In Spirit and Fire

John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism in water “for the remission of sins,” and he announced the arrival of the “Coming One.” He was the Forerunner sent before the Messiah as promised in the Book of Isaiah - “Behold, I send my messenger before your face… The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord.” He was the promised King of Israel. He was about to baptize his people “in Spirit and Fire.”

The baptism administered by John prepared the way for the arrival of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. He summoned the nation to repent. He also warned the religious leaders of Israel of the coming judgment that would befall them if they did not do likewise. The day would come when it was too late, the “Day of the Lord” - (Matthew 3:7-10).

[Photo by Andrey Andreyev on Unsplash]

• (Matthew 3:11-12) – “I baptize you in water for repentance: but he that is coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

John contrasted himself with this “Coming One” in three ways - might, worth, and mode of baptism. His baptism in water was preparatory, not final. He and Jesus both “baptized” penitent men, but the Messiah would do so “in holy spirit and fire.”

The Gift of the Spirit was an expectation of the “Last Days.” It was foundational to the New Covenant promised in the books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. By His Spirit, God would circumcise the hearts of His people and write His laws on them - (Isaiah 44:1-4, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:38-39).

The phrase “In Holy Spirit and fire” indicates two aspects of Christ’s “baptism.” In the Greek clause, “spirit and fire” are not two separate events or baptisms. Only one preposition governs both nouns, “in” (en). “Spirit and fire” together form the direct object of the single verb, “baptize,” and both “fire” and “spirit” characterize this “baptism” administered by Jesus of Nazareth.

“Fire” refers to judgment in this context, whether for the purgation or destruction of the individual or the whole nation. His description of “spirit and fire” was part of John’s response to the “Pharisees and Sadducees,” the ones whom he warned were about to be cut down as fruitless trees by the “axe” of Judgment. The “fire” points to the burning of the “chaff” by the Messiah (“He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”).

All those who responded by preparing themselves for the Messiah would experience the “baptism in the Spirit.” Those who refused would endure the other side of the coin, judgment “in fire.”

John’s warning applied to individual Israelites and the Jewish nation. If they rejected the Anointed One sent by the God of Israel, they would experience his baptism of unquenchable fire.

[Download PDF Copy]

RELATED POSTS:

• The Messiah Arrives - (The Kingdom of God arrived on the Earth in the ministry of Jesus, beginning with his baptism in the Jordan River – Mark 1:1-3)

• The Forerunner - (John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, the Herald of the Good News of the Kingdom of God – Mark 1:4-8)

• Son of David - (Jesus is the Son of David and heir to the Messianic Throne, the beloved Son of God, and the Suffering Servant of the LORD)