The Holy Spirit or Fire?

We have a lot of examples of things that stand in stark contrast to each other.  There are light and darkness which are total opposites. We talk about righteousness and evil. There is no middle ground between them. Things are either righteous or evil. Then, there is blessing and condemnation. If we receive the blessing, we will not be condemned, and if we are condemned, we will not receive the blessing. See what I mean. We can't have both.

When John, the Baptist, came to make way for Jesus, people thought he was the Christ. He told them plainly that he was not the Messiah. (Luke 3:16) John responded to their speculation by saying that he baptized people with water, but the One who was coming, who was mightier than him, and he was not worthy to untie the straps of His sandals, would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire. It was either one or the other, but not both.

When we get saved from our sins by trusting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit. He is God who comes to live in us. He comes to lead us and empower us to be more like Jesus every day. Also, He is the earnest of our inheritance. In other words, He is God's down payment which guarantees our eternity in heaven with the Lord. Once we are baptized by the Spirit, we belong to God forever.

On the other hand, if we reject the call of the Holy Spirit to put out trust in Jesus, and we go our own way in this life, we are not going to enter into the great blessing of having God inside of us and being with Him in heaven forever. Instead, we will be baptized by fire. We will be sent to the Lake of Fire, prepared for the devil and the angels who followed him. That is not God's will for anyone, but it is our choice to make. We can choose blessing or receive condemnation. Which will it be?

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 4-7.