“Finite minds cannot expect to grasp the infinite,” says this author, but our hearts long to understand more of this wondrous Being just the same.
What does Scripture reveal to us about the unique relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ while He was here in this world? In approaching this subject we understand that we will encounter things which defy analysis, things which have been hidden from our view, areas where we dare not tread, but where we can only bow our hearts in worship and praise.
The Incarnation of Christ
The first revelation in connection with the Holy Spirit and Christ has to do with the Lord’s incarnation. Both Matthew and Luke record the events surrounding the birth of Christ, and the activity of the Holy Spirit in that regard.Matthew 1:18 records: “When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”
Luke the physician reveals more of the technicalities involved when he writes concerning Mary: “Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus” (Lk. 1:31). And again, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Lk. 1:35).
These scriptures make it abundantly clear that the humanity of the Lord Jesus was not introduced through the fallen Adamic line, but by a miracle of the Holy Spirit upon the virgin Mary. No human father was involved in His humanity. He was not “of the earth, earthy,” but the “second man, the Lord out of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47).
The Anointing of the Lord for Service
Chronologically, the next record concerning the Holy Spirit and Christ is at His baptism. All of the Gospels record this event when the Father publicly proclaimed the Son, and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him at the beginning of His public service (Mt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:22; Jn. 1:32). Luke, for example, records that “the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily shape like a dove, and a voice from heaven which said, ‘Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” These events silence forever any doubt as to the years of obscurity, where the Lord was hidden from the eyes of men, and declare His fitness for service.
Luke also records the subsequent visit to the synagogue in Nazareth where the Lord Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…” (Lk. 4:18). And Luke again records, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38).
Before moving on, it is good to note that the incarnation and anointing of the Lord Jesus can be beautifully illustrated from the meal offering (Lev. 2). For example, we read of “fine flour mingled with oil” (v. 4). Oil in Scripture is a type of the Holy Spirit, and here in the “mingling with the fine flour” we have a picture of the incarnation. Next we read about “wafers anointed with oil” (v. 4), where we see the type illustrating His anointing for service.
Full of, and Led by, the Holy Spirit
Luke goes on to relate the continuing relationship between the Holy Spirit and Christ when he writes: “And Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Lk. 4:1). Luke rightly combines “being full” and the being “led” by the Holy Spirit. It would be true to say that there never was a time in the life of the Lord Jesus, from the womb to the tomb, when He was not “full of the Holy Spirit.” Concerning John the Baptist we read “he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (Lk. 1:15). And if this is true of the forerunner, how much more so
concerning the Christ of God.
The phrase “being led” must not be interpreted as indicative of any inferiority on the part of the Lord Jesus, but indicative of the fact that, having stepped into humanity, He assumed the servant’s role. While maintaining all of His deity, there was voluntary submission to the will of the Father and the direction of the Spirit on the part of the Son. We see this happening in the reverse later on when the Son sends the Spirit into the World, and the Spirit assumes the servant’s role (Jn. 16:7).
The practical application for those of us who follow Christ is to covet the experience of being “filled with the Spirit.” Of course, this is not an emotional experience, but one of yielding to His control—being led as the Lord Jesus was. The sad thing is that many in the Charismatic Movement who claim to be filled with the Spirit are markedly not being led by the Spirit, which makes their claim suspect.
The Power of the Spirit
Immediately following His baptism and anointing by the Spirit, the Lord Jesus was led into the wilderness, there to meet the arch-enemy of souls. The temptation in the wilderness was no mere play-acting; it was a decisive battle that vindicated Christ and demonstrated His moral authority to move into the scene where Satan had wrought such havoc, in order that He might reverse the effects of sin. The “first man,” Adam, met Satan in a garden and failed by setting aside the Word of God. The “second man,” Christ, met Satan in the wilderness and triumphed through the Word of God. The Lord Jesus did not resort to any miracles or supernatural powers to defeat Satan, but He defeated him by using the Word of God to answer each of his temptations.
Following this victory, we read that He “returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee” (Lk. 4:14). His power in the public theater of conflict was derived from His private victory over Satan.
It is also worthy of note that, contrary to popular Charismatic teaching, being led by the Spirit is not to be interpreted as meaning that the life will be one of ease and freedom from trial. Quite the opposite is true, as we see from the life of the Lord Jesus. He was led “into the wilderness,” there to know the ravages of hunger and thirst and, above all else, the intensity of Satanic assault upon His person.
Today, we bemoan the lack of the power of the Spirit in our midst. We fret that we do not see souls saved and lives transformed as we once did, and we ask the question: “Why?” Perhaps our study gives the reason. We cannot expect the power of the Spirit if we are not filled and led by the Spirit in our personal lives.
Sending the Spirit
Before leaving the world via the cross and the tomb, the Lord Jesus spent a great deal of time with His disciples preparing them for the events that lay ahead and, in particular, His physical absence from their midst. It is John who records most of what the Lord had to say in this regard. It is not without significance that the Lord Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Comforter.”
The original word is parakletos and it means “one who draws near to help and comfort.” The Lord Jesus had been this to His disciples during their time together, but now He was departing, and “another Comforter” (of the same kind) would come to fill the void that He would leave. He promised, “I will not leave you comfortless [orphans]: I will come to you” (Jn. 14:18). Here we see the Spirit moving into the place of subjection to the Father and the Son and taking the servant’s role: sent by the Son to continue the work He had begun in the world.
The Death of Christ
Very little is revealed to us concerning the sacred events surrounding the death of Christ, other than those that were immediately visible. The only glimpse we have into the mysterious movements of the Deity in connection with His death is when that terrible cry rang out from the Tree into a universe of blackness: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Beyond this hallowed statement, we dare not trespass. However, the writer to the Hebrews tells us how the Trinity was involved in the redemptive sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross. We read that Christ “through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God” (Heb. 9:14). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were actively and collectively involved in securing our redemption.
The Resurrection of Christ
Here we come to the final phase of the earthly relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus. Having vindicated Him at His baptism at the commencement of His public service, how appropriate that the Spirit is involved in the final vindication of Christ at the close of His earthly walk. Romans 1:4 informs us that Christ was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Not long before, men had disputed His claim to be the Son of God and, indeed, one of the reasons for their antagonism was that “He made Himself equal with God.” They had crucified Him because of His claim to deity.
Now that the work of redemption had been completed, God stepped in and vindicated His Son by attesting to His deity in unmistakable terms: resurrection from the dead. Note that His vindication was “according to the Spirit of Holiness,” which we judge to be a reference to the Holy Spirit of God. God, through the Spirit, reversed man’s judgment upon his Son by raising Him from the dead.
We have only begun to explore the vast ocean of truth concerning the Spirit of God and Christ. We find ourselves unable to fathom or explain many of the things concerning this unique relationship, and that is how it must be because we are dealing with the relationships between persons of the Godhead, and finite minds cannot expect to grasp or grapple with the infinite.
However, when we contemplate what has been revealed to us, our hearts are stirred to see the dependent Servant, Christ, moving according to the prompting of the Spirit. How much more should we be sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit in our lives and allow ourselves to be led and directed by Him in the path of God’s pleasure, for His glory?
…the Trinity was involved in the redemptive sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross. We read that Christ “through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God.” (Heb. 9:14)
We cannot expect the power of the Spirit if we are not filled and led by the Spirit in our personal lives.