In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Before Epiphany the Holy Church recalls Saint John the Forerunner who appeared in the Jordan desert and preached repentance, calling to the faith in Christ to come, baptizing people with water for repentance. He said that the One who was coming after him was mightier than he and would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mt.3,11) These words of the Forerunner of the Lord about the Baptism he performed, and future Christ Baptism makes us think over the difference between John Baptism didn’t join the one being baptized in the Holy Spirit as Christ Baptism did. The thing is that Saint John was only the Forerunner, the precursor of grace which Christ had to give to people.

Why was John Baptism to be performed if it didn’t give grace? It was important as preparatory one because it prepared for Christ Baptism. As the whole law was of preparatory importance so did John Baptism. It was as if the completion of those rites of ablution which were so numerous in the Old Testament and was the last transitional step to Christ Baptism which had to be the door to the Kingdom of Christ.

Christ Baptism wasn’t shade and image. In fact it gave the Holy Spirit which man had lost because of his fall. As in John Baptism, water here is for healing a body with spirit, but this water is not only washing a body but it is living water (John 4,10). Before Christ man in John’s Baptism couldn’t take the Holy Spirit because of his fall. Now Christ sends to people being baptized the Holy Spirit reviving the nature of person through Baptism, making it capable to take the Holy Spirit. Christ restored the damaged nature of person through His suffering, death and resurrection, through which He gave us power to crucify our old self (Rome 6,6)

The Forerunner of the Lord said that Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt.3,11). And he, preparing people for this Baptism, always demanded repentance. Through this water baptism man is revived for a new life, spiritual and receives forgiveness of sins free of charge without preliminary work and heroic deeds.

Through the sacrament of confession the grace of baptism is renovated in person. Thus, confession is the second baptism for person. Not by baptizing again, but renovating the grace of baptism which doesn’t abandon even great sinners until they haven’t lost the ability to renovation through repentance. Only without repentance the grace of baptism is inactive as if dead.

Till now John the Baptist has been preaching repentance preparing the way for the Lord. Now the Lord Himself calls upon people “Repent”! This voice was addressed not only to people who were living in time of Christ, but these words Christ addressed to all people of all times and ages. Let’s repent and try to overcome our passions and receive the forgiveness of sins so that in the future age we could enter the incorruptible kingdom which the Lord prepared for us. Amen.

By Rev.George Sergeev