The Message of John the Baptist

John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. He introduced Repentance and Water Baptism and faith in God for the salvation from sin. The people and many religious leaders believed John to be a prophet from God and accepted these religious practices as a result. This paved the way for the Lord Jesus Christ because the teaching of individuals needing to confess and turn from sin and to take a step of faith by being baptized, ceremonial cleansing was now accepted and understood. When John baptized Jesus he identified Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world and soon God took John out of the world. John's baptism was called the baptism of repentance. Jesus had not yet begun his ministry. Jesus and all of the apostles including Paul taught that faith in God will produce repentance from sin and obedience to water baptism. There was a great difference between John's baptism and Christian baptism for Christian baptism is the proclamation of faith in Christ Jesus and is performed in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. The Christian message is Repent and Believe and be Baptized. Water baptism itself does not save from sin, it is simply the act of obedience that comes from faith. Repentance by itself does not save, it is the result of true faith when a person turns from self to follow Christ. So John's message paved the way introducing the need for personal salvation even for Jews. That all men are sinners who need to seek the grace of God. That to come to God one must repent of sin and that water baptism is the profession of that faith to the world.