December 7
FIRE / PART 2
FIRE: NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL
According to Dr. Harold Lovelace:
-"Check again in your Concordance, and you will find that the verses that read “Holy Ghost and fire”,
“hell fire”, “unquenchable fire”, “ministers a flame of fire”, “fiery indignation”,
“God is a consuming fire”, “lake of fire and brimstone” and “the overcomers stand on a sea of
glass mingled with fire”. These terms are all from the same Greek word #4442, “pur”. Therefore it is
the same fire in all these places. Now notice that in Mark 14:54 when Peter warmed himself by a fire, it is a different
Greek word." ( Read And Search God’s Plan, Dr. Harold Lovelace )
-This proves that the Bible makes a clear distinction between natural and spiritual fire. When the Bible speaks
of God applying fire to the lives of people, whether now or in future ages to come, it is referring to a spiritual fire. This
is speaking of God Himself, Who is a consuming fire! For example, when Peter spoke of going through fiery trials in 1st
Peter 1:7 and 1st Peter 4:12 he was obviously teaching us about having the spiritual fire of God applied to our
lives. It is common sense to know that when a person goes through a fiery trial that he or she is not literally on fire. As
well, 1st Corinthians 3:13 tells us that God’s fire shall try the believers work of what sort it is. Once
again, this fire is the ( spiritual ) consuming fire of God Himself. God does not need to or want to burn anyone in literal
( natural ) fire for the purpose of torturing them. THAT WOULD BE INSANE! As a matter of fact, IT HAS NEVER ENTERED HIS MIND!
At a point in Israel’s history, they burned their children, making them pass through the fire unto the false god Molech.
The scripture goes on to say that God did not command them to do that, NEITHER DID IT EVEN COME INTO HIS MIND, THAT THEY SHOULD
DO THIS ABOMINATION, TO CAUSE JUDAH TO SIN ( Jeremiah 32:35 ). This is concrete evidence that God is not interested in burning
people in literal ( natural ) fire.
-Our next effort will be to look at the purpose of this spiritual fire in our lives. If God is a consuming fire,
and the Bible speaks so much about fire, then there is obviously something in man that needs to be burned before God can have
a people after His own nature and likeness. It is actually impossible for man to become like God without going through His
consuming fire. If God is a consuming fire, and His goal is to make us like He is, then we must go through the fire!
-FOR OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE!-
