Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the key doctrines to which the Church has held firmly since its beginning is the Trinity. Though the term “Trinity” never appears in the Scripture, it is clearly taught throughout the Word of God. We acknowledge one God who exists in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is important to affirm that we do not worship three Gods, but only one God in three Persons. While we cannot fully understand how this is humanly possible, we stand resolutely on this doctrine.
One of the important and interesting features of studying the Trinity is how the three Persons of the Trinity interact and relate to one another. One such area involves the work of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. How the third Person of the Trinity relates to the second Person of the Trinity shows the dependence of the Lord Jesus as the God-man on the Holy Spirit during our Savior’s life on this earth. Though the Lord Jesus is equal to the Father and the Spirit, He voluntarily submitted Himself to the Father in coming to earth and to the Spirit by yielding to His power and control.
In the past three articles, we have been studying the Holy Spirit, our Divine Comforter. We have seen who He is—He is both God and a Person. In our last study we began to examine what He does as we saw His work in Old Testament times. We discovered that there are differences between how the Holy Spirit works in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. As we view the Spirit’s ministry in the New Testament, we must focus on His activity in the four Gospels, specifically as His work relates to the key figure in the Gospels—the Lord Jesus Christ. In this study we will answer the question: “The Holy Spirit: How Did He Work in the Life of Christ?” In this respect, there are four important aspects of the Spirit’s work.
The Spirit was active in the birth of Christ. The Holy Spirit was involved in predicting, proclaiming, and producing Christ’s birth.
The Spirit revealed to Mary through her cousin, Elisabeth, that Mary would bear the Messiah (Luke 1:39-45).
The Spirit revealed through Elisabeth’s husband, Zacharias, that the Messiah would be coming soon (Luke 1:67-79).
The Spirit revealed to Mary and Joseph through Simeon that their Baby who had been born was the Messiah (Luke 2:25-35).
The Spirit was instrumental in producing the conception of Christ in Mary’s womb, announced by the angel to Joseph (Matt. 1:18, 20-21) and to Mary (Luke 1:34-38).
All three Persons of the Trinity were involved in His birth: the Father prepared His earthly body (Heb. 10:5), the Son took to Himself human flesh (Heb. 2:14-15), and the Spirit was the active agent in Jesus’ conception in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:34-35).
The Spirit was active in the ministry of Christ. The Holy Spirit had an active influence in Jesus’ ministry as Jesus depended on Him.
Jesus was anointed by the Spirit (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb. 1:9). . . the Spirit provided preparation for ministry, setting Him apart as the Messiah (Acts 4:26-27; Heb. 1:9; cp. Isa. 11:2; 42:1) and empowering Him for service (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).
Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1; John 3:34). . . the Spirit provided control for ministry, as He lived in constant control by the Spirit (Luke 4:1) and was given the Spirit by the Father, not by measure, but in absolute fullness (John 3:34).
Jesus was led by the Spirit (Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:1, 14). . . the Spirit provided direction for ministry, as a result of being controlled by, or filled with, the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14).
Jesus was rejoicing in the Spirit (Luke 10:21). . . the Spirit provided joy in ministry, resulting in thanksgiving to the Father (Luke 10:21-22).
Jesus was empowered by the Spirit (Matt. 12:27-28; Luke 4:18). . . the Spirit provided power for ministry: power to perform miracles (Matt. 12:27-28; Luke 4:18), to preach (Luke 4:14-19), and to serve God the Father and others (Acts 10:38).
The Spirit was active in the death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit may have been involved in Christ’s death and resurrection.
He may have been the means by which Christ offered up Himself without spot to God (Heb. 9:14). (It depends on whether the “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit or to Christ’s divine spirit in Heb. 9:14.)
He may have been involved in making Christ alive (Rom. 1:4; I Pet. 3:18). (Once again, in each of these verses, the reference to the “Spirit” may refer to Christ’s own spirit instead of the Holy Spirit.)
The Spirit was active in the commission of Christ. The Holy Spirit was involved in giving the commands and the power to obey them.
The Holy Spirit was the means by which Jesus gave commands to His apostles (Acts 1:2; cp. Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15).
The time period during which He gave them these commands was the forty days following His resurrection (Acts 1:3).
One command which He gave them was to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Spirit, who would empower them (Acts 1:4-5).
(Resources used: The Great Doctrines of the Bible, William Evans, p. 119; Major Bible Themes, Lewis Sperry Chafer/John F. Walvoord, p. 92; The Holy Spirit, Charles Ryrie, pp. 45-51; Basic Theology, Charles Ryrie, pp. 350-354; The Divine Comforter, J. Dwight Pentecost, pp. 81-107)
The work of the Holy Spirit during the earthly life and ministry of Christ can be summarized in one statement: the Lord Jesus, the God-man, exercised a continual dependence on the Holy Spirit. His dependence on the Spirit was necessary for three reasons: to develop His humanity (Luke 2:52; Heb. 5:8), to display His condescension (Phil. 2:6), and to demonstrate His example (cp. Gal. 5:16). If He, the God-man, depended on the Spirit’s control and power, how much more must we!
Because of His Grace—Pastor Charlie