The Crucified Messiah

With the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced . The Apostle Paul calls the Gift of the Spirit the “ Promise of the Father ,” and he links it to the Abrahamic covenant. The promises to the Patriarch and “ his Seed ” find their fulfillment in the New Covenant inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. With Christ’s victory over Sin and Death, the Age of the Spirit dawned.

The Gift of the Spirit is part of God’s Covenant promises to bless the nations of the Earth through Abraham and his Seed . 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, they commanded him to stand and walk “ in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth .” Immediately, he began to walk, and afterward, he was seen and heard “ leaping and praising God .”

The Gift of the Spirit is essential to the New Covenant promised by God in the Hebrew Bible for His people . The New Testament connects the “ Promise of the Spirit ” to the “ Blessings of Abraham ,” the promise that God would bless the nations through the Patriarch. The Gift of the Spirit is part of the covenant given to Abraham that is fulfilled in the “ New Covenant ” established by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus . His sacrifice made the promises of renewal and “ circumcised hearts ” a present reality.

The national sins of Israel culminated in her expulsion from the Land of Canaan. However, all was not lost. God foresaw her failure and determined to restore the nation by instituting His New Covenant that would include the nations of the Earth, the “ Gentiles .” Moreover, the New Creation would become the ultimate Promised Land and the true inheritance of His people.

The definitive “ Word ” that God has spoken “ in the Son ” surpasses all past revelations made in “ the prophets ,” including Moses, the Great Lawgiver. Jesus of Nazareth exceeded every one of his predecessors. He alone “ achieved the purification of sins ,” therefore, he “ sat down ” at the right hand of God and inherited “ all things .” Moreover, his exaltation signaled the commencement of the “ New Covenant .”

God has spoken His decisive and superior “ word ” in His son, and He did so “ upon the last of these days .” This refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and repeated animal sacrifices, a system of worship centered in the Tabernacle and the later Jerusalem Temple. With the appointment of Jesus as the High Priest “ after the order of Melchizedek ,” a new and final era of salvation commenced.

The Letter to the Hebrews begins by stressing the superiority of the “ word spoken in the Son ” over all previous revelations “ spoken in the prophets .” This includes the Great Lawgiver himself, Moses, the greatest of the prophets, and it indicates the fundamental weaknesses of the Levitical priesthood and its sacrificial system. The previous words from the prophets were true but partial and preparatory. However, now, “ upon the last of these days ,” God has “ spoken ” with great finality in one who is His “ Son .”

According to  Hebrews , God has spoken His decisive and superior “ word ” in His son. Moreover, He did so “ upon the last of these days .” This clause refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and repeated animal sacrifices, a system of worship that was centered in the Tabernacle, and later, in the Temple in Jerusalem. With the exaltation of the Son to the “ right hand of the Majesty on High ,” a new and final era of salvation has commenced.

Foundational to the  Letter to the Hebrews  is the appointment of Jesus as our High Priest, and this was due especially to his obedience “ unto death ” whereby he achieved the “ purification of sins .” In his sufferings, he was “ perfected ,” and in his resurrection, God vindicated his sacrifice by seating him at the “ right hand of the Majesty on High ,” where he now sits enthroned interceding on our behalf. The stress is not on his position as the Royal Son, as true as that is, but on his priestly status and ministry for his people.

The Gift of the Spirit is clear evidence that a person has been justified by God and made a part of His covenant people. In Galatia, “ false brethren ” were preaching “ another gospel ,” one that claimed Gentiles must be circumcised to “ complete ” their faith. Paul would have none of it, and he appealed to the presence of the Spirit among uncircumcised Gentiles as proof positive of their justification and acceptance by God.

The  Letter to the Hebrews  highlights several aspects of the Son of God, especially his priesthood and sacrificial death. In doing so, the stress falls on the permanence of his priestly office, and the non-repeatable nature of his sacrifice. In his death, he “ achieved the purification of sins ,” and therefore, he now intercedes “ forevermore ” for his people as their faithful and sympathetic High Priest. Moreover, his unique sacrifice dealt with sin permanently, “ once-for-all .”