John presented religion as anti-natural asceticism; Jesus presented it as a supernatural naturalism. John’s religion was against life, and Jesus’ was for life. The faith that John presented was world-denying and life-denying. Jesus was world-affirming and life-affirming. One was a no! The other was a yes! John preached a baptism of repentance, a turning from. Jesus offered a baptism of the Spirit, a turning toward—positive, receptive. John’s movement died. Jesus’ movement lives on. For you cannot live against life. The answer to life is not a reduction of life but an inner fullness of life
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