Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Matthew 3:11 ¶ "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 3:11 ¶ "As for me, I baptize you with water because of [your] repentance [that is, because you are willing to change your inner self--your old way of thinking, regret your sin and live a changed life], but He (the Messiah) who is coming after me is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove [even as His slave]; He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with fire (judgment). [Luke 3:16] |
Bible Question:
Per Matthew 3:11, what does it mean to be baptized by the Holy Spirit? Background: I am studying the passage of Matthew 3:5-12 and asked myself the following question (in regards to Matt 3:11-12): "John states that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, and then explains how Jesus will separate the saved from the unsaved. Is the baptism by the Holy Spirit for the saved, and the baptism by fire for the unsaved? If so, is the baptism by the Holy Spirit before or after a person dies?" |
Bible Answer: Hello, Justin... Welcome to the forum! I checked several commentaries, and it appears that the consensus is that the fire is a reference to how the Holy Spirit operates upon the soul. This not a reference to some kind of "second blessing" -- nor are there any didactic references to such a teaching. Rather, the Holy Spirit comes upon and indwells a person upon salvation (Titus 3:5-7). In Him, Doc |