Having the Spirit by Measure

by Samuel Matthews

“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34 KJV).

Loved ones, in our text, the apostle John said that the Father sent Jesus the Messiah with an "unlimited measure" of the Holy Spirit. What does John mean when he talks about God giving the Spirit without measure to Jesus?

A measure would imply limitation. In other words, had God given Christ only "a measure" of the Spirit, that would have meant that He would have been limited as to what He could do, even by the power of the Spirit. But God did not give Him the Spirit "by measure,” but "without" measure.

That means neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit would place any restrictions on Jesus when it came to the use of the Spirit's power, i.e., the gospel word of God (Romans 1:16; Ephesians 6:17).

Our Lord, receiving the Spirit without measure, was able to perform miracles, including feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread and fish, calming the stormy seas, and turning water into wine. In addition to all of these, John wrote, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:30-31). But perhaps even more significant was the fact that Jesus had the authority to bestow the power of the Holy Spirit on others. He alone could baptize the apostles with the Holy Spirit.

Others Received the Spirit by Measure

Think with us, please. If God gave the Spirit to Christ without measure, that would of necessity imply that the Spirit was given to others "by measure." And, indeed, this is what happened.

A "measure" of the Spirit was given to the apostles (Acts 2:1-4), the ones on whom they laid their hands (Acts 8:14-17), and all like us who have been baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4). The apostles were given a "measure" – that is, the power to lay their hands upon certain disciples that they might have a miraculous measure of the Spirit – but they could not baptize anyone with the Spirit. Furthermore, those who received the laying-on-of-hands measure of the Holy Spirit by the apostles could not pass that power on to others.

How do we know these things? The Scriptures tell us, if we pay attention to what is written. Let us take a look at those who received the Spirit's measures. Many believe that all of the Lord's people, from the apostles right on down to the Christians of our day, received or should receive the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit. Many even pray for that baptism! We will see that this is not a valid expectation.

The Measure Given to the Apostles

First of all, keep in mind that Christ promised to send the Comforter or the Holy Spirit upon the apostles only. He did not make this promise to all of His followers of that day or to all who would follow Him in the future. When we turn to the book of John, we read, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27). Again, He said, "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" (John 16:7). Still more, He said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:13). Now, to whom was the Lord speaking in these verses? If you will read the context and notice what Jesus is saying, it is very obvious that He is speaking to His apostles, to those who had been with Him “from the beginning” (John 15:27).

The question, then, is this: Did the Lord keep His promise? Before we see what finally happened, please consider these statements Christ made to the apostles just before His return to the Father in heaven: "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Could this statement apply to anyone living today? Of course not!

Luke wrote this also: "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:1-5). Then Jesus said, "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 Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Surely, we can see in these statements that Jesus promised the apostles the power of the Holy Ghost. That being true, who received it? The apostles only, or all believers in general?

In Acts 2, we read, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). Reading on through that chapter, we see the apostles preaching to a large crowd of people. Approximately 3,000 of them obeyed the Gospel, and on being saved, they were added by the Lord to the church (Acts 2:38-47). We also have this statement: "And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles" (Acts 2:43). Continuing to read to the fifth chapter, the specification is again made concerning those who were doing miracles: "And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people…" (Acts 5:12). The conclusion, then, is that only the apostles received the baptismal measure of the Holy Spirit.

The Measure Given to the Ordinary Christian

We will now learn about the non-miraculous measure of the Spirit that all Christians receive upon their baptism in water. The apostles were only twelve in number, and there was much work to be done. In Acts chapter 6, the apostles asked the disciples to choose from among them seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (Acts 6:3). The fact that they were "full of the Holy Ghost," and yet they did not have the power to do any miracles shows us that it was a non-miraculous measure of the Spirit that was given to each person at the time of his baptism into Christ and His death (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4).

When the church selected these seven men, the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them that they might receive miraculous power (gifts) of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3-6). Now, remember, these men were already full of the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit. What was the difference between what they had received at their water baptism, as promised in Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” … and what they now received through prayer and the laying on of the apostles' hands?

Acts 2 shows that it was only the apostles who received the baptismal measure of the Spirit (Acts 1:26-2:1-4), so we know that these seven had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit. However, at the time of their baptism in water, in their obedience to the Lord, they had received the non-miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit as promised to all converts in Acts 2:38. Now, as specially selected men, these seven received the laying-on-of-hands measure of the Spirit, that only the apostles could bestow. This enabled them to do certain miraculous works by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Philip in Acts 8:5-7).

Please understand this truth: there is only one measure of the Holy Spirit given today, and it is the non-miraculous measure that is given to all who obey the Lord (Acts 5:32).

Summary of the Measures of the Spirit

1. The unlimited measure: "For whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him" (John 3:34). There was no limit to what Christ was able to do through the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. The baptismal measure: “But wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:1-5). The Spirit empowered the Apostles to perform miracles, to speak by inspiration, and to give miraculous powers to others.
3. The Laying-on-of-hands measure (Acts 6). The apostles prayed and laid their hands on them that they might receive the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 8:14-17).
4. The indwelling non-miraculous measure from the time of water baptism (Acts 2:38).

Invitation

The Bible says salvation is found in Christ Jesus (II Timothy 2:10). You can become a saved child of God today if you believe and are ready to obey. To get into Christ and be saved by God’s grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) says a person must hear and believe that Jesus is LORD - the Son of God (Romans 10:17; John 3:16; 20:30-31). He must also repent of his sins (Acts 17:30; Luke 13:3); confess his faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33); and be baptized (immersed in water) into Christ and His death (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27). At the point of water baptism, one is forgiven of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16) and saved (Luke 1:77; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21) by the BLOOD of Jesus (Matthew 26:28; Revelation 1:5).

God’s saved children (Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:14) are indwelled with the Spirit of God (Acts 5:32; Galatians 4:6) and added or translated into the kingdom of God’s Dear Son (Colossians 1:13; Matthew 16:18-19) – which is the ekklesia or church (Acts 2:41, 47) – the one body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4; I Corinthians 12:27).

From that day until Christ returns, your whole duty as a Christian (Acts 11:26) is to love, fear, and keep God's commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13; John 14:15). You do this by humbly following Jesus as you seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10; Matthew 28:18-20).
Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, as the Godhead dwells in you. So, from this day forward, we pray that you will live to glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:19-20; cf. II Peter 1:5-11).

The Holy Spirit strengthens the children of God with might in the inner man and intercedes for us in prayer (Ephesians 3:16; Romans 8:26). If you need prayer for a weakness or sin in your life, please let us know.

An attitude of obedient faith is everything (Romans 1:6; 16:26). The God of Heaven and Earth is so good. We love you so much.