God's Anointed: Jesus' New Relationship with the Holy Spirit, and Ours
I. Jesus' Altar Call
Jesus' "lost years" embody faithfulness in obscurity
A turning point comes as Jesus is baptized at around age 30:
Jesus begins a new life with John's "baptism for the remission of sins"
Does this embarrass the Gospel writers? us?
II. Baptism's Lesson: Incarnation Is Not Enough
Chalcedon sidelines the Holy Spirit in Christ's identity
Yet Jesus' baptism is important in the Gospels
Is it a problem for incarnation?
Adoptionism: Baptism confers divinity — through the Spirit (Acts 2:36, Acts 10:36-38)
Classical Christology: Baptism is revelation — and nothing more (Luke 2:11)
Spirit-Christology: Something new happens — but what? (Luke 4:1, 4:14)
III. Spirit-Christology's Focal Point: Jesus' Baptism "The spirit and power of Elijah":
Luke 1:16 interprets Jesus' baptism (cf. 1 Kings 18:20-39?)
The perfect penitent (C.S. Lewis, Bartolomé Murillo's Baptism of Christ)
Baptism is Jesus' self-sacrifice and consequent divine empowering (Ezekiel 36, Zechariah 13)
At baptism, Jesus is the anointed (messiach; christos) — with the Holy Spirit
Issue: What kind of Messiah is Jesus? (Luke 4:1-13)
IV. Theophany: Baptism's Window on the Trinity Everything Jesus does reveals the three persons of the Trinity
3. The Holy Spirit is the fire of God:
He conceives the Son, empowers his work, and carries it on today
2. The Son is God's heir, God's righteousness:
He receives, mediates, offers back, and sends along the Spirit
1. The Father is God who gives, guides, sends, accepts, receives:
The Son and Spirit do his will and work
All are "one God, now and forever"
In Jesus' career, the Son and Spirit are "the two hands of God" (Irenaeus)
Baptism explains the incarnate Jesus' supernatural powers
Baptism explains the empowering of Jesus' baptized followers
