Our God is a Consuming Fire

WHY IS GOD A "CONSUMING FIRE"?
----- Article written by Clarence L. Haynes Jr. (Taken from Bible Study Tools)

"For our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:29).

It’s not often we think of God in these terms, yet here in the book of Hebrews we are presented with a very interesting description of God as a consuming fire. Of all the ways God is described in the Bible, this one is probably the most curious to me. This description didn’t just happen in Hebrews, it was a description from back in the Old Testament.

What does this mean and what are some reasons to know why God is a consuming fire? Knowing this may give you a different understanding of who God is.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT GOD IS A "CONSUMING FIRE"?

When you think of why God is a consuming fire, let’s consider the meaning of these words. The word "consuming” can have different meanings. It can mean to use up, to destroy or annihilate, or to absorb the attention of someone or something. In Scripture, fire can be used as a form of judgment but it is also used in purification or refining. With that being the case, WHAT ARE THE THINGS GOD WOULD TURN HIS ATTENTION TO CONSUMING OR BURNING AWAY?

1. Your Attention to Idols or Idolatry

"Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:23-24).

In this passage Moses was speaking to the Israelites as they were getting closer to the time when they would crossover into the promised land. This was a reminder to the people of Israel that God was the one who had brought them to this place, and he wanted them to never forget that.

Moses was encouraging them to remember the covenant God had made with them and to uphold their end of the covenant because God would uphold his. This would require them to run from idols and idolatry and have a pure heart and love for God. In this instance, God was absorbed with keeping their attention and focus on him because he knew that if they fell into sin and idolatry he would not be able to bless them. To bless them in their sin would violate his holiness and righteousness.

This is very much like us today. God has many wonderful blessings and promises he desires to pour out and fulfill in our lives. However, he cannot or will not pour those things out on people whose hearts are not completely devoted to him.

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

2. Your Enemies

"But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you” (Deuteronomy 9:3).

If there is one thing God desires to consume in your life it is your enemies. Now before you start making a list of all the people who have wronged you ”“ that is not how this works. God removes and destroys enemies in your life when doing so aligns with his purpose. In other words, he doesn’t do it for the sake of doing it, so stop writing down those names you want God to get.

One of the biggest enemies God is seeking to devour in your life is sin. The biggest enemy in your life is not Satan, it is sin. The only thing that can interfere or destroy the work and plan of God in your life is sin. As powerful as Satan may be, he is no match for the man or woman who has chosen to follow God with their whole heart. However, when sin invades your heart it can wreak havoc on God’s purpose for your life. Because God loves you and has a great plan for you, he will continually point his finger at any areas of sin in your life so he can remove them.

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT OF THIS VERSE?

When you consider chapter 12 of Hebrews, it is a chapter about God’s discipline, holy living, and listening and obeying God. One of the contexts of the chapter is that if God is disciplining you it is because he loves you. This goes back to the fact that God does not want sin to reign or rule in your bodies. Consider Hebrews 12:25:

"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?”

There is a part of God’s character that requires him to judge sin. He is a just judge, but he is the judge nonetheless. Though judgment is not God’s first act, it will eventually come to all who refuse to listen to him. This is one side of the consuming fire of God that you do not want to be on.

WHAT DOES THIS VERSE TEACH ABOUT GOD'S MAJESTY?

God as a consuming fire is not just about his judgment or discipline. It is also about his glory and majesty. Here is an example from the Old Testament.

"When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever’” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3).

THERE IS SOMETHING MAJESTIC AND AWESOME ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD THAT WHEN HE TRULY SHOWS UP, HIS GLORY CONSUMES EVERYTHING AROUND IT. When he shows up, nothing else can stand in his presence. We become like Isaiah in his vision of the Lord.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).

"’Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty’” (Isaiah 6:5).

IN GOD’S PRESENCE THERE IS NO ROOM FOR SIN, SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, OR PRIDE. ALL THOSE THINGS ARE BURNED AWAY WHEN YOU SEE GOD IN ALL OF HIS MAJESTY, OR AS THAT CONSUMING FIRE. That’s why Paul could say in Philippians that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. In that moment, it won’t matter who or what you think Jesus is, the overwhelming majesty of who he is will cause you to bow, whether you like it or not. This is why God is a consuming fire.

As you go before God in worship and prayer remember who he is. REMEMBER WHY GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE. HE IS TRYING TO BURN AWAY THE THINGS THAT HARM YOU. THE THINGS THAT PREVENT YOU FROM BEING WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO BE. AT THE SAME TIME, HE IS TRYING TO MOLD YOU INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST AND SOMETIMES THAT WILL TAKE CONSUMING OR REFINING FIRE. I encourage you to embrace this because though it may not feel good in the moment, you will come out better for it.

"But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]” (Job 23:10, AMP).

(Note: My emphasis in caps).

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-is-god-a-consuming-fire.html

Note:

(1) Purity through fire.
(2) Glory through fire.

Also:

It is God who is the consuming fire, NOT any preacher or teacher.

SCRIPTURE

Matt. 3:11 ”“

As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize (immerse) you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Heb. 12:4-11 ”“

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but HE DISCIPLINES US FOR OUR GOOD, SO THAT WE MAY SHARE HIS HOLINESS. ALL DISCIPLINE FOR THE MOMENT SEEMS NOT TO BE JOYFUL, BUT SORROWFUL; YET TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT, AFTERWARDS IT YIELDS THE PEACEFUL FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THE REFINERS TOUCH
-----Article by an UNKNOWN AUTHOR

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part -- when I see my image reflected in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He sees His image in you.

------- END OF ARTICLE BY UNKNOWN AUTHOR

Comment:

Only God can perfectly refine the silver so that His image will be reflected in it.

Guess the silver will be destroyed in other hands.

SCRIPTURE

1 Thess. 5:23-24 ”“

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

2 Tim. 4:18 ”“

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

THE REJECTED BRANCHES THAT ARE CAST INTO THE FIRE AND ARE BURNED

God wants more than sound doctrine.

The Church in Ephesus had sound doctrine and exposed false apostles. Yet they were warned to repent, or their lampstand would be removed out of its place.

God requires us to abide in Christ and Christ in us and bear fruit through this union. All who fail to do this are rejected.

John 15:1-6 ”“
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT, HE TAKES AWAY; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES; HE WHO ABIDES IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE BEARS MUCH FRUIT, FOR APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. IF ANYONE DOES NOT ABIDE IN ME, HE IS THROWN AWAY AS A BRANCH AND DRIES UP; AND THEY GATHER THEM, AND CAST THEM INTO THE FIRE AND THEY ARE BURNED.

We abide in Christ and Christ in us by
(1) Trusting/believing in the name of Jesus, and
(2) Loving one another.

1 John 3:23-24 ”“
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.
We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Trusting/Believing in the Name of Jesus:

Phil. 3:3 ”“
for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and GLORY IN CHRIST JESUS AND PUT NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH,

Ps. 20:7-8 ”“
Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
BUT WE WILL BOAST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, OUR GOD.
They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.

Ps. 89:15-16 ”“
How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
IN YOUR NAME THEY REJOICE ALL THE DAY,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

Ps. 91:14 ”“
Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I WILL SET HIM SECURELY ON HIGH, BECAUSE HE HAS KNOWN MY NAME.

Ps. 116:13 ”“
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the Lord.

Loving one another:

John 15:12 ”“
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

1 John 3:14 ”“
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

1 John 4:7-8,12,16 ”“
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love…………………… if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us…………………We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

(My emphasis in caps).

Thanks Jade.
I have just been studying your first 5 posts and like to add some comments:

"THE REFINERS TOUCH"
I believe today's Bride of Christ is so impure, it can only be refined with a lot of heat as in that illustration.
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and have pure and undivided devotion to Him. Otherwise we might not endure the amount of heat that we might have to go through soon.

"ALL DISCIPLINE FOR THE MOMENT SEEMS NOT TO BE JOYFUL, BUT SORROWFUL; YET TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT, AFTERWARDS IT YIELDS THE PEACEFUL FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS."
After a few decades as Christian I know that is true. His discipline will bring peaceful fruit of righteousness.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

It is a lifelong process of learning and maturing, and to be sanctified and preserved by Him !

Markus

Thank you, Markus, for your reply.

Amen.

Phil 3:7-14 ”“
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of THE SURPASSING VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I MAY GAIN CHRIST, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH COMES FROM GOD ON THE BASIS OF FAITH……………………NOT THAT I HAVE ALREADY OBTAINED IT OR HAVE ALREADY BECOME PERFECT, BUT I PRESS ON so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE OF THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.

THE GOAL OF GOD’S REFINING FIRE

Abiding in Christ and Christ in us is of utmost importance. This is the goal of God’s refining fire.

Without this crucial union with Christ and absolute dependence on Christ, as a branch must be joined to the vine and be absolutely dependent on the vine for its fruit and its life, we can do NOTHING and cannot bear fruit and will be thrown into the fire and be burned.

John 15:4-6 ”“
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

BY THE SPIRIT

The command to abide in Christ and Christ in us can only be obeyed in the power of the God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who dwells in us. Abiding in Christ and Christ in us is God’s way of life for us. Only the Holy Spirit can make this life a reality in us.

John 6:63 ”“
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Rom. 8:6-11 ”“
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the SPIRIT OF GOD dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the SPIRIT OF CHRIST, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give LIFE to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

(Edited, 1/1/24)

Fiery Trial: Πυρώσει (purōsei)

1 Pet. 4:12 (KJV) ”“
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial (πυρώσει
purōsei) which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you……

Food for Thought:

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:
The word rendered "fiery trial" (πυρώσει purōsei) occurs only here and in Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:18; in both of which latter places it is rendered burning. It means, properly, a being on fire, burning, conflagration; and then any severe trial. It cannot be demonstrated from this word that they were literally to suffer by fire, but it is clear that some heavy calamity was before them.

Hi Jade,

I think you, Todd and I had a robust back and forth on the nature of the consuming fire. As you have very aptly pointed out there is a refining fire which consumes dross.

This is a teaching that I listened to this weekend which took me back to our conversations and addresses Todd's questions that he presented about the nature of the fire after death, if it exists after death. At the end of the teaching, there is a very powerful and heart touching testimony by the speaker that is really special. Hope all will listen. It's really good. I haven't heard someone with such a gracious charity filled approach speak to this issue like this before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqSV8A9f6_k

Hi Robert,

It is a very long sermon.

Are you able to give a short summary of the main points?

BTW, I don't believe in universal restoration based on "emotion". I only believe what I believe when I know that what I believe are backed by scriptural facts and CLEAR scripture.

The refining fire that consumes dross lasts only till the dross is consumed. Except in human hands, I guess, when it goes on and on and on and it is not the dross it seeks to consume but the person it seeks to punish forever.

I understand Jade. I. will try to summarize and respond.

I would assume that a refining fire doesn't produce silver or gold. It only removes the dross and simultaneously makes the gold that is already there more tested and sure. God's refining fire in this life as applied to false professors has the effect of making them walk away from their supposed faith that isn't real as I understand the Scriptures.

The idea that a "refining" fire produces gold would be strange. As a born again person or the new heart and new creation is the gold, refining fire burns away the old corrupt remaining flesh. If there isn't any gold in the first instance, then the fire isn't a "refining" one of consuming dross.

Seems basic.

Ah, but something more imperishable than gold was deposited in the entire human race when God’s imperishable Word was given to Adam and Eve, the parents of the human race, that the seed the woman would crush the serpent’s head. The Lord Jesus came as the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14) and made good this imperishable Word to the entire human race.