John 3:16

Luke 3:16: “John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

The greatest evidence of a person’s salvation is the transformation that takes place. Jesus doesn’t redeem us and then leave us as we are, He transforms us!

As the notoriety of John the Baptist began to spread, the people of Israel started to wonder about his identity. He was so different from the religious leaders that they wondered if he might be the Messiah. John answers that with an emphatic NO! He said there is One coming who is so much greater than him that he is not even worthy to untie His sandals. He said, I baptize with water, but when Messiah comes he will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit speaks of the new life and power Jesus gives to those who belong to Him, while the fire points to the judgment He will bring upon those who reject Him.

Have you received the Holy Spirit? It is the greatest evidence that you are saved. Paul states, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9b). And if you have the Spirit, He will make you alive and transform your life. Having Jesus produces visible and measurable change. You will not remain the same person, as it is written, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Father, we thank You for giving us Your Spirit as evidence that Messiah reigns in our hearts. Empower us and continue to transform us into the image of Your Son, we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.