Featuring Special Guest Blogger, Gowdy Cannon.

From His Revival Series: Three Relationships that Determine Everything

John 3:22–30

Throughout these posts we have been looking at three relationships that define everything in Christianity.

Human relationships matter deeply. Family matters. Community matters. But when it comes to understanding God, meaning, and eternity, there are three relationships that ultimately shape everything. We talked about our relationship with truth and the importance of the church.

But now we come to the most important relationship of all.

Your relationship with Jesus.

John 3:22–30 gives us one of the clearest pictures in Scripture of what that relationship should look like. In this passage we see John the Baptist responding to a moment that could have easily become a rivalry. Instead, it becomes a powerful statement about who Jesus is and who we are.

John says something that may be one of the most important sentences ever spoken:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Those few words capture the very heart of Christianity.

Jesus Must Increase

To understand John’s statement, we need a little context.

John the Baptist had an incredibly successful ministry. He preached repentance, baptized large crowds, and drew massive attention. But John understood something clearly from the beginning. His role was never to be the center of attention. He was the forerunner, the herald announcing the arrival of the King.

When Jesus began His public ministry, many of John’s followers left him and began following Jesus instead. Some of John’s disciples seemed concerned by this. But John was not threatened.

In fact, he rejoiced.

He compared his role to the friend of the bridegroom at a wedding. In that culture, the friend of the groom did much of the preparation. But when the wedding day arrived, he stepped aside so that all attention would be focused on the groom.

That is exactly how John saw his relationship with Jesus.

The purpose of his life was to point people to Christ and then step out of the spotlight.

Jesus must increase.

But John’s statement goes even deeper than that. The word translated “must” carries the sense of something that happens by necessity, by the very nature of things. It is not simply a command someone decides to obey. It is something inevitable.

In other words, Jesus must increase because of who He is.

He is God.

This idea appears throughout the Gospel of John. Jesus must be lifted up. Jesus must rise from the dead. These events were not accidental or optional. They were part of God’s eternal plan.

By His very nature, Jesus will be exalted.

Even creation itself reflects this truth. If humanity stopped worshiping Christ entirely, heaven would not fall silent. Angels would still declare His glory. Scripture even describes creation itself praising God. The mountains and hills burst into song and the trees clap their hands.

Jesus must increase.

Nothing in heaven or earth can stop that reality.

We Must Decrease

If the first half of John’s statement is easy for Christians to affirm, the second half is harder.

“I must decrease.”

This is where the relationship becomes personal.

The image can be understood like a seesaw. If one side rises, the other side must lower. When Christ is lifted higher in our lives, our pride and self-importance must move downward.

But this does not mean false humility or self-hatred. True humility is not constantly criticizing yourself or pretending you have no value.

True humility is simply exalting Jesus.

When Christ becomes the focus, everything else falls into place.

The apostles understood this deeply. Many of the most important leaders in the early church described themselves in strikingly humble terms. Paul, James, Peter, Jude, and John all referred to themselves first as servants or slaves of Jesus Christ. Even though they were apostles and leaders of the church, they saw their primary identity as belonging completely to Him.

They knew who they were because they knew who Jesus was.

When you truly understand Christ, pride loses its grip.

The Joy of Decreasing

At first glance, the idea of decreasing might sound discouraging. Our culture constantly tells us to promote ourselves, celebrate ourselves, and build our own identity.

But John the Baptist reveals something surprising.

Right before saying that he must decrease, he says that his joy is now complete.

His joy was found not in being the center of attention but in seeing Jesus receive the glory.

History and culture repeatedly confirm that self-exaltation cannot satisfy the human heart. Many people who have achieved fame, wealth, or success still confess that something is missing.

The world promises fulfillment but rarely delivers it.

Jesus offers something different. When He spoke to the woman at the well, He said that those who drink the water of this world will continue to thirst. But the water He gives becomes a spring of eternal life.

Real joy is not found in increasing ourselves.

It is found in increasing Christ.

Why Jesus Matters

This leads to one final question.

Why does Jesus matter so much?

Think about His earthly life. He was born in a small town called Bethlehem. He was laid in a manger. His family was poor. He grew up in Nazareth, a town people questioned whether anything good could come from. He spent most of His life working as a carpenter.

And when He died, He died the death of a criminal.

Yet two thousand years later, billions of people across the world still worship Him.

People risk their freedom and even their lives to follow Him. Across nations and cultures, His name continues to be proclaimed.

Why?

Because Jesus is not merely a historical figure.

He is the resurrected King.

And by the very nature of who He is, He must increase.

The Question That Remains

At the end of the day, the question is not whether Jesus will increase.

He will.

The real question is this:

What is your relationship with Jesus?

One day every ruler, every nation, and every person will bow before Him. Scripture says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The invitation of the gospel is simple but life-changing.

Bow now.

Let Christ increase.
And in that surrender, discover the joy that only He can give.