We come now to the New Testament, to the great event of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world. First our Lord as to manhood was begotten of the Holy Spirit of God. His parentage according to the flesh was unique. Born of a virgin, begotten of the Holy Spirit, He, who was, is and ever will be, the eternal Son, the Son in the unity of the Godhead, became a true Man, yet never ceasing to be "The mighty God, The everlasting Father " (Isa. 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)). Such is the inscrutability of His Person, that He Himself declared, " No man knoweth the Son, but the Father " (Matt. 11:2727All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)). His Manhood was holy and sinless.
At our Lord's baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, we get the Holy Spirit's attestation as to His Divine mission in this world. Baptized (personally He did not need baptism), as identifying Himself in grace with those who had repented at the preaching of John the Baptist, He emerged from the water, when the Spirit of God like a dove abode upon Him.
" John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent Me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost " (John 1:32-3332And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. (John 1:32‑33)).
We find how prominent was the Spirit of God in connection with our Lord's Manhood in this world. Begotten by the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit given without measure, He was acknowledged at His baptism by the Holy Spirit.
This is all beautifully prefigured in the Levitical offerings. In connection with the meat offering, which prefigures the beautiful life of our Lord, so pleasing to the Father's heart, we read:
Oil in Scripture is emblematical of the Spirit of God. This is confirmed by John's first epistle speaking of the Holy Spirit as the Anointing and the Unction. In the type here unleavened bread typifies the pure and sinless humanity of our Lord. The cakes mingled with oil set forth how the Holy Spirit permeated our Lord's humanity through and through. The wafers anointed with oil set forth how our Lord was recognized publicly at His baptism at the beginning of His public service, publicly anointed for service.
This acknowledgment of our Lord in connection with His public service was maintained all through His service on earth. We recall how our Lord read from the Scriptures in the synagogue of Nazareth,
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord " (Luke 4:18,1918The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18‑19)).
The Spirit of God was the Power whereby as a dependent Man our Lord performed the wonderful acts of healing and mercy, by which He went about destroying the works of the Devil. No wonder that "All bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth " (Luke 4:2222And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? (Luke 4:22)).
When we come to our Lord's sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, we may ask what is said of the Holy Spirit in that connection? His atoning death was vitally necessary for our salvation, redounding to God's glory, the very topstone of Divine love, the righteous foundation of the universe of bliss, we all look forward to. We read: " Christ... through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God " (Heb. 9:1414How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)).
This was a supreme act, and it was in the power of the Spirit that it was carried out to its glorious conclusion. And what about the Lord's resurrection? Is anything affirmed of the Holy Spirit in that connection? We read:
This is a very striking and important Scripture. It brings out how the Persons of the Godhead act in perfect concert. We read that our Lord was raised by the glory of the Father (Rom. 6:44Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)); that our Lord had power to lay down His life, and power to take it again (John 10:1818No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:18)); and now we have read a verse that states clearly that the Spirit of God acted in His, resurrection. And not only so, the Spirit, that raised Him from the dead, is the Same that indwells the believer, as the pledge that as Christ was raised, so our mortal bodies shall be quickened at His coming again.