Being Traditional Does Not Equal Going To Heaven
also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
3:1-16; Mark 6:14-29; John 1:19-36
than 700 years before, Isaiah foretold that John would be a "voice ... that crieth in the
wilderness," and also to "prepare ye the way of the Lord" (Isaiah 40:3). That is why
he is referred to as the "forerunner" of Christ (John 3:28), who would seek to
straighten out crooked people just before Jesus arrives on the scene.
(Malachi 4:5-6). As does Isaiah, Malachi speaks of John as seeking to correct cursed
people as he runs ahead of Jesus. (Elijah was the bold and great Israelite prophet, and
Jesus would later affirm that John fulfilled the spirit of Elijah, and the prophecy
concerning "Elijah" Matthew 11:7-15.) Like Elijah, he had to be tough. When John
came preaching, it had been over 400 years (since Malachi @ 430 B.C.) since the
people had heard a prophet. And they acted like it.
(Matthew 11:7-15). But besides telling our children that he "ate locusts and wild
honey," there are some really deep things we need to know concerning him. For
starters, he was called John "the Baptist" because that was one of his functions, not his
name. To baptize was something that he did, not what he was. John was above all, a
great prophet, who did preaching, and who did baptizing, in order to prepare the way
for Jesus Christ (Isaiah 40:1-3; Matthew 3:16-16).
alienation, rebellion, and above all, tradition. Through it all, he did not flinch. Two
statements help capture the essence of John the Immerser. First, John 3:30:
Christ because he had gotten "self" out of the way. He "prepared the way" for Christ,
because his own carnal man was not in the way whatsoever. This John is the epitome
of the goal of this website; a Self Overcomer Extraordinaire. The second statement has
to do with the traditionalism (see lesson #11) which had to be opposed by John the
Immerser, Matthew 3:10: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees:
Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire.
long (300 ft. plus). They have trunk diameters upwards of 30 feet. But consider their
age: 1000, 1500, 2000 years, and based on ring counts, some are thought to be even
older than 2300 years! (Encarta Encyclopedia) Well, you could not fell the General
Sherman tree (83 feet in diameter) with a hand saw or chainsaw. No, 2500 metric tons
will not topple without really heavy equipment.
faced. Centuries of tradition had to be overcome. So John had to uproot, lay the
"axe on the root." And today on earth, many people do not ask for the truth
because of 500, 1000, 1500 year old traditions. A little simple math would show
you that true Christianity is older than that. However, there are religious
traditions in the world today that go back about 2500 to 4000 years (Buddhism,
Hinduism, Confucianism, Judaism). So it is not only about age, but about right,
and John told people they must change. Rather than skin and grin, John
withstood the religious but rebellious Pharisees and Sadducees: He rebuked them
as a "generation of vipers"; Commanding them to, "Therefore bear fruits
worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:7-8, NKJV; repent means change). To king
Herod's adulterous marriage, John upheld God's law on marriage, and told Herod
it was unlawful to God (Mark 6:14-29; Matthew 19:1-9). That cost John his life,
but helped toward saving our souls. Also, the example of John's life showed that
humility and courage are not conflicts, by compliments.
old way, and prepare for the new testament way of Christ. There is a quote attributed
to H.D. Thoreau: "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is
striking at its root." Well, John was one in a million thousands.
Proper marriage, governments, and religion were ordained by God. But culture and
custom and traditions become used as barriers that block out the gospel (2 Corinthians
4:4). Nevertheless, from John the forerunner of Christ we can take courage. The
church of Christ for which John prepared, will prevail, because Christ said so
(Matthew 16:18). And because it is not a carnal kingdom but spiritual (John 18:36:
Colossians 1:13,18). It is not a humanly devised organization, but a divinely planned
family (Ephesians 3:14-21). Heaven is the goal.