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In fulfillment of those words, crowds streamed out from the villages and towns to be baptized[a] by John at the Jordan.

John the Baptist: You bunch of venomous snakes! Who told you that you could escape God’s coming wrath? Don’t just talk of turning to God; you’d better bear the authentic fruit of a changed life. Don’t take pride in your religious heritage, saying, “We have Abraham for our father!” Listen—God could turn these rocks into children of Abraham!

God wants you to bear fruit! If you don’t produce good fruit, then you’ll be chopped down like a fruitless tree and made into firewood. God’s ax is taking aim and ready to swing!

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Footnotes

  1. 3:7 Literally, immersed, to show repentance

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers!(A) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(B) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(C) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”(D)

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