John’s (the Baptist) Last Testimony

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30

John 3:22-30

John the Baptist’s ministry was to proclaim the Lord Jesus as the Christ. He was known as His forerunner. Now that Christ’s ministry has begun, John’s ministry comes to a close. This fact is somewhat difficult for John’s disciples to understand and in this last testimony he seeks to help them understand his purpose and his position.

I’m impressed with his final words “He must increase, but I must decrease.” That is the attitude we all should have and project toward our relationship with Jesus. It is easy when God gives one success in ministry, or any other aspect in life, to think more highly of himself than he should. As Christians, we should realize that any success we have belongs to the Lord and we should give Him the glory.

One of the areas in which Satan attacks us frequently is the attitude of pride. The Lord realized this was going to be a problem and gives us some help in Scripture. Proverbs 16:18-19 says “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” I John 2:16 reminds us “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Just as God gave John the Baptist special abilities and special responsibilities, He does the same for us. He gives us gifts and expects us to use them to honor Him. When we do that He blesses us and we can rejoice that we have been able to serve Him. We must be careful to remember that He has given us His Spirit to work through us and any glory we gain must be given to Him.