The Dangerous Lie of 'I Must Decrease So He Can Increase'
One of the most damaging misinterpretations in modern Christianity is how we've twisted John the Baptist's words into a lifestyle of self-diminishment. We've been told that the way to honor God is to make ourselves small, insignificant, and powerless. But what if this entire approach actually dishonors God and misses His heart completely?
The Misapplied Scripture
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30, NKJV) has become the battle cry of false humility in the church. We've taken John's very specific, covenantal statement about his ministry transitioning from old covenant to new covenant and turned it into a universal principle for how we should relate to God.
But here's the problem: John was speaking about a unique historical moment, not establishing a permanent posture of self-abasement.
The Context Changes Everything
John the Baptist had a very specific calling—to prepare the way for Jesus and then step aside. His "decrease" wasn't about becoming less valuable or less significant as a person. It was about his particular ministry role coming to completion as Jesus' ministry began.
When we apply this to our general relationship with God, we completely miss the point. Jesus didn't come to make us smaller—He came to make us complete.
The God Who Had "None of You"
Bill Johnson brilliantly captures this truth: "Before God created you, He had none of you. And if that's how He really wanted it, He wouldn't have created you."
Think about that. God chose to create you knowing exactly who you would become. He didn't create you to be a diminished version of yourself. He created you to be His fullness in the earth.
The False Humility Trap
Religion tells us to "go low so He gets bigger," but this is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of who God is. He's already big enough. He doesn't need us to shrink so He can appear larger.
This false humility actually reveals a distorted view of God—as if He has an ego that needs to be fed by our self-deprecation. But God's not insecure. He doesn't need us to make ourselves small to make Him feel big.
The Parable of the Talents
Remember Jesus' parable of the talents? The servant who buried his talent—essentially making himself "smaller" and less productive—was the one who received condemnation. The servants who multiplied what they were given received praise and greater responsibility.
God doesn't want us to bury our gifts in false humility. He wants us to multiply them for His glory.
The Trinity Model
Look at the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit don't compete for glory or try to diminish each other. They operate in perfect unity, each fully God, each contributing to the whole. There's no hierarchy of worth or value—just perfect cooperation and mutual honor.
This is the model for how we're supposed to relate to God and each other.
The Prodigal Son Revelation
When the prodigal son returned home wanting to be a servant, his father refused to let him diminish himself. The father said, "I'm sorry, you can't be a servant in my house. You're my son. You have to step back into the full responsibility of your glory."
God refuses to let us stay in diminished positions when He's called us to be sons and daughters.
The Masterpiece Principle
Here's a profound truth: God gets glory from our completion, not our diminishment.
Where does an artist get glory? From the finished masterpiece, not from keeping the canvas blank. God is working to complete the masterpiece He began in us, and that masterpiece returns glory to Him through what He accomplished.
We're not the audience watching God perform on stage. We're actually performing with Him, working in cooperation to bring us into the fullness we were created to be.
The Mutual Filling
In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul writes that the church "is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (NIV). This is incredible—we are Christ's fullness, and He fills us with His fullness.
It's a reciprocal relationship. We're filled with Him, and He's filled out through us. This isn't about us decreasing—it's about mutual filling and completion.
The Inheritance Reality
Scripture says we are "heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17, NIV). Think about what that means. An heir doesn't diminish the father's wealth by receiving inheritance—the inheritance is the father's glory made manifest through the child.
God inherits glory as we increase in glory. When we step into our full identity and calling, we're not competing with God for glory—we're displaying His glory.
The Responsibility Factor
Here's what many people miss: if you start to believe you are who God says you are, it also means you have the responsibility to do what He says you can do.
This isn't about a magic wand or instant transformation. It's about growing up into all things. We are literally growing up into the head, which is Christ.
The Fear Behind False Humility
Why do we cling to this "decrease" mentality? Often it's because stepping into our full identity feels scary. It means we can't hide behind false humility anymore. We actually have to take responsibility for the gifts, calling, and authority God has given us.
It's easier to stay small and blame our ineffectiveness on "humility" than to step up and risk failing while actually trying to fulfill our calling.
The Kingdom Reality
In God's Kingdom:
We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6, NKJV)
We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37, NKJV)
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13, NKJV)
We are the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV)
We are His workmanship, created for good works (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV)
None of this sounds like decreasing to me.
The True Humility
Real humility isn't about making ourselves small. Real humility is about accurately seeing ourselves as God sees us—no more, no less.
True humility recognizes:
Our complete dependence on God
Our incredible value to God
Our calling to represent Him well
Our responsibility to use our gifts for His glory
The Exponential Impact
When we step into our full identity instead of hiding behind false humility, something beautiful happens: we actually multiply God's impact in the earth.
Jesus said we would do greater works than He did (John 14:12, NIV). How is that possible if we're supposed to be decreasing? It's possible because it's not just Him anymore—it's Him and me, and Him and you. Unity releases exponential power.
The Glory That Covers the Earth
How is "the glory of the Lord going to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14, NKJV)? Through diminished, powerless Christians hiding their light under a bushel?
No. It's going to happen through sons and daughters who know who they are and aren't afraid to let their light shine.
The Choice Before Us
We have a choice: We can continue in the false humility that religion has taught us, staying small and ineffective while calling it "honoring God." Or we can step into the truth of who we are—His beloved children, His masterpiece, His fullness in the earth.
God doesn't want us to decrease. He wants us to increase in Him, through Him, and for Him.
The time has come to abandon the dangerous lie that we honor God by diminishing ourselves. Instead, let's honor Him by becoming everything He created us to be.
After all, before God created you, He had none of you. The fact that He chose to create you means He wants all of you—not a diminished, apologetic version, but the full, glorious masterpiece He designed you to be.
Are you ready to stop decreasing and start becoming?
Blessings,
Susan 😊