How should we pray for the Holy Spirit?
Is Luke 11:13 (asking the Father for the Holy Spirit) still in force today? If so, to what extent? If not, why not?
The answer is Yes! God the Father continues to give His Holy Spirit to those who ask. The question is, how do we ask? Do we ask with an obedient faith? Or do we ask out of a sense of selfish desire? If it is the former, then God certainly gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe and obey. If the latter, then God is not going to indulge a person’s fleshly desires. Let’s back up and look at the context of Luke 11:13.
Jesus was praying in a certain place (Luke 11:1). His disciples see him praying and ask him to teach them how to pray. We then have Luke’s account of the Lord’s model prayer. Jesus goes on to teach more about prayer in this context. He teaches about the need for persistence in prayer in verses 5-8. He also teaches about God’s goodness in answering prayer in verses 9-13. If the disciple will ask, seek, and knock, then God will provide. Jesus then uses an argument from the lesser to the greater. He points out how evil men will give good things when their children ask for those things. Since God is our heavenly Father, and since He is good, He will give us the best things. The best thing that God can give is His Holy Spirit. The point Jesus is making is about God’s character and His willingness to answer prayer. This verse isn’t a discussion of God’s giving the Holy Spirit, per se, although Jesus does teach that truth. Jesus doesn’t address to whom the Holy Spirit is given in this verse either. We’ve got to look at other passages to determine that. To whom is the Holy Spirit given?
In Acts 5:32, Peter says to the Sanhedrim council, “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” In this passage, obedience is the condition upon which the Holy Spirit is given. In Ephesians 1:13, Paul writes, “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.” Here hearing and faith are required to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:38, we read, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Here, repentance and baptism are required to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The bottom line is that the Holy Spirit is not just given unconditionally to anyone who asks. The Holy Spirit is given to those who are Christians. In Acts 19:1-7, we see an example of this. Paul asked a group of men, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). Paul then baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ. It was only after they were baptized, and Paul laid his hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit. This was a miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit because they began speaking in tongues and prophesying after this happened. The Bible also teaches a given measure of the Holy Spirit that is non-miraculous. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 we read, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” This verse is stated regarding all Christians who are struggling to fight sin in their life to encourage them to recognize the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling in them so that they will not sin against God. Second Corinthians 1:21-22 states, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” In this verse, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee or down-payment for the Christian’s salvation. All who are saved receive this measure of the Holy Spirit.