Answer
Gramps,
When did Jesus Christ receive the gift of the Holy Ghost?
Ashton
Answer
One of the more interesting questions in Latter-day Saint theology is this: When did Jesus Christ receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and who conferred it upon Him? It’s also one of those questions people frequently disagree about. Many have a misunderstanding as to when it actually happened.
The short and sweet answer is that we do not know. No scripture specifically identifies the moment when Jesus received the gift of the Holy Ghost, nor does any revealed source tell us who, if anyone, laid hands upon Him for that ordinance. However, the scriptures and teachings of modern prophets provide some important clues that help us understand Christ’s unique relationship with the Holy Ghost.
Many people assume that Jesus received the Holy Ghost when He was baptized by John the Baptist. After all, the New Testament records that immediately following His baptism, “the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him” (Luke 3:22).
Yet Latter-day Saints generally do not view this event as the moment Christ first received the Holy Ghost. Rather, it was a divine manifestation that publicly identified Him as the Son of God and the promised Messiah.
One reason for this conclusion comes from the Savior’s unique status. Unlike any other person born into mortality, Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. He was perfectly obedient and completely free from sin. The Apostle John declared:
“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34).
This scripture suggests that Jesus enjoyed a relationship with the Holy Ghost unlike any other mortal. Rather than receiving a limited measure of spiritual influence, He possessed the Spirit “without measure.”
The Book of Mormon also teaches that after Christ’s baptism, “the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove” (2 Nephi 31:8).
Nephi used Christ’s baptism as an example for all of us. He explained that Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and show us the path we must follow, including receiving the Holy Ghost.
One of the most important passages on this subject is found in Doctrine and Covenants 93. There, the Lord revealed that Jesus did not come into mortality possessing the fulness of divine glory He had enjoyed premortally:
“And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at first, but received grace for grace” (Doctrine & Covenants 93:12).
“And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness” (Doctrine & Covenants 93:13).
These verses teach that even Jesus experienced growth and progression during mortality. He advanced “from grace to grace” until He ultimately received a fulness of the Father’s glory.
President Lorenzo Snow offered a fascinating perspective on this process:
“When Jesus lay in the manger, a helpless infant, He knew not that He was the Son of God.”
President Snow explained that Christ, like us, passed through the veil and grew in knowledge and understanding over time.
This raises another question: If Jesus progressed “from grace to grace,” did He eventually receive the gift of the Holy Ghost through a priesthood ordinance?
The scriptures simply do not say.
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught that Christ’s relationship with the Holy Ghost was unique. Speaking of the Savior’s mortal life, he emphasized that Jesus had the Spirit in a fullness unlike any other person. He pointed to John 3:34, which teaches that God gave the Spirit to Christ “not by measure.”
Because Jesus was the source of priesthood authority rather than merely a recipient, many Latter-day Saint scholars believe that His situation differed fundamentally from ours. We require baptism and confirmation because we are fallen, mortal beings seeking covenant access to divine power. Christ, however, was sinless and possessed divine authority as the Son of God.
That does not mean ordinances were unimportant for Him. Quite the opposite. Jesus insisted on being baptized, even though He had no sins to repent of. He explained that it was necessary “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
Nephi further explained that Christ was baptized to demonstrate perfect obedience to the Father and to establish the pattern that all disciples should follow.
What we know for certain is that all three members of the Godhead were present at Christ’s baptism. Jesus stood in the water, the Holy Ghost descended in the sign of a dove, and the Father’s voice was heard from heaven.
Yet neither the Bible, the Book of Mormon, nor modern revelation records anyone conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost upon Jesus through the laying on of hands.
As a result, the Church has never issued an official statement identifying when that occurred or who performed it.
So where does that leave us?
The most doctrinally sound conclusion is that Jesus Christ possessed a unique relationship with the Holy Ghost throughout His mortal life. He progressed “from grace to grace,” received divine guidance perfectly, and ultimately received a fulness of the Father’s glory. The descent of the Holy Ghost at His baptism was a witness of His divine mission, not necessarily the first time He experienced the companionship of the Spirit. The exact details of when or how He received the gift of the Holy Ghost have not been revealed.
In the end, perhaps the more important lesson is not what happened to Jesus, but what He taught us. Through His example, He showed that all of God’s children should be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and faithfully follow the covenant path. Even though some details of His own experience remain unrevealed, His life demonstrates the perfect pattern of obedience, growth, and reliance upon the Father.
Gramps
