Before Jesus Christ's ministry began, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness about repentance from sin and baptism. In Matthew 3:11, he speaks of baptizing with water unto repentance, declaring that He who is coming after him is mightier and will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Baptism by water is seen as a cleansing act, preparing one for new life. On the last day of Unleavened Bread, God symbolically baptized the children of Israel as they passed through the Red Sea, emerging clean and free from their oppressors. From these examples, God seems to begin every instance of new life or creation with a baptism, a cleansing in water for the remission of sins, making it an essential and vital early step in His creative work with humanity.