3.5 God, the Holy Spirit

3.5 God, the Holy Spirit The incarnation of God in Jesus Christ was effected by the Holy Spirit, be- cause the virgin Mary became pregnant by Him. The Holy Spirit attested to the sending of the Son at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. In the process Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit according to His human nature. Thereby God acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, the “Anointed One”. (3.5.1.2) 3.5.2 The Holy Spirit as a power—the gift of the Holy Spirit Like the Hebrew ruach and the Latin spiritus, the Greek term pneuma which is usually translated as “spirit”, can also mean “wind, breath, or life-spirit”, among other things. In Genesis 2: 7 we read of the Spirit as the divine breath of life. The Holy Spirit brings about life itself and is shown to be the divine power of life. In the course of salvation history, the Spirit of God manifests Himself as the power which takes hold of human beings and enables them to become instruments of God. This power can influence, fill, and even renew a human being (Titus 3: 5). Jesus Christ acted in the power of the Spirit and “the power of the Lord was present” in Him (Luke 4: 14; 5: 17). Shortly before His ascension into heaven, the Risen One promised His Apostles: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1: 8). After his sermon on Pentecost, Apostle Peter promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who allowed themselves to be baptised (Acts 2: 38). God bestows this gift through the laying on of hands and prayer of an Apostle, as exemplified by the occurrence in Samaria (Acts 8: 14–17). The be- liever is filled with Holy Spirit and, at the same time, with the love of God (Romans 5: 5). It is important to differentiate between the Holy Spirit as a gift of God and the Holy Spirit as a person of the Godhead. The gift of the Holy Spirit is im- parted by God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 153 3 The triune God 3.5.3 Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the time of the Old Testament Since the Holy Spirit has existed eternally in unity with the Father and the Son, He was active during the creation and is active in the history of salvation. So it is that Holy Scripture provides abundant evidence of the Spirit’s activity in Old Testament times, despite the fact that there was no understanding of the Trinity at that time, nor any dispensation of Holy Spirit in the New Testa- ment sense. In the time of the old covenant, the Holy Spirit brought forth many promises concerning the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the new covenant. 3.5.3.1 The Spirit of God “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1: 2). This reference shows that the triune God, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, exercise creative activity in equal measure (Genesis 2: 7). When the Old Testament speaks of the “Spirit of God” it is referring to the Holy Spirit. He is not yet defined in His personality, but is rather described as a life-giving power. Examples for the activity of the Spirit of God are recorded from the time of Moses (Exodus 31: 3; Numbers 11: 25–29) and the Judges in Israel (Judges 3: 10; 6: 34; 11: 29; 13: 25), who—inspired by the Holy Spirit—led the people of the Lord with courage and strength in battle against their enemies. Kings of the people of Israel were also filled with the Spirit of God. Ex- amples include Saul (1 Samuel 10: 6) and David (1 Samuel 16: 13). Later on, Jesus Christ referred to the activity of the Holy Spirit through King David with the words: “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’” (Mark 12: 36). Here, as in other passages of the New Testament (e.g. Acts 154