Redemption

Since John preached “only” a baptism of repentance, the people were hoping they could “get off easy” with a few superficial changes to their lives. Instead, John assures them that the real judge (the one who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”) is still to come.

People are afraid to change, especially when what they need to change has become a sinful habit. The fact of divine redemption requires a real change in us. The fact that Jesus is revealed as the Messiah means that change must happen now.

In Luke 3:22, God the Father says to His Son, “with thee I am well pleased.” These are words of fulfillment, both of the Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 43:1-7) and for all of us who are now in Christ.

We all want answers. The cross shows us what God’s answer to sin is: death. So, we have our answer as to how it will end if we keep on living in habitual sin. Let Christ’s example of dying in our place inspire us to make real changes. To be sure, we will still face the consequences for our sins, both past and present, but they will be blunted, not as bad as they would have been. We can also be confident that once we are called by His name, we have been redeemed. The promises of Isaiah 43 and the “well pleased” of Luke 3:22 apply to us.

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