To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit after John's birth, the verse foretells that John would be the prophet of the Highest to go before the Lord to prepare His ways as the herald of Christ's coming. His God-given work was to make ready a people prepared to receive Christ by giving them knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. That salvation is pardon through God's tender mercy, His pardoning love and exceeding grace in Christ bestowed on the repentant sinner who turns from evil to God. It comes with the visit of the dayspring from on high to give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide their feet into the way of peace. It is received experimentally by confession, repentance, and trust in Christ unto obedient life, and those who know it must make its preciousness known to others so they also may ask and receive.
Prophecy of John's Mission
The verse belongs to the prophecy spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit after John's birth, foretelling that John would be called the prophet of the Highest to go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, identifying him as the Messiah's herald in the prophecy of Christ's advent. The verse assigns John the God-given mission to prepare the Lord's way by giving God's people knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins, made possible through God's tender mercy and connected with the dawn from on high bringing light to those in darkness and the shadow of death and guiding them into peace. That teaching was to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, prepared to receive and believe in Christ as the Son of God at His coming, which is why John was called great in the sight of the Lord; Zacharias had prayed for pardon for the people's public and national sins and for the coming of the expected Saviour to redeem them.
The mission was first told to Zacharias, repeated to John by his God-fearing parents, kept before him from childhood, and accepted by him as a holy trust. Fulfilling it required forgoing training for the priesthood in the rabbinical schools, which would have unfitted him, and being trained by God in the solitude of the desert, where simplicity, self-denial, and study of nature, revelation, and providence, away from suspicion, unbelief, and impurity, would preserve his sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. John's call to prepare for Christ was rejected, and rejecting his warning helped prepare the people to reject Christ.
Salvation by Forgiving Mercy
The verse defines the gospel itself as salvation by pardon of sin through the tender mercies of God, spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit. That tender mercy is God's pardoning love, His exceeding grace and mercy and love in Christ. By His grace the exceeding riches of pardoning mercy are bestowed on the repentant sinner. The blessings of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in the forgiving of unrighteousness for those who turn to God, forsaking evil and choosing good, to whom He will be merciful and whose sins and iniquities He will remember no more.
This knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins was the work appointed to John in preparing the Lord's way and making ready His people, and it comes only through God's tender mercy. Jesus gives this knowledge to God's people, and God is willing to impart knowledge of His unspeakable gift. It is joined to the visiting of the dayspring from on high, the dawn bringing light to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death and guiding feet into the way of peace. In this Christ is presented as the gracious Instructor of those lying in gross darkness, worthy of the highest exaltation.
Salvation in this pardoning mercy is received by the repentant sinner who turns from evil, confesses sin, and trusts in Christ. Christ is Saviour and His gospel is salvation to such. Forgiveness so received is not license to break God's law, for Christ provides mercy and cleansing and gives believers power to become God's children and to live in obedience.
Receiving and Sharing Salvation
The knowledge of salvation by remission of sins through God's tender mercy is not mere theory but experimental knowledge of the blessings Christ came to bestow upon the perishing. When that knowledge is received, blinded eyes are opened and unbelieving hearts are made to perceive, so that unsaved souls press to the throne of grace with importunate prayer to drink the living water. God is willing to impart knowledge of His unspeakable gift, and Christ as the dayspring from on high has visited to give light to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide feet into the way of peace.
Those who already know the gift must not be silent or indifferent, but must make its preciousness and the light of truth known to others. They are to share it so that others also may know the way of salvation and ask and receive the living water. The tender mercy by which salvation comes is God's pardoning love, and it is revealed in all a transformed person does and says as the fruit borne in the life.
Spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit after John's birth, the verse foretells that John would be the prophet of the Highest to go before the Lord to prepare His ways as the herald of Christ's coming. His God-given work was to make ready a people prepared to receive Christ by giving them knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. That salvation is pardon through God's tender mercy, His pardoning love and exceeding grace in Christ bestowed on the repentant sinner who turns from evil to God. It comes with the visit of the dayspring from on high to give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide their feet into the way of peace. It is received experimentally by confession, repentance, and trust in Christ unto obedient life, and those who know it must make its preciousness known to others so they also may ask and receive.
Prophecy of John's Mission
The verse belongs to the prophecy spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit after John's birth, foretelling that John would be called the prophet of the Highest to go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, identifying him as the Messiah's herald in the prophecy of Christ's advent. The verse assigns John the God-given mission to prepare the Lord's way by giving God's people knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins, made possible through God's tender mercy and connected with the dawn from on high bringing light to those in darkness and the shadow of death and guiding them into peace. That teaching was to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, prepared to receive and believe in Christ as the Son of God at His coming, which is why John was called great in the sight of the Lord; Zacharias had prayed for pardon for the people's public and national sins and for the coming of the expected Saviour to redeem them.
The mission was first told to Zacharias, repeated to John by his God-fearing parents, kept before him from childhood, and accepted by him as a holy trust. Fulfilling it required forgoing training for the priesthood in the rabbinical schools, which would have unfitted him, and being trained by God in the solitude of the desert, where simplicity, self-denial, and study of nature, revelation, and providence, away from suspicion, unbelief, and impurity, would preserve his sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. John's call to prepare for Christ was rejected, and rejecting his warning helped prepare the people to reject Christ.
Salvation by Forgiving Mercy
The verse defines the gospel itself as salvation by pardon of sin through the tender mercies of God, spoken by Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit. That tender mercy is God's pardoning love, His exceeding grace and mercy and love in Christ. By His grace the exceeding riches of pardoning mercy are bestowed on the repentant sinner. The blessings of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in the forgiving of unrighteousness for those who turn to God, forsaking evil and choosing good, to whom He will be merciful and whose sins and iniquities He will remember no more.
This knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins was the work appointed to John in preparing the Lord's way and making ready His people, and it comes only through God's tender mercy. Jesus gives this knowledge to God's people, and God is willing to impart knowledge of His unspeakable gift. It is joined to the visiting of the dayspring from on high, the dawn bringing light to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death and guiding feet into the way of peace. In this Christ is presented as the gracious Instructor of those lying in gross darkness, worthy of the highest exaltation.
Salvation in this pardoning mercy is received by the repentant sinner who turns from evil, confesses sin, and trusts in Christ. Christ is Saviour and His gospel is salvation to such. Forgiveness so received is not license to break God's law, for Christ provides mercy and cleansing and gives believers power to become God's children and to live in obedience.
Receiving and Sharing Salvation
The knowledge of salvation by remission of sins through God's tender mercy is not mere theory but experimental knowledge of the blessings Christ came to bestow upon the perishing. When that knowledge is received, blinded eyes are opened and unbelieving hearts are made to perceive, so that unsaved souls press to the throne of grace with importunate prayer to drink the living water. God is willing to impart knowledge of His unspeakable gift, and Christ as the dayspring from on high has visited to give light to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide feet into the way of peace.
Those who already know the gift must not be silent or indifferent, but must make its preciousness and the light of truth known to others. They are to share it so that others also may know the way of salvation and ask and receive the living water. The tender mercy by which salvation comes is God's pardoning love, and it is revealed in all a transformed person does and says as the fruit borne in the life.