Before answering this question, here is some background first:

The Church of England website stated the following (as at 14th July 2014):

“The General Synod of the Church of England has today given its final approval for women to become bishops in the Church of England.   The vote in the General Synod on the measure was carried by the required two-thirds majority in the three constituent parts of the Synod:  the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity.  This means the first woman bishop could potentially be appointed by the end of the year.

“Today’s vote comes 18 months after the proposal was last voted upon in November 2012 when the proposal failed to achieve the required two thirds majority in the House of Laity.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:

“‘Today is the completion of what was begun over 20 years (ago) with the ordination of women as priests. I am delighted with today’s result. Today marks the start of a great adventure of seeking mutual flourishing while still, in some cases disagreeing.’”

It is interesting that 18 months ago the vote went against the approval for women to become bishops in the Church of England.   There were tears and recriminations at that time but the revised proposals were approved on 14 July (2014).   It appears that the powers that be, and their supporters, were determined to get their way and this paid off in the end.   Interestingly, there will not be a third vote now that approval has been given, showing that this issue was only going to go one way.

In just over 20 years, women have been ordained to the ministry in the Church of England (and many other churches) and the pressure for higher positions has now paid off.

In our weekly Update 120 for the week ending December 5th, 2003, we discussed the subject in our Q&A, “Sermons by Women?” and showed that the ordination of women to the office of minister and bishop is not allowed by Scripture. Is it sexism or favouritism that the true Church of God takes an entirely different view than for instance the Church of England?  

In the Update, the question of women giving sermons was covered and our free booklet “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families!” was quoted in this respect.   In the final paragraph of this previous Q&A, it stated: “The message of Scripture is unambiguous: Christian women are not to teach Biblical or spiritual matters in church or in a public forum.”

We clarified what we meant by “public forum,” as follows: “… women are not to teach Biblical or spiritual matters in a public forum, such as television, the Internet, or the printing press… In today’s world of mass communication, churches often use radio, television, the printing press or even the Internet to publish spiritual material. Women should not deliver sermons on radio or television, either, nor should they write Biblical, prophetic, ecclesiastical or spiritual articles…”

When women are ordained to the ministry in any church, they will inevitably be involved in preaching and having authority in services.

We now want to add further information:

There is authority in the God Family.   We read in John 5:19-20 that Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.   For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”    Jesus also said in John 14:28: “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”    This verse shows that there is a line of authority in the Family of God – the Father and then the Son – but they are always unified in approach.  

Mr Herbert W Armstrong wrote in “Mystery of the Ages,” 1985 edition, pages 40 and 41 the following (selective quotes for sake of brevity –  and our emphasis with underlining):

“The Word and God LIVED. What did they do? They created. How did they live-what was their ‘life-style’? They lived the way of their perfect character-the way of outflowing LOVE. When Jesus was baptized, God the Father said, ‘You are my beLOVED Son.’ God LOVED the Word. And the Word LOVED God–obeyed him completely.

“When the only conscious Life-Beings existed, God was leader–in authoritative command. Thus, even when the only conscious Life-Beings were God and the Word, there was GOVERNMENT with God in supreme command. The government of God is of necessity government from the top down. It cannot be ‘government by the consent of the governed.’ Its laws originate and are handed down from God-never legislated by the people-never dictated by the governed how the government over them shall rule them. Since they created other conscious, thinking life-beings, this very fact of necessity put the GOVERNMENT of God over all creation, with God supreme Ruler.”

We can compare this difference of position with the marriage relationship where a husband and wife have different responsibilities.   A husband is the leader, the head of the wife and is in a higher position of authority, but he is no better by such instruction than his wife (see Ephesians 5:22-25).

Quoting again from page 10 of our booklet “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families!,” we read: “The Bible makes it very clear, however, that the husband is supposed to be the leader of the family—not a dictator, not a tyrant, not a proud and arrogant brute—but rather, he was made by God to lead the family. And if he leads in a Godly way, the wife will have little or no difficulty in following.”

As there is authority in the God Family, there is also authority in the human family. And there is also authority in the Church of God. That authority relates to the fact that the Church is not organized as a democracy, where members “vote,”  but it is a hierarchical theocracy—with authority from the top down. God the Father is over all with Jesus Christ under Him. Under Christ, there is the ministry, which is also organized hierarchically (compare Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28). Further, Christ tells us clearly how Church services should be conducted, and who should or should not preach.

Our above-quoted booklet also states on pages 14 and 15 additional information, which relates to official Church services (This is not applicable, of course, to informal social gatherings of men and women which events do not constitute formal Church services):

“‘Rienecker’s Lexikon zur Bibel points out, under “Women,” ‘The relationship between man and woman, ordained by God, can also be seen in the role of service and function within the church. Women do prophecy (1 Corinthians 11:5; Acts 21:9), but only men are specifically referred to as prophets (v. 10). Paul does not allow the women to teach, that is, to fill the office of teacher in the church (1 Timothy 2:12). It is different when Apollos is introduced more fully, in a personal conversation with Aquilla and Priscilla, to the teachings of God. (Acts 18:26).’

“Jamieson, Fausset and Brown state in regard to 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, ‘For women to speak in public would be an act of independence, as if they were not subject to their husbands (cf. Chapter 11:3; Ephesians 5:22; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1)… Women may say, “But if we do not understand something, may we not ‘ask’ a question publicly so as to ‘learn’”? Nay, replies Paul, if you want information, “ask” not in public, but “at home”: ask not other men, but your own particular (so the Greek) husbands.’

“Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comment on 1 Timothy 2:11–12, ‘Learn—not teach… She should not even put questions in the public assembly… She might teach, but not in public (Acts 18:26).’”

These passages relate to official and formal Church services and pre-suppose two things—that both the husband and the wife are converted, and that the husband does know the answers. When the husband does not know the answers, then the ministry ought to be consulted.

We continue with the quote from our above-mentioned booklet, to also cite some general remarks pertaining to the relationship between a husband and his wife, which show the establishment of considerate, proper, merciful, kind and selfless loving authority:

“The Scriptures make it very clear that a woman is not to assert authority over her husband. God chided Old Testament Israel for having permitted women to rule over men (Isaiah 3:12). Husbands are to exert proper authority over their wives. They must do so with Godly love and they must never abuse that authority. But, as it is shameful for a wife to exert authority over her husband, and especially in public, so it is shameful for the husband to let his wife exert authority over him.

“In 1 Corinthians 11:7–8 we read, ‘…woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man.’ The woman was created by God to be a helper of her husband —not to take over her husband’s role and exert authority over him. God did not create the wife to tell her husband what to do, and to become angry when her husband selflessly decides, after careful deliberation, meditation, and prayer, not to do a particular thing.”

Reading, or re-reading this booklet, will give a lot of further information and guidance on this subject.

And so we might ask why especially our Western society, and many women, seems to ignore the “Instruction Manual” that God gave for everyone’s well-being?

We would offer the following reasons which may contribute to the ignoring of clear Biblical instruction:

1. The largest Christian group, the Roman Catholic Church, believes that  “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 97).  Their reasoning is that “the apostles left bishops as their successors.  They gave them their own position of teaching authority.” (Par. 77).  “This living transmission, accomplished through the Holy Spirit, is called tradition . . . ” (Par. 78).  “Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.” (Par. 82). Although on the question of women in the ministry, the Catholic Church does not agree with such ordinations, nevertheless they can make up their minds on any matter with the outcome becoming their tradition; e.g., Sunday worship instead of the observance of the Sabbath, amongst many.  Most other churches use the same approach where what they feel to be right may be implemented.   In the recent Church of England vote, Scriptural instruction was ignored.

2. The antipathy of anything Biblical by society in general.   In many cases the Bible is seen as irrelevant, so why take notice of what it has to say?

3. The argument that as society has changed so should the church in relation to modern cultural norms.   So why not have women priests and bishops?

4. The rise of aggressive feminism where it is insisted that women should not be excluded from any job or employment opportunity, including in a religious setting. We realize, of course, that the sometimes horrible misuse and physical and mental abuse of male “authority” has given rise to female “reaction” of “excessive feminism.” This warning also applies to some men in God’s Church today who literally abuse their wives, at least mentally, erroneously thinking that they are thereby following God’s directive. NOTHING could be further from the truth! But this does not justify, of course, the ordination of women to the ministry, as two wrongs don’t make a right.

5. The obsession with equality.   For example, homosexuality and same sex marriage are equal in law with heterosexuality and a marriage of the God-ordained relationship of a man and a woman.   Any resistance to the current norm is dealt with by sanctions and hostility.   Therefore, any disagreement to women priests and ordinations is treated more and more with contempt and derision by our Western society in general.

We must always take our instructions from the Word of God, and it is clear from all of the evidence that the Bible gives us that women should not be ordained to the ministry and become bishops.

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

This question addresses some important issues about the Christian Way of Life.

As we pointed out in our previous Q&A, “Does God Give His Holy Spirit to People Who Have Not Been Baptized?”, since the establishment of the New Testament Church, a person needs to be properly baptized to receive the Holy Spirit, and he will not enter the Kingdom of God at the time of his resurrection if he did not have God’s Holy Spirit within him at the time of his death. Normally, he must spiritually grow after the receipt of the Holy Spirit, until he has qualified for the entrance of the Kingdom of God. (To clarify, when the Bible or we speak of a Christian in the masculine gender, the feminine gender is ALWAYS included, unless the context demands a different understanding in a given case.)

We state the following in our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”, under “The ‘Born-Again’ Process”:

“Using the process of human conception, gestation and birth as an analogy, we can gain a clearer understanding of the concept of being born again into SPIRIT. In this physical life, one is not born immediately at the time of conception. There is a time interval between conception and birth. A human baby must be conceived. A human baby must grow in the womb (the period of gestation). A human baby gains life of its own through birth.

“The same principles apply to our spiritual birth. Although we will be born again at the time of our resurrection or our change to immortality, something else must happen first so that we CAN become born again. The Bible describes this prior event as spiritual conception or ‘begettal.’ Simply put, before we can be born again, we must be begotten again—a spiritual begettal. This spiritual begettal takes place at the time of our baptism, after repentance, and after coming to an understanding of, and belief in, Christ’s sacrifice and the gospel of the Kingdom of God. At the time of baptism we then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands, as a down payment—a guarantee—(Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:5) of our ultimate new birth at our resurrection to spirit.

“In applying the analogy of human birth to spiritual birth, the receipt of God’s Spirit at conversion is a type of spiritual begettal. With the receipt of God’s Spirit, we acquire God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but there is still another step in the process. Just as an embryo must grow and develop, we must also grow spiritually and develop the fruit of the Spirit—the actual character of God. God considers those who have received His Spirit as being His children (2 Corinthians 6:17–18). Finally, Spirit-begotten children become SEPARATE SPIRIT BEINGS upon being born again—at their resurrection and change to immortality.

“Romans 8:11 tells us that ‘…if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in you.’ 1 Corinthians 6:14 adds, ‘And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.’ In other words, God will resurrect us by His Spirit, which is a spirit of power (Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7).

“To come to the point of being ‘born again’ is a process. It starts with the moment we receive God’s Holy Spirit, in the same way that a human being begins to live in his mother’s womb at the time of conception. God baptizes us through His Holy Spirit into the Church, which is called ‘the mother of us all’ (Galatians 4:26–27, 31). A human baby grows in his mother’s womb until he is ready to be born. Likewise, we are to grow in our Christian lives in the womb of the Church, increasing in the ‘grace and knowledge of Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18; compare Ephesians 4:11–13), until we can become born again—Spirit beings.

“A father begets a child, while the mother delivers it. After the father has initiated the process, there is an intervening time of about nine months before birth, or parturition, occurs. During this intervening time, the mother nourishes and protects the unborn child in her womb for the entire gestation period. The same is true for our spiritual begettal, growth and birth. During the spiritual ‘gestation’ period, after our conversion, it is the duty and responsibility of the Church, of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 5:23), to nourish and protect the begotten children of God. These spiritually begotten children of God, the Father, need nourishment from good spiritual food supplied by God, and they need to absorb the food so they can grow spiritually, striving to become perfect in this life. In this way, they can become born again children at the time of Christ’s return…”

So we see that normally, a newly-baptized person must spiritually grow before he can enter the Kingdom of God. Some have claimed that this is not always the case as the thief on the cross who came to conversion a few hours before his death, was promised by Christ that he would enter “Paradise” or the Kingdom of God on the day of his death… and he was not even baptized. However, in addition to the fact that this incident occurred PRIOR TO the establishment of the New Testament Church, this is not what Christ promised the thief.

We read in Luke 23:39–43, in the translation of the New King James Bible: “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”

We addressed this question in our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery”, under “Did the Thief Go To Paradise on the Day of His Death?”.

After discussing Christ’s statement in detail, we offered the following conclusion:

“… both the throne of God and the tree of life are in the Paradise of God. Revelation 22:1–3 teaches us that the throne of God and the tree of life will be in the New Jerusalem, when it descends to [the new] earth. This means, then, that the Paradise of God will be here on [the new] earth.”

This means, Christ promised the thief that he would be in Paradise when the heavenly Jerusalem descends to the new earth—which will occur long AFTER the first resurrection. Christ did not say he would be in Paradise on same day of his death. Rather, to continue with quoting from our above-mentioned booklet:

“Jesus Christ was telling the thief on the cross that he would be with Christ in Paradise, AFTER it had been established on [the new] earth.

“In the original Greek, there are no commas… This means, rather than stating, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,’ this passage could also be translated as, ‘Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.’ The Companion Bible states in its appendix, in paragraph 173, that the interpretation of this verse depends exclusively on the punctuation, which is totally dependent on human authority. They explain that until the 9th century, Greek manuscripts had no punctuation at all, and even after that time, they only had a dot separating words from each other. The Broadman Bible Commentary admits: ‘It is possible to place the comma after today…’

“Christ did not promise the thief that he would be in Paradise the day he died. But since He saw his repentant attitude, He did promise him on that very day that he would be in Paradise—here on [the new] earth, in the future.”

On the other hand, God looks at the heart of a person, and when He determines that a newly-converted person is qualified to enter the Kingdom of God, He may let him die soon after his baptism. We find that Samson will be in the Kingdom of God (compare Hebrews 11:32, 39-40), even though we understand that he only came to true repentance and conversion shortly before his death, when his hair grew again in the dungeon (Of course, in Old Testament times, God gave the Holy Spirit to some without any requirement of prior baptism. This changed with the establishment of the New Testament Church.)

In any event, converted Christians do not die because of time and chance. When a converted Christian dies, God decided to let him die, because He had determined that he had qualified to enter the Kingdom of God. In other words, when a person dies and the Holy Spirit dwells in him at the time of his death, then that person WILL be in the first resurrection and in the Kingdom of God. God would NOT let a converted Christian die if he was not ready for the Kingdom at the time of his death.

Some quote Ecclesiastes 9:11 for the idea that true Christians may die BECAUSE of time and chance.

We stated the following in our free booklet, “Human Suffering, Why… and How Much Longer”: under “True Christians Not Subject to Time and Chance”:

“Note what Solomon said: ‘Time and chance happen to THEM all.’ He did NOT say—‘to all men,’ or ‘to all of us.’ In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was mainly addressing and writing about people in this world—people who only live and work for material possessions (Ecclesiastes 5:13–17), or people who do not understand God’s plan (Ecclesiastes 8:17). When he addressed true Christians, however, he referred to them as ‘you’ (compare Ecclesiastes 9:10: ‘Whatever YOUR hand finds to do, do it with YOUR might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where YOU are going.’)…

“Christ made the same distinction, in Luke 13:1–5: ‘There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but UNLESS YOU repent, YOU will ALL LIKEWISE perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but UNLESS YOU repent, YOU will all LIKEWISE perish.”’

“Christ’s teaching is unmistakable: If we don’t repent, we might very well die as those did, on whom the tower of Siloam fell; that is, through an accident, apart from, or being cut off from God, by time and chance. If we repent, however, according to Christ, we will NOT likewise perish or die in that way. Rather, even if we were to die in an ‘accident,’ God would have specifically—not just ‘generally’—DECIDED not to intervene and to LET US die. God is always in control over our lives. Nothing happens to us, which God is not aware of and which God does not ‘approve of’ (compare Job 1:21–22; 2:10).

“True Christians are NOT in the ‘hand’ of time and chance. Rather, Solomon tells US: ‘… the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God’ (Ecclesiastes 9:1). David understood, too, that he was in God’s hands. He wrote, in Psalm 31:15: ‘My times are in Your hand.’ He knew that he was always, constantly, and completely under God’s observation, His protection, and in His loving care (compare, Psalm 4:7–8; 9:9–10; 17:8; 23:1–6; 33:18–19; 34:7, 15, 19–20, etc. etc.), as are all true Christians today. God promises that nothing will happen to us that is too difficult for us to bear (compare 1 Corinthians 10:13). This means, then, that God must be watching us every second to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise…

“The very idea that a true Christian could die… because of time and chance, limits God and weakens our faith. It is a patently unbiblical concept. When a Christian dies, it is because GOD has DECIDED that it was time for His son or daughter to die…

“Isaiah 57:1–2 states: ‘The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness.’ Psalm 116:15 teaches: ‘Precious in the SIGHT OF the LORD Is the death of His saints.’ (Compare, too, Psalm 72:14). So, God’s people just don’t die without the knowledge of God. Rather, they die in God’s SIGHT!…

“Did Paul teach that we are hopeless and helpless victims of time and chance? Quite the opposite is true: ‘For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, WE ARE THE LORD’S’ [Romans 14:8]…

“What exactly is Solomon saying in Ecclesiastes 9:10–11?

“Simply this: In Ecclesiastes 9:10 he encourages us to do with our might what we ought to do. In other words, to be very careful how we live our lives as Christians. Give all glory to God, he says, and don’t lean on your own understanding or strength. Because, he says in verse 11, when you fail, you’ll be right back in the world, which you once belonged to, and in the world, you WILL be subject to time and chance. Your own human abilities won’t necessarily help you in the world. Understand that without God’s help, we are pretty much lost, having become victims of time and chance. Solomon says, you may even die in a terrible accident or because of a terrible sickness.

“But, as long as we are in God’s loving hands, we are not victims of time and chance. And when we die, it is NOT because of time and chance. Rather, when a Christian dies, it is because GOD has decided that it was time for him or her to die, as he or she has qualified for God’s Kingdom (Numbers 23:10; Isaiah 57:1–2; Romans 14:8; Revelation 14:13).”

In conclusion, the Christian Way of Life requires spiritual growth. God will decide when a converted person is ready to enter the Kingdom of God. In doing so, He also looks at the heart, the attitude, the motives and the desires of the person. God will not let a true Christian die before his time and before he is ready. If the Holy Spirit dwells in a person at the time of his death, he WILL be in the first resurrection and in God’s Kingdom.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

In the writings of the Bible there are a small number of examples of individuals who received the Holy Spirit without a Christian baptism. Prior to the time of the establishment of the New Testament Church, some received the Holy Spirit without first being baptized. They were used by God at that time for a specific and special purpose. They had a job to do, which involved establishing the truth of God among people on the earth and executing the plan of God.

Following the establishment of the New Testament Church, the standard process for receiving the Holy Spirit involves a Christian baptism followed by the laying on of hands by a minister of God.

We write in our free booklet, Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation?: 

“Without baptism based on biblical teaching, we normally would not receive the Holy Spirit and we would not be in a position to look forward to salvation. (An obvious and extremely rare exception to this rule would be, of course, when it is physically impossible to baptize someone, because the person is physically incapable of being baptized.) We understand, of course, that the situation was different in Old Testament times because God did bestow His Spirit on a few people without prior baptism, so that they could fulfill His specific commission for them.

“This is no longer true in New Testament times. We read in Acts 8:16–17… that the Holy Spirit was given to people only AFTER they were baptized and had hands laid upon them—not before then.”

What can we learn about the examples of the individuals who received the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times? A good place to start such a study is by understanding what purpose the Holy Spirit serves in man. Why does God provide His Holy Spirit in the first place?

A very important purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help man understand the things of God. Paul states this fact clearly in 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, “… no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit [which] is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

This Scripture clearly states that it is necessary to have the Holy Spirit of God if we are to understand His truth. In addition, we can see that a reason for providing His Holy Spirit is to know the things of God. It makes good sense too. The way mankind thinks is fundamentally different than the way God thinks (compare Isaiah 55:8-9), and if God wants man to understand His ways, it is necessary that a means is provided to do so. The Holy Spirit helps man to understand God and His perfect Will, and it gives man the power to obey that Will.

With this fact established, we can begin to understand some of the reasons why God provided His Holy Spirit to people in Old Testament times. We find proof that establishes this in the historical account of the construction of the tabernacle when Israel came out of Egypt.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.’” (Exodus 31:1-6).

In this subtle, but clear example, we read that Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit, for the special purpose of understanding exactly what was necessary to build God’s tabernacle. The spiritual understanding and wisdom was required to properly design and build the physical tabernacle used in the practice of worshiping God correctly at that time. In addition, God gave him the physical skills required to carry out his task.

Evidence exists in the Bible where several other people in the Bible were given the Holy Spirit in Old Testament times. Again, quoting from Baptism–A Requirement for Salvation? on page 31:

“We understand that the Holy Spirit was not offered to the people of ancient Israel, except for a few people in Old Testament times who were selected by God to receive the Holy Spirit for a special purpose. These would include Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, and the prophets of old, among others.”

Noah and Enoch both walked with God (compare Genesis 6:9 and Genesis 5:22 respectively). Walking with God indicates a special relationship with God, in which common understanding is shared (compare Amos 3:3). Since we know that having a common understanding with God requires having His Holy Spirit, we can conclude that Noah and Enoch both had the Holy Spirit. Noah in particular had an important purpose in executing the plan of God in that he “…became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Enoch too served as an example to the earlier lineage of mankind of how to live by faith (Hebrews 11:5-6). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fulfilled a special purpose by establishing the family and nation of Israel, which was to receive God’s promise of eternal life and inheritance of the Kingdom of God (Galatians 3:16). Moses and Aaron were both responsible for administering the law of God and leading the nation of Israel. With such important commissions to fulfill, it was important in Old Testament times (as it is now) that the individuals responsible for carrying out the plan of God understood that plan spiritually. Therefore, it was necessary for God to give His Holy Spirit to people carrying out His Plan.

We understand, of course, that these were not the only reasons why the ancients received the Holy Spirit. It was God’s preordained purpose to call them for salvation and eternal life at that time. Without the gift of God’s Holy Spirit within a person at the time of his or her physical death, he or she would not be resurrected in the First Resurrection to eternal life and enter the Kingdom of God (compare Romans 8:11).

The only biblical example of the Holy Spirit being granted to people following the historical event of the establishment of the New Testament Church occurred when Gentiles were proven to be included in the promise of salvation. Quoting from Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation? on page 3:

“There is only one recorded incident since the establishment of the New Testament Church where someone received the Holy Spirit prior to baptism, and that is the Gentile Cornelius and his household. This was an exception for a specific purpose—God wanted to make it clear to the disciples that He had called Gentiles into the Church, and indeed, to salvation. Before Cornelius, only Jews had been accepted as Church members.”

Interestingly, even though the Holy Spirit was given prior to baptism in that particular and unique case, Peter commanded those who had received the Holy Spirit to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:44–48). This example indicates that baptism is a very important requirement for salvation.

Following the establishment of the New Testament Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit is still limited to those whom God uses for a specific task, according to His pre-ordained purpose. Christians are called today to qualify for the Kingdom of God by becoming teachers, so that they can teach others later. Especially in this end time, they are also called for the task of supporting the commission of the Church of God to preach the gospel of the Kingdom in all the world as a witness to all nations. In addition, when Christians are ordained as deacons and ministers, God gives them an additional amount of the Holy Spirit to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities.

In Acts 2:38 we read: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [Margin: forgiveness] of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” This passage makes it clear that today, a Christian baptism is intimately involved in the process of receiving the Holy Spirit.

This process of baptism, as a means of obtaining the Holy Spirit, highlights another important purpose. The Holy Spirit serves as a guarantee of the promise of God of the gift of eternal life and the corresponding inheritance of the Kingdom of God. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “… you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, [which] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). And to the Romans Paul wrote, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption (better “sonship” NIV) by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit [itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17).

Taken together, we can see that the Holy Spirit is provided as personal proof of the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit was given to people by God without a Christian baptism prior to the establishment of the New Testament Church. God’s Word also reveals that since that time, a proper Christian baptism IS required for salvation. Then, as now, the Holy Spirit is given so that a special purpose in the plan of God can be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit was necessary then, and it is necessary now, to understand the things of God, to live in accordance with that understanding, and to inherit eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank