The justification or vindication of what he really was did not therefore come out of the fleshly sphere. He was not justified in the flesh. It came out of the sphere of his spiritual being. Glimpses of this pneumatic life (€v zvevpart) flashed out during his life in the flesh. By his exalted and spotless character, by his works of love and power, by his words of au- thority, in his baptism and transfiguration, he was vindicated as being what he essentially was and what he openly claimed to be. These justifi- cations were revelations, expressions, and witnesses of his original, essential spiritual and divine quality; of the native glory which he had with the Father before the world was. It was the Spirit that publicly indorsed him
* This explanation destroys the chronological order, since the appearing to angels, the preaching among the nations, and the being believed on in the world, followed the ascension. But I am not sure that the preservation of the chronological order is absolutely essential, or that it might not have been violated in the credal hymn. ‘The fact of the formal use of dvaNayBdvew by Luke to describe the ascension seems to me to be significant, especially in view of the numerous and striking affinities of vocabulary in Luke, Acts, and the Pastorals. Besides, there is absolutely nothing else to which the word can naturally be referred here. The explanation to which von Soden in- clines, that Christ was taken up in glory by Christians, either in the ascrip- tion of glory to him or in the glory thereby imparted to men, seems most unnatural and forced.
Cx. IV.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 243
(J. i. 32, 38): the words which he spake were spirit and life (J. vi. 63): he cast out demons in the Spirit of God (Matt. xii. 28): his whole earthly manifestation was in demonstration of the Spirit. These various demon-
_strations decisively justified his claims in the eyes of many. His disciples confessed him as the Christ of God (L. ix. 20): some of the people said “this is the Christ” (J. vil. 41): others suspected that he was such (J. iv. 29). Whether or not men acknowledged his claims, they felt the power of his unique personality. They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority (Matt. vii. 28, 29).
Then followed the more decisive vindication in his resurrection from the dead. Here the work of the Spirit is distinctly recognised by Paul, Rom.i.4. See also Rom. viii.11. In the period between his resurrection and ascension his pneumatic life came into clearer manifestation, and added to the vindication furnished in his life and resurrection. He seemed to live on the border-line between the natural and the spiritual world, and the powers of the spiritual world were continually crossing the line and revealing themselves in him.
In the apostolic preaching, the appeal to the vindication of Christ by: the Spirit is clear and unequivocal. The spiritual nourishment of be- lievers is “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philip. i. 19): the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. viii. 9; Gal. iv. 6}: Paul identifies Christ personally with the Spirit (2 Cor. iii. 17); and in Rom. viii. 9, 10, “Spirit of God,” “Spirit of Christ,” and “Christ” are used as convertible terms. The indwelling of the Spirit of Christ is the. test and vindication of belonging to Christ (Rom. viii. 9). Thus, though put to death in the flesh, in the Spirit Christ is vindicated as the Son of. God, the Christ of God, the manifestation of God.