Read JOHN 3:22–36

Election season is full of self-promotion. Candidates running for political office trumpet their positions and qualifications in order to persuade voters to support them. Their campaigns often also attack their rivals, both directly and indirectly. Humanly speaking, such strategies are in fact normal. People often seek competitive advantage at the expense of others.

John the Baptist’s actions in today’s passage run counter to this typical human behavior. Jesus had begun His public ministry and gathered some disciples. What did John think about that? He reminded his listeners that he had always said a greater One was coming (v. 28). In his metaphor, God’s kingdom is a wedding, he is the best man, and Christ is the bridegroom (v. 29). The bottom line: “He must become greater; I must become less” (v. 30).

Jesus was the Son of God. He had come from heaven and had spoken with divine authority the very words of God. The Father loved Him and had delegated all authority to Him. Belief in Him is the gateway to eternal life. Significantly, the Father had given Jesus “the Spirit without limit” (v. 34). This reflects the essential unity of the Godhead—all three Persons are of one mind, equal in attributes, and speak and act as God (vv. 31–36).

John knew that his ministry mandate came from the Father, but unlike the ministry of the Son, his work was limited in scope and duration. To believe in the Father is to believe in the Son. The Father loved the Son, sent Him with the Spirit, and gave Him all authority. His wrath awaits whoever does not believe this, because not believing it is the same as calling God a liar (vv. 33, 36). God’s wrath is aimed at sin and evil—He sent His Son to provide another way.

APPLY THE WORD

Do you believe in Jesus? Have you trusted in the Son for salvation? Have you rejoiced in the Father’s plan of redemption and been sealed in the Spirit (see Eph. 1:13–14)? The three Persons of the Trinity loved you enough to make a way for you to escape God’s wrath and spend eternity with Him. Will you accept this invitation and trust in Him today?

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