In The Spirit

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

IN THE SPIRIT

John 1:32-34

32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

NIV

John already had told us he did not know Jesus, even though they were actually cousins. John had left at some time and spent his life in the great outdoors, being sort of a strange person, while Jesus grew up in a secluded lifestyle within the village. Yet from the time John was in his mother’s womb he knew Jesus, as he was inspired by the Spirit. He lived his entire life inspired and was waiting for this moment, the pinnacle defining moment of his life. John is the first human being to declare to the world the Jesus is the Son of God. The Apostle John does not record the fact the voice of God also made this testimony about Jesus at that same time, but nevertheless we know that all three of the persons of the Trinity were present at the same time. What a spectacular moment in time for John the Baptist and those who were at rivers edge. We are not told that the Spirit left Jesus. Some people, artists, depict the Spirit as a dove, but the scripture does not say the Spirit was a dove, but that he descended as a dove would and remained on Jesus. This is the same Spirit that Jesus sent to his followers, to us. For us to see the kingdom of God we must be born again, but we are also to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So many denominations call this baptism of the Holy Spirit something else, which takes away from the truth of the scripture. As John immersed people in the water of baptism, which at least some denominations follow that example, being baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus we should be immersed in the Spirit, not just filled, but immersed, totally, completely soaked in the Spirit. Although we arise from the waters of baptism symbolic of being born again, we can never arise from the immersion of the Spirit.  We must live within the Spirit all our life.