A Study on Pentecost — Nícholas André

Acts 2:1-13 – The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Introduction

Luke wrote his Gospel to “give an account of all that Jesus began to do and teach” (1:1a). Luke wrote about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and now he continues the account, detailing the ministry of the disciples as they proclaimed the good news of the gospel, beginning in Jerusalem and extending to the Gentiles throughout the Roman world.

Acts is a very important book. Consider a few reasons why¹:

Acts is the third-longest New Testament writing (1,003 verses), while the Gospel of Luke is the longest book (1,151 verses), followed by the Gospel of Matthew (1,071 verses). Together, Luke-Acts comprises nearly 30% of the NT material, surpassing the writings of John and Paul.
Acts is the only historical continuation of the four Gospel accounts in the canonical writings.
Acts marks the transition from a Jewish-based ministry to the inclusion, and later the predominance, of Gentiles.
Acts provides the background and setting for most of Paul’s epistles.
Acts provides modern Christians with basic information and insight into how the early church functioned. The principles are clear; the patterns are less so.

When studying the book of Acts, it is important to understand that it is not a normative book, but a descriptive one. For example, if Acts were normative:

Church leaders should be selected by casting lots (Acts 1:26).
The Lord’s Supper should be observed weekly (Acts 2:42).
Widows should be supported by the church (Acts 6:1).

The fact that these three examples are recorded in the book of Acts does not necessarily make them binding on the church today. Nor does this mean that these practices are inherently wrong for churches today (well, perhaps with the exception of the first point).

As for the book’s overall structure, we may divide it as follows:

Origin in Jerusalem (1:1-6:7)
Expansion to the Hellenistic Jews (6:8-9:31)
Expansion to the Gentiles (9:32-12:25)
Expansion among the Gentiles (13:1-16:5)
Expansion into Europe (16:6-19:20)
Expansion to Rome (19:21-28:30)

The Descent of the Holy Spirit (2:1-4)

Before we delve into the text of chapter 2, it is important to place it in context. Consider, for example, Jesus’ words in Acts 1:5: “For John truly baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Before His ascension into heaven, Jesus also declared: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In addition, consider Luke 3:16, where John the Baptist testifies that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament also prophesied the coming of the Spirit (Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; Joel 2:28-32).

Thus, the event about to take place in Acts 2 had been abundantly foretold by Jesus and the prophets.

Acts 2:1

The narrative of Acts 2 begins with the arrival of the “Day of Pentecost” (2:1a). Luke presents the arrival of the Day of Pentecost as the moment when the promises of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the OT are fulfilled.

Pentecost, which literally means “the fiftieth” (referring to the fifty days that elapsed after Passover), denotes the Feast of the Firstfruits of the Harvest, celebrated seven weeks, or fifty days, after Passover. It was essentially a harvest festival, an occasion when the Jews thanked God for the gifts of the grain harvest. It was on this occasion that the events Luke narrates took place.

Luke continues, saying, “They were all together in one place.” This is probably a reference to the assembly of 120 men in Acts 1:15. The group of believers was together when this extraordinary event occurred. It is important to note that those mentioned by Luke included the apostles and other Jews who were also believers.

This special event took place in the presence of Jews, in what is often called the “Jewish Pentecost”; that is, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred first among Jewish believers.

Acts 2:2

The narrative continues in the second verse and describes how “suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). The gathering of the 120 men was suddenly interrupted by a sound that Luke describes as a “rushing mighty wind.”

The word “heaven” here does not necessarily refer to God’s dwelling place (the third heaven), for if it did, no sound would likely have been audible; “heaven” is better understood here as a reference to the “firmament,” or the atmosphere immediately above us. We should therefore be cautious about equating the “wind” with the Spirit. Even so, there is a clearly supernatural element here, and, as frequently occurs in Acts, supernatural events often serve to attest to the mighty works of the Holy Spirit.

According to Schnabel, Luke’s description of the sound—“a rushing mighty wind”—is most likely a comparison with meteorological events familiar to both Luke and his readers. Note, however, that they are not the same thing; it was merely “like” that sound. Luke makes it clear that what he is describing is not an ordinary or natural event.

Then the sound filled the entire house where the assembly had gathered. As already noted, the “wind” does not appear to be the Spirit Himself. Luke distinguishes between the sound that filled the house and being filled with the Holy Spirit, which is not described until verse 4. Schnabel notes that the Greek term that can mean both wind and Spirit is not used here.

Thus, the filling of the house with the sound that came from heaven is part of Luke’s description of the supernatural event taking place; here Luke describes the first phenomenon.

Acts 2:3

Another phenomenon was the appearance before them of “tongues as of fire.” The first phenomenon manifested itself through sound, and the second was visual. The men could now see the supernatural phenomenon that was taking place!

Luke compares this visual manifestation to “tongues as of fire.” The phenomenon then becomes personal as “one rested on each of them”; this is connected to their being enabled to speak in foreign languages they had never learned (Acts 2:4-11).

Acts 2:4

Those who were present were then filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4); this occurred in connection with the two supernatural events Luke records. The conjunction “and,” which connects this result with what Luke described before, makes this clear. As a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other tongues. Luke explicitly attributes their ability to speak different languages to the Spirit, “as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Not everyone agrees on the purpose of speaking in tongues in this context; some suggest that speaking in tongues served as an evangelistic enablement so that each person, regardless of language, could hear about the work of God. Others prefer to focus on the supernatural attestation of the events that were taking place.

I understand the primary purpose here to be authentication, and the secondary purpose to be evangelistic, allowing Jews from various places to hear the wonders of God in their native languages. The miracle of speaking in tongues certainly drew attention to a great and important event in God’s plan!

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the Holy Spirit progressively poured out upon people outside the group of law-observant Jews, eventually including non-Jewish believers. Speaking in tongues was the means by which the Jews knew with certainty that the Holy Spirit had indeed descended upon the Gentiles (see Acts 10:44-48).

Thus, Luke chronicles the progress of the “new community of believers” in Acts, which was inaugurated with the Jewish Pentecost: the church originated in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1-6:7), expanded to the Hellenistic Jews (Acts 6:8-9:31), reached the Gentiles (Acts 10-16:5), ultimately expanded into Europe (Acts 16:6-19:20), and reached Rome (Acts 19:21-28:30). The Jewish Pentecost described here by Luke was a crucial event that fulfilled Jesus’ words and ultimately allowed the good news to reach all nations.

On Speaking in Tongues

Naturally, one question that arises when reading a text such as Acts 2 is this: does it justify the modern phenomenon of speaking in tongues? Should we expect to “speak in tongues” today?

To answer this question, it is worth highlighting four aspects of speaking in tongues in Acts:

It had a particular purpose: it was one of the remarkable phenomena that supernaturally attested to how special the event taking place was.
There is no indication in Luke-Acts that this was a permanent gift; Luke, for example, does not indicate that Peter preached his sermon in several languages or that it was translated so everyone could understand.
The audience could understand what the men were saying when they spoke in the listeners’ native languages. This is why many in the crowd were astonished.
The languages spoken were human languages.

A discussion of the modern phenomenon of speaking in tongues and the debate between continuationists and cessationists is beyond the scope of this study. Nevertheless, it can be clearly stated that no one can use the narrative of Acts 2 to justify the “modern phenomenon” of speaking in tongues commonly manifested in Pentecostal circles.²

What Exactly, Then, Does It Mean to Be Filled with the Spirit?

Being “filled with the Spirit” in Acts 2:4 is connected to the idea of being baptized with the Spirit; it is a fulfillment of Luke 3:16. Thus, in the context of Pentecost, Jesus’ promise was fulfilled, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers to equip them to continue the work of Jesus.

During the transitional period—that is, in Acts—the outpouring of the Spirit is not necessarily connected to salvation. The 120 men, for example, were already believers, but they had not yet received the Holy Spirit before this moment. This does not mean, however, that baptism with the Holy Spirit is a distinct event today. We must remember that Acts recounts a process of transition and the beginning of the church.

From that point onward, every Jew—and later every Gentile—who repented of their sins and believed in Jesus would also receive the Holy Spirit. Peter makes this very clear in Acts 2:38.

Peter’s promise in Acts 2:38 (“Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”) establishes a new pattern for Jews who would be converted after Pentecost. For them, repentance, faith, and receiving the Holy Spirit would be intrinsically linked, occurring at the same moment.

We should not, therefore, use the narrative of Acts 2 to justify the idea that the Holy Spirit indwells a believer only at a later point, perhaps when that person becomes spiritual enough, nor the idea that the coming of the Holy Spirit (and, consequently, speaking in tongues) demonstrates the believer’s spiritual maturity.³

It is also important to distinguish between baptism by the Holy Spirit and the more general idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit as an ongoing experience. Baptism by the Holy Spirit is a single, irrevocable act; it places us into the body of Christ and causes the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that this occurs at the moment of the sinner’s salvation.

The New Testament, however, also speaks of being filled with the Spirit:

As a means of being equipped for something (see Acts 4:8; 4:31; 6:3, 5).
As an ongoing reality that every believer should pursue: the idea of being controlled/influenced by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:16).

It is important not to confuse these two ideas or to associate the Spirit’s work of equipping and sanctification with supernatural phenomena such as speaking in tongues.

The Response to the Descent of the Holy Spirit (2:5-13)

In the second section of the text, we have the account of the response to the coming of the Holy Spirit. In verse 6, Luke notes that a “crowd came together” after hearing a sound; thus, in this second section, there are other people in addition to the original 120 believers and the disciples. The scene shifts from the house to the streets.

Luke describes the group drawn by the sound of what was happening as “devout men from every nation under heaven.” Being devout or “God-fearing” does not necessarily mean being a believer. In this context, “devout men” means Jews who observed the Law and Jewish traditions; they cannot be “believers,” since they will later be told to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38).

The expression “from every nation under heaven” refers to Jews of the Diaspora or Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost.

This group was most likely drawn not by the sound of the wind or by the supernatural events the 120 men experienced, but because they heard some of the men speaking in other languages. This likely drew their attention because these men were not expected to speak languages that were not native to them.

In verse 7, Luke describes them as astonished and amazed, and they ask one another, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?” In other words, they knew that these men were Galileans, and it would therefore have been highly unusual for them to speak the languages they were speaking. Moreover, they knew the speakers were Galileans, whether from their accents or because some recognized them as Jesus’ disciples.

Amazement at what was happening was not limited to the 120 believers; outsiders were also astounded. The Greek verbs used to describe their reaction in verses 7 and 12 can be summarized as “to be extraordinarily impressed or disturbed by something.”

In verse 8, the group of outsiders asks, “How is it that we hear them, each in our own native language?” The group attests to the miraculous event that was taking place, but at first they have no explanation for what was happening!

In verses 9-11, Luke summarizes some of the geographical regions from which the devout Jews came, and at the end of verse 11 there is another statement that they could “hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages.” What a great blessing that the gospel of God was proclaimed to people of so many different nationalities!

This section concludes by describing how some people in the crowd were not amazed at what was happening. Instead, they mocked and offered what they thought was a more rational explanation: the disciples were drunk!

Peter immediately rejected this explanation when he addressed the crowd in verse 14. These people were witnessing the mighty acts of God and may even have known the disciples or heard about them, but regardless, they did not respond positively to the wonders they heard.

Conclusion

A study of Acts 2:1-13 reveals the descent of the Holy Spirit as a central and transformative event, marking the fulfillment of God’s promises and the beginning of the Church age. The descent of the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the good news of the gospel and to carry on Jesus’ ministry to the ends of the earth.

Some applications for us today:

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit inaugurated the proclamation of the good news in a worldwide context.

Our task is to continue proclaiming to the whole world the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus. What began in Acts 2 did not end in the final chapter of Acts. It was only the beginning of a new era; it was a major turning point in the Great Commission established by Jesus.
God equips His servants to do His work.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples were equipped in many ways to continue the work of Jesus. They performed signs and wonders and were enabled to suffer in His name. The book of Acts is filled with examples of how they were empowered or directed by the Holy Spirit.

Now that the transitional period is over, we should not assume that the same supernatural things must happen in our day (this does not mean that God lacks the power to do them), but the fact that God equips His servants for His work remains! We should not be anxious or afraid to do what God asks us to do, because He will equip us and use us according to His will to accomplish His purposes.
Salvation comes through faith, not by virtue of experience.

The reaction of some in the crowd, who mocked the believers speaking in tongues, is a vivid example of the fact that no one comes to Jesus through supernatural experiences, but only through faith.

Lecture notes from Pastor David Melin at Central Seminary. ↩
Note that although I do not believe speaking in tongues is a phenomenon for today, my point here is only that Acts 2 cannot be used to support this teaching. ↩
Similarly, I do not believe in a two-stage salvation in which the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believer sometime after conversion, but here I am only pointing out that Acts 2 cannot be used to defend this theological position. ↩