John 3:22-36 KJV
22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Several things in this portion of John 3 that is important to point out. When reading John 3 the next portion is often overlooked, yet there is meat hear, but it states who John the Baptist declares no doubt by the Holy Spirit about who he declares Jesus is. Jesus is going toward the North probably back to Macedonia area, when he stops at Galilee, remember he had been in Jerusalem causing a little trouble that over looked, but it did not help with the Pharisees and Sadducees like of Jesus. Yet early part of John 3 you see a scribe visit him at night and reason he did not want anyone else to know he spoke with Jesus. His name Nicodemus, but that not where I beginning the story, I skipping the first part and moving on the last part of the chapter.

Look at the questions to John the Baptist among John the Baptist disciples and the Jews about purifying. The baptizism is a form of purification, purification was a part of the process of entering or going to the temple in Jerusalem. Purification before a sacrifice could be made. I hate to say this but I had to read a fiction book years ago that talked about purification rights to some other deity for me to get this Jewish process. Though a false religion may stem from Judaism it does not change the information purification rights among Jews and Gentiles was not really all that different. I was raised in church and so that process of purification in regards to ritual ceremonies should of made more since because the Bible spoke of it in the Old Testament, but the idea of being purified was not taught or not not often in church service. Some churches do foot washing after the original baptism of a believer as Christ did, others seem to skip beyond simple Bible reading in reference to Christ washing the disciples feet or relationship to continual purification needed in regards to what is known as the sanctification process by the Holy Spirit and God's word.

Baptism for remission of sins, for purfication was simple understanding in the day and time of Christ. Yet today, we know to wash before going to church or out in public, but it does not mean it makes you more clean. Just like any religion that has a purification process it was to purge the inner conscious of sin and to bury it, and to be cleansed from that sin to enter the temple or by the priesthood, the holies of holies in Jerusalem Temple or in pagan culture for pagan rituals. Now most would never bring up the pagan rituals in a Bible lesson concerning baptism, but the fact is believers of faith in God and Christ often think they are the only ones to practice cleansing rights. It might of been the one thing that would gotten Israelites in trouble in different cultures, stumbling on this practice and not understanding what was next in some pagan culture. However in the believers of God culture it is for a purging, it the same thing sacrifices do, but it more of outward show with supposely inward meaning. Inward meaning, dealing with the heart of the person. Part of man that can not be purified but by God's Holy Word and Spirit. Our own heart being evil/sinful being purified by truth. Cultures dividing by faith in deity, but even more their purification is usually leading to sensual desires or ritualism that I will not type on. With that in mind you got gentiles at the baptism of John and Jesus and people of different faiths, that needing to know the truth about purification involving the God of Israel.

For the believer of God it is only about being purified and cleansed from sin demonstration that you are seeker of the purification of God of the heart. Sacrifice was given because of sin but it would come after the purification, the acknowledgement of sinful man. Christ would be our sin bear by culture not an because of God laws, yet most never see it that way but Christ was crucified as a king by the Roman guards, and Israel was choosing the worldly king over Jesus. Several things Christ death was caused by, but only one thing is for sure it was the will of God for him to suffer for us. Yet when we get away from the cross and sacrificial process and look deep of the purging of sin between God and man, and purging of sin of society coming with a payment to society. We would call it a crime, with appropiate response by the law of a ticket/jail sentence or least a warning of the offense. Purging came with fire as the coal touch the lips of Ezekiel, yet his purging came understanding he was standing in the presence of God Almighty. Christ will purge us with fire of who the Holy Spirit, the fire being his word and Spirit who being God who is a consuming fire, Christ would teach about the fire of God, the eternal flame. Water baptism a symbol of the purifying upon belief in God, his word and His Spirit. A baptism of water only being the symbol of these things. Yet when God speaks to the human heart about sin, he melts to the floor and yet God raises man back up to live for him through his Son Jesus death and resurrection. Baptism symbolizing also the death and burial with Christ and being resurrected with him.

Faith must first come by belief there is a God, a God that loves you, That is willing to send his own son to purge you from your sin, to cleanse you from your unholiness, and he does it with the baptism of the Word/Jesus and Holy Spirit, that convicts a person of sin by knowledge of truth by his word and Spirit. Something sacrifice of faith could not do on it own is the purging of the soul. If you live in farm country, the killing of sheep, cow, and so forth is only part of the territory. The sacrifice for sin in Jerusalem was part of tradition, payment to God, sometimes to society under religious law alone, and also for the believer that he must not sin or there is a cost for sin. Cost could be in the form of breaking up of a family, life style, or lost of one's own life for their actions. No one not understanding there is a price to society sin, will never learn about the cost of their relationship to God, made upon the first sin in the garden. This is a long discourse for me on purification but perhaps it help you understand the question of the disciples and Jews talking to John the Baptist concerning purity concerning the fact Jesus also baptize.

The questions are "he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him". and John response is "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven". John continues with the fact he said he told them he was not the Christ, that he is only the friend of the bridegroom and that he himself must decrease while Jesus must increase. Disciple of John concerned about those following Jesus, because no doubt Jesus was taking away their crowd. John The Baptist goes on to say in John 3:31-36:

"He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him".

John the Baptist declares Jesus as being the Son of God and that the belief on the Son of God gives eternal life. Lets back up for a moment the word of God is Jesus, this is known from John chapter 1:1-14. One can know the word of God has come in the flesh. Yet what one might not grasp Jesus is the word and that one must receive and believe in Jesus as Lord and God's word to be saved, and to be sealed by the Holy spirit. Just to say believe is not enough. In Old Testament scripture if you read Ezra and Nehemiah when Israel comes back into the land of Israel, the law of God is read, and they have to agree to receive it has their law. Jesus is the Ambassador/prophet straight from heaven, that represents the word, is the word from heaven and is God. That Ambassador must be received by a person for them to be abled to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. This Ambassador Jesus is from God, and is God and part of Godhead bodily in the form of his word, and is our intercessor as a believer back to God the Father. Jesus was sent as God's only Begotten Son(John 3:16) John is declaring this simple fact to believe in God's Son that he sent. The importance of the word is lost with believe on Jesus without no regards that was God's word coming to us in the flesh, and God testified of Jesus coming to us, his baptism and the fact that as minister or teacher we must decrease for Christ to become Lord in a person life. John the Baptist would be beheaded because of what he said about King Herod for sleeping with his brother's wife. John disciples would go to Jesus and follow him. I do not doubt that people continue in their work but when Jesus was passing by their way, disciples would be sent to share with surrounding areas of his coming and they would go meet find Jesus in his location.

John knew who Jesus was. That Jesus was the Messiah. That anyone that believed in the Son of God would have eternal life. That is the believers hope and promise from God above. This is probably the earliest point of people understanding who Jesus was. Yet what one might fail to understand no cross had occurred yet, but baptism is happening. The need for sacrifice gone before the cross with belief in Jesus. Yet the cross testified that God could not be killed, that the flesh was only a shell of human life, and that upon belief we would have a new home/body in glory like Christ body. Until then we live in the flesh and suffer from sin in this world we live in. Either by the law of man, and/ by the word of God. When we purge our sin through baptism, through prayer/meditation/time with God. Seeking him to cleanse us from our sin, to purify us, there is no more need for baptism/sacrifice of earthly kind, only spiritual kind. Keeping our hearts purified by who the Holy Spirit and the work of grace known as the sanctification process. Same fire that purge the tabernacle and the people in the wilderness, to the New Testament and even today upon belief in his word and in the New Testament his Ambassador and word: sealed and marked by the Holy Spirit who teaches us all truth, his ways and will. What sin does God not hold against man the sin unto man, only the sin unto him, which is sin unto others, if we love not our fellow man. God is not unjust to see our sorrow or pain caused by another. Or even our anger, but it better to allow God to revenge. God's revenge is ten times worse, then anything we can do, and yet he calls us to love he only paying the world back as they paid him for those that do not believe. Those that believe only know that hope of eternity and revenge of man upon our actions of love.

One more thing that John covers is that God gave the power to his only Begotten Son for us to have eternal life through his name, through belief in his word and through Him both in the flesh and in the incorruptible body that he resides in today. To believe in the what Christ did on this earth, through the baptism and cross and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Heavenly Father, your word is awesome to proclaim, but to know faith in Christ Jesus is enough to have eternal life is the key that locks the devil of a pit of misery. Lord help us to bridge that word to Christ and the word of God being that salvation, because without the word we have no knowledge of who Christ is or his hope he brings to all of us that call on his name. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Psalm 51:1-19 KJV
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.