What was the work of the Holy Spirit pertaining to Jesus while he was on the earth? A wide array of answers have been given, but there can only be one true answer and I intend to find it by the scriptures alone.

The first thing that we must place aside lest it be a major stumbling block to our view of all scripture is the idea that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same being. They are not the same person, and neither is the Father. In the very beginning it is told to us that these three are not the same person, but three distinct individuals. Genesis 1:26 records: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (see also Genesis 3:22, 11:7). Now, how do these scriptures harmonize with John 10:30, which is where Jesus said, “I and My Father are one”? If we keep reading the gospel of John, we would soon see the answer. In John 17:20-23, Jesus, while praying to the Father in heaven (thus indicating that he and the Father are not the same person), prayed for his disciples, that “they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us”. And there Jesus hands us the answer; he is not one with the Father in the sense that they are the same being, but he is one with his Father in unity. This unity shared between the Father and Son is the same unity that Jesus desires his disciples to have. Further, Jesus prayed “that they also may be in one in Us”, indicating that the oneness of the Father and Son is not limited to only the Father and Son, but to all disciples in Christ. This is a significant point that the Lord makes. It settles the matter once and for all that Jesus is not the same person as the Father or the Holy Spirit, his connection to them lies in the likeness of unity; so, if we are his disciples, and therefore live according to His likeness as well, then we too may be one with the Father, Son, and Spirit. This doesn’t make us the same person as God the Father, or anyone else for that matter, this makes us unified. Therefore, in consideration of Jesus and his connection to the Holy Spirit while he was in the flesh, we can move forward in our study knowing that the two persons are distinct, and operate distinctly, while being one in goal and purpose.

The scriptures teach that Jesus was God, always has been, and always will be. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-2, 14). Jesus was the word that said “Let there be light” in the beginning, and still today he is the word of the gospel, saying “let there be light” in our hearts (John 1:4). He is the voice that was heard through the prophets throughout the old testament, and near the first century, the one behind the voice that godly men had always followed “became flesh and dwelt among us”. One of the best descriptions of this fantastic situation is in Philippians 2:6-8. Paul, speaking of Jesus, said, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Paul makes several points here; first, Jesus “was in the form of God” before he came to the earth near the first century. This is in harmony with the scriptures that we’ve considered so far in this article. Jesus is God, and he remained in the “form of God” until the day that he “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” This critical message explains to us that Jesus, while still God, still the same person, left that form of heavenly glory, emptying himself of all powers and abilities that are found in the form of godhood, to take on the form of manhood. It is most important to recognize that, while he emptied himself of his true form, he was the same person when he took on flesh. He still knew who he was, where he had come from, why he had come, and he knew his voice which the prophets of old had long recorded. A good example of this is in Luke 2:41-52, where Jesus, at twelve years of age, spent three days in the midst of the teachers in the temple, “and all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” And he told his earthly parents “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” This shows the reality that Jesus, while restrained in the flesh from having the form and power of God, was still the same person as he had been from everlasting.

So, Jesus came to the earth as the same person, except without the power of Deity; however, this all changed in one glorious day, the day the Lord was baptized. Luke records important details of that day: “when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” When Jesus was baptized, Luke records that “the Holy Spirit descended on him”. This proves once again that the Holy Spirit is not the same person as the Son, but the two are distinct, and their work is distinct, yet in harmony. Luke even details exactly how this happened, and what it looked like. He states that the Spirit “descended on him in bodily form”. Now, many people believe that the Holy Spirit is an invisible force, or a spiritual essence, but this is not what the Bible would have us to believe. The Holy Spirit has a body! And in the case of Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven “in bodily form”. Luke also points out, as does Matthew (3:16), Mark (1:10), and John (1:32), that the Spirit’s descent was “like a dove”. Look at all four gospel accounts of this “like a dove” reference and it will become evident that the Spirit’s form did not look like a dove, nor did he descend embodying a dove/pigeon. No, he came in his own “bodily form” and his movement of descent was likened to a dove’s descent, which is a graceful and quick swooping movement. So, again, the dove does not represent the appearance of the Holy Spirit’s body, but the movement of his body.

At the baptism of Jesus, everything changes. For the Spirit did not swoop down for only a moment, but “He remained upon Him” (John 1:32), and from this point forward, Jesus would have the Holy Spirit remaining upon Him. Luke points this out well, for after Jesus is baptized, Luke says, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness” (Luke 4:1). So, Jesus leaves the water of baptism being “full of the Holy Spirit”. But what did that mean, and what effect did that have? Well, from this point on we see the Spirit working through Christ in a powerful way. Jesus can now see what’s in the minds of others (Mark 2:8), he has power over nature (Mark 4:39), he has control over demons (Mark 1:34), and can heal all manner of diseases, even having the power to raise the dead (John 11:43). And there were many other wonders, signs, and miracles that Jesus did. Remember that Jesus had “emptied himself” by “being found in human form” (Philippians 2:6-8). He was empty of all these great powers of God that can be seen in the gospel accounts. And for thirty years of his life, he lived in perfect righteousness by the Law of Moses, knowing who he was, and why he was on the earth, but still empty of godhood being restrained by manhood. It was for the last 3 or so years of his life on earth that the Holy Spirit rested upon him and God proved to all men that Jesus was in truth his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased.

Article by Tanner Campbell