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The Daily Word of Righteousness
From Justification to Glorification, #7
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is more powerful than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11)
John the Baptist may have been referring to Malachi 3:3 when he proclaimed: "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."
John was describing the removal of sin from the Lord's elect:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12)
"He will throughly purge his floor."
Other passages suggesting an actual removal of sin from the elect are as follows:
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (Zechariah 3:4)
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:11)
The "white robe" of the Scripture speaks of the holiness of the personality and behavior of the royal priesthood. Perhaps this white robe is the glorified body that will be given to the martyrs just before the return of the Lord.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)
The Lord Jesus did not come to forgive the works of Satan but to destroy their power and remove them.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8)
We are in the power of Satan until the Lord Jesus destroys Satan's works in us.
But does the New Testament state that the new covenant results in our deliverance from sin? Yes. As part of the normal Christian walk, and then as a redemption that shall come in the last days.
Which is the earnest [pledge] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
We have been "sealed unto the day of redemption." The day of redemption will begin in the last days as God purifies His elect with a baptism of fire. The redemption will be consummated at the appearing of the Lord Jesus as God adopts the mortal bodies of the saints by removing mortality from them and clothing them with immortality.
And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
To be continued.