Jesus Imparts Life

The Son of God gives the Spirit to men and women, without which there is no enduring life. His words are spirit, and they are life.

“The Spirit gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The declarations I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Christ’s statement echoes the biblical principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked – (John 6:63).

The Blessing of Abraham

The gift of the Spirit is part of the covenant promises made to Abraham, including blessing the nations of the Earth.

The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is the son of Abraham. Thus, this gospel account connects the Nazarene to the Abrahamic Covenant, for the Messiah of Israel came to complete the covenant and all its promises.

The 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 gift of the Holy Spirit is described as “the promise of the Father” in the New Testament, which connects this gift to the Abrahamic covenant. The promises to Abraham and his seed are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Spirit is the guarantee that we will inherit all that God has promised.

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 baptized men and women in water, but the Messiah of Israel will baptize in the Holy Spirit and Fire - Matthew 3:11-12.

The Gospel of Mark begins by applying key prophecies to the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the forerunner who prepares the hearts and minds of Israel for the Messiah, and John does so by calling the Jewish nation to repent and baptizing the people “for the remission of sins” - (Isaiah 40:3-5, Mark 1:1-3).

The Forerunner

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the herald of the Kingdom of God and the one who baptizes in the Spirit – Mark 1:4-8.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of Israel, in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He was the Voice in the Wilderness, and the Elijah who was to come and restore all things before the Day of the Lord - (Malachi 4:5, Matthew 11:14).