Blessing of Abraham

The Gift of the Spirit is one of the Covenant promises for blessing the Nations of the Earth through Abraham and his “Seed,” Jesus Christ.

When Matthew’s Gospel declares Jesus to be the “Son of Abraham,” it links the man from Nazareth to the Abrahamic Covenant. The New Testament is filled with scriptural citations and apostolic teachings demonstrating that Jesus came to fulfill the Covenant. He is the promised “Seed of Abraham” and the true Heir of all the promises, including to “bless all the Nations” in the Patriarch.

Promise of the Father

With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced. The Apostle Paul calls the Gift of the Spirit the “Promise of the Father” which he links to the Abrahamic covenant. The promises to Abraham and “his Seed” find their fulfillment in the New Covenant inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The Living Word

Jesus is the Word made flesh through whom the glory of God is revealed, the same Word by which God created all things.

The Gospel of John identifies Jesus as the ‘Logos’, the “Word” through which God made the Universe. This theme is prominent in John, and it builds on ideas from the Hebrew Bible about how God created the world, and especially life, through His spoken Word. Jesus of Nazareth is the complete living expression of that creative word.

Rend the Heavens Asunder!

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus, Son, Messiah, and the Servant of the LORD.

Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The account identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence, though its insignificance plays a role in the story. He is the “Servant of the LORD” anointed by the Spirit, but he does not conform to popular expectations about the Messiah.

In Spirit and Fire

John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism in water “for the remission of sins,” and he announced the arrival of the “Coming One.” He was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah as promised in Isaiah - “Behold, I send my messenger before your face… The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord.” Jesus is the King of Israel who baptizes his people “in Spirit and Fire.”

The Forerunner

All four gospel accounts apply the same passage from the Book of Isaiah to John the Baptist, the messenger who summoned men to repent “for the remission of sins” in preparation for the Messiah. The passage identifies John as the forerunner who was expected before the “Day of the LORD” - “The voice of one crying, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD” - (Isaiah 40:3-5).