As many as He Calls

The Gift of the Spirit is for every man who repents, including those afar off, and this is in fulfillment of the Covenant Promise - Acts 2:37-41. The Apostle Peter summoned his audience to repent and be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” He concluded his sermon on the Day of Pentecost on a note of fulfillment and with a foretaste of things to come. Peter began with a citation from the Book of Joel, and he concluded with a clause from the same passage, neatly bracketing his message.

What began on the Day of Pentecost was the Age of Fulfillment dominated by the Spirit. This period must continue until the consummation of all things on the “Day of the LORD.” What the crowd of pilgrims “saw and heard” that day was the promised outpouring of the Spirit “in the last days” prophesied by the Book of Joel.

[Church under stars - Photo by Ken Cheung on Unsplash]

With the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, the “Last Days” began in earnest. The Gift of the Spirit is now granted to his people, starting with the young congregation in Jerusalem, but certainly not ending there - (Joel 2:28-32).

The arrival of the “Day of the LORD” is certain, though its date remains unknown, therefore, everyone who hears the Gospel must repent while the opportunity remains:

• (Acts 2:37-38) - “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the Promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to him.”

The “Promise” is the “Gift of the Spirit” foretold in the Hebrew Bible, and by Jesus when he commanded his disciples to “tarry in Jerusalem” until they were endued with power from on high, the “Promise of the Father.”

John baptized repentant men “in water,” but the Messiah of Israel would baptize his followers “in the Holy Spirit” and then they would become his witnesses and take the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the “uttermost parts of the Earth” - (“I will give you the uttermost parts of the Earth for your possession” - Psalm 2:6-9, Acts 1:4-5, Luke 3:16, 24:49).

The sights and sounds accompanying the Spirit’s outpouring that day confused the pilgrims gathered near the Temple, “Jews and proselytes” from at least fifteen nations. The Book of Acts names these fifteen nations to make a theological point.

The bestowal of the Spirit marked the start of the mission to announce the Kingdom of God to all nations in fulfillment of Scripture and the instructions of Jesus (“Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven”).

COVENANT FULFILLMENT

The Abrahamic Covenant envisaged a community consisting of more than just his biological descendants or limited to the small territory of Canaan. At one point, Yahweh showed the Patriarch the “stars of heaven” and the “sand of the seashore,” challenging the Patriarch to number them if he could. So would be the countless multitude of his descendants inhabiting the world - (Genesis 15:5, 17:4-6):

“I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no man could number from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the Throne and the Lamb” – (Revelation 7:9-17).

• “For not through the Law was the Promise to Abraham or to his Seed that he should be Heir of the World [‘kosmos’], but through the righteousness of faith <…> As it is written, a father of many nations have I made you, before him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls the things that are not, as though they were. Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So will your seed be.” – (Romans 4:13-18).

However, Abraham’s immediate physical descendants failed to keep to the Covenant. That did not mean God had rejected Israel. To facilitate the redemption of Israel, He promised a New Covenant relationship that would include the Spirit.

Though Israel failed to keep its covenant obligations, nevertheless, God promised the day would come when He would circumcise the hearts of His people and “gather you from among the nations and bring you into your land <…> And I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in My statutes” - (Ezekiel 36:24-27, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:6-13).

The fulfillment of the Promise began on the Day of Pentecost, not only with the outpouring of the Spirit but also with the addition of three thousand converts to the Faith from among the Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem from the surrounding nations:

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the Earth” – (Acts 1:8).

This was only the beginning since the “promise” was “to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to him.” The proclamation of the Gospel began in Jerusalem. However, the Book of Acts presents it progressing from there to “Judea, Samaria,” and eventually to the City of Rome.

At the end of Acts, we find the Apostle Paul under house arrest near Rome. Despite his circumstances, he “received all that went to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness,” both Jews and Gentiles alike - (Acts 28:30-31).

The Gift of the Spirit and the proclamation of the “Good News” do not represent the reversal or replacement of the covenant promises of Abraham, but their fulfillment. What began on Pentecost was only the first stage in taking the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all the nations of the Earth – (Matthew 24:14 - “This Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached for a testimony to all the nations”).

The invitation to repent and receive the Gift of the Spirit is for all men and women, “even as many as the Lord our God will call.” This missionary process will continue until the arrival of the “Day of the Lord” and the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the present age.

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SEE ALSO:

• To the Nations Also - (Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the promise to bless all nations in Abraham. Christ is the Patriarch’s Heir and “Seed”)

• My Witnesses - (The Gift of the Spirit equips the Assembly to bear witness to Jesus, especially concerning his Resurrection from the dead)

• The Last Days Begin - (The outpouring of the Spirit signaled the start of the Last Days, the Era of the Spirit and the Time of Fulfillment)

• Autant qu'il en appelle - (Le Don de l'Esprit est pour tout homme qui se repent, y compris ceux qui sont au loin, et c'est en accomplissement de la Promesse - Actes 2: 37-41)