Brothers : The Holy Spirit and Jesus
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Jesus Son of God
Jesus was indwelt by the Lord God. You see this when Simon Peter answered Jesus on one occasion, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 1 Peter's acknowledgement that Jesus was "son" indicates his belief in that moment that Jesus was, in our modern language, "of the same gene pool" as the Creator God. Being son of the "living god" indicates Peter's belief in the power of Jesus as "living" which he had witnessed in the many miracles that Jesus had performed. This was not a dead powerless deity, but an alive one.
Another indication that the Lord God lived in Jesus was seen at Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus looking like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 2 This shows that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Lord God are members of the same family and share a family affection.
Jesus is called by the very powerful phrase, "the Word" at the opening of John's Gospel. This was a deliberate reflection of Genesis 1 "In the beginning was the word..." and is also reflected in the Epistles of John. The Apostle John in the first chapter of his gospel writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."3
Here, Jesus is described as being "with God" at the Creation and the stated belief that Jesus "was God." Thomas said it in a different way in his personal acclamation, "My Lord and my God!" 4 Christian leaders today being politically correct would rarely think of addressing Jesus as "God" in the face of other world faiths for whom Jesus is just a prophet, if that.
Paul urges the elders of the church at Ephesus, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." 5 We too are encouraged to look after the disciples of Jesus who are committed to our care.
Saint Paul uses a very interesting phrase in Romans concerning Jesus. In stating that Jesus is "God over all" he also adds new meaning to the phrase "made in the image of God" which is used of humankind. Paul writes, "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." 6 "Christ who is God overall" is a lovely and complete description of the deity of our Savior.
Meditation
Were the people right to have crucified Jesus?
Notes
1Matthew 16:16 2Luke 3:22 3John 1.1. 4John 20:28 5Acts 20:28 6Romans 9:5
"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
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