God's Anointed:

Jesus' New Relationship with the Holy Spirit, and Ours

I. Jesus' Altar Call

Jesus' "lost years": sanctifying everyday life?

A turning point: 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's greatest weakness: Where's the Holy Spirit?
Jesus' baptism is important in the Gospels

Is it a problem for incarnation?

Adoptionism: Baptism confers divinity (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
At baptism, Jesus is 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 gift, his righteousness:

He receives, mediates, and sends along the Spirit

1. The Father is God who guides, sends, accepts, receives:

The Son and Spirit do his will and work

All are God, all are One

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

(John 20:21, Acts 2, Acts 10:44-48, Romans 6)