3:29 Is this alluding to the church as the bride of Christ?
3:29 Is this alluding to the church as the bride of Christ?
No, John is merely expressing the fact here that as the friend - or best man - of a bridegroom made all the preparatory arrangements for the bridegroom's wedding, so too John was preparing the way for the coming of the Lord (CP Mt 3:1-6; Mk 1:1-4; Lu 3:1-6 (Isa 40:3-5)).
John was contrasting his own role with that of Jesus and asserting the supremacy of Jesus. Once Jesus came John's role would cease, "…He must increase, but I must decrease" (CP Jn 3:30-35).
See also comments on Mt 9:14-15, and author's study The Bride of Christ in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1).