Paul In Ephesus; Acts 19:1 – 22 Part 4

Church History: Date: A.D. 53–57

Paul explains to them the true intent and meaning of John's baptism, as principally referring to Jesus Christ, and so rectifies the mistake of those who had baptized them into the baptism of John, and had not directed them to look any further, but to rest in that. Those that have been left in ignorance, or led into error, by any misinformation in their education, should not be despised or rejected by those who are more knowledgeable and orthodox, but should be compassionately instructed, and better taught, as these disciples were by Paul. He told them that John's baptism was a very good thing, as far as it went: John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance. By this baptism he required people to be sorry for their sins, and to confess them and turn from them; and to bring any to this is a great point gained. He shows them that John's baptism had a further reference, and he never designed that those he baptized should rest there, but told them that they should believe on him who should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. They learned that his baptism of repentance was designed only to prepare the way of the Lord, and to dispose them to receive and entertain Christ, whom Paul left them with big expectations of; Behold the Lamb of God. "John was a great and good man; but he was only the harbinger, Christ is the Prince. His baptism was the porch which you were to pass through, not the house you were to rest in; and therefore it was all wrong for you to be baptized into the baptism of John."

When they were thus shown the error they were led into, they thankfully accepted the discovery, and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. As for Apollos, of whom it was said (Acts 18:25) that he knew the baptism of John, that he rightly understood the meaning of it when he was baptized with it, though that was all he knew. Yet, when he understood the way of God more perfectly, he was not baptized again, any more than Christ's first disciples that had been baptized with John's baptism and knew it referred to the Messiah at the door (and, with an eye to this, submitted to it), were baptized again. But to these disciples, who received it only with an eye to John and looked no further, as if he were their savior, it was such a fundamental error as was as fatal to it as it would have been for any to be baptized in the name of Paul (1Corinthians 1:13); and therefore, when they came to understand things better, they desired to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and were so: not by Paul himself, as we have reason to think, but by some of those who attended him. It does not therefore follow here that there was not an agreement between John's baptism and Christ's, or that they were not for substance the same; much less does it follow that those who have been once baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (which is the appointed form of Christ's baptism), may be again baptized in the same name; for those that were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus had never been so baptized before.

Paul solemnly prayed to God to give them those gifts, signified by his laying his hands on them, which was a gesture used in blessing by the patriarchs, especially in conveying the great trust of the promise, as (Genesis 48:14). The Spirit being the great promise of the New Testament, the apostles conveyed it by the imposition of hands: "The Lord bless thee with that blessing, that blessing of blessings," (Isaiah 44:3). God granted the thing he prayed for: The Holy Spirit came upon them in a surprising overpowering manner, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied, as the apostles did and the first Gentile converts, (Acts 10:44). This was intended to introduce the gospel at Ephesus, and to awaken in the minds of men an expectation of some great things from it; and some think that it was further designed to qualify these twelve men for the work of the ministry, and that these twelve were the elders of Ephesus, to whom Paul committed the care and government of that church. They had the Spirit of prophesy, that they might understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God themselves, and the gift of tongues, that they might preach to every nation and language.