Baptism, The Son And The Spirit

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν... βαπτίζεται δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐλογῶν τὰ ὕδατα καὶ καθαίρων αὐτὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἅγιος γὰρ ἐστιν ἁγίων ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος· καὶ οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐδεήθη τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, οὐδὲ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτιῶν τυχεῖν, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς κερδαίνομεν δι' αὐτοῦ· ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν. Ἐκπορεύεται μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἴδιον τοῦ Υἱου. Καὶ γοῦν εἴρηται πλεισταχοῦ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον Πνεῦμα· καὶ μαρτυρήσεται λέγων ὁ Παῦλος, ποτὲ μέν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστε ἐν σαρκὶ, ἀλλ' ἐν πνεύματι, εἴπερ Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν· εἰ δέ τις Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὕτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι δὲ ἐστε υἱοὶ, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν κράζον· Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ. Οὐκοῠν ἐκπορεύεται μὲν, ὡς ἔφη, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, χορηγεῖ δὲ αὐτὸ τῇ κτίσει καὶ δίδωσι τοῖς ἀξίοις ὡς φύσει τε καὶ ἀληθῶς Υἱος, ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ Λόγος, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀξιώμασι διαπρέπων. Καὶ γοῦν ἔφασκεν· Πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐμά ἐστι. Πῶς οὖν ἐβαπτίζετο, φησὶν, ἐδέχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ φαμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἥν ἐν χρείᾳ τοῦ ἅγίου βαπτίσματος ὁ Κύριος, ὁδὸν δὲ ἡμῖν ἐμενόησε σωτηρίας ὁ φιλάνθρωπος. Πιστεύοντες γὰρ εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱον καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, καὶ τὴν ἐξαίρετον ταύτην ὁμολογίαν ποιούμενοι ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων, πάντα μὲν ῥὺπον τὸν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἀπονιπτόμεθα, καταπλουτοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγιου Πνεύματος μέθεξιν, καὶ θείας φύσεως ἀποτελούμεθα κοινωνοὶ, καὶ τὴν τῆς υἱοθεσίας κερδαίνομεν χάριν. Ἥν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον, καθέντα πρὸς κένωσιν ἑαυτὸν τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγον, καὶ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὁμοίωσιν ὑπελθεῖν οὐκ ἁπαξιώσαντα, παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πράγματος ὑποτύπωσιν γενέσθαι καὶ ὁδόν. Ἵνα τοίνυν μάθωμεν καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος, καὶ ὅσα κερδαίνομεν τῇ τοιᾃδε προσιόντες χάριτι, ἄρχεται τοῦ πράγματος αὐτὸς, καὶ βαπτισθεὶς προσεύχεται, ἵνα σὺ μάθῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, ὅτι τοῖς ἅπαξ καταξιωθεῖσι τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος πρᾶγμα πρεπωδέστατον ἡ ἀδιάλειπτος προσευχή. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφαλ Γ' Source:  Migne PG 72.521b-524b

It was while all the people were being baptized that Jesus was baptized too, and there praying, suddenly heaven was opened... 1 The blessed Jesus is baptised in the waters, and for our cleansing, for the saint of saints is the Only Begotten Word of God, through certainly He did not have need of holy baptism, nor the consequent remission of sins which we earn through Him, for through His fullness we have gained all. 2 The Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, but He is also of the Son. Indeed often the Spirit which proceeds from God the Father has been called the Spirit of Christ. Paul bears witness, once saying: 'You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. For if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, He is not His.' 3 And again: 'Because, however, you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out 'Abba, Father.' 4 Therefore, as I have said, the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, and the true Son, the only born Word of God, adorned with the glory of the Father, supplies Him to created things, giving Him to those worthy as their own. Indeed He has said, 'Everything which the Father has is mine.' 5 Now someone might say: 'Why, then, was He baptized and did He receive the Spirit?' To which we say: The Lord was not in need of holy baptism, but for love of us He established the way of salvation. For believing in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and this excellent confession making before many witnesses, being cleansed from the filth of our sins, so we are made participents in the Holy Spirit, by which the grace of adoption as sons follows. Thus it was necessary that the Word of the Father, after He emptied Himself and did not refuse to take on our likeness, 6 be an example of good deeds for us, making the way. Therefore, that we might know the power of holy baptism, and how great the reward of grace it is that we might acquire, He first undertook that work. And being baptised He prayed, that you learn, beloved, that for those who were once worthy of holy baptism, perpetual prayer is most fitting. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chap 3 1 Lk 3.21 2 Jn 1.16 3 Rom 8.9 4 Galat 4.6 5 Jn 16.15 6 Philip 2.7