60 Minute Scripture Reflections #1: The Proclamation of John the Baptist



Basic points:

  1. The “good news” is another way to describe the Gospel. It is easier (I think) to explain that the Gospel is good news.
  2. Baptism is “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Repentance means to turn away (Hebrew word teshuvah) and not do something again. “For” implies causation. This means that anyone who is baptized with a heart of repentance will have their sins forgiven.
  3. There are two types of baptisms: water and the Holy Spirit. Water Baptism is that which results in the forgiveness of sins. Holy Spirit baptism isn’t explained in this passage.

Questions/What I Think:

The “good news” mentioned in this passage seems to refer to the coming of Jesus. John the Baptist is preparing people to be ready for when Jesus comes. In order to be ready, the people must be baptized with a pure heart of repentance, which means that something that John says must have convicted them in their spirits, for everyone in Jerusalem and the Judean countryside were going to be baptized. Based on my understanding of Christian theology, the Holy Spirit does the work of convicting individuals (which is not in the external sense of being convicted of a crime, but in the internal sense of having a dissatisfaction or sorrow with oneself). However, the Holy Spirit doesn’t appear on the scene until Jesus begins to be tempted by the devil. So my question #1 is about motivation: How were people convinced? Are there any details left out in the passage for why the people were convicted of their need for repentance?