God's Anointed: Jesus' New Relationship with the Holy Spirit, and Ours
I. Baptism's Lesson: There is More to Jesus than Incarnation
Jesus' "lost years" embody faithfulness in obscurity.
A turning point comes in a new life with John's "baptism for the remission of sins."
Baptism is Jesus' self-sacrifice and consequent empowerment (Ezekiel 36, Zechariah 13).
He is "the perfect penitent" (C.S. Lewis, Bartolomé Murillo's Baptism of Christ).
At baptism, Jesus is the anointed (messiach; christos) — with the Holy Spirit.
How does Jesus' relationship with the Holy Spirit relate to 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 (Luke 4:1, 4:14):
a new human relationship with the Holy Spirit, who is now upon us in the Son.
II. Theophany: Baptism's Window on the Trinity Everything Jesus does reveals the God of Israel; and
the God whom Jesus reveals is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
3. The Holy Spirit is the fire of God (Luke 3:16, 1 Kings 18:20-39 in Luke 1:16):
He conceives the Son, empowers his work, and carries it on today.
2. The Son is God's heir, God's righteousness (Psalm 2 in Luke 3:22):
He receives, mediates, offers back, and sends along the Spirit.
1. The Father is God who gives, sends, guides, receives (Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19):
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
