This Is The Son of God

A study of John 1:30–34

“This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.””
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭30‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Ranks Before (A Higher Rank Than): “emprosthen”, “ἔμπροσθεν”; adverb — before, denoting rank.

-He Was (He Existed): “eimi”, “εἰμί”; verb — to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.

Know (Recognize): “eidō”, “εἴδω”; verb — to know: with the accusative (having to do with the direct object) of person.

-He Might Be Revealed (Manifested): “phaneroō”, “φανερόω”; verb — to become known, to be plainly recognized, thoroughly understood: who and what one is.

-Israel: “Israēl”, “Ἰσραήλ”; adjective — Israel = “he shall be prince of God.” The family or descendants of Israel, the nation of Israel.

-I Saw: “theaomai”, “θεάομαι”; verb — to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate; of august things and persons that are looked upon with admiration.

-Spirit: “pneuma”, “πνεῦμα”; neuter noun — the Holy Spirit

-From (Out Of): “ek”, “ἐκ”; preposition — universally, of the place from which; from a surrounding or enclosing place, from the interior of.

-Heaven: “ouranos”, “οὐρανός”; masculine noun — the aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds and tempests gather, and where thunder and lightning are produced: These heavens are opened by being cleft asunder, and from the upper heavens, or abode of heavenly beings, come down upon earth — now the Holy Spirit.

-Remained: “menō”, “μένω”; verb — not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present; to put forth constant influence upon one, of the Holy Spirit.

Observation/Summary(short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

From verse 29 of this chapter, when John the Baptist (JB) saw Jesus walking towards him, likely after His 40 days of temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–17), JB proclaimed Him to be the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” In this passage JB continues by recalling previous statements of his where he said someone would come after him who ranked before him, because He “was” or in other words, “existed” before him. JB did not know who He would be, but JB was sent by God to baptize people with water so that this coming One would be revealed to the people of Israel.

JB then testified that when he baptized Jesus with water, he saw the Holy Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus (Matthew 3:13–17). Again, JB says he did not know who the One he was sent by God to prepare the people to receive would be, but that God told him the One he was sent to declare would be revealed in exactly this way. This is the One who would bring a baptism not of water, but of the Holy Spirit. Because of this confirmation JB then declares Jesus is the “Son of God.”

Implication (what does this mean to us):

JB says these words after having just declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Previous to this JB had baptized Jesus with water and seen something incredible which he will now testify of to everyone. Before doing so JB reminds everyone of something he had been telling them for a while and something we have already read twice in verses 15 and 27 of this chapter which is that there was someone coming who ranked higher than him because He (Jesus) had existed before him (JB). JB was actually born before Jesus, so what JB is referring to is the eternally preexistent nature of Jesus as the God of the universe. JB came to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. This was the purpose of his ministry and now the time to announce His arrival had come.

JB makes it clear he did not know the identity of the One he came to proclaim, but that instead God had told him what sign would be performed to identify this coming, eternally preexistent One. It was not that JB did not know Jesus, because Jesus was his cousin. JB did not know who the “Lamb of God” was with any certainty until he witnessed the sign God told him about. In verse 32 JB says that when he baptized Jesus he saw the Spirit descend from Heaven like a dove and remain on Jesus, and in verse 33 JB tells us this is the exact sign God told him would reveal the One who came to baptize with the Holy Spirit. The purpose of saying all this is to present the confirming evidence to provide validity for his own testimony. God told him beforehand how to identify the Son of God, and by testifying of what he had seen and heard JB was fulfilling the mission God gave him to bear witness of the coming Messiah and prepare the hearts and minds of the people of Israel to receive Him.

The baptism of Jesus by JB did not give Jesus anything He did not already possess. The purpose of the baptism was to reveal who Jesus is as well as to point forward to the gift of the Holy Spirit that would be given to all who follow Him. Just as the Holy Spirit came to rest upon or abide in Jesus, all who place their faith in Jesus receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. While JB baptized with water as a call to repentance and reminder of the need for cleansing of sin, the greater baptism of the Holy Spirit would come through the one who is greater than, or who “ranked before” JB, the Lord Jesus Christ.

After presenting this confirming evidence which God had given, JB declares Jesus to be the “Son of God.” The teacher, John the Baptist, here teaches that the true Teacher, the eternally preexistent, all creating Word, has come. His name is Jesus, and He is the Christ, in other words the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the Son of God in whom the invisible God who no one has ever seen (v. 18) has perfectly revealed His personal identity, temperament and character. What we read in the gospel of John about John the Baptist has far more to do with his role as a witness instead of as a baptizer. JB’s primary goal was to bear witness of the coming Son of God. The baptism of water he performed was itself a part of that witness to call people to recognize their need for cleansing of sin. JB in effect was sent to declare to people the problem of sin and also the coming solution to their problem, the Lamb of God who takes away sin. In calling Jesus the “Son of God” JB means that Jesus Christ is fully God, perfectly equal and unified in every way with God the Father.

JB took a stand for truth with no illusion of remaining neutral. JB certainly was opposed because of his faithful witnessing of the truth, but witnesses must take a stand and declare the truth knowing they might be opposed. And we have the same calling today. Those of us who follow Jesus, and submit to Him as our one and only Lord and Savior, have similarly been charged with bearing witness about Him and “making disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18–20). We have not received this great treasure, salvation and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, to remain silent. We are called to graciously and truthfully testify of the Son of God, and as we do so the Holy Spirit within us gives our testimony power. This means, like it did for JB, graciously telling people of their sin and need for a Savior, and then graciously telling them the good news that the Savior has come and freely offers forgiveness of sin and eternal life to all who believe in Him.

We have been given an infinitely glorious gift in Jesus Christ, and we have been charged to bear witness about Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, with our words and deeds for the duration of our short time in this world. We who are in Jesus will glorify Him and praise His name forever. Let us be careful to make use of the very short, unique time in our lives on this earth. When we get to heaven there will no longer be a need to bear witness about Him, because everyone there will already know Him. This world is dying and billions of people are headed to eternal destruction just during our short life spans. Let us now go forth in the power of the Spirit and proclaim the good news of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life that is only available in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

From this passage we learn John the Baptist was told what sign would confirm who the Son of God is, and he and others witnessed this sign (Matthew 3:13–17). JB then spoke of how this sign confirmed Jesus to be the eternally preexistent Son of God who is fully God and fully man, perfectly equal in every way with God the Father. We also learned the descending of the Holy Spirit from heaven, like a dove, on Jesus not only confirmed His deity, but is also a pointer to the baptism of the Holy Spirit that all Christians have today.

In reliance on the Holy Spirit in us, we should prayerfully, intentionally and graciously bear witness of Jesus Christ and the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Him to everyone God sends us to with both our words and how we live.

Self Reflection:

What practical steps can I take to grow in fulfilling my call to bear witness about the Son of God in the time and place God has sent me into?

Do I really believe the Holy Spirit gives power to my witness of Christ and that, while I should do my best to accurately and graciously present the gospel, it is God Himself who gives my witness power?

How can I prayerfully prepare my heart and mind to respond graciously when my witness of Christ is opposed?