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In Acts 13:32-39 we see Christ as the Firstborn of God, who was promised to the fathers and was begotten by God in resurrection to be His Firstborn. As the Firstborn of God, He is the holy and faithful things of David. Through such a One, forgiveness of sins is announced, and whoever believes in Him is justified from all things.
In Acts 13:32-33 Paul says, “We announce to you the gospel of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fully fulfilled this promise to us their children in raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; this day have I begotten You.’” Here we see that Christ as the Firstborn of God was promised to the fathers, and God fulfilled this promise to their children in raising up Jesus. Resurrection was a birth to the man Jesus. He was begotten by God in His resurrection to be the firstborn Son of God among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). He was the only begotten Son of God from eternity (John 1:18; 3:16). After incarnation, through resurrection, He was begotten by God in His humanity to be God’s firstborn Son.
Paul was able to see the Lord’s resurrection in the word in Psalm 2: “You are My Son; / Today I have begotten You” (v. 7). Paul applied the word today to the day of the Lord’s resurrection. This means that Christ’s resurrection was His birth as the firstborn Son of God. Jesus, the Son of Man, was born to be the Son of God through being raised up from the dead. Therefore, God’s raising up of Jesus from the dead was His begetting of Him to be His firstborn Son. We need to realize that the Lord’s resurrection was His birth.
The Lord Jesus had two births. First, He was born of Mary to be the Son of Man. Then thirty-three and a half years later He was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. Through resurrection He had a second birth, for as a man He was born in His resurrection to be the Son of God. Therefore, in His first birth He was born of Mary to be the Son of Man, and in His second birth He was born in resurrection to be the Son of God.
In His second birth the Lord Jesus was born to be the firstborn Son of God. According to the New Testament, He is the Son of God in two aspects. First, He was God’s only begotten Son; second, He is now God’s firstborn Son. The words only begotten indicate that God has only one Son. John 1:18 and 3:16 speak of the only begotten Son of God. Eternally speaking, Christ is the only begotten Son of God. This is His eternal status. But through resurrection He, as a man, was born to be the firstborn Son of God. The word firstborn indicates that God now has many sons (Heb. 2:10). Romans 8:29 and Hebrews 1:6 both speak of Christ as the Firstborn. We who believe in Christ are the many sons of God and the many brothers of the Lord, the many brothers of the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 8:29).
As the only begotten Son of God, the Lord is the embodiment of the divine life. The Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that as the Son of God He is the embodiment of the divine life (1:4). Through resurrection Christ became the firstborn Son of God as the life-dispenser for the propagation of life. First, He was the only begotten Son as the embodiment of life; now He is the firstborn Son for the propagation of life. Through His becoming the firstborn Son of God in resurrection, the divine life has been dispensed into all of His believers to bring forth the propagation of the life which is embodied in Him.
Here in Acts 13 Paul was not preaching Christ as the only begotten Son of God, as the Gospel of John does. Rather, here Paul was preaching Christ as the firstborn Son of God for propagation. For this reason, he preached the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as His second birth. Through His second birth, His birth in resurrection, Christ became the firstborn Son of God for the propagation of the divine life.
In 13:34 Paul speaks a further word regarding the resurrection of Christ: “As to His having raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to corruption, He spoke in this way, ‘I will give you the holy things of David, the faithful things.’” Verses 33 and 34 are concerned with the resurrected Christ. Verse 33 indicates that Christ’s resurrection was His second birth to bring Him forth as the firstborn Son of God. God promised to give Him to His people, and this resurrected One is the holy and faithful things of David. The phrase the holy things of David, the faithful things indicates that Christ was of David, for it was out of David’s seed that God raised up such a One. To God, the resurrected Christ is the firstborn Son, but to us, He is the Savior. Moreover, He is a great gift given by God to His chosen people, and this gift is entitled “the holy things...the faithful things.”
The Greek word for the holy things...the faithful things here is in the plural. The same Greek word is used for “Holy One” in the next verse, but in the singular. However, it is not the regular word for holy; it is a Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word chesed, which is translated “mercies” in Isaiah 55:3, 2 Chronicles 6:42, and Psalm 89:1, both in the Septuagint and in the King James Version. In Psalm 89 the word mercies in plural in verse 1 (KJV) is the same word as for Holy One in singular in verse 19. This Holy One is Christ, the Son of David, in whom God’s mercies are centered and conveyed. Hence, the holy things of David, the faithful things refers to the resurrected Christ. This is fully proved by the context, especially by “Your Holy One” in the next verse, and by the verse following Isaiah 55:3.
Paul’s thought in Acts 13:33 and 34 is very deep. The resurrected Christ, who is God’s firstborn Son brought forth through His second birth, His resurrection, is the holy and faithful things. In verse 34 the word faithful means “trustworthy.” The resurrected Christ is the holy and faithful things God gives to us. Here Paul indicates that the resurrected Christ is not only our Savior bringing us God’s salvation and that He is not only the firstborn Son of God. This resurrected One is also the holy and faithful things as a gift given to us by God.
It is easy for us to understand that Christ is our Savior. It is more difficult to understand that Christ is the firstborn Son of God. But it is very difficult to understand that the resurrected Christ is the holy and faithful things given to us by God. The holy and faithful things cover a wide span, a span much wider than that covered by the titles “Savior” and “firstborn Son.” The phrase “the holy things...the faithful things” is actually a divine title, a title of Christ. In these verses Christ is called the holy and faithful things. The Savior God raised up out of the seed of David has become the holy and faithful things.
These holy and faithful things are all the aspects of what Christ is. According to the New Testament, Christ is life, light, grace, righteousness, holiness, sanctification, and justification. He is also the bread of life and the living water. Furthermore, the holy and faithful things include all the aspects of Christ unveiled in 1 Corinthians: power, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, glory, the depths of God, the unique foundation of God’s building, the Passover, the unleavened bread, the spiritual food, the spiritual drink, the spiritual rock, the Head, the Body, the firstfruits, the second man, and the last Adam. We see many more aspects of Christ in the Gospel of John, such as the Shepherd and the pasture. Oh, how much Christ is to us as the holy and faithful things! As the resurrected One, He is the firstborn Son, the Savior, and all the holy and faithful things.
In the Old Testament the holy and faithful things are regarded as mercies. Isaiah 55:3 speaks of “the sure mercies shown to David.” Second Chronicles 6:42 mentions “the mercies of David,” the Lord’s servant, and Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.” Mercy implies both love and grace, but it reaches further than love. Where love and grace cannot reach, mercy can reach. All the holy and faithful things are Christ Himself as mercies to us. Life is a mercy, and light is also a mercy. Likewise, righteousness, holiness, justification, and sanctification are mercies. In chapter ten of the Gospel of John we have the door, the pasture, and the Shepherd, all of which are mercies. If we took time to count all the aspects of these mercies, we would have a long list of mercies. A husband’s love for his wife and the wife’s submission to her husband are Christ as mercies to us. If a husband, in Christ, loves his wife, this surely is a mercy. His love for her is Christ Himself as a mercy to him. In a similar way, if a sister, in Christ, submits to her husband, that also is a mercy. Her submission is Christ Himself as a mercy to her.
Our speaking the word of God year after year inexhaustibly is certainly Christ as a mercy to us. This is not a matter of our ability or gift. It is altogether a matter of mercy. Not only is it a mercy for us to speak the word of God, but even the dear Savior is our speaking. Our speaking is Christ, and to us this speaking Christ is a mercy. Though our speaking may not be eloquent, our speaking may be full of Christ. This is wholly due to Christ being a mercy to us in speaking the word of God.
We all need to see that the resurrected Christ is all the holy and faithful things as mercies given to us by God as an all-inclusive gift. This was the Christ preached by Paul in Acts 13. Paul, in his gospel message, not only preached Christ from the Old Testament, but also preached the resurrected Christ as the holy and faithful things. Actually, what Paul proclaimed here in his preaching of the gospel requires all the Epistles written by him for its definition. Therefore, if we want to see more concerning Christ as the holy and faithful things, we need to study the fourteen Epistles of Paul. In his preaching Paul set up an excellent pattern for us to follow in our gospel preaching today. Like Paul, we need to preach Christ in a rich and uplifted way.
In Acts 13:38 and 39 Paul goes on to say, “Therefore let it be known to you, men, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is announced to you; and from all the things from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, in this One everyone who believes is justified.” To be forgiven of sins (v. 38) is on the negative side and is for our release from condemnation. To be justified (v. 39) is on the positive side and is for our reconciliation to God and acceptance by Him.
In both verse 38 and verse 39 Paul speaks of “this One.” Who is this One? This is the One who has been resurrected to be God’s firstborn Son, our Savior, and the many holy and faithful things. Therefore, through the One who is the holy and faithful things as God’s mercies to us, we are forgiven and justified. Through the One who is the firstborn Son, the Savior, and the holy and faithful things, forgiveness of sins has been announced to us. And through this One we are justified from all the things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses.
The One by whom we are forgiven and justified is not only our Savior; He Himself is our forgiveness and justification. Both forgiveness and justification are mercies from God to us, and these mercies are aspects of the resurrected Christ. Today Christ in His resurrection is our forgiveness and our justification. Never consider forgiveness and justification as something apart from Christ. Both forgiveness and justification are aspects of Christ Himself as mercies from God to us, and these mercies are holy and faithful things. To be sure, forgiveness and justification are gifts of God, and they certainly are holy and faithful things. If we have this understanding, we shall see that forgiveness and justification are not common. Rather, they are holy. Furthermore, they are faithful, sure, trustworthy. This is Paul’s preaching of Christ as the Firstborn of God in Acts 13, through which many were saved.
Acts 16:6-7 indicates that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, who guided the apostles in their ministry. Speaking of Paul and his co-workers, these verses say, “They passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, yet the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” The move of the apostle Paul and his co-workers for the spread of the gospel was not according to their decision and preference or according to any schedule made by human council, but by the Spirit of Jesus.
Just as the Spirit of Christ is the reality of Christ, so the Spirit of Jesus is the reality of Jesus. If we do not have the Spirit of Jesus, Jesus will not be real to us. But today Jesus is real to us because we have the Spirit of Jesus as the reality, the realization, of Jesus. Jesus was a man who continually suffered intense persecution while He was on earth. Therefore, the Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of a man with abundant strength for suffering. He is the Spirit of a man as well as the Spirit of suffering strength.
As an evangelist, Paul went out to preach, and he also suffered. In that suffering he needed the Spirit of Jesus because in the Spirit of Jesus there is the suffering element and the suffering strength to withstand persecution. In our preaching today we also need the Spirit of Jesus to face the opposition and persecution. The Spirit of Jesus is not only the Spirit of God with divinity in Him that we may live the divine life but also the Spirit of the man Jesus with humanity in Him that we may live the proper human life and endure its sufferings.
We need to pay careful attention to two divine titles in verses 6 and 7 — “the Holy Spirit” and “the Spirit of Jesus.” The interchangeable use of these two titles reveals that the Spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” is a general title of the Spirit of God in the New Testament. “The Spirit of Jesus” is a particular expression concerning the Spirit of God and refers to the Spirit of the incarnated Savior who, as Jesus in His humanity, passed through human living and death on the cross. This indicates that in the Spirit of Jesus there is not only the divine element of God but also the human element of Jesus and the elements of His human living and His suffering of death as well. Such an all-inclusive Spirit was needed for the apostle’s preaching ministry, a ministry of suffering carried out among human beings and for human beings in the human life.
In Acts 16 Luke first speaks of the Holy Spirit and then of the Spirit of Jesus — two titles for the Spirit of God not found in the Old Testament. The title “the Holy Spirit” was used for the first time at the conception of the Lord Jesus. It was when the time came to prepare the way for Christ’s coming and to prepare a human body for Him to initiate the New Testament dispensation that the term “the Holy Spirit” came into use (Luke 1:15, 35; Matt. 1:18, 20). In order to understand the first usage of the title “the Holy Spirit,” we need to see that this title is involved with the Lord’s incarnation. Hence, according to the principle of first mention, the Holy Spirit is related to Christ’s incarnation and birth. This title indicates God’s coming into man to be one with man in incarnation. In the New Testament, the title “the Holy Spirit” indicates that God is now mingling Himself with man.
In Acts 16:7 Luke turns from the Holy Spirit to the Spirit of Jesus. As a man, Jesus first lived a human life and then was crucified and resurrected, and He ascended to the heavens and was made Lord and Christ. Thus, the Spirit of Jesus implies the Lord’s humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension.
In Acts 16 we see that the move of the apostles in their evangelistic work was, strictly speaking, not by the Spirit of God. Rather, it was by the Holy Spirit, who was involved with the Lord’s incarnation and birth, and by the Spirit of Jesus, who was involved with the Lord’s humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. These two divine titles indicate strongly that Paul’s move in his evangelical work was not something in the way of the old dispensation. If it had been a move in the old dispensational way, then the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Jehovah should have been mentioned. But in Acts 16 there is no mention of the Spirit of God or of the Spirit of Jehovah. Instead, we are told that Paul and his co-workers were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia and were not allowed by the Spirit of Jesus to go into Bithynia. The fact that Luke speaks of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus indicates that the evangelical work of the apostles was a new move in God’s New Testament economy.
God’s New Testament economy is carried out through the Lord’s incarnation, humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus include these matters. This means that the Spirit, who is now called the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus, is the totality and ultimate consummation of Christ’s incarnation, humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. When we have this Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus, we have Christ in His incarnation, in His humanity and human living, and in His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Elsewhere we have pointed out that after His resurrection and in His resurrection Christ became the pneumatic Christ. The pneumatic Christ is identical to the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). The Holy Spirit, who is also the Spirit of Jesus, is the totality of this pneumatic Christ. The pneumatic Christ is constituted of certain elements: incarnation, humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. In the entire universe He is the only One who possesses these six qualifications. Only He is qualified with incarnation, humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. Hence, the Spirit of Jesus is the realization of this qualified Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus is the totality of such an all-inclusive One. In Acts 16 Paul and his co-workers were moving under the direction of such a Spirit, the Spirit who is the totality of the all-inclusive Christ.
The Spirit of Jesus is the totality and realization of Christ as the uniquely qualified One, the One qualified through incarnation, humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of the One with humanity, who lived a human life on earth for thirty-three and a half years, who died an all-inclusive death, who resurrected from the dead to propagate the divine life by imparting it into all His believers, and who ascended to the heavens to be made Lord and Christ. The Spirit who did not allow the apostles to go into Bithynia was the Spirit of this Jesus. This Spirit is the totality and the full realization of the all-inclusive Jesus. These verses prove that the apostles were moving under the direction and guidance of such an all-inclusive Spirit.
The kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided, directed, instructed, and constituted. Paul was not constituted of the Spirit of God or of the Spirit of Jehovah but of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus. As a vessel containing the Triune God, Paul was fully constituted of the Holy Spirit, who was involved with the Lord’s incarnation and birth, and of the Spirit of Jesus, who was involved with the Lord’s humanity, human living, all-inclusive death, life-imparting resurrection, and ascension. Paul was a person constituted of this all-inclusive Spirit. Thus, when he came out to preach, he could truly preach Jesus Christ.
We need to be impressed with the fact that the kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the Spirit by whom we are guided and of whom we are constituted. Actually, this Spirit should become our constitution. Then our work will be the expression of this Spirit, and we will do a work for Jesus as the incarnated One with humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. If we are constituted of the Spirit of Jesus, we will do the work of ministering Jesus as the all-inclusive One and convey Him as such a One to others.
