Disciples Digital Library

Jesus is the Son of Abraham, the heir of the promises, and the Messiah who implements the inheritance for his people . The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is “ the son of David, the son of Abraham .” He is the descendant who inherits the promises made to the Patriarch, and this introduces the theme of fulfilment that characterizes Matthew – (“ For thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness ” – Matthew 3:15).

Jesus is the anointed Son of God whose life and ministry are filled with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit . The activity of the Spirit dominates the life, words, and deeds of Christ. He is “ Jesus, the one called Christ ,” the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. The angel informed Joseph that Mary carried a child “ conceived of the Holy Spirit ,” indicating that something more than just a miraculous birth was about to unfold.

The outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was part of the promise to bless all the nations through the Patriarch, Abraham . The “ Promise of the Father ” is the Gift of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul links to the Abrahamic Covenant. The promises are fulfilled in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus. The bestowal of the Spirit on his Church on the Day of Pentecost marked the commencement of the Last Days, and every man and woman who receives the Spirit from now on becomes a child and heir of Abraham.

The Gift of the Spirit is the first fruits of the resurrection and the guarantee of our participation in the coming New Creation – Romans 8:1-23. The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great model of our faith. God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “ righteousness ” while he was uncircumcised and thus justified him apart from “ the works of the Torah .” He is the father of all those who live “ from the faith of Jesus ,” whether Jew or Gentile, and Abraham is “ the heir of the world .”

Jesus has come in these last days to provide salvation for men, women, and children of all nations, and everlasting life in the age to come . After his resurrection, Jesus declared, “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me! Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations .” Christ sent his disciples to announce the salvation accomplished by his death “ to the ends of the Earth .” The promise of the Abrahamic Covenant to bless all nations is now being fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

Jesus revealed that the presence and worship of God are no longer limited to geographic locations or man-made structures – John 4:20-24. Jesus revealed the proper form and location of the worship of the Father to a Samaritan woman. With the arrival of Israel’s Messiah, concepts and traditions about holy space and holy time are irrelevant. The presence of the Son of God renders the historical debate over the location of the Temple pointless. From now on, worship must be performed  in  Spirit and Truth  – (John 4:20-24).

The New Testament applies Tabernacle language and imagery from the Hebrew Bible to the Body of Christ, the Habitation of God’s Holy Spirit . Terms from the Tabernacle and the worship rituals of  Leviticus  are applied in the New Testament to the New Covenant community inaugurated by Jesus Christ. What the Tabernacle prefigured has become reality in the Church, which is “ the habitation of God in Spirit .”

The Gift of the Spirit is one of God’s promises to Abraham to bless the nations in the Patriarch’s Seed, Jesus Christ. Peter and John prayed for a man who was “ lame from his mother’s womb ” as he was begging for alms near the Jerusalem Temple. Rather than money, the apostles commanded the man to walk “ in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth .” Immediately, he stood up and began to walk. Afterward, he was seen and heard by many “ leaping and praising God .”

The Gift of the Spirit is vital to the redemption of humanity and the New Covenant of God with His people . The New Testament connects the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God will bless the nations through the Great Patriarch. The Spirit is the gift believers receive “ through the hearing of faith .” It is one of the promises given to Abraham and finds its fulfillment in the “ New Covenant ” inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The man with the mind of the Spirit understands that Christ Crucified, the Word of the Cross, is the Power and Wisdom of God . Overused by the Church and society, the English term ‘spiritual’ has become meaningless. To some, it is synonymous with  religion . To be  religious  is to be  spiritual . To others, it refers to supernatural things not of this physical universe, creatures that are otherworldly, noncorporeal, invisible, and live beyond the realm of time.

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.

The gift of the Spirit is essential to the identity, mission, and life of the Church. It is foundational to the New Covenant . Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received “ the promise of the Father .” The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost inaugurated the Church and the last days and equipped the followers of Christ to take his Good News to the nations – (Luk 24:46-49, Acts 1:7-8, 2:1-21).

The Spirit of God imparts life, especially the everlasting life of which the Gift of the Spirit is the foretaste and guarantee . The Spirit of God is life-giving. “ God is Spirit ,” and where His Spirit is, there is life! By His Spirit God created all things, including the “ hosts of the Heavens .” In contrast, sin kills men, and it does so through the “ letter of the Law .” Death’s “ sting ” is sin, “ and the power of sin is the Law . ” However, God’s Spirit gives us life, and where His Spirit is, there is also “ liberty ” - (John 4:24, 6:63, 1 Corinthians 15:56, 2 Corinthians 3:6, 3:17).

Paul connects the bodily resurrection of believers to the New Creation. Both events are vital for our redemption and our salvation . There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone who is “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because “ the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In his  Letter to the Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance we have through Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies when Jesus returns – (Romans 8:1-2).

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 outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost signaled the start of the Last Days and the time of fulfillment . The application of Joel’s prophecy to the events of the Day of Pentecost links the outpouring of the Spirit to the last days. The death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus inaugurated History’s final stage before the Day of the Lord, and now, he reigns and bestows the gift of the Spirit on his Church.

The gift of the Spirit is foundational to the New Covenant. It is the beginning of the New Creation and the gathering of the nations . The history of Israel includes descriptions of the sins that caused the expulsion of the nation from the Land of Canaan. God foresaw the failures of Israel, and therefore, He determined to make a new covenant, one that is energized and characterized by the Holy Spirit.

After his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness where he was tested by the Devil. The Messiah succeeded where Israel failed . After his baptism in the Jordan by John, the Spirit “ drove Jesus into the wilderness .” Like Moses and Israel, the Messiah was tempted while he was alone in the Judean desert. His only guide was the Word of God. Like Israel, he was “ tested .” Unlike the Hebrew nation, he overcame every temptation and emerged victorious and “ full of the Holy Spirit. ”

There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies and creation itself.

The Spirit of God and the voice from heaven confirmed the calling and identity of Jesus - Son, Messiah, and Servant – Mark 1:9-11. Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The narrative identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence. Jesus is the Son and the Servant of the Lord, and the Messiah who does not conform to popular expectations.