In John 20:21-22, during Jesus’ first resurrection appearance to the apostles, He said, “’Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” Did the apostles receive the Spirit at that moment, or did the fulfillment of Jesus’ words await the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)?
Many interpreters have concluded that Jesus was speaking prophetically in John 20 of the future Pentecost experience. They do so, however, because they assume that both John and Acts refer to the same event. In the paper linked below, I argue that this assumption is mistaken. The authors of John and Acts are referring to two different works of the Spirit for two different purposes that occurred on two different occasions. In John 20, the apostles experienced the regeneration of the Spirit, whereas in Acts 2 the apostles experienced the empowerment of the Spirit that equipped them to be a witness for Jesus and His resurrection.
Did the Disciples Receive the Spirit in John 20:22?
Thinking to Believe 
April 28, 2021 at 10:30 pm
Jason, that is an interesting question.
First of all in my opinion, that scripture affirms that the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of the Lord is indeed the breath of God instead of a separate “Person” ……but did the Spirit of the Lord come INTO them at that moment and baptize them according to Matthew 3:11?
When the Spirit of the Lord was given to the 120 believers in the upper room in Acts 2, the Bible says that they all spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance….and that pattern is continued in the Book of Acts for thousands of new believers……but it did not happen in that same manner in John 20:22.
When somebody breathes their breath on somebody, it is like a wind, only on a much smaller scale……so I believe when Jesus breathed on them, it was giving them a preview of what manner He was going to pour our His Spirit i.e the breath of God which was like a rushing mighty wind. (Acts 2:2)
So in essence, I don’t believe they were filled with His Spirit in John 20:22-22, but rather it was a preview and a preparation for that great event in Acts 2.
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April 29, 2021 at 2:34 pm
@Elaine
Hi, Elaine. I agree with you. Christ’s breathing on the Apostles reminds us of what He said in John 3:
Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The Lord compared the birth of the Spirit to the blowing of the wind, and when the Holy Ghost was poured out, it was accompanied by rushing, mighty wind (Acts 2:2). It, therefore, makes sense that He would breathe on the Apostles shortly before their actual receiving the Spirit.
Brother Jason, I think, wrongly states that those who disagree with him are making assumptions about harmonization. The main question has always been what Jason later acknowledged:
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Of course, the “Comforter” is the Holy Spirit, and we’re plainly told that the Spirit would not come until Jesus departed.
John the Baptist promised the people that the coming one would baptize them with the Holy Ghost. The promise of the Spirit is made repeatedly in the gospels. And the use of different descriptors nonetheless clearly point to the same event. They were baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, received the Spirit, had the Spirit fall on them, and the Spirit came upon them, but each person received the same experience. This is clearly what Jesus was preparing them for, and it was the event that they were looking forward to. And of course Jesus, well after He breathed on them, told them…
Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
So, this “Holy Ghost” that would “come upon” them wasn’t merely for regenerative purposes, but it would empower them to be witnesses unto the Lord throughout the world. Moreover, it is obvious that they had not received it up to that point.
And as everybody notes, the Spirit was not given until after Jesus was “glorified” (John 7:39). Now, Jason focuses a lot of attention on assumptions, but his paper simply states that the resurrection is Christ’s glorification without argument. Was the resurrection a glorious event? Of course it was, but is that the glorification that Jesus referred to?
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
So, the glory is something that occurred after Christ’s sufferings and was something He “entered” into.
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Here we notice a parallel: As Christ suffered and entered into glory, so we, being partakers withi Christ’s sufferings, will also partake of glory.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Thus, Christ’s actual entrance into glory occurred at His ascension.
Indeed, were told at the martyrdom of Stephen:
Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
It would thus make sense that the positioning of Jesus “on the right hand of God” was His glorification as strongly implied by the following:
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
And when did He give Him glory?
Acts 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Thus, everything appears to fall into place. The Holy Ghost would not be given until Jesus was glorified. Jesus said that the Comforter would not come until He went away or departed. The Bible clearly states that Jesus was given glory after His resurrection, and that His entrance into glory occurred at His ascension. Moreover, passages describing that glory describe His position over all dominions at the right hand of God. Everything thus points to His ascension to the right hand of God as His glorification which was then the condition upon which the Holy Ghost would be poured out.
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April 29, 2021 at 2:43 pm
Now, Brother Jason rightly observes the working of the Holy Ghost prior to Pentecost. We know that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost prior to his birth, and that the Spirit of God had to be working in the disciples’ ministry during the Lord’s earthly ministry, but notice again what the Lord told them:
John 14
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
This “Comforter,” currently dwelt with the Apostles, but the Lord promised that He “shall be in you,” which of course means that the Holy Ghost was not within them at that time. This is the same Comforter He spoke of two chapters later when He said that He would not come until He departed (went away). There is no hint or intimation that they would receive the same Spirit of God prior to His going away. One would think that such a significant event as the actual receiving of the Spirit would have been foretold, but the only foretelling of the giving of God’s Spirit pointed toward Pentecost and subsequently to “all flesh.” And this we commonly refer to as the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
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April 29, 2021 at 3:37 pm
Hi Scalia!
WELL SAID!! I agree 100% with all that you said, except I think Jason believes those same things too! 🙂
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April 29, 2021 at 4:05 pm
Amen Scalia!
I was raised Greek Orthodox, but it was dry, ritualistic and borderline pagan….plus as wonderful as my parents were, we never had a Bible in the house…….in the G.O church, all you are supposed to listen to is the priest.
But through it all, I had such a hunger for God and little by little, the Lord (Who is that Spirit) led me to truth step by step.
I felt His presence all around me as I attempted to pour my heart out to Him with the limited knowledge that I had of Him.
I just knew that Jesus was God….it was in my soul….. and in a desperate attempt to find God, I studied Islam, Mormonism, JW and even Catholicism…but the Lord closed the door to each of them.
But the day that I walked into a Bible-believing Apostolic church, I felt His LOVE like never before and I met the kindest people. That day Jesus filled me with His Spirit and washed me in his blood via water baptism……it was the best day of my life….and the longer I am with Him, I love Him more.
He sustains us as we strive for the 9 Fruit of His Spirit to be a Light & Salt to this lost, messed up and crazy world that desperately needs a Savior.
I am not perfect, but He is patient as I strive to be what He wants me to be.
And by the way, my elderly Greek Orthodox mom & dad were born again of water & Spirit too before they passed away…it was a miracle!!
So yes, His Spirit can guide a hungry person and they can feel His presence all around them…but when He fills them up on the inside, it is the most beautiful & powerful thing ever!
God is so GREAT!!!! 🙂
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May 4, 2021 at 6:26 am
Jason, that was an excellent paper and really gives a lot of food for thought. I appreciate the honesty and integrity you have shown in trying to keep in the context of the scripture while maintaining some room for alternate views and consideration of particular verses. This shows spiritual discernment and growth and not just trying to conform to preconceived notions of things we thought we understood fully.
I believe you are on to something when you speak of regeneration versus empowerment of the Spirit. This makes a lot of sense and I believe that a lot of people today are being regenerated without the outward manifestations of the Spirit like we see in the book of Acts.
Your paper implies that a person can be regenerated, i.e. saved, receive the Spirit without the external sign of speaking in tongues. I know this is one of Pentecostalism’s sacred cows and I must say that you are bold in writing this paper because your conclusion goes directly against this doctrine of the Pentecostal church. However, I applaud your honesty because I am in agreement that a person can be saved without necessarily manifesting spiritual gifts at the moment of their regeneration. I don’t deny spiritual gifts and I myself have received the Holy Ghost just like the next Pentecostal, but my understanding of God’s Spirit has grown from just a jabbering of some unlearned language.
As you can see, you immediately received rebuttals from those that are scared to stray from the Pentecostal 101 doctrines. All I can say is that God can do whatever He wants, however He wants, and anytime He wants. We should not put God in a box and restrict Him or dictate how and when a person can be saved/regenerated. Certainly when someone calls on the name of Lord they shall be saved.
Blessings to you Jason, good paper !
Naz
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May 4, 2021 at 8:01 am
@Naz, you write,
When did you learn to read minds? Is that your special gift of the discerning of spirits? Everybody who disagrees with you does so out of fear? I suggest you look up the term argumentum ad hominem.
Standard Apostolic theology has never taught that the tongues which accompany the baptism of the Holy Ghost is one of the “gifts of the Spirit.” So, Jason’s appeal to the gifts as evidence that they are post-conversion is a straw man. Anybody familiar with our theology would instantly know that such an argument is a non-starter.
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May 4, 2021 at 9:37 am
AMEN Scalia!!
The Lord Jesus gave His followers the evidence of speaking in tongues when baptized with His Spirit so the new born-again Spirit-filled Christian can both pray in the Spirit as well as be led by God’s Spirit in the most intimate way.
Praying in the Spirit (or praying in tongues) is completely different than the Gift of Tongues.
God uses the Gift of Tongues to deliver a message from His heart to the gathering of Believers, then The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues is used to interpret God’s message to where it can be understood in the native language of that particular body of believers.
Just like every born-again Believer must have “FAITH in GOD” …that is not the same as The Gift of Faith.
Same with the Gift of Wisdom, Gift of Discernment of spirits, Gift of Knowledge.
In those particular Gifts, they are used as a focused specialized work of God’s Spirit for a particular purpose in time.
Yet born-again believers should continually strive to have knowledge of the Word of God, to have wisdom in dealing with life through the lens of wisdom bestowed on the Believer as they learn the mind of God, and of course practical Biblical discernment of what is good vs evil.
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May 4, 2021 at 10:47 am
1Co 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
This is the sum total description of a Pentecostal church service showing the misuse of tongues as described by the apostle Paul.
Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift but I don’t believe it is the exclusive “evidence” of regeneration. Outside of the book of Acts accounts, which is descriptive of the events of the time, the so-called evidence of tongues is not taught as a doctrine in any of the apostles epistles. This is only taught in the Pentecostal church (UPC and otherwise). If this is the one and only true sign of the baptism of the Spirit do you not think it would be taught by the apostles in the epistles as part of the gospel ? I think the absence of any mention of the so called evidence of tongues should at least lead one to study this more carefully instead of just assuming the book of Acts accounts are a prescription for every believer.
In light of Jason’s interesting paper, we should consider that regeneration can happen apart from the evidence of tongues. I know this is anathema to you but there are many aspects of Pentecostal theology/practice that are unbiblical, just like the misuse of tongues in a church gathering context.
Naz
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May 4, 2021 at 11:20 am
Naz, your first mistake is inserting “Pentecostal theology or UPC theology” into our argument……..leave that out and simply use Biblical theology.
The Biblical pattern of the ways & means of salvation was set forth in the Gospels and Acts….then the following Books of the Bible… or “Letters to the Churches” following Acts were written to already born-again believers.
I do agree that praying in tongues is more of a private dialogue between the Believer and God, and it should not take over a service, especially when non-believers are present…….it’s called ORDER.
If you want to believe that speaking or praying in tongues is non-essential, that is up to you…………………but one of the things you are missing out on is the most powerful type of praying in existence.
Praying in the Spirit is spiritual warfare & intercession, which is what the Lost, Broken & Hurting Souls of this world needs, as well as what our Nation needs now, more than ever.
And by the way, I had never even heard of a Pentecostal church in my life….I was raised Greek Orthodox but was attending a Church of Christ Bible Study because I wanted more TRUTH.
They taught so much more about the Lord than the Orthodox church did…..as I drove away from my “Church of Christ Bible Study” down Branham Lane in San Jose Ca in my brown Pinto, I started crying in my car and I repented of my sins……as that happened a Presence so beautiful and refreshing came into my car, and my jaw started shaking and words I did not understand were coming out of my mouth………I stopped it and clenched my jaw because as beautiful as it felt, I did not know what it was.
About 3 months later I learned exactly what that experience was………it was Jesus in Spirit-form coming into my soul and I received it again in full and wonderful submission as I gave my life to Him 100% at a Pentecostal church Feb 22, 1976.
And that was after I prayed a silent prayer asking God if what I was seeing & hearing from the preacher was TRUTH, then a man in the church about 20 feet away spoke aloud the answer to my silent prayer in PERFECT GREEK…”ALITHOS ALITHOS ALITHOS”…or “It is truth, it is truth, it is truth.
So see, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit before ever hearing of a UPC or Pentecostal church….I was just hungry for God and He delivered the goods.
God is so GREAT!!!
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May 4, 2021 at 11:39 am
I forgot to mention..
1st Corinthians 14:22 …….”Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…..”
God used that man to speak in a Greek tongue to answer my pray to God and affirm truth to my heart….and nobody in that Pentecostal church knew I was Greek.
Prior to that day, while driving my Pinto and calling out to God….I was still technically an unbeliever”……and when God filled me with His Spirit, the sign of that infilling was tongues….just like in Acts 2.
Like I said, it happened to me before I ever heard even heard of a Pentecostal church or the Pentecostal experience spoken of in the Bible.
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May 4, 2021 at 11:59 am
Now, with respect to disagreement being a Oneness Pentecostal phenomenon, let’s consider the following comments:
Albert Barnes: “His breathing on them was a certain sign or pledge that they would be endowed with the influences of the Holy Spirit. Compare Act 1:4; John 2.”
John Gill: “[B]ut this breathing on them, and the words that attended it, were a symbol, pledge, and confirmation, of what they were to receive on the day of Pentecost.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown: “[A] symbolical conveyance to them of the Spirit…an earnest and first-fruits of the more copious Pentecostal effusion.”
A. T. Robertson: “It was a symbolic art with the same word used in the LXX when God breathed the breath of life upon Adam (Ge 2:7). It occurs also in Eze 37:9. See Christ’s promise in Joh 16:23. Jesus gives the disciples a foretaste of the great Pentecost.”
Marvin Vincent: “The gift bestowed was not that of the personal Holy Spirit, but rather an earnest of that gift, an effusion of the Spirit.”
Last I checked, none of these individuals were Oneness Pentecostals. Were they therefore terrified that they might be saying something discordant with Pentecost 101? Of course not.
As noted above, the Bible tells us when the Holy Ghost would be given, and Christ’s promise of the Comforter was that His people would not be “orphans,” He would abide with them forever, and would be in them. This was not some “empowerment” for service; it was the abiding presence of Christ in the Holy Ghost. The Lord clearly stated that the Comforter would not come until he went away, so it’s a matter of 1 + 1 = 2.
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May 4, 2021 at 12:16 pm
Scalia, I LOVE IT! I never even knew those writings existed!
I have been further educated and I appreciate it!
God is The Boss.
He alone makes the rules, sets the pattern and carries out His Plan.
We humans just need to get onboard and into His Word more & more, then we can be salt & light to a lost and dying world…which is the Lord’s heartbeat.
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May 4, 2021 at 12:26 pm
@Sister Elaine
Yes. This has everything to do with what the Bible says about the giving of the Holy Ghost and nothing to do with Pentecostalism, per se. You are spot-on when you say:
Naz, your first mistake is inserting “Pentecostal theology or UPC theology” into our argument……..leave that out and simply use Biblical theology.
It’s the simple, “When you have the facts, you argue the facts. When you don’t have the facts, you call names” or go ad hominem. And that’s amusing because I’m the one who’s accused of having bad “tone” and an acrimonious “demeanor.”
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May 4, 2021 at 12:48 pm
I would also like to add that we don’t run from fellow theologians either. Brother Bernard said it succinctly:
First Corinthians 12:13 settles any doubt in this matter: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” The Greek preposition translated “by” is “en” – the same preposition used in Acts 1:5. We could translate the sentence as, “With one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” or “In one Spirit we are all baptized into one body,” as the NIV indicates in a footnote. The Greek phrasing demonstrates that Paul referred to the same experience Jesus had promised in Acts 1:5. Thus, the baptism of the Spirit is part of salvation and not an experience subsequent to salvation.
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May 4, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Excellent and well said Scalia!
I love & respect Bro David Bernard so much.
As both a minister of the Gospel as well as Superintendent of the UPC, he displays the Fruit of the Spirt so beautifully.
Have you ever seen this? It’s from back-in-the-day, but what a Christian gentleman and scholar David Bernard is…..
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May 4, 2021 at 1:31 pm
@Sister Elaine
Yes, I heard it several years ago. Recall that Cook was the challenger, and he clearly bit off way more than he could chew. Brother Bernard politely skinned him alive. And yes, Brother Bernard is a Christian gentleman and scholar.
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May 4, 2021 at 1:51 pm
Bro Scalia, you got that right!
Cook entered that situation with so much arrogance, and that was his first mistake.
His second mistake was that he challenged somebody like David Bernard who truly comprehended the Holy Scriptures while at the same time displaying a humble spirit.
It was like Rocky Balboa taking on Sleepy Joe….a total knockout.
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May 5, 2021 at 6:32 am
Elaine, I’m glad you had a life changing experience, that’s not in dispute.
As for the rest, we will have to agree to disagree for now.
Naz
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May 5, 2021 at 1:41 pm
Hi Naz,
Thank you….. and let me assure you, that as powerful as anyone’s personal “spiritual” experience may be, if it it conflicts or is in opposition to the Word of God, then I cannot give credence to it.
To say it plainer, God’s Word trumps anyone’s personal experience…..whether it’s mine or anybody else’s.
I just wanted to clarify 🙂
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May 5, 2021 at 2:41 pm
Elaine, well said, and yes I agree with that. After all, we don’t want to go chasing after experiences.
Naz
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May 5, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Amen Naz, we should chase after God and He will give us whatever experiences that we need.
I have met a few people who’s experiences with God is all “feelings and hype” and trust me when I say their life is a spiritual rollercoaster.
There is a song that I love called “Waymaker” and there’s a verse that says…
“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working”
Trust is, God is there in the spiritual eventful times, as well as the quiet times…..He’s working non-stop.
The couple who witnessed to me from the Pentecostal church gave me 4 books as a new believer……
A Bible, a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and a book called “Hind’s Feet on High Places”………one of the best books ever (outside the Bible) for instruction on walking with God.
And then “Strange Scriptures that Perplex the Western Mind”
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May 5, 2021 at 3:34 pm
PS…sorry, meant to say “THE TRUTH IS” , God is there in the spiritual eventful time………………..”
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May 6, 2021 at 1:49 pm
Naz ……… good point and the problem comes up over the difference of interpretation of what speaking in tongues means —– imo it means you are able via a supernatural miracle to speak/understand another language eg. greek. dutch, german, french, english, etc….. so you can preach the gospel to those that don’t understand your language.
this topic doesn’t bother me that much but —- if they received the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them there was no need for them to receive the Holy Spirit again at Pentecost. so did tongues of fire appear over them when Jesus breathed on them ? if not why not ? and why at Pentecost ?
i don’t know about you —- but ive never seen/heard about tongues of fire appear over anyone i know of no matter what denomination or person and many of these people seem to be wonderful Christians.
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May 11, 2021 at 7:56 pm
Scalia, I read through your comments. Good stuff. I need more time to digest your rebuttal and respond, but I will do so eventually.
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June 2, 2023 at 5:44 am
What about Luke 9. Was that just a temporary empowering?
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June 2, 2023 at 5:58 pm
Yes, Luke 9 was a temporary empowering for the temporary mission Jesus had called His disciples to.
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