In the Old Covenant the Spirit was with God’s people, but He did not live within them (John 14:17). He moved upon certain people, such as kings and prophets, to fulfil His purposes. But it was not until the New Covenant that the Spirit would indwell His people permanently and would indwell all His people (1 John 3:24).
John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit and others in the Old Testament were filled (Ex 31:3), but this was for temporary ministry. They were filled in terms of being enabled, but not in terms of the New Covenant, where God’s people are born of the Spirit and are children of God. The term children of God is used in different ways in scripture. In the New Covenant it means to be born of the Spirit, to have the divine nature (Gal 3:26).
Before the day of Pentecost Jesus said to His disciples concerning the Spirit, “You know Him for He is with you, but He shall be in you” (John 14:17) and John said “… the Spirit… was not yet given, for Christ was not yet glorified” (John 7:39).
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Friday, 10 September 2010
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a person. He is God. He is a member of the trinity, the Godhead. He communicates the will of God to His people. He is God’s hermeneutician, who shows us God. He leads, guides, teaches and works miracles, all to point to Jesus Christ (John 16:13-14). He regenerates the believer into new birth and implants within them the new divine nature (Titus 3:5).
Christianity is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not a dogma, or believing certain things. It is not fulfilling certain requirements, or living a certain way, or following a certain type of religion or faith. We can do all of this and not be a Christian.
Christianity is the Holy Spirit within, sometimes referred to as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Only those who have the Holy Spirit are Christians. He comes to bring Christ into the heart, as Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives within me and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20).
If Christ is not alive within us, we are not a Christian (Rom 8:9). It is quite clear that God undertakes every part of our salvation by Himself. If He did not, then it would not work. He Himself, in His Son, died for our sin. He Himself, by His Spirit, brings us into His family.
Christianity is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not a dogma, or believing certain things. It is not fulfilling certain requirements, or living a certain way, or following a certain type of religion or faith. We can do all of this and not be a Christian.
Christianity is the Holy Spirit within, sometimes referred to as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Only those who have the Holy Spirit are Christians. He comes to bring Christ into the heart, as Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives within me and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20).
If Christ is not alive within us, we are not a Christian (Rom 8:9). It is quite clear that God undertakes every part of our salvation by Himself. If He did not, then it would not work. He Himself, in His Son, died for our sin. He Himself, by His Spirit, brings us into His family.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
The Work of Christ
Jesus taught the law in the Sermon on the Mount and at other times, to give us an understanding of our need of grace. He taught about the kingdom of God in parables, by using stories. His teaching was not subjective. He expounded the scriptures, giving a clear interpretation as to their intended meaning.
His teaching on the Spirit was prophetic, for it would not be fulfilled until His glorification, which was His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand. It was after this sitting down that the promise of the Spirit was to be given to the church (John 7:39).
The main work that Jesus did was His cross, burial and resurrection. He died to put away sin. Some have taught that He died only as an example of love and of turning the other cheek. This denies His atonement. Jesus died to do away with our sin.
The whole scripture testifies as to why Christ came, to put away sin and sacrifice once and for all by the offering of Himself and shedding His blood as a propitiation, that is, to satisfy the just requirement of God’s righteousness (Rom 3:25). As it is written, “The soul that sins must die.” (Ezek 18:20). Jesus came to take that death upon Himself for us.
The Resurrection of Christ
The resurrection of Christ was likewise in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, that His kingdom would follow His sufferings (Is 53:10-12) and David prophesying not only of the manner of His death by having His hands, feet and side pierced (Ps 22), but also of His resurrection, that His body would not be left to rot nor His soul in the grave (Ps 16:10).
Concerning the historicity of the resurrection, secular historians record Jesus’ miracles, teaching and death and the rapid growth of the church that followed and records claims that the church made of His resurrection. Historians record no evidence by the enemies of the church against the resurrection. Secular histories from the 1st Century that mention Jesus include Vellius Paterculus, the Fables of Phaedrus, Martial, Tacitus, Josephus, Statius and Quintillian.
If the resurrection is not true, then what happened to all the prophecies concerning Christ and why did all the witnesses give their lives attesting to the resurrection? All 12 disciples were martyred testifying to the resurrection. And why did the church grow so quickly and fill the Roman Empire and beyond in 40 years?
Jesus rose in the flesh. The same body that was crucified was also raised from the dead. He rose with an immortal body, the same flesh, but immortalized. He still had His wounds, but was able to pass through walls (Luke 24:36). He could eat for fellowship, but did not need that food to sustain His life in the flesh (John 21:15).
His teaching on the Spirit was prophetic, for it would not be fulfilled until His glorification, which was His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand. It was after this sitting down that the promise of the Spirit was to be given to the church (John 7:39).
The main work that Jesus did was His cross, burial and resurrection. He died to put away sin. Some have taught that He died only as an example of love and of turning the other cheek. This denies His atonement. Jesus died to do away with our sin.
The whole scripture testifies as to why Christ came, to put away sin and sacrifice once and for all by the offering of Himself and shedding His blood as a propitiation, that is, to satisfy the just requirement of God’s righteousness (Rom 3:25). As it is written, “The soul that sins must die.” (Ezek 18:20). Jesus came to take that death upon Himself for us.
The Resurrection of Christ
The resurrection of Christ was likewise in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, that His kingdom would follow His sufferings (Is 53:10-12) and David prophesying not only of the manner of His death by having His hands, feet and side pierced (Ps 22), but also of His resurrection, that His body would not be left to rot nor His soul in the grave (Ps 16:10).
Concerning the historicity of the resurrection, secular historians record Jesus’ miracles, teaching and death and the rapid growth of the church that followed and records claims that the church made of His resurrection. Historians record no evidence by the enemies of the church against the resurrection. Secular histories from the 1st Century that mention Jesus include Vellius Paterculus, the Fables of Phaedrus, Martial, Tacitus, Josephus, Statius and Quintillian.
If the resurrection is not true, then what happened to all the prophecies concerning Christ and why did all the witnesses give their lives attesting to the resurrection? All 12 disciples were martyred testifying to the resurrection. And why did the church grow so quickly and fill the Roman Empire and beyond in 40 years?
Jesus rose in the flesh. The same body that was crucified was also raised from the dead. He rose with an immortal body, the same flesh, but immortalized. He still had His wounds, but was able to pass through walls (Luke 24:36). He could eat for fellowship, but did not need that food to sustain His life in the flesh (John 21:15).
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Derived/Resident
The problem with viewing Jesus’ power as something that He attained to, is that it leads to a derived (acquired) rather than a resident faith. We have power because of who we are (identity) in Christ, not because of what we do through works of religion. This is one of the major crossroads in Christian faith. Our Christology matters! It affects the whole way that we live our Christian life.
It is also said that since Jesus grew in stature and grace then He grew as a man and, therefore, did receive a new power at His baptismal encounter. This Christology emphasises His humanity. This position is oversimplifying the mystery of His incarnation. He is 100% man and 100% God, which in chemistry does not make sense. The Christological debate is a main issue in Pentecostal views today.
His fasting and temptation in the wilderness were not His preparation for ministry, but He overcame temptation for us, as the second Adam and Head of a new family of the redeemed. The first Adam fell and all fell in him. The second Adam did not fall and all in Him are not fallen. He was tempted as a man, but could not have sinned as God. Our salvation was never “in the balance” in His temptation. He was victor already.
The Spirit Upon Jesus
The details of Spirit baptism will be dealt with in a subsequent chapter (excuse the pun). In relation to Christology, the Bible often says that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus (Matt 12:18, Luke 4:18, Luke 3:21). Some have pointed out a distinction between the Spirit coming upon us (power) and the Spirit filling or indwelling us (salvation). The terms are not a technical distinction: filling is also used for service in the Old Covenant (Ex 35:31, Luke 1:41). This filling though was not permanent for sonship then.
The term coming upon is used more in the Old Covenant for service (Num 24:2, Jud 3:10, 6:34, 11:29,14:6, 14:19, 15:14, 1 Sam 10:6, 10, 11:6 and many more, including Mary in Luke 1:35), in which Testament Jesus also ministered. The term upon is also used for the initial infilling of believers in the New Covenant (Acts 1:8, 8:16, 10:43-45, 11:14-16, 19:6). Upon can also refer to the outward visibility of what is already within.
After the initial baptism in the Spirit, which Christians received, the term most common in the New Testament for works of power is “being filled with the Spirit”, speaking of the Spirit already within the believer (Acts 6:3, 7:55, 11:24). We know that the Spirit filling of sonship is permanent (2 Cor 1:21-22, 1 Pet 4:14, 1 John 2:27). The permanent filling is the “anointing”, power enablement for sonship and charisma. We cover this more in other chapters, especially looking at what filled with and charisma refer to.
It is also said that since Jesus grew in stature and grace then He grew as a man and, therefore, did receive a new power at His baptismal encounter. This Christology emphasises His humanity. This position is oversimplifying the mystery of His incarnation. He is 100% man and 100% God, which in chemistry does not make sense. The Christological debate is a main issue in Pentecostal views today.
His fasting and temptation in the wilderness were not His preparation for ministry, but He overcame temptation for us, as the second Adam and Head of a new family of the redeemed. The first Adam fell and all fell in him. The second Adam did not fall and all in Him are not fallen. He was tempted as a man, but could not have sinned as God. Our salvation was never “in the balance” in His temptation. He was victor already.
The Spirit Upon Jesus
The details of Spirit baptism will be dealt with in a subsequent chapter (excuse the pun). In relation to Christology, the Bible often says that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus (Matt 12:18, Luke 4:18, Luke 3:21). Some have pointed out a distinction between the Spirit coming upon us (power) and the Spirit filling or indwelling us (salvation). The terms are not a technical distinction: filling is also used for service in the Old Covenant (Ex 35:31, Luke 1:41). This filling though was not permanent for sonship then.
The term coming upon is used more in the Old Covenant for service (Num 24:2, Jud 3:10, 6:34, 11:29,14:6, 14:19, 15:14, 1 Sam 10:6, 10, 11:6 and many more, including Mary in Luke 1:35), in which Testament Jesus also ministered. The term upon is also used for the initial infilling of believers in the New Covenant (Acts 1:8, 8:16, 10:43-45, 11:14-16, 19:6). Upon can also refer to the outward visibility of what is already within.
After the initial baptism in the Spirit, which Christians received, the term most common in the New Testament for works of power is “being filled with the Spirit”, speaking of the Spirit already within the believer (Acts 6:3, 7:55, 11:24). We know that the Spirit filling of sonship is permanent (2 Cor 1:21-22, 1 Pet 4:14, 1 John 2:27). The permanent filling is the “anointing”, power enablement for sonship and charisma. We cover this more in other chapters, especially looking at what filled with and charisma refer to.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Preparation For Ministry?
The baptism of Jesus is one of Pentecostalism’s strongest foundations for its theology. Jesus was about 30 years old, which under the law is the age required for priesthood (Num 4:3). He obviously was not receiving the Spirit for cleansing, for He had no sin, so it is thought that it must have been for ministry.
While it is understood by all that He could not have had sin, it is assumed by some that He did not yet have power. Others in the Old Testament received the Spirit for ministry, such as those who served in the tabernacle and the elders who helped Moses.
They were not born of the Spirit in the Old Covenant and so needed an external anointing, rather than simply a manifestation of the life of Christ already within. Luke speaks of the anointing in terms of ministry (Luke 1:67, 2:25), before the new birth and also speaks of Jesus’ ministry in this way (Acts 10:38).
In Acts 1:8 Luke continues the power theme for New Covenant Spirit baptism, but does not limit this power to service, showing that it includes “repentance and life” (Acts 10:15-18). Acts does not show a consistent anointing for power theme. It shows anointing for cleansing and for power. The Holy Spirit is seen consistently to work in regard to both these in one baptism.
Seeing Spirit baptism as power for service only and not in terms of New Covenant sonship is not the gospel. The meaning of empowering in the New Covenant is receiving power to become sons of God (John 1:12). The Greek word for power in John 1:12 is exousia, meaning “ability, privilege, force, competency, freedom, power…” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary).
This is the anointing (enablement) that John says we have all received (1 John 2:27). This power is not merely forgiveness, or authority, but a dunamis that changes the nature. We cannot be born again without dunamis (Greek for power, as in dynamite). “The gospel is the power (dunamis) of God to salvation…” (Rom 1:16). This gospel was received at Pentecost. See also 1 Cor 1:18 (dunamis).
Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted and then came out in the power of the Spirit. Some see this as a preparation for ministry and encourage others to follow the example for power. Nothing in the Gospels or the epistles of the New Testament supports this analysis. His power was not derived through works, but resident in Him as Son.
As God, the power was His own. As a Jewish man, He served under the law and was anointed by the Holy Spirit and gave Himself for our redemption. He was raised from the dead by the Spirit, but also through His own power (Rom 10:11) and by the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4). There is no doubt that the trinity act in concert in life of Christ. Concerning His life, Jesus said:
I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again…(John 10:17-18).
If we say that God anointed Him because He overcame temptation and fulfilled the law, besides the power that Christ already had as Son of God but submitted to the Father, then this also cannot apply to us in the New Covenant. Our anointing is freely given by the righteousness of Christ, through faith and it is not based on our own works.
While it is understood by all that He could not have had sin, it is assumed by some that He did not yet have power. Others in the Old Testament received the Spirit for ministry, such as those who served in the tabernacle and the elders who helped Moses.
They were not born of the Spirit in the Old Covenant and so needed an external anointing, rather than simply a manifestation of the life of Christ already within. Luke speaks of the anointing in terms of ministry (Luke 1:67, 2:25), before the new birth and also speaks of Jesus’ ministry in this way (Acts 10:38).
In Acts 1:8 Luke continues the power theme for New Covenant Spirit baptism, but does not limit this power to service, showing that it includes “repentance and life” (Acts 10:15-18). Acts does not show a consistent anointing for power theme. It shows anointing for cleansing and for power. The Holy Spirit is seen consistently to work in regard to both these in one baptism.
Seeing Spirit baptism as power for service only and not in terms of New Covenant sonship is not the gospel. The meaning of empowering in the New Covenant is receiving power to become sons of God (John 1:12). The Greek word for power in John 1:12 is exousia, meaning “ability, privilege, force, competency, freedom, power…” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary).
This is the anointing (enablement) that John says we have all received (1 John 2:27). This power is not merely forgiveness, or authority, but a dunamis that changes the nature. We cannot be born again without dunamis (Greek for power, as in dynamite). “The gospel is the power (dunamis) of God to salvation…” (Rom 1:16). This gospel was received at Pentecost. See also 1 Cor 1:18 (dunamis).
Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted and then came out in the power of the Spirit. Some see this as a preparation for ministry and encourage others to follow the example for power. Nothing in the Gospels or the epistles of the New Testament supports this analysis. His power was not derived through works, but resident in Him as Son.
As God, the power was His own. As a Jewish man, He served under the law and was anointed by the Holy Spirit and gave Himself for our redemption. He was raised from the dead by the Spirit, but also through His own power (Rom 10:11) and by the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4). There is no doubt that the trinity act in concert in life of Christ. Concerning His life, Jesus said:
I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again…(John 10:17-18).
If we say that God anointed Him because He overcame temptation and fulfilled the law, besides the power that Christ already had as Son of God but submitted to the Father, then this also cannot apply to us in the New Covenant. Our anointing is freely given by the righteousness of Christ, through faith and it is not based on our own works.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Jordan was His Annunciation
Both Luke and John say that the purpose of the Spirit alighting on Jesus at Jordan was not for His sake but for ours. “And I knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest, therefore I am come baptising with water.” (John1:31). The Father did three things to identify that Jesus was the Messiah to take away our sins:
1. He spoke from heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” (Luke 3:22).
2. He gave the vision of His Spirit alighting as a dove, to show that it is Jesus who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.
3. He sent John the Baptist to testify, saying to John ahead of time, “Him whom you see the Spirit ascending on as a dove, this is He. I sent you to bear witness of this to the world.” (John 1:31-34). This was the sign that the Father gave John.
So the purpose of the water baptism was not to empower Him who is eternal power, but it was for our sake: it was His manifestation to the world. “Behold the Lamb of God…” (John 1:29). That is what the text states. There is no mention, not even a hint, in the text that Jesus’ example is paradigmatic of a second experience for New Covenant believers.
When the Father said “This is My Son…” it was not for Him but for us. Jesus did not need reassurance. When He prayed for Lazarus He said, “I pray not for Myself, for You always hear Me, but for those who stand by…” (John 11:42). The purpose of Jesus’ baptism was so we could identify the one that the prophets said would come.
Pentecostalism is often similar to Nestorianism. It tends at times to see Jesus as a man needing help, not as God. This is a misconception of the Incarnation. Pentecostalism so builds up its Pneumatology (doctrine of the Spirit) that it’s Christology is left in tatters.
The Reformed position on Pneumatology is Christological. There is no separation. That is, the “Spirit proceeds from the Son.” (Nicene Creed). Jesus does not need to be baptized in the Spirit. Likewise, “He who has the Son has life.” (1 John 5:12). We receive Son and Sprit together.
1. He spoke from heaven, “This is My beloved Son.” (Luke 3:22).
2. He gave the vision of His Spirit alighting as a dove, to show that it is Jesus who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.
3. He sent John the Baptist to testify, saying to John ahead of time, “Him whom you see the Spirit ascending on as a dove, this is He. I sent you to bear witness of this to the world.” (John 1:31-34). This was the sign that the Father gave John.
So the purpose of the water baptism was not to empower Him who is eternal power, but it was for our sake: it was His manifestation to the world. “Behold the Lamb of God…” (John 1:29). That is what the text states. There is no mention, not even a hint, in the text that Jesus’ example is paradigmatic of a second experience for New Covenant believers.
When the Father said “This is My Son…” it was not for Him but for us. Jesus did not need reassurance. When He prayed for Lazarus He said, “I pray not for Myself, for You always hear Me, but for those who stand by…” (John 11:42). The purpose of Jesus’ baptism was so we could identify the one that the prophets said would come.
Pentecostalism is often similar to Nestorianism. It tends at times to see Jesus as a man needing help, not as God. This is a misconception of the Incarnation. Pentecostalism so builds up its Pneumatology (doctrine of the Spirit) that it’s Christology is left in tatters.
The Reformed position on Pneumatology is Christological. There is no separation. That is, the “Spirit proceeds from the Son.” (Nicene Creed). Jesus does not need to be baptized in the Spirit. Likewise, “He who has the Son has life.” (1 John 5:12). We receive Son and Sprit together.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
The Baptism of Jesus
Edward Irving, a Presbyterian minister in 1830 in London, who many regard as a forerunner of modern Pentecostalism, emphasised the humanity of Christ in a similar way to the Nestorians. He claimed that without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which he said Jesus received when He was baptized, He could do no miracles nor resist temptation. See Edward Irving's Incarnational Christology by David Dorries.
Pentecostal scholars today often claim that the experience of Jesus at Jordan is a pattern for all Christians. (See Roger Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke.) They claim that all believers need to be filled with the Spirit in a second experience, after being saved and that this filling is to empower them for ministry. This is how they define the term baptism in the Holy Spirit.
However, reading the texts in Luke and John we see quite a different statement of purpose for the Spirit alighting on Jesus like a dove at His water baptism. John, for example, shows how Jesus was the Word with all power well before His baptism, even before birth (John 1).
The reason that Jesus gave why no public miracles were done before His baptism was not that He lacked power, but because His time had not yet come for Him to be revealed (John 2:4). Jesus, as God, could do miracles at any time He pleased. He could have come down off the cross.
The only reason why Jesus did not do miracles at any particular time was because He was submitted to His Father’s programme. His will was in complete subjection to His Father’s will by choice. It was voluntary inability, not a dynamic inability.
At Nazareth He “could” do no miracles because of their unbelief (Matt 13:58). This was not unbelief in miracles, but unbelief in the Son. Because they did not honour the Son, the Father did not lead Christ to show forth His power. This is not inability in terms of lacking power. When He said He could do nothing but by the Spirit, He was not saying that He lacked power. He confessed the opposite, “Before Abraham was I am.” (John 8:58).
Jesus was always filled with the Spirit, because the Spirit proceeds from Him. He did not wait until Jordan to be filled with the Spirit. Jesus is a member of the trinity. There is never a time in which He is not filled with the Godhead. The position of both Roger Stronstrad (referred to above) and Irving seems a little like Nestorianism.
It seems to us that another difficulty with Stronstrad is that in drawing examples for Christians from before Pentecost, he does not acknowledge the distinction between the Old and New Covenants. He claims that Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) and others in the Old Covenant had the Sprit come upon them, or fill them, for service, which is true.
But saying that a coming on of the Spirit for ministry is a New Testament pattern is comparing apples with oranges. We cannot compare the two covenants. Whereas the Spirit upon was a term used in the Old Covenant for service, in the New Covenant it is used for initial baptism for sonship and service. After that there is a permanent indwelling of the Spirit in believers in the New Covenant.
Jesus ministered in the Old Covenant, fulfilling the law and thereby had the Spirit upon Him in the Old Covenant sense, though He could also have done anything at anytime as the Son of God. So the Spirit anointing Him, after He was about the age 30, could also have been associated with the law and therefore the Father’s time. This is not a New Covenant pattern.
Pentecostal scholars today often claim that the experience of Jesus at Jordan is a pattern for all Christians. (See Roger Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke.) They claim that all believers need to be filled with the Spirit in a second experience, after being saved and that this filling is to empower them for ministry. This is how they define the term baptism in the Holy Spirit.
However, reading the texts in Luke and John we see quite a different statement of purpose for the Spirit alighting on Jesus like a dove at His water baptism. John, for example, shows how Jesus was the Word with all power well before His baptism, even before birth (John 1).
The reason that Jesus gave why no public miracles were done before His baptism was not that He lacked power, but because His time had not yet come for Him to be revealed (John 2:4). Jesus, as God, could do miracles at any time He pleased. He could have come down off the cross.
The only reason why Jesus did not do miracles at any particular time was because He was submitted to His Father’s programme. His will was in complete subjection to His Father’s will by choice. It was voluntary inability, not a dynamic inability.
At Nazareth He “could” do no miracles because of their unbelief (Matt 13:58). This was not unbelief in miracles, but unbelief in the Son. Because they did not honour the Son, the Father did not lead Christ to show forth His power. This is not inability in terms of lacking power. When He said He could do nothing but by the Spirit, He was not saying that He lacked power. He confessed the opposite, “Before Abraham was I am.” (John 8:58).
Jesus was always filled with the Spirit, because the Spirit proceeds from Him. He did not wait until Jordan to be filled with the Spirit. Jesus is a member of the trinity. There is never a time in which He is not filled with the Godhead. The position of both Roger Stronstrad (referred to above) and Irving seems a little like Nestorianism.
It seems to us that another difficulty with Stronstrad is that in drawing examples for Christians from before Pentecost, he does not acknowledge the distinction between the Old and New Covenants. He claims that Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) and others in the Old Covenant had the Sprit come upon them, or fill them, for service, which is true.
But saying that a coming on of the Spirit for ministry is a New Testament pattern is comparing apples with oranges. We cannot compare the two covenants. Whereas the Spirit upon was a term used in the Old Covenant for service, in the New Covenant it is used for initial baptism for sonship and service. After that there is a permanent indwelling of the Spirit in believers in the New Covenant.
Jesus ministered in the Old Covenant, fulfilling the law and thereby had the Spirit upon Him in the Old Covenant sense, though He could also have done anything at anytime as the Son of God. So the Spirit anointing Him, after He was about the age 30, could also have been associated with the law and therefore the Father’s time. This is not a New Covenant pattern.
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