Pathways to Jesus Christ the Messiah

In the New Testament eschatological hope of the spirit of God proclaimed by foundational Prophets is fulfilled and emphasised in two elements: the permanent bearer of the Holy Spirit and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all people; self communication with God becomes available to everyone. These two elements are arguably linked through Jesus Christ who is identified as the Messiah on whom the Holy Spirit remains; this was shown at his baptism by its visible descent in form of a Dove, ( John 1.29:33).

It can be suggested that God chose Jesus to become the Son of God at the moment of his baptism excepting that John recognised the baptism of Jesus as the epiphany of the pre-existing Son, (John 1.29:34).

'The next day, seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said,'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me, I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water'. John also declared, I saw the spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit'. 'Yes I have seen and I am a witness that he is the chosen One of God'.

This is confirmed by Jesus himself in the Sermon on the Mount and the Nativity story; that emphasises conception by the Holy Spirit and not the virginity of his mother Mary, (Luke 1.35)

'But how can this come about since I am a virgin?'. 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you'..the angel answered and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow'.

The stories of Jesus turning Water into Wine, Walking on Water and making the catch of fishermen very much larger suggests that Jesus had power over creation through the spirit after his baptism where the reception of the spirit was observed. This confirms the notion by inference the Pre-existence of the Son and Pre-determination of His future through the fulfilment of foundational prophesy.

Those prophecies and water miracles were substantiated to allow the Son of God to become acceptable to Judaism and Egyptian religion through corresponding similarities to stories, myths and experiences depicted in Egyptian religion and the Book of Moses. The fulfilment of Old Testament prophesy and the mirroring of acts in Egyptian mythology amplifies the significance of realising the presence and acts of the Holy Spirit within the disciples and us all.

The whole life and ministry of Jesus was arguably directed by the Holy Spirit, (John 3.34),

'since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words: God gives him the spirit without reserve'.

through His saving acts and expressions of knowledge from Yahweh: Healing the Paralytic,( breaking the link between sin and disability, Mk 2.1:12),The Lord’s Prayer and raising Lazarus back to life became a repeated pattern in the apostolic preaching in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10.38).

These stories of healing...’links Jesus’ power as the power of God that link the power to forgive sins and therefore with divine authority’. (Goldstein, 1987.P142)

The Ministry of Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophesy; He was highly motivated to make it possible for everyone to Tabernacle together in and with the presence of the Holy Spirit and to be 'in Christ' for the first time.

This is confirmed through...’the reality of Christ is accessible only through faith and is made accessable through the Holy Spirit, (Rom 8.1:15)...to be ‘in Christ’ is the same as to be ‘in the Spirit’. (O.U.P. 1993, p288).