Read John 3:22-36.

Introduction⤒🔗

There was once a young man who attended Yale University. He was a very brilliant young man who had a special interest in the natural sciences. He was well aware of his abilities and had a desire to make a name for himself, not only in America but internationally. But after coming to personally receive Christ as his Savior, he experienced a change, not only in the direction of his life but also in the whole orientation of his life.

Although he continued to retain a keen interest in the natural sciences, from now on a new master interest possessed him: the desire to enjoy the Word of God. But even more significantly, his objective was no longer his own self-exaltation; it was now the glory of God. He resolved never to do anything except what would promote the glory of God.¹

Sad to say, few men so conscientiously and so zealously seek to promote the glory of God, as did that young man, whose name was Jonathan Edwards. Nevertheless, this orientation to promote the glory of Christ, however feeble it may be, and however much it may need to be cultivated, is the true orientation of every Christian’s life. Because of our respective identities; that is to say, because of who Christ is and because of who we as Christians are in relation to Christ, Christ must increase, but we must decrease.

In the passage presently before us we meet a man who vividly serves as a model for us as Christians: John the Baptist. When Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem, they spent some time in the Judean countryside; there great multitudes came flocking to Jesus. When the disciples of John saw what was happening, how the crowds were multiplying around Jesus, they feared for their own master’s popularity and reputation. John responded to their concern with the beautiful words, “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). Christ must increase, but I must decrease. This is the true orientation of the Christian’s life.

Christ Must Increase, because to Him Belongs the Pre-Eminence←⤒🔗

Referring to Jesus, John declares, “The one who comes from above is above all...The one who comes from heaven is above all” (vs. 31). By the grace of God, John had come to know and appreciate the true identity of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul further explains the true identity of Jesus in Philippians 2:6, “existing in the form of God, he did not consider the being on an equality with God a thing to be exploited.”

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us that Christ Jesus exists in “the form of God.” The Greek word translated “form” (μορφη) was a philosophical term, not referring to the external appearance of a thing, but to the essence, or better, the specific character, of the thing or person. The “form of God” refers to the sum of those characteristics and qualities that mark God off as specifically God. Thus, “the form of God” includes all those attributes and qualities and characteristics that make God what He is, and that distinguish Him from everyone and everything else. Paul then proceeds to inform us that Christ Jesus possesses “an equality with God.” The previous term, “the form of God,” reveals the reality and the fullness of Jesus Christ’s deity. The next term, “being on an equality with God,” reveals the dignity and the honor Jesus Christ possesses by virtue of His absolute deity, the honor He possesses because He is God.

Furthermore, in His incarnate state as the Servant of the LORD, the eternal Son of God has had bestowed upon Him by God the Father the pre-eminent honor. At Pentecost, the Apostle Peter declares to the people, “let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). The Apostle Paul alludes to this when he informs the Philippians,

God exalted him to the highest position and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name; ¹⁰so that before the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:9-11

Note: When Paul speaks about “the name of Jesus,” he is referring to the name Jesus now possesses, the name God the Father has bestowed upon the eternal Son in His incarnate state as the Messiah. That name is LORD, “Jesus Christ is LORD.”

Jesus Christ is the One who “came from above.” He is God; and as such, “he is above all;” (i.e. all the pre-eminence rightfully belongs to Him). In his day, John the Baptist recognized this and responded accordingly:

John bears testimony about him, crying out, 'This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me; because he was before me.’ Jn. 1:15

John answered them by saying, 'I am baptizing with water; but among you stands someone whom you do not know, ²⁷namely, the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals.'Jn. 1:26-27

He must increase, but I must decrease. Jn. 3:30

The people of this world seek to usurp the pre-eminence and the glory for themselves. Note, for example, the attitude of King Nebuchadnezzar: “The king said, ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’” (Dan. 4:30) Consider the thinking of the men who built the tower of Babel, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build a city for ourselves with a tower whose top shall reach unto heaven; so that we may make a name for ourselves’” (Gen. 11:4a).

But it is Jesus Christ who must increase, because to Him belongs the pre-eminence. John 3:31 serves to explain John 3:30,

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and he speaks of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all Jn. 3:31

That is why, 'He must increase, but I must decrease.' Jn. 3:30

This is the Christian’s true orientation, namely, that Christ be exalted. David understood this in his day, and prayed accordingly,

David blessed the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly; and David said, May you be blessed, O LORD, the God of our father Israel, forever and ever. ¹¹To you, O LORD, belongs the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. 1 Chron. 29:11

The Psalmist expressed the same devout attitude when he prayed, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto your name be the glory, for the sake of your lovingkindness and for the sake of your truth” (Psl. 115:1).

Do we truly recognize and acknowledge who Jesus Christ is? Do we bow before Him in worship and praise and adoration?

Christ Must Increase, because We are His Servants←⤒🔗

In John 3:28, John the Baptist re-affirms his own role and position in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ: “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ; rather, I have been sent ahead of him.’” John admits and testifies that he himself is not the Christ, (i.e. the promised Messiah); rather, he has been sent to prepare the way for the Christ. In other words, he is Christ’s servant. In verse twenty-nine John compares himself to the best man at a wedding and he views Christ in the role of the bridegroom: the best man’s duty is to serve the bridegroom.

Likewise, as Christians, we must realize that Christ has redeemed us to be His own beloved possession: “our Savior Jesus Christ ¹⁴gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people to be his own possession, [a people] zealous for good works” (Titus 2:13­ 14). One aspect or dimension of our identity as a Christian is that we are servants of Christ; as the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “he died for all, so that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again for their sakes.”

Service to Christ is to be rendered in every area of our lives, “Therefore, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

We are to serve Christ by fulfilling our God-given roles in marriage:

²²Wives, [submit] to your own husbands as to the LORD... ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. Eph. 5:22,25

We are to serve Christ by fulfilling our God-given roles within the family:

Children, obey your parents in the LORD, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother... ⁴And, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; but nurture them with the discipline and instruction of the LORDEph. 6:1-4

We are to serve Christ by fulfilling our God-given roles in the workplace:

Servants, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, as though you were serving Christ; ⁶not only to win their favor when they are watching you, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. ⁷Render service to them with good will, as [rendering service] unto the LORD and not unto men; ⁸knowing that each person will be paid back by the LORD for whatever good thing he does. Eph. 6:5-8

Masters, do for your servants that which is just and fair; knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Col. 4:1

One aspect of service to Christ is rendering a ministry of humble service to fellow Christians:

After he had washed their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again. [Then] he asked them, Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me, Teacher, and, Lord; and you speak correctly; for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have given you an example, so that you also should do as I have done to you. Jn. 13:12-15

We acknowledge Christ’s pre-eminence and give Him the pre-eminence when we render service to Him. We do so when we render service directly to Him in the form of submission to His commandments, thereby acknowledging His lordship and the fact that that divine lordship indeed extends over every aspect of our lives. We also render service to Him by rendering service to fellow Christians who bear His name and in whom His Holy Spirit dwells:

Then the King shall say to those on his right [hand], Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; ³⁶I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you took care of me; I was in prison, and you came to visit me. ³⁷Then the righteous will respond to him by saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and gave you a drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger, and take you in? Or naked, and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you? ⁴⁰Then the King shall answer and say to them, I tell you the truth, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me. Matt. 25:34-40

Again, we render service unto Christ when we faithfully represent Him before the world and offer Him to the people of the world with whom we come into contact. The Apostle Paul urges us as Christ’s disciples, “become blameless and pure, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a perverse and depraved generation, among whom you shine like stars in the universe, ¹⁶firmly holding the word of life” (Phil. 2:15-16).

Christ Must Increase, and that Should Bring Us Happiness←⤒🔗

In seeing Christ gain the pre-eminence that is rightfully His, John the Baptist describes himself as being filled with joy:

The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, greatly rejoices when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That is my joy, and it is now fulfilled. Jn. 3:29

The very fact that Christ receives the pre-eminence and the glory that are rightfully His fills the Christian’s heart with joy:

And I heard what sounded like the voice of a great multitude, and like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah; for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. ⁷Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give him the glory; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself. Rev. 19:6-7

As Christians, we should be able to identify with the joy of the hymn writer, Frances R. Havergal, as she expresses her emotion at the thought of and in anticipation of Christ’s coming to reign in glory:

Thou art coming, O my Savior,
Thou art coming, O my King,
In Thy beauty all resplendent;
In Thy glory all transcendent;
Well may we rejoice and sing.
Coming! In the opening east,
Herald brightness slowly swells;
Coming! O my glorious Priest,
Hear we not Thy golden bells?

O the joy to see Thee reigning,
Thou, my own beloved Lord!
Every tongue Thy Name confessing,
Worship, honor, glory, blessing,
Brought to Thee with glad accord.
Thou, my Master and my Friend,
Vindicated and enthroned;
Unto earth’s remotest end
Glorified, adored, and owned.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Christ must increase, but I must decrease. This is the true orientation of the Christian’s life. Consider the Apostle Paul’s divinely inspired perspective on life, he testifies, “to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21a). Here is the Christ-centered, as opposed to self-centered, life. This is the true Christian life.

Consider, too, the Apostle Paul’s divinely inspired perspective on the trials we as Christians may encounter: it is Paul’s “earnest expectation and hope, that in no way shall I be put to shame; on the contrary...as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death” (Phil. 1:20).

Christ must increase, but I must decrease. As Christians, is this the theme of your life and mine? Is this a process that is taking place in our lives to an ever-greater degree?

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How does John the Baptist respond when he receives the report that everyone is flocking to Jesus? See Jn. 3:26, 30. For what sinful and divisive activity did the Apostle Paul need to rebuke the Corinthian Christians? See 1 Cor. 1:10, 12. Do you ever find yourself giving undue allegiance to a favorite preacher or pastor? We should certainly appreciate our pastors and preachers, but may we ever align ourselves with them as their disciples? Whose disciples are we, and they?

²⁶So they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one about whom you testified, he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him! ... ³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease. Jn. 3:26, 30

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you... ¹²Now this is what I mean, each one of you is saying, I belong to Paul; or, I belong to Apollos; or, I belong to Cephas; or, I belong to Christ. 1 Cor. 1:10, 12

2. Rather rally around favorite preachers and pastors, thereby causing division in the body and dishonoring Christ, what does Paul tell the Corinthians they must do? See 1 Cor. 1:10. Rather than each of them speaking different things (“I am for Paul, I am for Apollos, etc.”), i.e. promoting their favorite preacher, what should all Christians be speaking together, i.e. who should we be promoting and exalting? Note Psl. 115:1; note, too, Rom. 15:5-6,

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you; but, rather, that you be bound together by the same attitude and by the same purpose.1 Cor. 1:10

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory, because of your mercy, because of your truth. Psl. 115:1

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶so that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 15:5-6

3. What does John say to those who were concerned about his diminishing popularity? See Jn. 3:27. What must Paul remind the Corinthians? See 1 Cor. 4:7b; Jas. 1:17a. Do you ever need to be reminded that whatever gifts you have, or whatever position you occupy, has been graciously given to you by God—given for the purpose of serving Christ and His church? Note 1 Cor. 12:6-7,

John replied, A man can only receive what is given to him from heaven. Jn. 3:27

What makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you received it, why do you boast as if it had not been given to you? 1 Cor. 4:7

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights... Jas. 1:17a

And there is a variety of works, but it is the same God who performs all things in all ways. ⁷Now the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common good...1 Cor. 12:6-7

4. How does John identify himself? See Jn. 3:28-29. How does the Apostle Paul identify himself and Apollos? See 1 Cor. 3:5-7. Does your pastor view himself as a humble servant of the Lord whose task is to minister Christ and His word to you? Do you appreciate him for exhibiting that kind of godly attitude? If his attitude is other than that, do you pray for him? How else might you assist him in gaining an attitude more like that exhibited by John the Baptist?

You yourselves can testify that I said, I am not the Christ; rather, I have been sent ahead of him. ²⁹The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, greatly rejoices when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That is my joy, and it is now fulfilled. Jn. 3:28-29

After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? [We are] ministers through whom you came to believe; each [doing what] the Lord gave him [to do]. ⁶I planted [the seed], Apollos watered it; but God made it grow. ⁷So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is of any significance; but the one who causes [the seed] to grow, [namely], God. 1 Cor. 3:5-7

5. According to John, why must the Lord Jesus increase? See Jn. 3:31; note, also, verse 35. What does Paul tell us is the honor of which Christ Jesus is worthy and that shall be bestowed upon Him? See Phil. 2:9-11. Why does Paul use the word, “should,” instead of, “will”? Is not this sense of “the necessarily right thing to do” the greatest assurance that God the Father will certainly exalt Jesus Christ His beloved and most worthy Son? Note Gen. 18:25b,

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and he speaks of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all... ³⁵The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Jn. 3:31, 35

God exalted him to the highest position and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name; ¹⁰so that before the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:9-11

“Should” conveys the sense of “ought,” as in, “It should be done.”

Addressing the LORD, Abraham asks the rhetorical question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25b)