Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day three)
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Turns out that salvation, long the exclusive focus of evangelistic fervor, isn’t an end in itself. It’s crucial, but inaugural. The coming One will immerse all willing souls in God himself, active in the world. Immersion in a language – speaking it, singing it, writing it, conversing in it – will develop in you the habits of thinking which correspond to that language. When you live with God – speak to him, sing of him, think about him, develop a life with his people – you’ll develop the habits of being that emulate “God active in the world” – which is one way to think about the Holy Spirit. That baptism will lead you to an eternity of reigning with God – having say over resources and activity and initiatives that will lead to a continually flourishing life for humanity.
What a beautiful way to think about the Holy Spirit!