Luke 3:6-10

Luke 3:6 (KJB)
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

What is in view here is not that everyone in the world would see the Lord Jesus Christ in His physical body as many did when He was in the world. This verse is a future tense verse whereas all those in the world throughout time will see the salvation of God in the lives of those who have become saved. They will see the believers take on the attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ. The salvation of God will be fully visible to all in the world because those who become saved will exude the traits of being saved. (Isa 40:5 KJV) And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:5 shows us this plainly in the third verse of the prophecy. The Glory of the Lord will be revealed, that is, those who have become saved will exude the glory of God in salvation and the world will see it in Christians. The Lord spoke it and it will come to pass.

Luke 3:7 (KJB)
Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

No doubt someone had probably sent word back to Jerusalem to the ruling council that something was happening in the area of the Jordan. So many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees had come to the site where John was baptizing. The Pharisees were zealous for the law but they equated tradition as valid as the Scriptures themselves. The Sadducees were a priestly sect and were more political than religious. John wasted no time in identifying these religious leaders as enemies. By calling them “generation of vipers,” he was actually calling them children of Satan by means of using the snake as a representative for Satan. (Gen 3:1 KJV) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? John asks them who warned them to flee the wrath to come. John was asking because he knows that he did not warn them and were they there just to cause trouble or were they there to confess their sins. John knew what they were there for and that was to see what was going on.

Luke 3:8 (KJB)
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin 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.

A fruit tree is only good if it brings forth good fruit. John is telling them that the fruits worthy of repentance are not just the acceptance of doctrines or teachings but a complete change of mind which is the source of the change of habits and lifestyle. One can tell true repentance if the works coincide with the words. It does no good to say I repent of evil deeds and then go to a bar and start drinking. That shows hypocrisy and it shows that the person was never transformed. If the Pharisees and Sadducees showed true repentance, they would be friends of the Messiah and not the enemies and we all know how that turned out.

One of the major misconceptions is that many of the religious leaders believed that they would be able to draw upon the merits and lives of the fathers like Abraham. John immediately rejects that belief and basically tells them that being a physical descendant of Abraham is no substitute for true conversion along with accompanying good works. (Isa 51:1-2 KJV) Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. {2} Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. John had declared to them that just as God had hewn Israel out of the rock of Abraham, He would be able to raise up children of Abraham from the very same rock. John was not telling them that being physical descendants was the important thing but they needed to belong to the spiritual line of Abraham, that is, they needed to become saved and with that true salvation would come the accompanying good works. (Mat 23:9 KJV) And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Luke 3:9 (KJB)
And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The image of the ax striking the root of the tree portrays the judgment of God which await the ungodly. Here the ax that is laid to the root of the tree is the true Gospel, the Kingdom of God. The root of the trees is Judaism and the true Gospel is to replace the Mosaic law. Every tree which does not embrace the true Gospel but sticks to the law will be cut down with the ax of the Gospel and they will be judged by that Gospel. When they are found guilty for rejection of that Gospel they will be cast into the fire, that is, eternal damnation of Hell. With the arrival of John the Baptist, it signaled the beginning of the last days of earth and at the end of those days will come judgment.

Luke 3:10 (KJB)
And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

John’s words had no doubt upset the crowd and caused them to think about what he was saying to the point that they were asking him what should they do? Repentance is more than just sorrow but is something which also requires actions. (Luke 19:8 KJV) And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Zacchaeus is a good example of this. He promised to give half of his goods to the poor and if he took anything from anyone under false pretenses, he would restore it fourfold. One can see true repentance when there are works accompanying the contrition. If there are no works, then the repentance was false. (2 Cor 7:10 KJV) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

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