Matthew 3:1

Matthew 3:1

Matthew 3:1-12 says, "In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, 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 has warned you to flee of 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 brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that comes 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 thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

The ministry of John the Baptist centered around repentance. The primary meaning of the word "repentance" is to have a deep sorrow about one’s own sinful actions. But the word "repentance" refers to the mental process even more than the emotional. To repent is to change one’s mind about one’s actions. When a person evaluates himself and understands that he has done or said or desired something that he ought not to, and then changed his mind about that past behavior: then that person has repented, if such repentance involves asking Jesus for forgiveness. At one time, the individual thought that his behavior was O.K. He allowed it, he permitted it, he sought it, and he justified it. But now he has a change of understanding about the matter; he has a change of mind. He has repented. He has asked God for forgiveness, and he has decided to no longer do those things. Instead of going his own way, he makes a decision to change and to start going with Jesus.

True repentance involves a change of mind because of the meaning of the word repentance, and true repentance involves asking God for forgiveness because it says in Matthew 3:6, "And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." The word "confess" has a meaning that is revealed when we look at the Greek definition of the word. "Confess" means “to say the same thing as.” Confessing our sins is more than naming our sins. Confessing our sins is saying the same thing about our sins that God says about them: that we should not have done them and that we should not do them again. When we truly confess our sins, we are doing more than asking God to forgive us; we are also agreeing with God that we have no plans to do them again. That is why Jesus said to the one taken in adultery, "Go and sin no more."

True repentance involves a change in behavior. That is what John meant when he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees in verse 8 "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." If you do not have a change in behavior, then you have not repented; and if you have not repented, then you are not forgiven, and are in danger of being judged by God. It will be a terrible thing to stand before God without the forgiveness of sins having been credited to your account. The warning that John gave in verse 12 says, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

As described here in Matthew chapter 3, the ministry of John the Baptist required people to repent of their sins first, and then to come and be baptized by John in the Jordan River. The Pharisees were rebuked because they came to be baptized without having already repented and without having shown repentance by a change in behavior. The water baptism done by John was therefore symbolic of cleansing from sin. It was symbolic of being rightly related to God. Water baptism cannot cleanse from sin because God gives the cleansing from sin as a spiritual experience when someone repents of their sins.

That is why John said, "I baptize you with water, but there is one who shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Notice that there are two kinds of baptism here in Matthew 3:11. There is water baptism given by John the Baptist, and there is spiritual baptism given by Jesus. Spiritual baptism is a spiritual experience that gives the forgiveness of sins and the empowerment to serve God. Water baptism is only symbolic. Baptism will be mentioned many times in the rest of the New Testament. When you study the New Testament always remember that there was a water baptism given by John the Baptist, a Jewish prophet of the Old Testament order; and that there is a spiritual baptism that is given by Jesus. Water baptism was given by a man and was symbolic and temporary in nature. Spiritual baptism is given by Jesus, and is both eternal and necessary for the forgiveness of sins.

Whenever you read a passage in the New Testament that mentions baptism, you should prayerfully attempt to determine if that passage is talking about water baptism or spiritual baptism. The best course is to assume that each passage is talking about spiritual baptism, unless there is strong evidence to the contrary, because spiritual baptism was meant to endure for a longer period of time and is more important, because Spiritual baptism is given by Jesus.

There are several reasons to not emphasize water baptism too highly beyond its symbolic nature. The first and most important reason is the evidence of scripture. Even John the Baptist de-emphasized the baptism by water that he gave; compared to the baptism by the spirit that Jesus gives. John said in Matthew 3:11, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that comes 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."

Here at the beginning of the New Testament there is mentioned two baptisms: a water baptism that is symbolic, and a spiritual baptism that is given by Jesus and which is more important. As we go through the New Testament we find that less and less is said about water baptism, and more and more is said about spiritual baptism. Ephesians 4:5 says that there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism". At the start of the New Testament we see that there are two baptisms. Then we get to the time when Ephesians was written by Paul, 40 or 50 years later; and we are told that now there is only one baptism, which is of course the spiritual baptism that Jesus gives. It does not surprise us that Paul would write this because he also wrote to the Christians at the city of Corinth and said in First Corinthians 1:14, "I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius." Paul is teaching the relative unimportance of water baptism compared to the much more important issue of Christian unity. As a matter of fact, God’s Word goes on to say that water baptism is not even a part of the Christian gospel. It says in First Corinthians 1:17, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel."

Paul made it very clear in First Corinthians chapter 1 that water baptism is not a part of the gospel, and that water baptism should never be an issue that separates believers. In contrast to what Paul taught about unity, water baptism has been a major source of controversy and division over the centuries. There are almost as many teachings on the mode and meaning of baptism as there are different denominations. One thing is very clear: whatever you believe about water baptism, if it causes division between you and other believers, then you are wrong and you do not have the spirit or the understanding of the apostle Paul.

There are many different teachings that you will hear about concerning the mode and meaning of water baptism. Only one of them can be right. This in itself is another evidence that water baptism is relatively unimportant compared to spiritual baptism. If the method of water baptism that you hold is correct, then that means that all the other believers in all the other churches that do not teach the same method have never truly been baptized. But we know that there have been strong and faithful Christians in all of the denominations. There have been strong and faithful Christians with a wide variety of beliefs about water baptism. If water baptism were essential to spiritual strength and blessing, then it would be impossible to have strong and faithful believers in all of the denominations.

If water baptism was not the essential part of John’s ministry, then what was? John the Baptist started his message with the word "Repent." The essential ingredient to be the recipient of God’s blessings is to be a person who knows how to repent. Repentance is essential to salvation, and repentance is also essential to walking with God on a day to day basis after salvation.

In other passages of the Bible we learn about the necessity of repentance and the fact that the ultimate alternative will be so horrible. It will be horrible to die in one’s sins without forgiveness. There is also the urgency of repentance. John said, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Of course, John was saying that the kingdom of heaven is at hand because Jesus was soon to come on the scene. The kingdom of heaven was at hand because the King would soon appear, and because the One who gives entrance to the kingdom would soon be there.

The kingdom of heaven is still at hand because God is everywhere. Wherever you go, God will be there. You cannot find a place where you are more in the presence of God, or less in the presence of God, because God is everywhere. He is right there where you are now. Paul said, "In Him we live and move and have our being." The kingdom of heaven is at hand because you can reach out and know God now. You can repent towards Christ now and find entrance into His marvelous kingdom.

There is an urgency to repent because no one has a promise of tomorrow. It says in Second Corinthians 6:2, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation." If God is offering you His great, eternal love; it may be because He knows that your tomorrows are few. You never know how long your opportunity will last. Benjamin Franklin realized that truth even in a practical sense that opportunities can be easily lost, and that a wise person will be ready to take hold of an opportunity and not lose it. He gave a warning and said, "Opportunity knocks once." This is a concept to be aware of from a practical standpoint and also from a spiritual standpoint.

The kingdom of heaven was at hand in Matthew chapter 3 because Jesus was about to make His public appearance in His first coming, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand now because Jesus may return at His Second Coming any day. When that day comes, the opportunity to repent will be forever gone for all who have decided to turn away from God. Jesus may come today.

Repentance is important from a spiritual standpoint and it is also important from a practical standpoint. Every human is subject to faults and failures and weaknesses. If you do not learn to identify your weaknesses and failures and turn from them, then you are in danger of being destroyed by your weaknesses. A manufacturing company can only improve the quality of its products by learning to apply the principle of continuous improvement. In a similar way, if you are going to achieve your potential as a human being, your goal must always be to continuously improve your character and your behavior. Repentance is an important part of being able to do this.

John the Baptist introduced Jesus and said, "Repent." He introduced the kingdom of God that comes through Jesus and he said, "Repent." Repentance is one of the most important spiritual principles that you can apply to your life. Repentance is a sorrow for sin, and it is also a turning away from and a changing of our minds about our sins. Instead of looking at our sins as being normal or acceptable, we turn from them, and we turn to Jesus. Repentance is essential to salvation. No one becomes a Christian without repentance, and no one will enter heaven without repentance.

Everyone who finds the capacity to repent of their sins, receives the benefit: total and complete forgiveness and a glorious entrance into the kingdom of God. We receive salvation when we repent. Therefore, there is no room for self-righteousness in Christianity, because believers know that they are only sinners saved by grace; and they serve Jesus out of appreciation to Him who died for them, and gave them the opportunity to repent.

But repentance does not stop with the salvation of the soul. Repentance is not something that someone does one time and then never does again. It is essential to salvation, but it is also essential to being able to walk day by day in fellowship with God. If you are a believer, without daily repentance you may become self-righteous like the Pharisees. Your relationship with God is not based upon how good you are, but is based upon the mercy of God through the forgiveness that is in Jesus. First John 1:9 says; "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Repentance is not negative. Repentance is a positive experience that God has given to us as a means to daily walk in fellowship with Him. If you have failed, don’t be discouraged. It says in Romans that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Don’t think that repentance is meant just to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Learn the secret of living a life of repentance, and you will learn how to walk with God.

John said in Matthew 3:11 that Jesus would give a spiritual baptism. John said, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire." This baptism of the Holy Spirit is experienced when we come to know Jesus as our savior, when we turn from our sins and turn to Him. Jesus called this experience a spiritual birth when He talked to Nicodemus about it in John chapter 3 and said, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit."

When we are baptized of the Spirit, or born of the Spirit of God, our lives become connected to God in a new and living way that we had never known before. The Spirit comes into us and becomes a part of us, and actually gives us spiritual life where before there had been none. That’s why Jesus called it being born anew.

It is the Spirit of God who gives us faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit of God who gives us understanding of the scriptures. The Spirit of God guides us, and the Spirit of God speaks through us because He lives in us. Jesus said, "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Hopefully you have experienced the baptism of the Spirit that Jesus alone can give (it comes on the day you are saved by faith in Christ), and that John the Baptist said was so important.

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