John 1:29-42 (ESV)
²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ 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.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” ³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Jesus approached John the Baptist, and John declared, “Look! It is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The Holy Spirit used John to declare a truth he was probably incapable of fully understanding at that time. Then John explained that he didn’t know who Jesus was until he personally baptized him. God previously revealed to John that the Holy Spirit would visibly descend upon his Son, which happened when John baptized Jesus. At that time, John knew Jesus was the promised Son of God. And Jesus brought a new baptism, in the Holy Spirit. Under the Old Covenant, the Spirit would come and go, but now, as the Spirit descended and remained upon Jesus, the Spirit would soon remain on all who turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Why is it important that Jesus was called the “Son of God”? Aren’t all God’s children called “sons”? At times, both angels and humans were referred to as the “sons of God” in the Old Testament, but the “Son of God” was a title reserved for the Messiah. Later in John’s Gospel, we will see Jesus debating with the Jews, who wanted to stone him. When Jesus asked them why they wanted him dead, he questioned, “Is it because I said I am the Son of God?” Clearly, John’s audience knew what this title meant.

John distinguished between Jesus and the rest of humanity by referring to him as “the Son of God.” When John said Jesus would take away the sins of the world, he probably didn’t realize that Jesus would not only judge, but he himself would be judged by the Father for the sins of the world. The Father would allow the Son to suffer the wrath that our evils have earned. Nowhere in John’s Gospel does the author call disciples the “sons of God.” But he does call them the “children of God.” Those who follow Jesus are now God’s own children and have been adopted into God’s family. And once we are truly in the family, he will never cast us out. Are you discouraged or afraid today? Remember that followers of Jesus have access to the most powerful Father in the universe. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that our circumstances work together for good, moving his children exactly where he wants us to be.