The answer
St. Irenaeus answers this question, saying, “For [God] promised, that in the last times He would pour Him [the Spirit] upon [His] servants and handmaids, that they might prophesy; wherefore He did also descend upon the Son of God, made the Son of man, becoming accustomed in fellowship with Him to dwell in the human race, to rest with human beings, and to dwell in the workmanship of God, working the will of the Father in them, and renewing them from their old habits into the newness of Christ … Wherefore also the Lord promised to send the Comforter (John 16:7), who should join us to God.”811
St. Cyril the Great says, “God the Father began to give again the Spirit, and Christ first received the Spirit as First-fruits of the renewed nature. For John bore witness saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven and It abode upon Him (John 1:32) … not for Himself did Christ receive the Spirit, but rather for us in Himself, for all good things flow through Him into us too. For since our forefather Adam being turned aside by deceit into disobedience and sin, did not preserve the grace of the Spirit, and thus in him the whole nature lost at last the God-given good, God the Word Who does know turning, needed to become Man, in order that by receiving as Man He might preserve the Good permanently to our nature. Of such mysteries will the Divine Psalmist himself too be our exponent: for thus he says to the Son, You loved righteousness and hated wrong, therefore God, Your God, anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows (Ps. 45:7).”812
He also says, “Let us consider again … that in the holy Prophets there was a certain rich shining upon and torch-illumination from the Spirit, mighty to lead them to the apprehension of things to come and the knowledge of things hidden: but in those who believe in Christ, we are confident that not torch-illumination simply from the Spirit, but the Spirit Itself dwells and has His habitation … let us understand him to mean the full and complete habitation in men of the Holy Spirit.”813
Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty
Notes
811 St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies 3.17.1–2 (ANF 1:444; PG 7:929–30).
812 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Volume 1 5.2 on John 7:39 (LFHCC 43:547–548) amended.
813 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Volume 1 5.2 on John 7:39 (LFHCC 43:550, 552) amended.