The Anointed One: Understanding Christ’s Relationship with the Holy Spirit
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me” (Luke 4:16-21). This declaration marked the starting point of his public ministry, and it highlights the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in his life and work.
The Anointing of Christ
Christ is uniquely anointed by the Holy Spirit, setting him apart from all other believers. The psalmist writes, “God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Ps. 45:7). This anointing is not just a symbolic act but a real empowerment by the Holy Spirit, enabling Christ to fulfill his ministry.
The Spirit Without Measure
John the Baptist testified that God gives the Spirit without measure to his Son (John 3:34). This means that Christ has an unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit, which overflows into the lives of his people. As Isaac Ambrose noted, “In Christ there is a gracious mixture and compound of all the graces of the Spirit.”
The Incarnation and the Trinity
To understand Christ’s anointing, we must consider the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. The Son and the Spirit are distinct persons, both fully God, sharing the one divine essence with the Father. The incarnate Son is both God and man in one person, and as such, he needs and receives the graces of the Spirit to live and fulfill his office.
The Spirit of Revelation
The Holy Spirit is the divine agent of revelation, revealing God’s plan and purposes to humanity. He revealed the old covenant with its holy place and sacrifices, pointing ahead to a more perfect way into God’s presence that Christ would accomplish (Heb. 9:8-12). The Holy Spirit also revealed the new covenant, testifying that Christ’s one offering would accomplish both the justification and sanctification of his people (Heb. 10:14-17).
The Spirit and Prophecy
The prophets foretold “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” by the revelation of the Spirit (1 Pet. 1:10-12). The Holy Spirit inspired the apostles and evangelists who proclaimed Christ after his coming (v. 12). The aim of prophecy is to bear witness to Jesus for God’s glory, “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).
The Virgin Birth and the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit formed Christ’s human nature, as Jesus was conceived in Mary “of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 1:18, 20). This unique conception by a virgin mother was a sign that he is no mere man, but the vanguard of the new creation by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit’s Ongoing Work
Christ’s miraculous conception by the power of the Holy Spirit set upon his human nature a birthmark of constant dependence on and filling by the Spirit. Herman Bavinck noted, “This activity of the Holy Spirit with respect to Christ’s human nature… began with the conception… [and] continued throughout his entire life, even right into the state of exaltation.”
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