One of the recurring ideas in John’s Gospel is that Jesus can do nothing of Himself:

“I can of Myself do nothing” (John 5:30).

The works Jesus did were what He saw the Father do:

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).

And the source of His power was the Father doing the works through Him:

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:10).

Even the doctrines He taught, and the very words He spoke, came from the Father:

“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John 7:16).

Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things” (John 8:28).

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak (John 12:49).

In other words, Jesus lived a life totally devoted to fulfilling God’s will:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:39).

That’s what perfect humanity looks like!

That’s the real normal.

Now here is the amazing thing—it appears that Jesus lived this way as an example to us, to show us how all believers should live. That’s what He told the disciples in the upper room.

Jesus taught them that they would do even greater works:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).

How? Not through their own power. They would be able to do those works because the Spirit would indwell them:

“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

Just as Jesus’s words came from the Father, so would the Holy Spirit’s. And then the Holy Spirit would tell the apostles what to say:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).

Isn’t that amazing? The disciples would be able to live just as Jesus did.

But what about you? Don’t you have the same potential?

If Jesus is in the Father, and you are in Jesus, and Jesus is in you, and the Holy Spirit is in you, too (cf. John 14:16), that means you are indwelt by the Godhead, too! And if you are indwelt by God, then He can, and should, be the source of your life, just as He was the source of Jesus’ life.

Someone once said, “It is not difficult to live the Christian life; it is a sheer impossibility!” But with God, and in God, and through God, all things are possible.