The Apostle Paul, who was sharply critical of human philosophy and so-called worldly wisdom, insisted that the wisdom of God is revealed in the Christ crucified—not in abstract speculation, but in the suffering and obedience of the Son, whose exaltation came through death and resurrection. This cruciform wisdom unveils the true nature of the Son: not as a co-equal deity in essence, but as the perfectly faithful human who learned through suffering, submitted to a will greater than his own, endured unto death, and was then raised and glorified by the power of the Father. This is the Jesus the New Testament presents: fully human, fully obedient, and forever exalted—made immortal by the Father, and destined to bring his followers into the same glorified humanity.
It is the Father more than anyone who reveals this truth, that He is God. It is He alone who says “I am God”. (Indeed, “Be still and know that I am God” is written in the Psalm, Psalm 46:10.) To the one who believes in this God, a disciple of God, and who loves God, the Father reveals what convinces them that Jesus is the Father’s Son. So begins the revelation step in the building of the living Temple of this living God.
They hear the gospel, the good news that the Christ came from God the Father, was given the name Jesus, and suffered and died on a cross in submission to the Father’s will, and that this was for us, for our moral purification. The good news speaks further: It says that the living God raised this Jesus from the dead, so he now lives to save us, and to mediate for us with the Father. We believe this Christ died for us and receive what he then gives us by the Holy Spirit: Purification. The Holy Spirit applies purification because of the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us, and for purification the Holy Spirit provides the revelation we need to train us in ways that are pure, as Heaven is pure. Then by this same Holy Spirit we are tasked with building up the church in love, as we do the tasks given us by God to do.
To keep on freeing us from moral impurity and to enable us to build up the church, the living Temple of God, we are given knowledge of the truth that is in Jesus. We learn the truth about the Father, God Himself, and then about His Son, Jesus. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44). To the truly blessed, God the Father initiates the process by revealing the identity of Jesus as His Son. This revelation is personal and spiritual, not just intellectual. It’s similar to Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus replied, “This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:16–17). It is grace-initiated, not man-initiated. Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood did not reveal this. This revelation establishes the foundation of faith. It typically starts with a few who receive such revelation who then go on to bring others into fellowship. The few have fellowship with the Father and the Son by abiding in, adhering to, what is revealed. They then preach to others who join them in fellowship.
We learn from Jesus that Jesus is Master, the Lord—human of perfection, full of love and fully loved by the Father, the Master of the household of God. Jesus recognises in this person the success of the revelation given by His Father, and revelation of Himself, and He applies anointing of the Holy Spirit to this person. Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). The anointing is the Spirit’s work of teaching, confirming, and empowering the believer. “But the anointing you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But... his anointing teaches you about everything...” (1 John 2:27). The anointing teaches that it is the Father who has created all things and who has woven into all of Nature a name He so loves—the name, brand, reputation of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God makes all this truth known through the anointing which is given to us—an anointing of the Holy Spirit. We learn the reputation behind the name of the Lord Jesus Christ which is so effective for saving us from our sins, and so effective for building us into the Temple together with others so anointed. Our faith in the sonship and lordship of Jesus grows into faith in the power of the reputation of his name. We learn to take action for his name, bringing others together by it, and blessing those gatherings, such that the power of the Holy Spirit enters and blesses these gatherings. The gifts by which the Holy Spirit anointing are various, including laying on hands by those designated for this ministry. It is all in the name of Jesus, though, and imparted as He sees fit. “There is no other name under heaven... by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The “name” represents Jesus’ authority, mission, and character. Through this, the believer acts in Jesus’ name—praying, serving, gathering others, and building the body. In fellowship with these blessed people and with others also in fellowship, we all learn from each other, while needing nobody outside this anointing to teach us.
In all this blessing for the sake of Jesus’ the church is built up. This brings glory to Jesus and to God his Father. It creates a family for God. This family is the true church. A key truth of the New Testament: that believers are not just individually saved, but joined together into a living Temple: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood...” (1 Peter 2:5). The Spirit-anointed disciples are drawn together in unity, and the Spirit blesses these gatherings in Jesus’ name. The result is a true family—not just an organization, but a relational body built by love and spiritual reality: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God...” (1 John 3:1). This family glorifies both the Son and the Father, as Jesus Himself prayed: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
