Matthew 3:8&9
"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."
John the Baptizer is reading the riot act to the Sadducees and Pharisees. They have shown up to the banks of the Jordan river, where the Baptizer was preaching and teaching. John held the Nazarite vow and he would have had long shaggy hair, clothes made with camel's hair. His rough appearance would have made a stark contrast to the long garments and gorgeous apparel of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
John has NOT been kind to them and in today's verses he only get harsher; "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:" Our English translations don't capture the meaning of what was said. John's sentiment was more along the lines of since you showed up here you must WANT TO repent.
Then John cautions them on their assumption of their privileges of birth; "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." It is not by our genealogy that we are saved. We are not God's gift to the church or the world. GOD does give to us everything we experience. We need to make every step in our lives with gratitude to our GOD. The second that we let our pride guide us or inform us; we are done. We are out of sync with GOD'S plan.
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