Lesson 2511

(Lesson 2511)(11-04-18) Luke 3:10-18
    “ And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: 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 will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.”

   In today’s quote, John the Baptist, when asked by certain of the Jews, basically preached the principles of the Law.
    In the final part of the quote, John, knowing that the people thought he might be the Messiah, said; “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire”. That statement is ultra important because it not only establishes that John was not the Messiah, it went further to define the difference between ritual water baptism and the soul saving baptism that would be administered by Jesus Christ. By stating what he did, John established that the water baptism he administered had no significance other that to prepare the candidate (by ceremonial cleansing) to enter into a state of repentance. John preached “the BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE” as confirmed in Mark 1-4, which says; “John did baptize in the wilderness, AND PREACH THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE for the remission of sins.”
    It is very important to note that John’s statement was NOT meant as a directive to modern Christians. Rather, it was a directive to the Jews of that day ONLY as part of their preparation for the coming of our Lord. The message of Christianity could not be taught until Jesus had fulfilled His divine mission and had given His life for the sins of all those who would come to believe in Him. The message of Christianity would later be brought to the world by the appointed apostles of Jesus.
    We should glean from this lesson that water baptism is NOT the baptism that saves us.~