John 1:29-34

John 1:29-34 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

When we trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, the Spirit of God comes to abide in us richly. Yes, the great Comforter, Advocate, and Friend Forever dwells within us in all power and authority. The same Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, and knowledge who settled upon Christ Jesus as a dove, confirming the Father's stamp of approval upon his Son, comes to every believer who repents and accepts Christ as Lord. This is our inheritance as believers because when Jesus went away, He asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit: to baptize us with a new baptism, reveal Christ, and teach us all things. The Holy Spirit makes us alive to God because he abides within us and makes us more like Jesus. As we become more conformable to his image, we become active members of Christ's body, the Church. Through the resurrection power of the same Spirit who raised Christ from the grave, we become dead to sin and alive to God and his will for our lives. What a mystery: God, the Spirit, in us and we in him!

Although John could only baptize with water for the repentance of sin, his baptism symbolized surrender and dedication to God, a turning away from sin and turning toward God. But his baptism could not bring light or life to mankind. John knew that Jesus Christ, the true life and light of the world, would come after him and baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Christ's baptism purges the soul from sin, creating righteousness in the believer and satisfying the demands of a holy God. Christ's shed blood cleanses and covers us completely, allowing the Spirit of God to fill us and to occupy our innermost beings. However, the Spirit does not abide within an unclean vessel. As Jesus said: Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (Luke 11:17) Therefore, the efficacious blood of Jesus constantly cleanses our soul, continuously making us right before God. We remain in the present tense with the Holy Spirit cleansing and cleansing again: yesterday, today, and forever!

But what about the flesh: Does it not sin? John said, If we claim we have not sinned, we make him (Christ) out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:10) Our sinful nature is not like God: with our human frailties, we do wrong and fail to walk uprightly. Regardless, we stand holy and blameless before God as the Spirit within in us advocates that we have been washed in the blood, adopted into the family, and set free from sin's bondage. The indwelling Holy Spirit testifies that we are hidden with Christ in God, undeserving of any punishment because Christ paid the price once and for all. He is God's seal of approval in us as surely as when He came upon Christ in the river.

Since we have an advocate with the Father through the cross, we should quickly repent of our mistakes and reckon our old nature dead to sin and alive unto God. Turning from darkness to light, we let God control our wicked inclinations and help us avoid Satan's many temptations, just as one might use a bit to rein in and to control a wild horse. Paul said do not continue to sin just because we are under grace. We all know that willful disobedience to God will erode our faith, dull our spiritual senses, and pull us off his perfect paths. As we keep in step with the Spirit, He keeps our souls pure. Sin leads toward death; the Spirit leads to eternal life. As lovers and servants of Christ our Lord, we do not put him to an open shame by purposefully disobeying him. As a bride loves her husband, wanting only to please him, we give our all to please our bridegroom, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all. Fervent love corrals the sinful nature and extends beyond supervision, obligations, and the law. We are not saved through John's baptism that could only point to Christ: We are saved by a baptism of grace and love that brought us into the family of God, marking us forever as his beloved children. Breakfast companions: Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (KJV) As He walks toward you, turn wholeheartedly toward your Savior and Friend. Fully surrender to his Lordship: unimaginable blessings of favor and power will fall like rain as He lavishes you with his loving kindness and tender mercy.