“become greater” is to grow; the opposite is to “become less” (in authority or popularity).

“These last words of St. John are the fulness of religious sacrifice and fitly close his work” (Westcott).

Pride is the original sin, both in time, when Satan fell (Isaiah 14:12-14), and in the original fall of man (Gen 3:4-5), and it is still the easiest sin for the devil to get us to fall for.

Isaiah 14:12-14  How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Genesis 3:4-5  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

He uses it effectively against the non-Christian, and against the Christian. The manner in which he uses it against us Christians is usually spiritual pride. As we grow in knowledge and maturity, we start looking down our noses at others who have not come as far as we think we have or know as much as we think we do (1 Cor 8:1).

1 Cor 8:1  Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

We may not even realize it, but we separate ourselves from them in little ways and associate with those we think are most like us. Beware the traps of the evil one! He always tries to divide and conquer and this is one of the ways he divides a church and the people in it. We must be like John, whose desire was for the Lord to become more and for him to become less. Humility is an incredibly powerful and effective weapon in our struggle against the evil one. Use it! Make this verse the motto of your life:

John 3:30  He must become greater; I must become less.

Let Him become greater in you today.