Chp.88-89 - Christ Received The Holy Spirit As A Sign Of The Fulfillment Of The Old Covenant

“Now, it is possible to see amongst us women and men who possess gifts of the Spirit of God; so that it was prophesied that the powers enumerated by Isaiah would come upon Him, not because He needed power, but because these would not continue after Him. Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 243). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin continues to wrestle with Trypho about the pre-existence of Jesus as Yahweh, as we discussed in our last post, but here Justin deals with another "sign" of the new covenant, which is the baptism of Christ. But first Justin mentions that those miracles/"signs" that rested upon Christ do not continue after him because they were only given to validate his personal claims of being the Christ (Lk.11:20). The purpose of those signs given were to declare his coming and annulling of the first covenant because he is the fulfillment (Matt.5:17,18;Lk.24:44) and was to accomplish it (Jn.19:30). So leading up to this point Justin reminds Trypho what was already given as a sign to his coming in the flesh. Again, having reviewed the pre-existence of Jesus as Yahweh, Justin reminds, once again, of the virgin birth, the Magi from Arabia who worshiped the Child as rightful heir to the throne of David, and was preserved until the day of his baptism into the heavenly ministry of the earth, joining the kingdom of heaven to the heart of Israel's children (Lk.17:21). And then, when Jesus had gone to the river Jordan, where John was baptizing, and when He had stepped into the water, a fire6 was kindled in the Jordan; and when He came out of the water, the Holy Ghost lighted on Him like a dove, [as] the apostles of this very Christ of ours wrote. Now, we know that he did not go to the river because He stood in need of baptism, or of the descent of the Spirit like a dove; even as He submitted to be born and to be crucified, not because He needed such things, but because of the human race, which from Adam had fallen under the power of death and the guile of the serpent, and each one of which had committed personal transgression. Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 243). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. So Justin has brought Trypho, once again, back to this question of Christ's pre-existence with the Father. It is in this baptism, where the sign from heaven testifies that Jesus was with the Father before the foundation of the world (Matt.3:17); and for our sake being called the Son, the sign given to us of the covenant that the Father made with him (the new covenant) was the symbol of peace (Mk.1:10;Lk.22:20), showing that peace with God shall only come through the Father's chosen and approved Mediator to preach (Mk.1:15;Lk.4:43) and to fulfill this particular ministry (Matt.3:15;1Tim.2:5). [The Skeckinak probably attended the descent of the Holy Spirit, and what follows in the note seems a gratuitous explanation. The Ebionite corruption of a truth need not be resorted to. See chap. cxxviii: The fire in the bush.] Justin learned this either from tradition or from apocryphal books. Mention is made of a fire both in the Ebionite Gospel and in another publication called Pauli prædicatio, the readers and users of which denied that the rite of baptism had been duly performed, unless quam mox in aquam descenderunt, statim super aquam ignis appareat. Roberts, A., Donaldson, J., & Coxe, A. C. (Eds.). (1885). The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin mentions nothing of Ebionites and so we need not be side tracked to head down a rabbit trail of Roman tradition to be left into further confusion by the traditional schools of thought. If we stay on target, and allow the Word to shape us, we need not assume that Justin intends a literal fire being kindled in the river Jordan, but that the "water" baptism of Christ marked the ministry that he was being sent into, to perform, which was to baptize the soul with fire. Which meant that Christ's ministry was to impart the Word that will consume away the sin and image of the first Adam and recreate man in the image and nature of the last Adam (1Cor.15:45). Therefore the image that descended was not in a cloud but of the natural order of a dove. We need not confuse this sign with the transfiguration in the glory of God which did descend in a cloud around the Christ (Matt.17:5), which also was a sign and reaffirmation of Christ's pre-existence with the Father. Christ will baptize men with the Holy Spirit and send them on the mission of the ministry of the Word, which He himself carried to his own death and resurrection in the souls of men who will be made into the resurrection life (Jn.11:25). These are his offspring, and his Word is what has begotten them and made them fruitful (Gen.1:28;Matt.21:43;Col.1:9-16). Where Adam failed to be fruitful in the multiplication of his offspring, Christ bore fruit in the multiplication of the offspring of the Word. In Adam all die, but in this Christ, the Lord Jesus of Nazareth, all are made alive to God (1Cor.15:22). Therefore, apart from Him we can do nothing that is good in the sight of the Father (Jn.15:1-11). But Justin also wants us to see the purpose for "water baptism." It is the "sign" of the church of Christ, of which He instituted as the means of this ministry of preaching the Word. Only those baptized are its members, and each member has his own key of faith that empowers the ministry of this Word. A church that doesn't bear this sign are not given the keys (of Him (Rev.1:18)) to administrate this ministry of life and death in the soul (2Cor.3:7). Therefore how we believe and practice this sign depends on the operation of the Spirit in the church. A church that does not bear this sign will bear no fruit to God in the eternal sense of resurrection life. Therefore, to Justin, this is a big deal that we get baptism right. If we get baptism wrong, we are members of a false rite, or sign gift, and exercise the wrong keys, of which God is not a work in its false doctrine, bearing no interest to God (Matt.25:26;1Cor.11:29). Therefore, as Justin already introduced at the beginning of the post, the church brings no other "sign" or miracle other than the "natural order" of baptism and the Lord's table. It is the authority upon which its members enter the ministry of the Word. Resisting this "natural order" may incur a supernatural judgment from the LORD who sees and knows all things (2Tim.2:19;1Cor.11:29;Rev.11:3-6). Matthew 3:7–12 (NKJV) 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” John 3:2–8 (NKJV) 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Justin also wants us to be aware that this Christ was not of the human race (Jn.8:23) which magnifies his "pre-existence." This man was God of very God from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8). This man is not of this world nor born of its nature and sin (Ps.51:5;Phil.2:5-6). He is utterly outside of its boundaries and limitations (Matt.14:25). Adam, in his sin, had subjected the whole of creation under death and destruction for violating the commandment (Gen.2:17), falling from the grace that the LORD had purposed for his offspring (Gen.1:28). And so, his offspring were made into another "race," yes, one race of sinners (Rom.5:19), made from the same lump of clay(Rom.9:19-24), the very dust of the earth (Gen.2:7). But in Christ the breath of everlasting life will recreate them into an eternal race of one holy and pure kingdom--the kingdom of God (Jn.20:22). In Adam, the kingdom of men shall perish, but in Christ, the kingdom of God endures forever and ever, because they have been born from above in the ministry of the eternal Word, breathing in and out the life and breath of Christ (Phil.1:21). And so, those who accept that men are totally depraved, in every faculty of the human person, which is corrupted by sin, reason, therefore, inconsistently when they teach that every soul coming into this world is made in the image of God. This is simply inconsistent with what they already know to be true. Therefore, while they practice a heresy, they are not heretics; they simply have not reasoned it through to its only conclusion—man, apart from Christ, left to himself, is made in the image of sin and death. Then Trypho remarked, “Be assured that all our nation waits for Christ; and we admit that all the Scriptures which you have quoted refer to Him. Moreover, I do also admit that the name of Jesus, by which the son of Nave (Nun) was called, has inclined me very strongly to adopt this view. But whether Christ should be so shamefully crucified, this we are in doubt about. For whosoever is crucified is said in the law to be accursed, so that I am exceedingly incredulous on this point. It is quite clear, indeed, that the Scriptures announce that Christ had to suffer; but we wish to learn if you can prove it to us whether it was by the suffering cursed in the law.” Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 244). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. And so, Trypho naturally needs assurance that Christ crucified, which is to say "accursed," is the power of God unto salvation. This is offensive and unreasonable to the natural mind of a Jew. But this is because Isaiah had not been expounded properly by the rabbis of those scattered in the Diaspora and a lack of the exposition of the symbols of the sacrificial law, which defined justification, imputation, expiation and propitiation. Without these a crucified Christ wouldn't make any sense. So these were the things that Christ preached before he finally gave his life in death. I replied to him, “If Christ was not to suffer, and the prophets had not foretold that He would be led to death on account of the sins of the people, and be dishonoured and scourged, and reckoned among the transgressors, and as a sheep be led to the slaughter, whose generation, the prophet says, no man can declare, then you would have good cause to wonder. But if these are to be characteristic of Him and mark Him out to all, how is it possible for us to do anything else than believe in Him most confidently? And will not as many as have understood the writings of the prophets, whenever they hear merely that He was crucified, say that this is He and no other?” Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 244). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin will now, once again, declare what is means for Christ to be crucified. But Trypho is not the only one who struggled with this question. Gentiles who became proud, and exercised their gifts, only to find out that the gifts given were not a continuation of the same power and magnitude as the Lord himself, which Justin also addressed at the beginning of this post, struggled with this question. Those authentication gifts ceased with the Lord and his first apostles to establish the objective Word in written form (2Pet.1:19). These Gentiles who went beyond the natural revelation in the written Word were calling Christ accursed for failing to accept the discipline that the Word invoked, which was the promise of persecution, as illustrated in Christ crucified. These were not speaking by the sign and seal of the Holy Spirit. These believers were to expect the same treatment, but some for fear of persecution invented "miracles" to fool the naive into exalting themselves above others in pride. So Paul explains the image/pattern of gifts, yes, even the order by which they have been used in the church. I'm not going to expound this, here, because it will lead us down a whole another rabbit trail, but I want to leave you with the context in which these Gentiles called Christ accursed. 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 (NKJV) 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. Surely, Christ is not accursed because he has risen and ascended from the grave and was taken down from the cross. And so all these "signs" speak of Jesus of Nazareth as more than a mere man, or prophet, but as the eternal Word, and for our sake the Son of God, who was given as the perfect Mediator to make peace with God on our behalf. This is the gospel of Christ which is the power unto salvation.