And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – Isaiah 11:1-2
By faith, we know that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. The Scriptures also describe disciples as children of God. What’s the difference? Jesus Christ was begotten directly by God’s Holy Spirit. As such, He is one with God the Father. He was guided and empowered by the Spirit at all times. In contrast, believers are born again of the Holy Spirit, but while in the flesh we retain the weaknesses and sinful tendencies we inherited from our forebears. Thus, we need salvation from ourselves.
Only by the power of God’s Spirit led Son could we hope in salvation. Only by His sacrifice in our place, do we hope. The most remarkable aspect of the life of Jesus Christ is that He gave eternal salvation. However through His life and ministry on earth, Jesus shared the Person of God in wisdom and understanding, counsel and might (power), knowledge and fear (reverence) of the LORD God.
By this revelation of God and the new birth (by that same Holy Spirit), disciples of Christ can see and hear the Truth of Christ’s teaching and example. By following after Christ, we avoid sin, error, and temptations saving ourselves from the world around us to enjoy the blessings of the abundant life of Christ given by the Holy Spirit. Thus we are doubly blessed by God in Christ Jesus: forever by His sacrifice on our behalf and today as we follow Him.
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