John the baptist is a great example for us. He wasn’t afraid to publicly proclaim his beliefs, educating anyone who would listen about the need to effect change in one’s life. John’s goal was to prepare people to “see the salvation of God”.
He taught his audience that one’s way of life is crucial for salvation. Simply being a natural descendent of Abraham was no guarantee of salvation, instead we are to produce “fruits in keeping with repentance“. Tax collectors, soldiers and ordinary people were all instructed to make a change in their lives, to improve the way they treated their neighbour.
John’s message is still applicable to us today. We too are trees that exist for the purpose of producing fruit, of developing God’s character in our lives, and of following the example of Christ, God’s beloved son in whom he was well pleased.