Section 4
a Nazarite is a volunteer. Therefore, John the Bap tist had a dual status. On the one hand, as a priest he was chosen by God; on the other hand, as a Nazarite he was a volunteer. John volunteered himself to serve God.
Luke 1:15 says that John was to be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. The Holy Spirit is the first divine title ascribed to the Spirit of God in the New Testament. Such a title was not used in the Old Testament. (In Psa. 51:11 and Isa. 63:10-11 "the Holy Spirit" should be translated "the Spirit of holiness.") It was at this time, for the initiation of the gospel of God, to prepare the way for the Savior's coming and to prepare a human body for Him, that this divine title of God's Spirit was used. The prepar ing of the way for the Savior's coming required that His forerunner be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, so that he could separate the people unto God from all things other than God, making them holy unto Him for His purpose. The preparing of a human body for the Savior required that the Holy Spirit im part the divine nature into humanity, making man holy for the carrying out of God's plan of redemption.
John the Baptist was the first one in the New