John now gives us the purpose of his gospel. He uses the perfect tense “have been written” which gives an air or permanency about it much like Pilate in (John 19:22). John’s purpose is to inspire faith in his readers and he gives two things which the reader should come to believe.

John 19:22  Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

First, is that Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah, prophesied from long ago, and second is that He is the Son of God. If we believe these two things, then we shall place our trust completely in Him and receive the life that He holds out and which is dependent upon His being.

John has made a selection from all the signs Jesus did and all the words He spoke, including all that met his purposes in writing this gospel and leaving out those that didn’t. Karl Heim thinks this significant because you would collect everything you could about a dead prophet because it is all that you have of him, but you only need to tell enough of a living person to introduce your readers to Him. Then they can find out all they want from that Person Himself. John doesn’t need to tell all that he knows about Jesus because Christ is still alive.

Jesus did many signs while on this earth. He made sure that there was an over-abundance of evidence and of witnesses. This was true of His ministry (John 2:23, 4:45, 12:37) and of His resurrection (Acts 1:3, 10:41, 1 Cor 15:5-7). The gospel writers could pick and choose from the pile of evidence. Note that there was another reason for not writing everything: all that was needed was enough for the Holy Spirit to take and apply to men’s hearts.

John 2:23  Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.

John 4:45  When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

John 12:37  Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

Acts 1:3  After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Acts 10:41  He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:5-7  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

Jesus declares Thomas to be a believer even though he was slow in his acceptance of the truth. Jesus is no less gracious with us today! Thomas must have thought, “If only I had believed sooner, I would have saved myself so much grief!”

Jesus said that those who believed without seeing were blessed. He is not speaking of seeing the objects of our faith which are invisible (Heb 11:1, 2 Cor 4:18), but proof of our faith, the miracles of Jesus and His resurrected body. This blessing is backward looking and forward looking (Heb 11:39, 1 Peter 1:8).

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

2 Corinthians 4:18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 11:39  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

1 Peter 1:8  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

Why is it better to believe without seeing than to believe because you have seen? Perhaps because it speaks of a nobler character which more readily embraces the truth (Acts 17:11), or maybe because it speaks of a greater work of grace (Matt 16:17). The Jews had a saying, “That one proselyte is more acceptable to God than all the thousands of Israel that stood before Mount Sinai; for they saw and received the law, but a proselyte sees not, and yet receives it.” (Qt’d by Lightfoot in Matthew Henry’s Commentary)

Acts 17:11  Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Matthew 16:17  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

Thomas proves to be much less skeptical than he thought. When he sees Jesus and hears His words to him, Thomas’ doubts all vanish and he believes without applying any of the tests he had previously demanded. (It seems certain that Thomas did not put his finger in the nail prints or the side of Jesus because Jesus states in the next verse (20:29) that he believed because he had “seen.”)

John 20:29  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The reluctance of Thomas to believe in the resurrection of Christ is a benefit to our own faith because it proves that those who were witnesses of the resurrection were not easily fooled, but were cautious men, inspecting all of the data before jumping to any conclusions.

Thomas may have been slow in accepting the resurrection of Christ, but when he did, he went all the way. He declares Jesus to be not only his Lord, but also his God. This was a tremendous leap of faith! Nobody had ever called Jesus by this latter designation. Thomas intuitively saw that Jesus had to be God because no mere man could ever raise himself from the dead.

Many scholars think that chapter 21 is an appendix that was added later and that chapter 20 was originally the close of John’s gospel. Whether true or not, this statement of Thomas certainly makes a fitting conclusion to the gospel that started with the declaration that “the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Thomas’s statement is quite similar to the reversed address to God in (Psa 35:23). Jesus is not just “a” lord but He is the one Lord (1 Cor 8:6, 1 Tim 2:5, Act 2:36, Rom 14:9, Php 2:9-10) and He is God (John 1:1, 1:18, Acts 20:28, Rom 9:5, Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8, Php 2:5-7, Matt 1:21-23, 4:7).

Psalms 35:23  Awake, and rise to my defence! Contend for me, my God and Lord.

1 Corinthians 8:6  yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Acts 2:36  “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Romans 14:9  For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

Philippians 2:9-10  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:18  No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Acts 20:28  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Romans 9:5  Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen.

Titus 2:13  while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 1:8  But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom.

Philippians 2:5-7  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Matthew 1:21-23  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”— which means, “God with us.”

Matthew 4:7  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Jesus turned directly to Thomas, singling him out from the others and thus giving the impression He had made this appearance just for Thomas’ sake. Note that the test Jesus offers Thomas is exactly what Thomas had previously demanded before the other disciples. How did Jesus know what Thomas had said?

The words of Jesus carry an implied rebuke and yet Jesus does give into the demands of Thomas. He truly is the Good Shepherd, caring for His sheep and giving us an example to follow (Eze 34:16, Matt 12:20, Rom 15:1-2).

Ezekiel 34:16  I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Matthew 12:20  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.

Romans 15:1-2  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.

It would do us well to heed the warning Christ gives Thomas, “Stop doubting and believe.”

The eighth day (KJV) is inclusive of the previous Sunday when Jesus had first appeared to the disciples. This is the following Sunday evening. Why did Jesus wait so long before being with them again? One reason is probably that He wanted them to know that things were now different from what they were before His death and He now belonged to the spiritual world and would no longer be constantly with them as before. This was sort of a weaning process of them from Him.

We are not told where He was these 8 days, nor are we told where He was all of those 40 days He resided on the earth from His resurrection to His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:3), but there are similarities between this time and the time He was in the desert unseen by men, but tempted by Satan (Matt 4:1-11).

Acts 1:3  After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Matthew 4:1-11  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”  Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

One wonders how this week went for Thomas as compared to how it went for the other ten disciples. What is notable is that Thomas is certain to be there this time. He may have missed the first opportunity, but he didn’t miss this one. There are two reactions we may make when we miss opportunities: we may pout and withdraw from other opportunities, or we may seek them all the more. Thomas did the latter (and better).

Note that Thomas is with the other disciples. They have not ostracized him because he did not have the same experience they did. Instead they accept him as one of their own.

Note also that Jesus did not come to Thomas alone, but came in the company of the other disciples. Not only does this reinforce the need of Christian fellowship, but practically, there was a greater number of witnesses this way to the things that were going to happen.

Exactly as in His first appearance to the disciples, Jesus miraculously appears in their midst though the doors are locked and He gives the same greeting. He seems to go out of His way to make everything exactly as before (20:19). Why? He is again easing their fears by repeating their previous experience. What we are familiar with is always more comfortable than the unknown, and Jesus is tenderly taking care of his own.

John 20:19  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

The disciples tell Thomas of the appearance of Christ to them. Their telling is one of joy at seeing Jesus and not an accusation at Thomas for not being there. They just want to let Thomas in on the joy they are sharing. The response of Thomas indicates that the other disciples have told him that they had also seen the nail scars and the hole in Christ’s side when He appeared to them. They undoubtedly told Thomas the whole story, probably with a great deal of excitement.

Thomas gets blamed for being the most skeptical of all the disciples, but he is only demanding the same proof that Jesus has already given all of them (20:20). Thomas may have been the skeptical kind, but there is possiblly another reason for his demands of proof. When faced with the challenge of going back for Lazarus’ sake to Judea where the Jews were waiting to kill Jesus, the other disciples were reluctant to follow Christ, but not Thomas. He was the one, though fearing death, to encourage the other disciples to go with Jesus regardless of the danger they would face (John 11:7-16). Thomas was certainly a man of courage, much like Peter, who took on a small army with just one sword (John 18:3-10). But things had not turned out as Thomas had thought. His Master was dead, killed in the most horrible and demeaning of fashions, and yet all of the disciples except the traitor, were still alive. Thomas had to be in shock over the whole series of events and believing that the whole tragedy was suddenly annulled would have been too much to take.

John 20:20  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

John 11:7-16  Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”  “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”  Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light.  It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”  After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”  His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”  Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.  So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,  and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”  Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

John 18:3-10  So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.  Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”  This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”  Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Perhaps the greater sin of Thomas was not unbelief, for the other disciples were just as unbelieving until Jesus miraculously stood in their midst and showed them His hands and side. What Thomas did that they didn’t was to demand a sign from Christ before he would put his faith in Him. This put Thomas on a level with Christ’s enemies (Matt 16:1, 27:42). This was doubly bad since Thomas voiced his demands before his brothers, thus sowing doubt in their minds, too (Deut 20:8). They were weak enough without his help. What do you sow in the hearts of your fellow believers: faith or doubt?

Matthew 16:1  The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

Matthew 27:42  “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

Deuteronomy 20:8  Then the officers shall add, “Is any man afraid or faint-hearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too.”

Didymus means “twin” or “double” which indicates that Thomas had a twin brother.

The disciples are still called “the twelve” though Judas is now dead (Matt 27:1-5).

Matthew 27:1-5  Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.  They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.  When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.  “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”  So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus made His first appearance to them. We are not told the reason for his absence, but there is no blame put on him for it so it would seem that his reason was legitimate. Nevertheless, his absence from the assembling of the other believers cost Thomas the satisfaction of seeing his Master risen from the dead.

We never know how much we will miss when we don’t meet with our fellow believers. Often sorrow, pain, and despondency drive us to shut ourselves up alone and not seek the fellowship of our Christian friends, but those are the very times when we need each other, and those are the times when we are most likely to see Jesus face to face (Heb 10:25, 1Th 5:11, Mt 18:20).

Hebrews 10:25  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

The authority to forgive sins belongs only to God. However, Jesus claimed to have this power (Mark 2:5-7) and He is now passing it along to his church. Notice however, that He gives this authority only after giving them His Holy Spirit. It is only under the direction of the Holy Spirit that sins may be forgiven or retained.

Mark 2:5-7  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,  “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

This authority was given to the church as a whole and not to individuals. Though individuals sometimes exercised it in its most dramatic form (Acts 5:1-11, 13:6-12) under the direction of the Holy Spirit, they were acting on behalf of the church and not performing a ‘ministry.’ No individual man has the authority to forgive the sins of men. An example of the church as a whole exercising this authority is found in (2 Cor 2:5-11).

Acts 5:1-11  Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.  Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 
Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”  Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”  At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Acts 13:6-12  They travelled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,  who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.  But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.  Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.  When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11  If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely.  The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him.  Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.  I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.  The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.  If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,  in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Actually, the verbs “are forgiven” and “are retained” are both in the perfect tense indicating an already-completed action. If the church is really following the Holy Spirit in this, it will only be declaring the forgiveness or retention of sins that have already been forgiven or retained in heaven.

The exception to this is when someone sins against you. Then you have the authority to forgive them and ask God to not retain guilt against them (Luke 23:33-34, Acts 7:59-60).

Luke 23:33-34  When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.  Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Acts 7:59-60   While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Even more specifically, there was a Rabbinical metaphor of binding and loosing by teaching and proclaiming that was adapted by Jesus in (Matt 16:19, 18:18) and this is a similar use. The church’s primary function along the lines of forgiving and retaining guilt for sins is the declaration of that forgiveness under gospel terms (Acts 2:38, 3:19, 10:43). The world needs to hear this message of good news which we have!

Matthew 16:19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18  “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Acts 2:38  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Acts 10:43  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Now that He has commissioned them, Jesus gives them what they will need to discharge their commission.

The word “breathed” is the same word as in Septuagint of (Gen 2:7) where God breathed the breath of life into Adam, thus indicating a new creation and in (Ezek 37:9) where life is again prophesied to be brought about by the breath of God, but this time from those who were dead. The coming of the Spirit brings both of these: life where there never was any and life to those who were dead (Job 33:4, 2 Cor 5:17).

Genesis 2:7  the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Ezekiel 37:9  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”

Job 33:4  The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

The words “on them” are not in most manuscripts (actually they are only in one). Jesus just expelled a deep breath on the group in general and did not breathe out upon each individual in turn. The gift Jesus is giving is not a series of gifts to individuals, but a collective gift to the whole church. Though Thomas was not present, the Holy Spirit would not have had a difficult time in finding him so that he could also receive this gift (Num 11:26).

Numbers 11:26  However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.

The Holy Spirit is still received by all who accept salvation through the substitutionary death of Christ (1 Cor 6:19, Eph 1:13).

1 Corinthians 6:19  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Ephesians 1:13  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

After the giving of the Spirit in this verse, Jesus later told His disciples to wait for the gift of the Spirit Who would give them power to be witnesses (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, 8). This other giving of the Holy Spirit would not come until after the ascension of Christ (John 14:16, 26; 16:7, 13) and  was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). This outpouring of the Holy Spirit is proof to us that Christ died, was resurrected, ascended to heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God (Acts 2:32-36). Pentecost proves the Lordship of Christ.

Luke 24:49  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1:4-5  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever—

John 14:26  But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 16:7  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

John 16:13  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Acts 2:1-4  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:32-36  God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand  until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’  “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

These two instances of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the disciples were for two separate things. The first was what all Christians experience when we get saved and was a guarantee of our salvation and the second was for the power to be effective witnesses for Christ. The first is part of the gift of salvation and will always be received when salvation is received. The second is a separate gift and must be received separately, although it may also come at salvation. All gifts must be willingly received, whether they are salvation or empowering by the Holy Spirit.