I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
In these words John the Baptist humbly shows the limit of his mission and the superiority of the One who comes after him, Jesus. His baptism was only an outward cleansing as a sign of repentance, whereas Jesus’ baptism is an inner transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. “To baptize with the Holy Spirit” means the rebirth of a person’s heart and receiving new life through faith, and “to be baptized with fire” means a path of testing through which a person’s faith is purified, strengthened, and becomes more alive. In this way John prepares the people to understand that true salvation comes not by water, but by the Spirit of God, who transforms a person from within.