The Crucified Messiah

With the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced . The Apostle Paul calls the Gift of the Spirit the “ Promise of the Father ,” and he links it to the Abrahamic covenant. The promises to the Patriarch and “ his Seed ” find their fulfillment in the New Covenant inaugurated by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. With Christ’s victory over Sin and Death, the Age of the Spirit dawned.

Paul anchors what God has done for us in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which also inaugurated the time of fulfillment - Galatians 1:1-5. The source of Paul’s apostleship is the same God who raised His Son from the dead. He died, and his Father resurrected him, “ to rescue us from this evil age .” In his Letter to the Galatians , the Apostle responds to critics who behave as if the old era were still in effect, insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised. They also question Paul’s apostolic authority.

The fullness, grace, and truth of God are found only in the Word that became flesh, namely, Jesus of Nazareth – John 1:14-18. The Prologue of the Gospel of John introduces key themes that are expanded in the book, including Life , Light , Witness , Truth , and Grace .  Jesus is the light of the world, the source of grace and truth, the true tabernacle, and the only born Son of God who dwells in “ the bosom of the Father .” Moreover, only Jesus is qualified to interpret the unseen God since he alone has seen Him.