The Spirit Remains

John 1:32-34 (NIV)
³² Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
³³ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

In John’s gospel the Spirit is said to remain on Jesus. This is part of how he is to recognize the Son of God. The Holy Spirit has come before, but here John makes the point that this time the Spirit remains. The Spirit is given to Jesus. The Spirit is a sign from heaven of the new thing God is doing. He (the Spirit) empowered Jesus for His ministry and led Jesus through the fulfillment of God’s plan.

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Son of God by bringing to the people the message of their need to repent and turn to God. It would come to pass that Jesus would then send this same Spirit to all who repent and believe. The baptism with water signified the turning away from sin and reaching out toward God. In that baptism the believer is washed and made ready for a new way of living. God reaches out with the Holy Spirit, baptizing the believer into the new kingdom, sealing us as His own and serving as the initial gift and presence of the riches to come.

Jesus came and has gone back to the Father, but the Spirit remains. Because of that, we are children of God.