"Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
In today's quote, John the Baptist made it vividly clear that no longer was just being a Jew, or one of "God's chosen", going to be sufficient for forgiveness of sins or as repentance before God. John, realizing that the leaders of the Sadducees and Pharisees were only there to spy on him and to hear what he was preaching, required them to actually show something of themselves and there actions that demonstrated if they had indeed brought themselves to repentance.
John said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire'. In plain speak, John said 'I can wash you with water and clean away the "filth of the flesh" but there is One coming, far, far greater than I, who can wash away the sin that separates you from God.
Note that John clearly said that the water baptism he administered merely prepared his brethren for "repentance". John never implied that water baptism absolved anyone of their sins.
The the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the ONLY means by which the sins of mankind can, and must, be cleansed.
NOTE: In every New Testament mention, before the coming of Christ, water baptism was administered as a part of the preparation for repentance. John baptized "unto repentance" NOT for repentance.~
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