Did Jesus receive the Holy Spirit when he was baptized?

Answer:

When Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), he was referring to the gift of salvation which the Holy Spirit is a guarantee. "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus never sinned, so he was never lost. He did not need this particular gift; indeed, it is Jesus who would eventually purchase this gift for mankind with his own blood.

Later, receiving the Spirit was a shorter way to say that someone received the gifts of the Holy Spirit; that is, the ability to do miracles. These gifts were not connected with baptism. "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:14-16).

After being baptized, the Holy Spirit came to Jesus. "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him" (Matthew 3:16). Whether this meant that Jesus received the ability to do miracles is a matter of debate. No miracles by Jesus were recorded before his baptism, but we know that Jesus was God in the flesh, so the Spirit coming was more likely in the sense of a blessing.