◄ What Does John 3:34 Mean? ►

Never let us forget that Jesus is the incarnate Word Who came from heaven above, spoke the Word of God, and is the almighty, sovereign, Lord of all. The Gospel of John affirms the deity of Christ from the very beginning. He makes it clear that Christ's birth into the human race, was a great demonstration of God's love, grace, and power.

The apostle wanted his audience to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ His beloved Son, in Whom are the words of eternal life. He wrote his Gospel so that we may know and believe that Jesus, the Son of Mary, and Carpenter of Nazareth, is the eternal Son of the Almighty, and that by believing in HIM for the forgiveness of sin, we have life through His name.

Early in his Gospel, John not only stressed that Jesus had come from above, but made it clear that the requirement for our reconciliation with God and our eternal salvation was a rebirth from above, the New Life in Christ that only comes by faith in Him.

John the Baptist was God's chosen forerunner for the Messiah, and in this chapter, the apostle John makes reference to the Baptist's testimony. He recorded the important truth that Jesus was the incarnate Son Who was prophesied of old by holy men of God. He came from above and was sent to earth by His Father to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord their God.

He wrote how the Baptist testified that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that: "He must increase, but I must decrease." John gave witness that his joy was complete because Christ, the Bridegroom, had come, and he, the friend of the Bridegroom, rejoiced greatly because the Messiah was in their midsts.

Elsewhere, we read that John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove, and remaining on Him, and he heard a voice from heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased." John also proclaimed, "JESUS shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," and in this verse he proclaimed, "JESUS, whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure."

John was teaching about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which took place at Pentecost when the Spirit was given without measure. A sound like a violent, rushing wind came from heaven, and filled the whole house where Christ's disciples were staying. Tongues, like flames of fire, rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And the glorious truth is that to those who believe, the Spirit is given without measure.

It is JESUS Whom God sent to speak the words of God, and He did only those things He heard from the Father, and spoke only the words that came from above. Jesus also: "Gives the Spirit without measure."

In the Old Testament, the Spirit was not given to all believers. He only 'came upon' certain people whom the Lord called to fulfil a particular mission or special ministry. Before the Cross, the Holy Spirit was only sent for a limited time and specific purpose. But we in the Church age, have unfettered access to our heavenly Lord, for His Spirit has taken up permanent residence within our mortal bodies.

When David sinned, he begged the Lord not to take the Spirit from him. However, believers today can never pray such a prayer, for we have the permanently indwelling Spirit of God, Who carries out a myriad of ministries in each of our lives, and equips us with His supernatural strength and never-failing grace for every eventuality in life.

He convicts sinners of their need of salvation, and saints of their need to be holy, and He carries out the ministry of regeneration in the spirit of a man or woman who trusts in the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ for salvation. And He sanctifies us both positionally (in Christ) and progressively (as we grow in grace and mature in the faith).

He draws us closer to Christ and enables us in our prayer life. He returns us into fellowship with the Father when we confess our faults, and guides us into all truth as we learn of Him. He teaches us all things, equips us in the spiritual realm, provides help, and gives us comfort, and He anoints us with His divine power and bestows on us spiritual gifts and graces. The Holy Spirit also produces the fruit of the Spirit in the life of all who are walking in spirit and truth; abiding in Christ and following His guidance. He also corrects and chastens us when we go astray, and the wonderful Spirit of God has become our ever-present help in time of need.

No wonder John the Baptist rejoiced with exceeding great joy when he was given the privilege of preparing the way of the Lord, and being entrusted with spiritual truths that are now being manifested in the lives of all God's children.

No surprise that John the Apostle was careful to record every beautiful detail of the incarnate Word of God, for by His grace we have been saved from the slave-market of sin, by grace through faith we are clothed in Christ's righteousness, and by amazing God grace through faith, we are given the Holy Spirit "without measure."

Heavenly Father, thank You that through faith in Christ, I have been given the Holy Spirit without measure and have access to the unlimited power of Christ's Spirit living in me. Thank You that I have been brought out of spiritual blindness into the truth of the glorious gospel of grace, and I pray that I would value this great treasure that has been entrusted to me, and Who now indwells this mortal frame. May I live and work to Your praise and glory, and honour Your holy name in all I say and do. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.