Mateus 3

Mateus 3

Morgan - There is a humility about this; there is a touch of modesty in it; and the difference between a real humility and a mock humility, we all know. Real humility never knows it is humble; mock humility is proud of its humility. I lead you to the external symbol of your repentance; He shall whelm you in the fire-whelming of the Holy Ghost, that burns your sin out of you, and re-makes you. I have to do, said John, with the external thing water, that which can only touch the surface of things; He shall work with fire, that which shall go through everything. He will baptize (see baptizo above) you with the Holy Spirit and fire - Luke's version is identical (Lk 3:16+) but Mark 1:8+ omits the phrase and fire. Some take this to represent only one baptism, but others take this to represent two baptisms. I favor the latter. Those who see only one baptism (D A Carson), take the fire as a purifying agent. One of the main arguments to support this premise is that there is only one preposition with (Greek = en) before Spirit and fire. In other words there is no separate "with" before fire, which as Carson says "suggests a unified concept, Spirit-fire or the like." However regarding fire notice that John has spoken about fire in Mt 3:10 and will speak of it again in Mt 3:12 and in both contexts fire clearly speaks of judgment which would be strong support for the use of fire in this verse as indicative of judgment. Louis Barbieri comments that "Those hearing John’s words would have been reminded of two Old Testament prophecies: Joel 2:28–29 and Malachi 3:2–5. Joel had given the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Israel. An actual outpouring of the Spirit did occur in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, but experientially Israel did not enter into the benefits of that event. She will yet experience the benefits of this accomplished work when she turns in repentance at the Lord’s Second Advent." (BKC) NET Note on With the Holy Spirit and fire - There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ's ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord's presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4–5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage. Warren Wiersbe favors two baptisms writing "John mentioned two other baptisms: a baptism of the Spirit and a baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11). The baptism of the Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 1:5+, and note that Jesus said nothing about fire). Today, whenever a sinner trusts Christ, he is born again and immediately baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, the church (1 Cor. 12:12–13). In contrast, the baptism of fire refers to the future judgment, as Matthew explains (Matt. 3:12). (Bible Exposition Commentary) John MacArthur on Holy Spirit and fire says "Many interpreters take this (and fire) to be a part of the Holy Spirit baptism, which began at Pentecost and which in that instance was accompanied by "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3+). But the Acts account says that those tongues "appeared to them" (that is, the waiting disciples) "as of fire." They were not fire, but looked like licks of fire. In his last promise of the soon-coming baptism with the Holy Spirit, Jesus said nothing about actual fire being a part of the experience (Acts 1:5+). And when, a short time later, Cornelius and his household were baptized with the Holy Spirit, no fire was present (Acts 10:44+; Acts 11:16+; cf. Acts 8:17+; Acts 19:6+). Other interpreters take the fire to represent a spiritual cleansing, as described in the quotation above from Ezekiel. But nothing in Ezekiel's text, in the context of John's message here, or in the Pentecost reference to the tongues "as of fire" relates to such cleansing. Consequently, it seems best to consider fire as representing God's coming judgment, which, as we have seen, is so frequently in Scripture symbolized by fire. In both the preceding and following verses (Mt 3:10, 12+) John clearly uses fire to represent judgment and punishment. It is impossible (ED: I WOULD NOT SAY "IMPOSSIBLE" BUT "IT SEEMS UNLIKELY") that the middle reference to fire would concern an entirely different subject. Both of the adjoining verses contrast the fates of believers and unbelievers, those who bear good fruit and those who do not (Mt 3:10) and the valuable wheat and the worthless chaff (Mt 3:12+). It therefore seems logical and natural to take Mt 3:11 also as a contrast between believers (those baptized with the Holy Spirit) and unbelievers (those baptized with the fire of God's judgment). (MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Here is an alternative interpretation by David L Turner - "Though some (e.g., Bruner 1987:79–80; Luz 1989:171; Ridderbos 1987:55) see two baptisms here, one in the Spirit indicating salvation and the other in fire indicating judgment, it is preferable to see only one purifying baptism (Davies and Allison 1988:317). In this understanding the phrase, “Spirit and fire,” is understood as a hendiadys, a figure of speech in which one idea is expressed by two words. This seems to be indicated also by OT texts that associate the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit with both cleansing water (Isa 32:15; Isa 44:3; Ezek 36:25–27; Joel 2:28–29; cf. 1QS 4:20–22) and refining fire (Isa 1:25; Isa 4:4; Isa 30:27–30; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:1–3; Mal 4:1; cf. Acts 2:3; 2 Ezra 13:8–11). So it is best to conclude that the one eschatological outpouring of the Spirit through Jesus will purify and judge. The Holy Spirit has been mentioned as the miraculous agent behind Jesus’ conception (Mt 1:18, 20). Now as John speaks of the future, he asserts that Jesus will baptize in the Holy Spirit. Though he would eventually dispense the Spirit to others (Mt 3:11), Jesus presently needs the empowerment of the Spirit for his own mission (Mt 4:1; Mt 12:18, 28). For a perceptive study of the ministry of the Spirit to Jesus see Hawthorne 1991." (Cornerstone Bible Commentary) Fire (4442)(pur) refers to literal fire (Mt 13:40; 17:15, etc). Pur is used figuratively of God inflicting punishment (Heb 12:29), of disunion (Lk 12:49), of the tongue that kindles strife and discord (James 3:5-6), of trials (1 Pe 1:7, Rev 3:18), at Pentecost (Acts 2:3 = " tongues as of fire "), of burning up useless works (1 Cor 3:10-15), as a description of doing something with great difficult in Jude 1:23 ("snatching them out of the fire"). Fire in the context of judgment as in the present passages, the eternal fire, the place of punishment (Mt. 13:42, 50; Mt. 5:22; 18:9; Mk 9:4 Mt. 18:8; 25:41; Jude 1:7 Rev. 14:10); the Lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; Rev 20:10, 14, 15; Rev 21:8). All of Matthew's uses of pur - Mt. 3:10; Mt. 3:11; Mt. 3:12; Mt. 5:22; Mt. 7:19; Mt. 13:40; Mt. 13:42; Mt. 13:50; Mt. 17:15; Mt. 18:8; Mt. 18:9; Mt. 25:41 = "“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." Kent