Seeking Jesus First Jan. 3, 3035
(Part Two): Sharing in the Anointing
“And John bore witness… ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32–34, NKJV)
In the previous devotion, we focused on the Spirit who descended and remained upon Jesus. That moment did more than confirm His identity—it explains His name. Jesus is called the Christ, the Messiah, because He is the Anointed One. The Spirit’s abiding presence upon Him marks Him as God’s chosen and empowered Servant. This was not symbolic or ceremonial. It was the true anointing from heaven.
But John’s testimony does not stop there. He tells us why this matters for us.
The One upon whom the Spirit remains, John says, “is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” In other words, Jesus does not keep the anointing to Himself. What rests upon Him flows from Him. The Spirit who marks Jesus as the Christ is the same Spirit He gives to those who believe.
This is the heart of the New Covenant.
Under the Old Covenant, anointing was selective and temporary. The Spirit came upon prophets, priests, and kings for specific purposes and seasons. But the Spirit did not remain. What John witnesses in Jesus is something entirely new: a permanent, abiding anointing—one that would now be shared.
This is why believers are called Christians. The name does not merely mean “followers of Christ,” but those who belong to Christ and share in His anointing. We are not anointed independently; we are anointed in Him. As Scripture teaches, we are made one with Christ by His Spirit. His life becomes our life. His anointing becomes our anointing—not by merit, but by union.
This does not mean we become “the Christ.” Jesus alone is the Son of God in that unique sense. But it does mean that we participate in what He has received. The Spirit who remained upon Him now dwells within us. The anointing that empowered His ministry now animates our lives. What was once reserved for one is now shared with many through grace.
This brings clarity to our identity and calling. We do not live the Christian life by striving in the flesh or trying to imitate Jesus from a distance. We live by the same Spirit who lived in Him. Obedience flows from indwelling life. Witness flows from union, not effort. Ministry flows from anointing, not position.
John concludes his testimony with certainty: “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” That confession anchors everything. Because Jesus is the Son, He gives the Spirit. Because He is anointed, He anoints. Because He lives in perfect union with the Father, He brings us into that same fellowship.
Today, let this truth shape how you see yourself. If you have received Christ, you have received His Spirit. You are not empty, lacking, or disconnected. You are joined to the Anointed One. The Spirit who remained upon Jesus now remains with you.
Walk today not as someone trying to reach God, but as one in whom God already dwells. This is the life Christ came to give—and it flows from the anointing He shares with His people.