Let’s look at that important account.  Acts 19:1-6 says, “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (NKJV).

It’s important to realize that what happened here was during a unique period of time.  The Church had just begun on the day of Pentecost.  We read about that in Acts 2.  The Lord Jesus had spoken of that day in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I WILL BUILD my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Notice that at this time, the beginning of the Church was yet future as the Lord speaks about building it. The unique characteristic of the Church is that every believer would be indwelt with the Holy Spirit, so we read in Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

At that exceptional period of time, there were still Old Testament saints living who were faithful to what they knew about the Lord but had not heard of the Lord Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of the prophesies that spoke of Him as the coming Messiah and Savior who would die for the sins of the world. 

These are those that we read about in Acts 19:1-6.  Paul, finding these men in Ephesus, inquired of them if they had received the Holy Spirit, as those believers had on the Day of Pentecost.  We read in Ephesians 1:13, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (NKJV).  This is true of ALL believers, so Paul was correct in asking this question to affirm their faith in the Lord Jesus.  Why Paul asked them this question, we cannot be absolutely sure; but probably something had come up in their conversation from which the apostle had suspected the imperfection and limit of the light they had.

These men, although faithful to what they knew under the Old Testament Law, knew nothing about the Lord Jesus.  They were followers of John the Baptist but had apparently known only his teachings about the coming Messiah.  Realizing they were limited in their knowledge, Paul then asked about their baptism.  They acknowledged they were baptized into John’s baptism, which was a baptism unto repentance.  “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE for the remission of sins.” (Mark 1:4)…that is, baptism as a public pledge and profession of repentance. 

Christ’s baptism, or Christian baptism, while the mode is the same, is different in its intent.  It is a baptism to show our identification with the Lord Jesus in the death that He died for us.  We read in Romans 6:3-4, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”  This is totally different that the purpose of John the Baptist’s baptism.  One was a sign of repentance for sin; the other is an identification with the One who took away our sins by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. 

Upon hearing of the Lord Jesus, these men appropriately desired to obey the Lord’s Word and “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”  Having truly believed on the Lord Jesus, “the Holy Spirit came upon them” as He comes upon everyone who puts his faith in the Lord Jesus. 

Dear reader, how about you?  Have you realized your need of a savior and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?  I pray you have.  This is so important and has eternal consequences.  Just as these men believed and were immediately saved, you can be too.  Romans 10:9 assures us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (CC)  (699.3)