No Need To Be Scared Of Verses About The Holy Spirit (Like Luke 11:13)

Luke 11:13 says the “heavenly Father shall give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” And the parallel Matt 7:11 says the Father will “give good things to them that ask him.” Does the latter somehow mean Luke is not talking about the Holy Spirit when he said “Holy Spirit” in the former? Parallel: If two days before his birthday I tell my son I am going to give him good gifts on his birthday, and the next day I tell him I am going to give him a bicycle on his birthday, does the former mean I didn’t really mean bicycle when I said “bicycle” in the latter? No, the “Holy Spirit” is one of the “good gifts” God gives Christians; that should be obvious. Any understanding of Luke 11:9-13 that says God does not give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him has got to be false, because the text says He does.

How does one ask God for the Holy Spirit? The same way a sinner asks God for salvation from sin:

• Mark 16:15-16 one who hears the gospel asks God to save him by believing it and being baptized

• Acts 22:16 a penitent believer asks (calls upon) God to wash away sins by being baptized

• Acts 2:38 a believer asks God for remission of sins by repenting and being baptized

• Acts 2:38 likewise a believer asks God for the Holy Ghost by repenting and being baptized

Pentecostal preachers are definitely not scared of Luke 11:13, and neither should we be.

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