on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost" (John 1:33). After John saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove and resting on Jesus, the prophet realized that his own mission as a voice in the wilderness was fulfilled.
From then on in the gospel of John, the majority of references about the Holy Spirit are made by Jesus Christ himself. In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus explains that a man must be born again before he can see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus is confused by this statement and asks Jesus for clarification. Jesus contends that a man must be born of water and the Spirit. The fleshly man seeks the things of the flesh; the spiritual man seeks the things of the Spirit: "Thus God desires that people turn to him, put their trust in him, and be remade in the image of his son Jesus Christ" (Wierenga 119). The transformation of spiritual rebirth is indeed mystical, difficult if not impossible to comprehend by the human mind. As Jesus puts it, no man is able to tell from whence the wind comes and goes, so it is with the mystical rebirth into life of the water and the Spirit.
In the third chapter of John's gospel, John the Baptist speaks on spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit. First, John establishes that all knowledge, all power comes from God: "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27). John gives this discourse to rebuke his disciples' indignation over Jesus' baptizing of sinners; Johns' disciples believed that Jesus was usurping some of John's authority. John gives further testimony to Jesus' divinity by describing the unlimited portion of the Holy Spirit that God has allowed: "for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34). In other words, Jesus partakes of the same measure of the Holy Spirit that God himself enjoys.
Jesus later explains that the gift of the Holy Spirit will only profit those who are prepared to receive it. Je...