When
Adam and Eve sinned, there were lots of unpleasant
consequences. They began to feel guilty, they began
to have conflict in the family, the creation itself
was cursed, and in the end there was even death.
Worst of all, they were separated from God Himself
and driven from the Garden of Eden.
But God had a plan to save man from sin and from
all the consequences of sin -- including and especially
the separation from God caused by sin. He had a
plan to bring us back to him again. He announced
this plan to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3 when He promised
that through Abraham God would one day bless all
the nations and families of the earth. Later, God
explains that this blessing would come through
Abraham's offspring (Gen. 22:18).
The rest of the Bible explains exactly how God brings
this great blessing to all the nations of the earth
through the seed of Abraham. We can turn to the New
Testament for a quick answer to this question. In
Galatians 3:16, the apostle Paul tells us that the
offspring or seed of Abraham through which this great
blessing comes is Jesus Christ himself.
In Galatians 3:14, Paul explains exactly what this
great blessing would be. This great blessing which
God sends through Christ, the seed of Abraham, comes
to us when by faith we receive the Holy Spirit. Of
course, Jesus came to die for our sins with the result
that through him we might have the forgiveness of
sins. But this was only a means to a greater end.
He takes away the guilt of sin so that we might no
longer be separated from God and so that He might
live with us again. This is done when we at last
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which is the
gift of the very person and presence of God to live
in us. This is a truly great blessing!
In the Old Testament God on several occasions tells
about the time when He will send His Holy Spirit
to live within His people, a time when the separation
from sin will be taken away and He will himself come
to live within His people. For example, in Ezekiel 36:26-28,
God speaks of the time when He would put His Spirit
IN His people to move them to follow His will. In
Zechariah 12:10ff He speaks of the time when He would
POUR OUT on His people a spirit of grace. In Joel
2:28-32 God tells about a time when He would POUR
OUT His spirit on ALL flesh. Through Isaiah God also
points to a coming time when He would pour out His
Spirit on His people (Isaiah 44:3; 32:15). In every
such prophecy, it is clear that God is promising
to pour out His Spirit, not on merely a few, but
on all who will be His people.
When we come to the New Testament, the predictions
grow more prominent and begin to be fulfilled. John
the Baptist tells all his converts, "I baptize you
with water. But one more powerful than I will come... He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit..." (Luke 1:33; John 1:33). That which would distinguish
Jesus from John is that John baptized with mere water, but Jesus would baptize
with the Holy Spirit! It is clear that John is telling us that the great blessing
Jesus would bring would be the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself predicted that He would send the Comforter
from the Father (John 15:26), the very Holy Spirit
of God (John 14:26). This Comforter, this Holy Spirit
would not only be with the disciples to whom Jesus
was directly speaking -- He would be with the disciples
of Christ FOREVER (John 14:16)! This Holy Spirit
had been living WITH the disciples, but Jesus explains
that the time was coming when He would live IN them
(John 14:17).
Just prior to ascending to heaven, Jesus tells His
disciples to go to Jerusalem to wait for the power
from on high (Luke 24:49), to wait there for the
gift that had been promised regarding the baptism
of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). After Jesus finally
ascended back to His Father in heaven, the disciples
go to Jerusalem and wait for this promised Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:12). A few days later while they were all
together in one place, they are all filled with this
blessed Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). On this occasion,
the Holy Spirit gives them the amazing power and
ability to speak in languages they did not previously
know (Acts 2:4-13), and the people who see this are
amazed. Peter and the rest of the apostles begin
to preach about Jesus and they explain to the crowd
of people what is it that has happened.
He tells them God's prediction given through the
prophet Joel is now beginning to be fulfilled. "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit
on all people..." (Acts 2:17ff; Joel 2:28ff). God is now beginning to pour
out His spirit on all people. He is now beginning to put His Spirit IN His people
(Ezek. 36:26-27). Peter proceeds to preach to them what Jesus has done. He has
died for us and God has raised him from the dead. And now Jesus is exalted at
God's right hand, He has received the PROMISED Holy Spirit and has POURED OUT
this Holy Spirit first on the apostles (Acts 2:33).
Then Peter tells the people that they must everyone
repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the
remission of their sins and then THEY will also receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The PROMISE
is even to them and to their children and to ALL
whom God might call. What promise? In the context,
Peter is clearly speaking of the promise of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2:38) which Jesus had promised (Acts
2:33) and which God had in the Old Testament repeatedly
promised (Acts 2:17) and which He had in mind even
when He made His great promise to Abraham. Jesus
was the seed of Abraham through whom God would bless
all the nations of the earth by delivering us from
the guilt of sin so that He could come to live in
us again through His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14-16).
Much in the Old Testament is a shadow of what was
to come with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1-4). In the
Old Testament, the priests were washed, dressed and
anointed (Exodus 29:4-9; 40:12-15). Jesus Himself
is a priest who was anointed with the Holy Spirit
and power (Acts 10:38). The word "Christ" means "Anointed
One". Jesus is called Christ because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit
when He was baptized in water (Matthew 3:16-17).
All of this relates to us. Christians also are priests
(1 Peter 2:9). We also receive an anointing (1 John
2:20). Like Jesus, we are also anointed with the
Holy Spirit when we are baptized (Acts 2:38). We
have also been anointed with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.
1:21, 22) and with power (Eph. 3:16). This does not
mean that all Christians are given the same ability
to work miracles as the Holy Spirit gave to Jesus
and the apostles. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit does
empower all Christians in certain respects. The Holy
Spirit empowers all of us in our battle against Satan
to overcome sin and to live the life Jesus intends
for us to live. In this way we are able "to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Compare
Ephesians 6:10. We are Christians (anointed ones) because WE, like Jesus, have
been anointed with the blessed Holy Spirit who gives us power.
When the Old Testament priests were anointed, the
oil was POURED OUT on them (Ex. 29:7). When the apostles
received the Holy Spirit, Peter said that God was
now POURING OUT His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17).
Jesus had POURED OUT the promised Holy Spirit on
the apostles (Acts 2:33). But the apostle Paul says
that God RICHLY POURS OUT His Holy Spirit on us ALL
when He saves us from our sins (Titus 3:6).
