Hey guys,

I have a question. I thought the spirit of God was already with Jesus but it says it descended on him at his baptism. So was it not with him before?

J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for your question about the holy spirit descending upon Christ at His baptism by John, and whether the holy spirit was with Him before that time.
The answer, without any doubt, is that the holy spirit was definitely with and upon Christ well before that time, although it is not at all “thinking above what is written” to state that Christ Himself, just “like the children… of Abraham”, grew in that spirit as He matured.

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Unlike any other person, including “the first man Adam”, Christ was born “of the holy spirit” from his mother’s womb, and like the first Adam, He did not have a physical father. The word translated ‘Ghost’ in the King James, is the Greek word ‘pneuma’ and it is the exact same Greek word translated as ‘spirit’.

Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Christ was the firstborn of all of His siblings. As such, being born into a devout Jewish family, His parents had to take Him to the temple and dedicate him to God with the proper proscribed offering. When that was accomplished, they returned to Nazareth, and this is what we are told:

Luk 2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
Luk 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

So there it is. As Christ matured He also matured “and waxed strong in spirit…” many years before He was baptized by John ‘about the age of 30’.

Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Why then are we told that the spirit descended upon Christ when He was baptized of John? Here is the answer to your question, and it is a witness to all men of all time who are given the faith of Jesus Christ:

Joh 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
Joh 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
Joh 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

We are not aware of how big a star, of sorts, John the baptist was in his time. John was so highly respected by the masses at the time of Christ’s baptism that when Christ asked the chief priest and the elders of the Jews about the authority of the baptism of John, they had to remain silent or convict themselves because John was that well respected:

Mat 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
Mat 21:24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mat 21:25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
Mat 21:26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
Mat 21:27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

So our heavenly Father worked all things so that John’s witness of Christ’s Messiahship was accepted by the multitudes when he, John the baptist, told his own disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world”.

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

I hope these verses of God’s Word help you to understand that the spirit was with Christ from His mother’s womb, that Christ grew in that spirit as He matured, and that John’s witness of the holy spirit descending upon Christ, was for the purpose of witnessing to His Messiahship rather than to inform us that the spirit had not been with Christ until that time.

Your brother in that same spirit,
Mike