VOICE OF TRUTH FOR TODAY
Change
John the Baptist had one mission: prepare the way for Jesus.
Crowds flocked to the Jordan River to hear his message of repentance and be baptized. They came longing for hope, forgiveness, and a fresh start. Matthew tells us they confessed their sins and were baptized as a public declaration that they were turning back to God.
John’s Gospel focuses on something even greater.
The next day, Jesus walked toward the river, and John boldly declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NIV). In that moment, John fulfilled the very purpose God had given him—to point people to the Messiah.
What strikes me most about this passage is that true change always begins on the inside.
John wasn’t inviting people into a religious ritual. He was calling them to change the way they thought so their lives would follow. When we truly place our faith in Christ, our thinking begins to align with His truth, and our actions naturally begin to reflect Him.
Baptism itself beautifully illustrates this transformation. I recently learned that the Greek word behind “baptize” was also used in the process of pickling—something permanently changed by being immersed. What an incredible picture of what Jesus does in us! Through His death and resurrection, He doesn’t merely cover our sin as the sacrifices of the Old Testament did. He removes it completely.
I still find myself asking, “Lord, do I really live as someone whose sin has been taken away?”
Romans 4:17 reminds us that God “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (GW). He is still changing hearts today.
May we never forget who Jesus is—the Lamb of God who changes everything.
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Excerpt from Voice of Truth Magazine
“Musings on the Book of John” by Connie Hecker