Part 6 - The "Spirit Upon" and "Spirit In," ... Continued

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Christ In Conflict With Religion.

 

We continue here with the distinction between "the Spirit" coming "UPON" men of earlier dispensations versus "the Spirit of Christ" of being dispensed to abide "IN" in every person who trusts in Christ as Savior during today's "the dispensation of the grace of God."

The "Spirit of God" came UPON Jesus of Nazareth before He began His earthly ministry to "the circumcision (Israel)" (Rom 15:8). The account of this reads, "(when John)... baptized, Jesus (He) went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming UPON Him." (Matt 3:16)  Isaiah wrote of Israel's coming Messiah. Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is UPON Me,…  Then "Jesus returned 'IN THE POWER' of the Spirit into Galilee..." (Luke 4:14) The "Spirit Upon" always refers to Spirit's enduement with "Power" upon its recipient.

This is NOT to be confused with "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" who INDWELLS the spirit of every grace believer today... to be their new life in place of their crucified "old man" (Rom 8:2, 6:6, Gal 2:20).

Of course we know that the Lord Jesus was "conceived of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:18, 20). Thus He, as a man, was born humanly of the "Spirit of God," being constituted inwardly with "the Spirit" at His core. Mary, His 15-year old Jewish human mother, gave Him His outer physical human body of His humiliation, as "the Son of man."

"But while he (Joseph) thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit). (Matthew 1:20)

Jesus of Nazareth's Father was God, meaning He was inwardly constituted of the "Spirit of God" while being conceived physically in Mary's womb by "the Holy Spirit." The "Spirit" of the life of the Godhead  was Jesus' innermost person, by which the Father guided Him in ALL His doings on earth (Jn 5:30).

Outwardly, Jesus of Nazareth needed the "Holy Spirit" to come UPON Him as "the Son of man" when He was age 30 and about to begin His outward, earthly, "ministry to the circumcision (Israel)" (Rom 15:8). Thus, "the Holy Spirit" came UPON Jesus of Nazareth simultaneously with receiving John's baptism.

So, before "the Holy Spirit" descended UPON Jesus for His outward ministry as the "Son of man," He was already inwardly conceived and born of "the Spirit of God" who had "overshadowed" Mary. Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnated, yet divine, "Son of God," by the "Spirit of God" WITHIN Him at His spirit-core. Thus, when He died on the cross "He gave up the Ghost (Spirit)." ( Mk 15:37).

"The Spirit of God" descended "UPON" Jesus of Nazareth, as the "Son of man," in order to empower His humanity for service as Messiah to fulfill; Isaiah 61:1; 42:1; and Psalm 45:7. The Spirit's "anointing" UPON Jesus of Nazareth was to reveal Him as Messiah to the people of Israel and for His announcing that "the Kingdom of heaven" was "at hand." The power of the Spirit anointing UPON Jesus was evidenced by the "signs and wonders" He performed (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Mark 1:15; Luke 21:30-31). These were to add veracity to His message that the kingdom of heaven was... "at hand."

Biblically, the "Spirit" coming "UPON" men is always associated with Power for Outward Service of God. This is accomplished as an "anointing." We see the "oil of anointing" was used in the Old Testament, as preparatory for service and  empowerment of the Priest  that served in the Temple. This was a metaphor for God's Spirit to come UPON, and them and His working through the doings of that individual.

Jesus came to proclaim the message of "the Kingdom... at hand" that had long been promised to Abraham's believing lineal descendents, which is "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (e.g., Matt 15:24, 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:14; Luke 8:1). Of course He also came to die to redeem mankind by giving up His life for all men. But note that in Matthew alone, Jesus proclaimed and spoke of "the kingdom" thirty-nine times.

Interestingly the four gospels we find no mention of the meaning of the coming cross, but the character of "the kingdom" is repeatedly proclaimed with its benefits and blessings for Israel and for the whole world through Israel. God had long ago promised Abraham that the eternal blessing of God will eventually come to the whole world through God's elevated people... Israel. "And I (the Lord) will bless them that bless thee (Abraham), and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee (Abraham) shall ALL families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3).

The world was to be blessed when Jesus the Messiah would come and be received as  the King of "the Kingdom" on earth. Jesus was to be Abraham's "seed"... "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to Thy Seed, Which Is Christ. (Gal 3:16). When you read Matthew you will see that Jesus' lineage is traces back to David and Abraham. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David (first King of Israel), the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1).

All Jesus' earthly miracles were real but intended to be "signs" of "the King" and His "Kingdom" being "at hand." Jesus first "sign" was the miracle of turning water into wine at Cana. Note how the Greek word for miracle is defined. "This beginning of miracles (Grk., semeion, means "signs") ... (John 2:11).  Paul wrote, "... the Jews require a sign..." (1 Corinthians 1:22).

Interestingly, the preaching of the cross, shed blood and death of Christ with all its significance, did not come to be revealed until well after Pentecost. The revelation of these truths came to be known only when Christ from heaven revealed these things to Paul, first for "body of Christ" (Gal 1:12).

So, contrary to myth, the meaning of the coming Messiah's death was not known or understood by the Old Testament saints or prophets of Israel. Neither did Peter and "the twelve" Apostles or any of Jesus' disciples know these things... of whom it is written that "they understood Him (Jesus) not" (Jn 12:16). Some say the OT saints of Israel looked forward to the cross, but this is NOT true, they had no such understanding of the cross since it was first revealed to Paul, for us in this age of grace... after Pentecost.

The truths of the cross were later revealed to the believers Israel through Paul's writings. No te that Peter at Pentecost did not preach the meaning of the cross, rather he scolded "Ye men of Israel" because Israel "killed the prince o f peace" (Act 3:15). Peter did not overlooked the meaning of the cross because at that time Peter had no such knowledge. He eventually that information from Paul and Paul's epistles.

"And account (consider) that the longsuffering of our Lord (in the delay of His kingdom) is (to give time for men's) salvation (before 'judgment begins in the house of God' - Israel);

even (that is) as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in ALL His (Paul's) Epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (twist), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)

Note that in Matt. 3:16 we saw the Spirit coming UPON Jesus, as a "dove." A dove is gentle, and its eye placement permits it to focus on only one thing at a time. This signifies the gentleness and singleness of sight and in His purpose in proclaiming the Kingdom "at hand" to Israel. The Lord Jesus focused solely on "do(ing) the will of the Father" (John 4:34).

The coming of the Spirit UPON is also clearly seen in these verses, describing Jesus' promise of "the Holy Ghost (Spirit)" to "COME UPON" His disciples, as the Holy Spirit actually did on the day of Pentecost.

"(Jesus) ye shall Receive Power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON YOU... ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

In this above we see the Holy Ghost was to come UPON Jesus' His disciples, as it had with the godly men of the Old Testament, its patriarchs and prophets. The Spirit's empowerment came upon them transiently, not abiding permanently. That is why the disciples had to be re-blessed with the Spirit's  empowerment in Act 4:31, there they were in fear, prayed and refilled, that is restored to being under the Spirit's anointing and influence.  

Thus, the 'Indwelling Spirit' is CHRIST'S ETERNAL LIFE IN GRACE BELIEVERS (cf., Col 1:27, Rom 8:9-10) ... while the 'Spirit Coming 'UPON' was transient and  for service in the previous age of "the Law."