The Spirit Without Measure

Lesson #61

Our lesson today will come from John 3:34 – 35, but will focus on the last part of 34 and the first part of 35: “for he gives the Spirit without measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son” (ESV). It is easy to understand that the Father loves the Son, but what does “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (ESV) mean? It is clear that God sent Jesus and he utters the words of God, but what does “for he gives the Spirit without measure” at the end mean? John Piper wondered the same thing and explains what he thinks in the lesson titled “The Father Has Given All Things into Jesus’s Hands.” I am going to jot down some thoughts and let you fill in the details by listening to his lesson.

Who does the Father give the Spirit without measure? Since we are finite it can’t be us so it must be referring to Jesus. But why would he give the Spirit without measure to Jesus? “The Father loves the Son” follows “he gives the Spirit without measure” so maybe there is a connection between giving the Spirit and loves the Son. Consider the following connection. “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16) and the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22). This provides a connection between Spirit and love. It is possible that to give the Spirit without measure would be the same as loving without measure. “The Spirit of God is love and this love for the Son is so full and carries so much of the fullness of the Father that this love is himself God” (John Piper). This Spirit is the eternal self-loving of the Father that he gives. Jesus is the one who brings the testimony so we could say that the Son is the eternal self-knowing of the Father. “The Son is the fullness of the Father as his perfect image and the Spirit is the fullness of the Father loving this image, the Son” (John Piper). Consider another thought. Jesus is from above and is superior to all because he is the Son of God. The Father giving the Spirit without measure to Jesus indicates that he is full of God. Therefore Jesus is God.

Thinking about the Trinity in terms of difference and their relationship is sure a mind stretch. For me, another mind stretch is considering what we will be like and our relationship with the trinity. I think there will be an intimacy beyond what we can think of. We are children of the Father. We are in Christ and he is in us and we are one with Jesus Christ in marriage. The Spirit lives within each of us. All of this and more ties us pretty tight into this trinity structure. The fullness of life, light and love is beyond our comprehension and so foreign to our thinking. If our minds were saturated with this it would be a simple decision to die if asked to deny Jesus. I am also sure we would live very different lives than we currently do. Comfort and safety would take a back seat to living for Jesus and proclaiming him to the world.

Prayer

Father, lessons like this are good because they cause hard thinking which stretch the mind and they also sharpen ones focus on Jesus who sacrifice so much to accomplish so much for us. Thank you for such a profound love that you have for us.