He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to loosen."

 (iii) His life is purified. Christ's baptism with the Spirit was to be a baptism of fire ( Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16). The dross of evil things, the alloy of the lower things, the base admixture is burned away until a man is clean and pure. 