I want to start off this blog by looking at an advert, which will amuse you, and then we’ll look at a scripture verse that is sometimes misused. Click on the advert and it will play
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3v10
The NIV translates this as “He must become greater, I must become less” but we all probably know the old translation better. It’s a much used verse. It is used to suggest that in some way who you are, your personality, your character traits, all those need to go or be submerged in order for Jesus to be fully seen in you.
I chose the advert because it shows the aliens laughing at how the earthlings take a potato and pulverise it to get what they want. Sometimes I think we have the impression that that is what God wants to do to us – that He wants to dismantle us completely and rebuild a cloned version in which the less of us the better. The ideal prayer then becomes, “none of me and all of You”, which sounds very spiritual.
Looking a little closer at this verse and the context will set us on the road to clarity, and revelation about how God sees us.
The first thing to note is context. John the Baptist was referring to his ministry compared to the ministry of Jesus when he said this. John’s ministry was to decrease as Jesus’ ministry increased. John was quite a unique character- especially his choice of diet and wardrobe. When Jesus came, none of John’s characteristics changed. What changed was that Jesus’ ministry took centre place from now on. It was time for Jesus’ manifesto from now on, and had John not been killed by Herod, he would have been a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus came as the Light of the world, the one who illuminates properly, the one who shows the way clearly without any shadows. But, Jesus also told us that we are to be the light of the world. His ministry, which superseded that of John the Baptist, is our ministry too. There is a partnership here, and we have a part to play. Remember the verse in John 14 v 12 “anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing” [the same ministry of the miraculous]. “He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” [and will send the Holy Sprit to empower you greatly].
Jesus chose you before you were born! (see Galatians 1 v 15 if you doubt it). Until you were born though, He had none of you – and He certainly doesn’t want to go back to that position! ‘None of me and more of You’ is not a prayer that He will answer.
God made you the way you are for a reason – He likes what He has made. He is not offended by your humanity. He designed humanity. When the first one came rolling off the production line He described it as “very good”. The idea that somehow our human-ness is a barrier between us and God originates in Greek philosophy; it’s not in the bible.
It’s not our human-ness that is the problem, it is how we sometimes use it. It’s not who we are, it’s what we sometimes do that can be the problem. And that brings us back to the original sentiment in John the Baptist’s words – it’s all about who is Leading from now on. My leadership of me, my control of my destiny must decrease and His Lordship must increase.
It is only then that I become totally free to be who He created me to be. Jesus was fully human and fully divine at the same time. We, like Him, are meant to be fully human and full of the divine Spirit of God. And the Holy Spirit is not at all embarrassed to live in human beings. It is His pleasure. He delights in the opportunity to partner with us.
The enemy would have you believe differently. He would have you think that to be human is to be “less than”, somehow to be unqualified. He is embarrassed by the fact that he was defeated at the Cross by a human, and that it is us humans who will enforce that victory over his kingdom; humans who are submitted to the Kingdom rule of Jesus.
As you watch the aliens laugh at the earthlings weird ideas in the last clip, you can laugh at the notion that being human consigns you to never being quite good enough. Yes we have to deal with the issues of self that contradict Jesus’ right to rule, but one of the reasons that the Holy Spirit chose to live in you was to help you with that. It is His delight to do that. “He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion” – Philippians 1 v 6. I think we’re on a winner here 🙂
Church is out there 