Theological Term of the Week
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 8:12PM
rebecca in theological terms

Pentecost
The day on which Jesus poured out the Spirit on his people gathered in Jerusalem, fifty days after the Passover on which he was crucified.

  • From Christian Faith by Michael Horton:
  • Acts 1 marks the transition from the ascension to Pentecost. Jesus ordered the disciples to remain in Jerusalem “for the promise of the Father”: the baptism with the Holy Spirit” not many days from now” (Ac 1:1-5). About 120 people were gathered in the upper room, near the temple, where pilgrims had gathered for the feast from far-flung regions.
    When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
    Astonished that uneducated Galileans were proclaiming the gospel in their own languages, the visitors were provoked to reactions ranging from “amazed and perplexed” to outright incredulity: “They are filled with new wine” (vv. 12-13). 

    Just as the Spirit’s presence in Christ’s ministry was identified with his proclamation of the gospel (Isa 61:1-2; Lk 4:18-21), the consequence of the Spirit’s descent at Pentecost was not unrestrained pandemonium but the public proclamation of the gospel by Peter, with the other apostles standing at his side (Ac 2:14-36). The one who had cowardly denied Christ three times was now risking his life for the message that the one who had been crucified a short distance from there had been raised, was at God’s right hand, and would return to judge the earth. Stringing together a series of citations from the prophets and the Psalter, Peter proclaimed Christ and this remarkable descent of the Spirit as the fulfillment of everything the Scriptures had foretold. “Cut to the heart,” three thousand people embraced Peter’s message and were baptized (vv. 37-41). 

Learn more:
  1. The Bible: Acts 2:1-41
  2. Got Questions.org: What is the day of Pentecost?
  3. Blue Letter Bible: What Happened on the Day of Pentecost?
  4. George Knight III: Pentecost
  5. Ligonier Ministries Blog: Babel Reversed
  6. Bob Deffinbaugh: Putting Pentecost in Perspective, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
  7. R. C. Sproul: Pentecost (video)
  8. D. A. Carson: Pentecost (audio)

Related term:

Filed under Work of the Holy Spirit

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Article originally appeared on Rebecca Writes (http://rebecca-writes.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.