For Paul, the Spirit is God’s
empowering presence, a source of ethical righteousness, who is also the
instrument who mediates and applies the saving power of Jesus to the believer,
and who had a special role in the resurrection of the Son and of believers in
the future, and ushing in the new creation (e.g. Rom 1:4, 9; 5:5; 8:1-27;
12:4-8; 14:17; 15:13-16). Matthew knows of a more particular relationship
between Jesus and the Spirit with Jesus conceived by the Spirit (Matt 4:1), and
ministering in the power of the Spirit (Matt 11:28). There are differences
here, yet where Matthew and Paul appear to converge is viewing the Spirit as
divine agent, uniquely related to Jesus, manifested through Jesus, and mediated
from Jesus to the believer. (Michael F. Bird, Twelve Theses on Matthew and
Paul: The Jewish Gospel and the Apostle to the Gentiles,” in Craig A. Evans and
Aaron W. White, Who Created Christianity? Fresh Approaches to the
Relationship Between Paul and Jesus [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2020], 313-24,
here, p. 315)
