I recently received a question from a friend. He specifically asked why some believers in the New Testament book of Acts did not have the Holy Spirit until some point after their salvation. It’s a great question, and I believe that my answer may be helpful to others who have questioned the same thing.

So, I will include his question and then my response below.

I have a question, or rather need some guidance to study/research to find some answers. I was teaching Sunday School, studying Paul and his travels with Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, their interaction with Apollos and how Apollos’ ministry changed after correcting his understanding of Christ’s Baptism. So, in Acts 19:1-7 (part of our study), we all had questions about the Holy Spirit. Question: when did the Holy Spirit begin indwelling in God’s Children. We collectively understood that it was on the day of Pentacost, however there are scriptures, like this, that are post Pentacost that suggest otherwise. It’s been a secret question of mine for numerous months. It was a collective question Sunday, so instead of sidetracking the lesson I challenged everyone to do some studying and come back to the class with their findings. To me, the Holy Spirit is the second most precious gift from God ever given, so I am very interested in undertanding more. Hope that all makes sense.

My response:

You have put your finger on a great question. I will give my understanding of this.

It would seem clear that the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost to indwell all new believers. Everyone, from that day forward, is called to repent (turn from sin) and trust in Jesus to save us. At that moment of regeneration and salvation, our bodies become a Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

However, when we look back at the Old Testament, we realize that they were saved differently and the work of the Holy Spirit was different as well.

Simply put, the Old Testament folks didn’t know about Jesus and they had no idea of the beauty of the cross, because Jesus had not yet arrived in Bethlehem and had not died 33 years later on the cross outside Jerusalem. When “Abraham believed God” and “it was credited it to Him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-22; Galatians 3:6-9; Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19), Paul clearly believed that this was the point at which Abraham got saved. But when we look at the object of Abraham’s faith, it was in God (not Jesus) who had promised him that he would have a son in his old age. So, salvation came to the Old Testament folks by faith, but that faith was in God and His promises, not Jesus.

Further, the Old Testament reveals that the Holy Spirit didn’t indwell every single person who was “saved.” Instead, the Old Testament reveals that God’s Holy Spirit came and went. He indwelled people (primarily leaders, prophets, and kings) to do God’s bidding. But He certainly didn’t indwell all believers. And He could leave someone (see 1 Samuel 16:14; Psalm 51:11), something the Holy Spirit will never do to New Testament believers.

This brings us to the Book of Acts, which focuses on a transitional period as the Old Testament period had ended and the New Testament had begun. While all believers who repented and trusted in Jesus post-Pentecost were immediately filled with the Holy Spirit, plenty of Old Testament believers did not yet have the Holy Spirit. So, this was a period when New Testament believers had the Holy Spirit and their contemporaries, Old Testament believers, did not.

That’s who we encounter in Acts 19:1-7. Those men were Old Testament believers who had been baptized with John the Baptist’s baptism. John prepared people to encounter Jesus and his baptism was only a baptism of repentance, not faith in Jesus. This means that the people in Acts 19:1-7 had repented of their sins and been baptized by John, but they had not placed their trust in Jesus so they did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Apollos realized this (because Priscilla and Aquilla had privately helped him to understand this), he pointed these people to Jesus and then baptized them in Jesus’ name. Then, they were filled with the Spirit … as all New Testament believers are.

I hope this helps. If not, I would be glad to answer any follow-up questions.