imparted to others only by the apostles when they laid their hands on them and that such things as speaking in tongues were no longer taking place.²⁴

Footnotes:
¹John 14:25; Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:13-14.
²Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 8:1, 4, 12; Ephesians 6:15, 17.
³Acts 2:33, 38-39.
⁴F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of the Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1966), 77.
⁵For example: Matthew 3:5; John 21:25.
⁶Bruce, Commentary on the Book of the Acts: "In Acts . . . there is no suggestion that apostolic hands were laid on converts before they received the Spirit" (182).
⁷Philip Babcock Gove, ed.-in-chief, Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Springfield, MA: G. and C. Merriam,1981) : Metonymy: ". . . a figure of speech that consists in using the name of one thing for that of something else with which it is associated" (1424).
⁸J.W. McGarvey; New Commentary on Acts of Apostles (Des Moines, IA: Eugene S. Smith, n.d.), 213. The words of the venerable McGarvey on this text are so apropos we think they should be given verbatim: "The ground of amazement to the Jewish brethren was not the mere fact that these Gentiles received the Holy Spirit; for if Peter had finished his discourse, promising them the Holy Spirit on the terms which he had laid down on Pentecost, and had then baptized them, these brethren would have taken it as a matter of course that they received the Spirit. And if, after this, he had laid hands on them and imparted the miraculous gift of the Spirit, as in the case of the Samaritans, they would not have been so greatly surprised. The considerations which caused the amazement were, first, that the Holy Spirit was `poured out' upon them directly from God, as it had never been before on any but the apostles; and second, that this unusual gift was bestowed on Gentiles."
<sup>9</sup>Cf. Romans 1:16, 3:9, 9:24; 1 Corinthians 10:32.
<sup>10</sup>Peter: 4:8; all the apostles: 4:23, 31; special servants: 6:3; Stephen: 6:5; Barnabas: 11:22, 24; Paul: 13:9; new converts: 13:48, 52.
<sup>11</sup>Stephen: 6:10; disciples: 21:4.
<sup>12</sup>Agabus: 11:28, 21:10-11.
<sup>13</sup>Philip: 8:29; Barnabas and Saul: 13:4.
<sup>14</sup>Ananias: 5:3; Sapphira: 5:9.
<sup>15</sup>Apostles and elders: 15:23, 28; Paul, Silas, Timothy: 15:40, 16:1-3; Paul: 20:23.
<sup>16</sup>The church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria: 9:31.
<sup>17</sup>Isaiah: 28:25; David: 4:25.
<sup>18</sup>"And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them"' (13:2; emphasis mine).
¹⁹Elders/overseers: 20:17, 28.
²⁰Bruce, Commentary on the Book of the Acts: "A comparison of the language of v: 3 with that of v. 4 shows that the Holy Spirit is not only regarded as personal, but as God Himself present with His people" (113n).
²¹John 20:30-31; Acts 3:1-16, 4:29-31, 13:9-12, etc.
²²F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews F. F. Bruce, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977): "The mighty works and wonders and signs which marked the ministry of Jesus (Acts 2:22) continued to mark the ministry of the apostles from Pentecost onwards (Acts 2:43). They were associated particularly with the bestowal of the Spirit, as indeed they are here: God's `distributions of the Holy Spirit' to believers in His sovereign pleasure formed the most conclusive demonstration and seal of the truth of the gospel . . . They were matters of common knowledge and widespread Christian experience, and the reference to them here is calculated to restore the readers' faith in the gospel as God's authoritative message" (30-31).
²³See also Colossians 1:28, where Paul stated his grand goal as an apostle of Jesus Christ was to "proclaim Him [Christ] . . . that we may present every man complete in Christ [teleion en Christo]."
²⁴Cf. H.S. Miller, General Biblical Introduction: From God to Us (Houghton, NY: Word Bearer, 1956), index, for brief accounts of the writers referred to. Also Benjamin B. Warfield, Miracles: Yesterday and Today, True and False (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1954), for more extensive study of miracles.