“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’” (Luke 3:15-17 ESV)
John’s baptism with water was a baptism of repentance. And “repentance” is not just a change of mind, but it is a change of mind resulting in a change in the inner man (person), i.e. resulting in a change of heart, thinking, believing, attitude and behavior. The Scriptures speak of repentance often in terms of us forsaking our lives of sin in order to follow Jesus Christ now in obedience and in holy living. For we have to bear fruit (results, actions) in keeping with repentance for our repentance to be genuine.
[Matt 3:13-17; Matt 10:11-12; John 1:29-34; Mk 10:37-39; Ac 8:22; Ac 9:15-18; Ac 10:44-48; Ac 18:7-8; Ac 22:12-16; Rom 6:1-7; 2 Co 12:21]
But Jesus Christ is the one who will cleanse, wash and purify our hearts with the Holy Spirit when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation by God’s grace, through faith. This faith involves us turning from our lives of living in sin and for self and walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. When we believe in Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are filled with the Spirit who then serves as our counselor, guide, teacher, and comforter, and who gives us the power and strength to live godly and holy lives.
But this is not a one-time decision we make in our lives to “believe in Jesus” and then we are “good to go” for eternity. For the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, is gifted to us by God, and is persuaded of God, and it is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we don’t get to decide what that faith looks like. God does. And so this faith is going to align with the character of God and with his will and purpose for our lives that we die with him to sin and that we live now to his righteousness.
Not only that, but the faith that comes from God and is persuaded of God is continuous faith in action. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him, in practice. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience, then we have eternal life with God provided that we continue in that faith until the very end (Luke 9:23-26).
[Jn 1:12-13; Jn 6:44; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Eph 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 12:1-2]
And it says here that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. And fire can be a symbol of refinement, purification, purging, and transformation as well as it is a symbol of God’s wrath and of judgment. And when we believe in Jesus with God-persuaded faith in Christ, we are crucified and buried with him in baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. So this is a baptism of death to sin and being raised to new life in Christ Jesus.
So this is not water baptism, but this is spiritual baptism, and baptism is immersion which means involvement and participation. So this is us participating with Christ in his death to sin and being resurrected with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. It is God saving us out of our bondage to sin so that we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin, and in the power of God.
But we are all going to be judged by God, too, based on what we do in this life, i.e. by our works. If sin is what we practice, and not righteousness and holiness, and not obedience to our Lord, then we are not saved from our sins, and we don’t have eternal life with God. We don’t even know God, he does not know us, we are not born of God, and we are not in fellowship with Christ, but we are of the devil. For our God is not just a God of salvation but a God who judges and who will cast out those who do not obey him.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Lead Me Gently Home, Father
By Will L. Thompson, 1879
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
When life’s toils are ended,
And parting days have come,
Sin no more shall tempt me,
Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,
If Thou’ll only lead me, Father,
Lead me gently home.
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
In life’s darkest hours, Father,
When life’s troubles come,
Keep my feet from wand’ring,
Lest from Thee I roam,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Y9cb0f76A
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