Matthew 3:1-12
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 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.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 3:1-2
3:1-2 Repentance and its relationship to eternal life is viewed in two different ways. One view is that repentance is a change of mind concerning someone or something and is often used synonymously with faith. When it is synonymous with faith, it is a condition of eternal life. If that is what John the Baptist is talking about here, then he is calling the nation to faith in her Messiah. Another view is that repentance is a decision to turn from one's sin and get right with God. In this view it is never stated as a condition of eternal life. Repentance is not found in the only evangelistic book in the Bible, John's Gospel, nor is it found in Paul's defense of the gospel in the Book of Galatians. If that is what John the Baptist was preaching, then he was calling the nation to turn from her sins in preparation for the coming kingdom. As Mark 1:15 shows, the Messiah Himself called the nation to both belief in the gospel and repentance.
Either way, it is clear that John the Baptist was calling for a repentance that was to be accompanied by a change of conduct (Luke 3:10-14). John is not saying that this change of conduct is necessary for receiving eternal life. Eternal life is a free gift (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9). For an individual Jew to receive eternal life, all that was required was simple faith in the promise of God to grant eternal life through faith in His Messiah. First and foremost, John the Baptist asks those who hear his message to believe in Christ Jesus (John 1:7; Acts 19:4).
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 3:10-12
3:10-12 For those who continued trusting their heritage rather than their Messiah and who demonstrated their lack of repentance, there was only one prospect - the fire of God's judgment. Fire was often used in the OT as a symbol of temporal judgment (Isa 10:16-19; 66:15-16; Jer 48:45). The objects of judgment are depicted as "every tree [that] does not bear good fruit," and chaff that has been separated from the wheat by a "winnowing fan." In both cases, they are said to be burned with fire. In Matt 3:11, John proclaims the greatness of the One "who is coming after" him. John, the greatest of the OT prophets (11:11), declares his unworthiness to perform the lowliest task of the lowest slave when he says, "whose sandals I am not worthy to carry."
Three baptisms are mentioned in Matt 3:11: baptism of "water unto repentance," baptism "with the Holy Spirit," and baptism with fire. Each signified initiation into a new situation. The baptism with the Holy Spirit by the King was yet future. It would initiate and characterize the Church Age by bringing Jews and Gentiles together into the same body (1 Cor 12:13; Col 1:18). It began on the Day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:5 with Acts 11:15-16). The baptism with fire alludes to the fiery temporal judgment that unbelieving Israel will experience.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - John's Baptism of Repentance, Matthew 3:1-12 (cf. Luke 3:3-17)
(Salvation) Interpretation: John the Baptist baptized unbelievers who repented of sins and changed their conduct so that they would be saved.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: John the Baptist baptized Jews who wanted to show their repentance under the Mosaic Covenant, separate from sinful Israel, and prepare for the coming Messiah.
This is a passage where it is important to understand the setting and context. John the Baptist has a message for the nation of Israel about repentance and baptism. But is he telling them as well as people today how to be saved?
At the time that John preached, the nation of Israel was still under the Mosaic Covenant. For God's covenant people, the way to be restored from departing from God was to repent - to change their minds or attitudes about their sin (Deut. 30:2, 10: 2 Chr. 7:14). At that point, they are prepared to receive the Messiah that John would introduce. His baptism was a witness to their repentance and anticipation of the Messiah. The works he tells the Pharisees, Sadducees, and others to do (Matt. 3:7-9; Luke 3:7-14) are works that are consistent with true repentance, not works that will save them. This passage clearly differentiates between repentance as an inner attitude and "fruits worthy of repentance" which is the outer conduct (v. 8).
It helps to see what the apostle Paul says about John's baptism in Acts 19:4. Speaking to Ephesians who had received John's baptism but had not believed in Jesus Christ, he said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Jesus Christ." Those who had received John's baptism were Jewish believers who needed to become Christians through faith in Jesus Christ. They were in the transition period between the era of Law and the era of grace.
As recorded in Acts 13:24, Paul said in Pisidian Antioch before Christ officially presented Himself to Israel as the Messiah, that John preached "the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel." If we understand the Jewish audience and the covenantal background for John's preaching of baptism and repentance, we should not make this a template for preaching the gospel in the church age. First, this does not at all speak of Christian baptism. Second, repentance does not save anyone in and of itself, but the change of heart that it reflects is well prepared to believe in the Savior. Though it addresses God's people under His covenant, we can learn from this as a general (Discipleship message) that teaches the way back to God begins with a change of mind and heart.