With Jesus having taken His ministry public, the crowds began to follow Him, leaving the ministry of John the Baptist to drift into obsolescence. When the Pharisees questioned John about the fact that Jesus and His disciples were baptizing more people, John set the record straight.
In a passage that includes notable scriptures like “He must increase, but I must decrease,” John explained that His ministry was fulfilled as people followed Christ. Christ was the groom, John was the best man. John had an honored position, but it was really all about Christ the entire time.
John’s initial response, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven,” is actually quite profound. In that response, John not only glorified God, but gave the Lord the glory for his own life and being.
Think about it. It was God who created John. It was God who chose his parents, the time in which he was born, placed the calling upon his life, and brought the people to him to be baptized. The only reason John had a ministry at all was because God gave it to him. And God was the one who made John’s ministry both pivotal and historic.
It works the same for everyone. Pilate told Jesus during his trial that he had the power to put the Lord to death. Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me except it were given to you from above.”
Again, it was God who created Pilate, chose the time period in which he lived, the location in which he grew up, placed him on a track that landed him in the governor’s chair in Judea, and placed him in front of Christ on trial day.
And yet, His order to allow the crucifixion of Christ was still an act of rebellion against God, despite the fact it was foreknown and planned for.
Mordecai told Esther, “Who knows if you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Esther’s ascent to being queen was highly unlikely and a statistical anomaly. Yet, there she was, queen, who was in a unique position to save her people from persecution. God set it up and ordained it.
It works the same for us. God created us, placed us in this time and community, chose our parents, gifted our skillsets, and placed us in this unique position to honor and glorify Him.
Look around, and realize everything you see is a gift from God.
Suppose a wealthy church member were to buy me a car. Let’s indulge this fantasy a little, shall we?
Suppose this wealthy church member purchased for me, a brand new, 2026 Ford Bronco, Raptor edition, four-door, removable hard-top, trail-rated, and loaded with luxurious features. These vehicles retail for about $90,000. I have no business owning one, but what a cool vehicle! You can own one, and I’ll rejoice for you.
This church member drives this new vehicle up to my house and says, “Here you go, it’s a free gift!”
Now, receiving a gift like this makes me a little uncomfortable. Am I really worthy of such a gift? (I doubt it.) Will I ever live up to the expectation that prompted such a gift to be given?
I have issues.
So, I talk with this member, and I offer to give back.
“At least let me give you something for it,” I say.
“I wouldn’t have it. This is a gift. I want you to be happy.”
“I just know this came at a big sacrifice for you. At least let me give you something for your sacrifice,” I reply.
“It’s really not necessary.”
“Can I at least give you a couple of thousand? You can donate it if you like.”
“Okay.”
So, I pay my church member $2,000, then go test drive my new Ford Bronco. It’s a fun drive, but the experience has been ruined.
For my church member, the complete selfless act of donating this vehicle has been marred by the exchange of money. It’s just not the same.
For me, the humbling experience of receiving a valuable gift was changed into an amazing purchase. I now have the satisfaction of knowing that I gave something for the vehicle, and so, in some way, I deserve this Bronco.
I have no longer received the amazing gift of a new Bronco. I bought one, brand new, for $2,000! I’m either an amazing negotiator, or an amazing person to command such a steep discount.
My church member… now looks as if he’s been taken advantage of.
I hate this fantasy. I hate this story. It’s not going to end well. Let’s end it right now.
Nothing about the above-described situation is redeeming, comforting, or gives hope. What was presented as a selfless gesture of love became a conflict of pride and ego. Because I insisted on giving something, I ruined a good thing.
Yet, we do this all the time to God.
Ask anyone why they think they will go to heaven, and very often, you will hear something like the following:
“I’m basically a good person.”
“I read my Bible and pray every day.”
“I go to church.”
“I was baptized.”
“I supported __________”
Any act of piety or righteousness listed as a reason to go to Heaven is that person’s $2,000 paid for the free gift of the Bronco… I mean, any act of piety or righteousness, any religious act listed as a reason for salvation is a pittance paid toward the free gift of salvation.
And when we try to claim anything we have done as a reason for our salvation, we do to God what I did to my fictitious church member in response to the fictitious gift of the free Bronco. It’s easy to see how this would offend this church member, but do we even consider that we may be offending God by claiming credit for the free gift of Salvation which came at the price of His only begotten Son’s life?
In Romans 4:2, the Bible says, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.”
Abraham is the patriarch of Israel. He is the hero of the Old Testament religion, and is known for following God through some pretty tough situations.
If Abraham’s obedience to God and his great works were what saved him, then the glory of his salvation belongs to Abraham, not God. Romans 4 takes this a step further in verse 4, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”
In other words, if there were any single work, no matter how small, required for salvation, then once that work is completed, God owes a debt of salvation to the sinner who completed the work.
What you have in that situation is an offer, acceptance, and the exchange of consideration… the makings of a legally binding contract.
In that system, we are the victors and overcomers, and the glory is all ours. God is simply the one who asked too low a price for eternity in His Kingdom.
This is blasphemous, offensive toward God, and it is not the way salvation works.
Romans 4 is part of a greater thought being expressed in Romans that demonstrates that salvation comes by God’s grace, and is accessed by our faith, apart from any act of faith or work of righteousness. For Abraham, Romans 4:3 simply says that Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
It’s a free gift that we cannot purchase, and even if we could, we could not afford it.
Our salvation was purchased by Christ when He gave His life on the cross for our sins, and it was secured when He rose from the grave. All we are capable of doing is accessing that salvation by believing in that Gospel, and knowing that it is His death, burial and resurrection that will bring us into Heaven.
Therefore, we simply trust in the Gospel and we give all the glory to God, and we shun the temptation to steal any part of that glory by advertising our own righteousness, because at the end of the day, we know that we have none.
So, don’t steal God’s glory. Place your faith in Him, and Him alone, and trust Him to save you based on what Christ did, not on what you can do.
Let’s face it. When it comes to church, we often feel validated by how well our services are attended. If attendance is increasing, we must be doing something right.
Conversely, if attendance is dwindling, we must be doing something wrong.
However, neither attitude is correct. Often, doing the right thing means fewer people are willing to walk with you, which means attendance will be lower.
Jesus saw this in John 6, when He told the multitudes that He would not be feeding them miraculously every day, and that they must fully trust in Him to enter the Kingdom. Scripture says the multitude departed and would not walk with him anymore.
John the Baptist saw this in John 3, when Jesus launched His earthly ministry, and people began following Jesus rather than John.
The idea of being validated by attendance, and by how many people walked with you is not new. The Pharisees often validated themselves and respected each other based on how many disciples each one had.
So, when the Pharisees observed John’s following dissipating while the Lord’s following skyrocketed, they asked him about it. John’s response?
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John’s confession was not one of resignation or defeat, but rather of victory.
The entire ministry of John the Baptist centered on the idea of preparing the people to meet Christ. Once Christ arrived, it only made sense for the people to follow the Lord instead of the prophet that heralded the Lord.
So, when John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” in essence, he was saying, “mission accomplished.” He then compared his feelings to that of a best man at a wedding, who rejoiced to see the groom with his bride.
One major struggle of the Christian life is the ongoing battle with the temptation to make everything about us. We want the Lord to validate us in this life, to show us victory in this life, and to bless our dreams and ambitions in this life.
In reality, this life is about glorifying the Lord and leading people to salvation. In order to do that, we have to make our lives about the Lord, not about ourselves. The struggle is that this goes against the natural impulses of the flesh, which seeks to glorify itself.
If you live in the South Plains of Texas, join us Sunday morning at First Baptist Church in Hermleigh, TX, as we explore this concept further, in a message I’ve entitled, “The Shrinking Baptist.” Sunday worship is at 10:50 a.m., with Sunday School beforehand at 10 a.m.
If you are not located near Hermleigh, the message will be posted on this blog the following day. May God continue to bless you as you look to Him.
The Pharisees were certain that when the Christ came, He would congratulate them on their piety and would validate their traditions and practices. However, when Jesus came, He dined with sinners and publicans, and disrupted their operations in the Temple court.
To Nicodemus, it was obvious that Jesus came from God, and was likely the Christ. But, His actions contradicted Nicodemus’ preconceived notions. So, instead of rejecting or opposing Christ like many of the other Pharisees, Nicodemus went to Jesus for answers.
And He got them.
When Nicodemus began the conversation with Jesus, the Lord told Him, “Except you be born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
The reason for the confusion was that Nicodemus was not born again. He hadn’t been redeemed, saved. His faith wasn’t quite there.
The idea of being born again was a new concept to Nicodemus, who asked what and how the new birth worked. In the conversation that followed, Jesus demonstrated how those who are born again, those who are in the faith, can see the Kingdom move, and will be welcomed into the Kingdom when it comes to earth.
He then taught Nicodemus how to be born again. In essence, Jesus told Nicodemus to look to Him for redemption the same way the Israelites looked to the brazen serpent to be healed of snakebites in the book of Numbers.
Throughout this conversation, we see the need to be born again, what it’s like being born again, and how to be born again. Click the video above for the full message.
Leland Acker 