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Showing posts with the label Spirit

The Father's Promise

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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.

Blessings for the Nations

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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 New Covenant

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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.

My Words are Life

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Jesus declared, “ The Spirit makes alive. The flesh profits nothing. The words which I have spoken to you, they are spirit, and they are life .” His statement echoes the principle that life and the Spirit of God are inextricably linked. The “ flesh ” is not inherently evil, but it has no lasting life apart from the Holy Spirit. This principle was demonstrated at the original creation, and now the same Spirit is essential for the bodily resurrection of believers and everlasting life in the age to come.

First Fruits of the Spirit

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The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith. God counted his faith as “righteousness” when he was yet uncircumcised, and that meant He justified him apart from the “ works of the Law .” He thereby became the father of all men who are also “ from faith .” Circumcision was added after the promise as the “seal” of Abraham’s justifying faith.

One New Man

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By his Death and Resurrection, Jesus formed one new covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him – Ephesians 2:11-22. Paul is unequivocal. Considering what Jesus accomplished in his Death and Resurrection, no longer can there be divisions between Jews and Gentiles in the One People of God. By his sacrificial death, he “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles so “ he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross .” God is building Jewish and Gentile disciples into one habitation of God “ in the Spirit ,” having voided the “ law of the commands in ordinances ” that previously divided them.

Spirit Baptism

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John proclaimed a baptism in water “ for the remission of sins ,” and he announced the arrival of the “ Coming One .” He was sent as the Forerunner of the Messiah as promised in the  Book of Isaiah  - “ Behold, I send my messenger before your face… The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord .” Moreover, he was the promised King of Israel who would baptize his people “ in Spirit and Fire .”

Quickened by the Spirit

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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 Anointed One

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When an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “ conceived of the Holy Spirit ,” it indicated that something more than just a miraculous birth was about to unfold. From the beginning, the activity of the Spirit dominated the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He was “ Jesus, the one called Christ ,” that is, the “ Anointed One ,” the long-awaited Messiah of Israel.

Spirituality

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The spiritually minded man understands that the proclamation of Christ Crucified is God’s power and wisdom .  Overused by both the Church and the surrounding society, the English term ‘spiritual’ has become meaningless. To some people, it is synonymous with the word  religion . To be  religious  is to be  spiritual . To others, it refers to things that are not of this physical universe, things and beings that are supernatural, otherworldly, noncorporeal, invisible, and timeless.

Servant and King

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The theme of fulfillment is prominent in Matthew’s gospel. In Jesus of Nazareth, the promises of God found their fulfillment and intended applications. He was the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations. Peter, for example, confirmed that he was the “ Messiah .” Nevertheless, he failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the suffering “ Servant of Yahweh ” who came to “ bear the sins of many .” His true identity was revealed in his sacrificial act.

Herald of the Kingdom

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After his baptism, the Spirit “ drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights .” Like Moses on Mount Sinai, the Messiah of Israel found himself alone in the Judean wilderness where he was confronted by the Devil. His only guide was the Word of God. Like Israel, he was “ tested .” Unlike that nation, he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious from the experience “ FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ,” and he then began to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom in the villages of Galilee.

This is My Son!

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In the  Gospel of Mark , Jesus first appears when he is baptized by John the Baptist. He is identified with his hometown of Nazareth, a village of no consequence, though its very insignificance plays an important role in the story. He is the “ Servant of the LORD ” anointed by the Spirit who does not conform to popular expectations about the Messiah,  BOTH THEN AND NOW .

Voice in the Wilderness

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All four gospel accounts apply the passage in the  Book of Isaiah  to John the Baptist, the messenger who called men to repent “ for the remission of sins ” in preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. The passage identifies John as the forerunner who was expected before the “ Day of Yahweh ” to summon the faithful - “ The voice of one crying, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD ” - (Isaiah 40:3-5).