Encountering the Holy Spirit Through John the Baptist

In certain situation, the people God choose to accomplishment His plans and purpose are often not the most popular or influential people in society. In Scripture, individuals who moved deliverance forward were usually adulterers like David, the man after God’s own heart, liars like Abraham the father of nations, thieves like Jacob the patriarch, murderers like Paul the apostle.

Some people question why some of the Biblical characters with questionable personalities were at the forefront of God`s deliverance plans. People expect people with personal attractiveness, charisma, outward beauty, flair, and panache to be chosen as leaders. Many of the attributes that people choose are often shun upon by the Holy Spirit; instead, He picks the world`s “rough diamonds” to achieve His ends.

The Bible states,

“Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27)

One biblical character who is misunderstood and enigmatic is the son of Zechariah, John, the Jewish preacher known as the Baptist. John went to live in the desert of Judea – in psychiatric terms he would be diagnosed as a monomaniac. This same John is the one who was born filled with the Holy Spirit – he would make people believe that when one is filled with the Holy Spirit he or she acts like a mad person. The Holy Spirits does not make a person act irrational, instead, when He is alive in a person, that individual looks very different in character.

Teachings About John

The Catholic Church teaches the following about John the Baptist:

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” John was “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people.

John is “Elijah (who) must come.” The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of “[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John the Baptist is “more than a prophet.” In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the “voice” of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John “came to bear witness to the light.” In John’s sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. “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…. Behold, the Lamb of God.”

Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of “the divine likeness,” prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John’s baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth. (

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” John was “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people.

John is “Elijah (who) must come.” The fire of the Spirit dwells in him and makes him the forerunner of the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of “[making] ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John the Baptist is “more than a prophet.” In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the “voice” of the Consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John “came to bear witness to the light.” In John’s sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. “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…. Behold, the Lamb of God.”

Finally, with John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to man of “the divine likeness,” prefiguring what he would achieve with and in Christ. John’s baptism was for repentance; baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth. (CCC 717-720)

The Role of the Holy Spirit According to the Gospel of John

Jesus`s Baptism – John 1:32-33; 3:32; 3:34

The Holy Spirit is mentioned by John for the first time in his explanation of Jesus`s baptism. In John 1:32 the dove appears as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. John saw a real dove descend upon Jesus as a sign that Jesus is the one who he would baptize with the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit revealed himself through the dove.

In John 1: 33 and in John 3:32 the Holy Spirit is said to be permanently resting on Jesus. In John 3: 34, John the Baptist makes a last reflection about the Holy Spirit and Jesus; the verse mentions that Jesus was given the Holy Spirit “without measure.” This assures believers that when God calls you, He will bestow His Spirit upon you.

Renewal – John 3:5-8

In John 3:5-8, John points out that the renewal that comes from the Holy Spirit cannot happen through the human flesh, it is only attainable through the Spirit. Water cleanses the outward part of a person and the Spirit cleanses the inner person; a “spiritual renewal of this kind is bound to affect every part of a man’s life.” The Holy Spirit dwells inward and He touches every part of a person’s life.

Adoration in Spirit – John 4:23-24

In Jesus`s conversation with the woman of Samaria, he tells her that authentic adoration is only achieved through the Spirit. Adoration through is only “made possible by the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There is no direct reference to Holy Spirit in this passage; the passage is understandable only if the Holy Spirit is the animator. There is a clear distinction between worshipping the Spirit and worshipping in the Spirit. Believers have to stay away from any worship that pulls them away from the work of Jesus.

Giver of Life – John 6:63

John asked Jesus the following question, “How can a dead sinner gain eternal life?” Jesus then related the explanation of the Bread of Life to His apostles and followers in John 6:63. His explanation left people confused and they ended up misunderstanding Jesus`s comments about the drinking of His Blood and the eating of His flesh. Jesus`s response invokes the Holy Spirit`s work of regeneration. The flesh can never live without the Spirit. The response is also linked to Genesis 2:7.

Wait on God for the Outpouring of the Spirit – John 7:37-39

Jesus makes assertions in Chapter 7. He says He can quench a person`s thirst, He can abundantly give life, and that the Holy Spirit flows through Him. In John 7:39, John gives clarity on the time of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Believers would be ready to function as Jesus intended as soon as the death, resurrection, and exaltation occur. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit would be the animator of new life. John 7:39 vows that the Holy Spirit will come but the blessing will be a delayed.

Awakening to Sin – John 16:8-11

The Holy Spirit convicts people of their sins by awakening their hearts. Question 202 from Luther’s Small Catechism states the fact that: “The Holy Spirit calls us by awakening in our hearts a deep sense of sin and by inviting us to receive the grace of God in Christ.” This testimonial reverts to the belief that the Holy Spirit converts He does not reform. The Holy Spirit awakens the human heart to sin “because the world does not believe in Christ.” People will only repent only if an external force shines a light upon their trespasses.

Spirit of Truth and Comforter – John 14:16-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15

In John 14:17 John uses thoughts and terms such as teacher, “Indwelling Presence”, and “Spirit of Truth” to describe the Holy Spirit. John uses truth as a “recurrent theme in the Gospel of John.” John uses the term “Spirit of Truth” to pronounce that the Holy Spirit is in context the exact truth that Christ personified to the apostles. The second phrase in John 14:17 is “Indwelling Presence”; John makes it clear to the followers of Christ that “know Him because He abides with you [them] and will be in you [them].”

In John 14:25-26, 15:26, 16:8-11, and 16:13, John the Baptist shares significant attributes of the Holy Spirit’s teachings. During His time on earth, Jesus taught countless things including lessons about the Holy Spirit. The teaching about Jesus through the Scriptures is one of the functions of the Holy Spirit; He also teaches people the ways in which they can live out Jesus`s teachings. The Holy Spirit also reminds people about the Biblical truth when they experience challenges in life.

Holy Spirit’s Function of Glorifying God – John 16:14

The main role of the Holy Spirit is to exalt Jesus Christ. John uses John 16:14 to exemplify the belief that the Holy Spirit will descend and decree whom and what Jesus is and does. The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and made them witnesses to the work, character and life of Jesus Christ.

Imparting of Holy Spirit – John 20:22

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He commissioned the apostles for the next stage of life. During Jesus’s time on earth, believers bore witness to the life-giving Spirit, but real Christian faith came to life only after the Cross-, the resurrection and the gift of the Spirit. Until to this day, believers are able to see into the future through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Presence of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is omnipresent and He lives inside a person. As a result, the mind of a person and the mind of God are directly connected – it is through such a connection that the Holy Spirit can directly communicate with individuals. Those who can relate to God are considered as being “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14) or having the “mind of Christ” (2 Cor 2:16). The Holy Spirit never brings distress; He always brings a deep sense of calmness, comfort, and peace as Christ puts it in John 20:21 – 22, “Peace be with you! Receive the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit can teach a person how to pick up the tone of God`s voice in their mind in the exact way that they pick up the voice of a family member or friend over the telephone. Hence, Christ said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me” (John 10: 27).

Whenever a person finds himself or herself in a situation that they need guidance and then unexpectedly a Bible verse pops up in their mind, then they should know that the Holy Spirit is giving them the guidance that they need.