February 14
GOLD, SILVER, PRECIOUS STONES, WOOD, HAY, STUBBLE
-1st Corinthians 3:12,13 states, … Now if any man build upon this foundation ( Jesus Christ ) gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because
it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is …
-What an interesting scripture! This scripture passage gives us insight into the ways of God and man, and how that God
deals with man. Notice the particulars in these two verses of scripture. They are:
1. THE FOUNDATION
2. BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION
3. GOLD, SILVER, PRECIOUS STONES
4. WOOD, HAY, STUBBLE
5. FIRE
-Are these things to be understood literally or spiritually? Well … SPIRITUALLY OF COURSE! We do so much damage to
the scriptures when we literalize things that are to be understood spiritually. There is also much damage done to the scriptures
when we spiritualize something that is not to be spiritualized, but that is another issue, and another topic for another day.
In this particular case, we are to understand this passage in a spiritual sense.
-1. There is only one foundation that can be built on, and that foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ ( Who He is, and what
He accomplished ).
2. We are called upon to recognize this foundation, and then to build upon it.
3. That which man builds upon this foundation, which is to be recognized by God as fruitful, is characterized as gold,
silver, and precious stones. ( These represent divinity. )
4. That which man builds upon this foundation, which is to be recognized by God as unfruitful, is to be characterized as
wood, hay, and stubble. ( These represent carnality. )
5. We are to see GOD AS A CONSUMING FIRE! His fire does try the believer’s work, which in turn does consume his wood,
hay, and stubble ( carnality ), and does purify his gold, silver, and precious stones ( his potential for divinity ).
-Wood, hay, and stubble represent carnality, self, the sin nature, or the Adamic Nature that we inherited from Adam. Gold,
silver, and precious stones represent divinity - and / or the divine nature that is hidden in man, buried under wood, hay,
and stubble.
-So then the goal of God, WHO IS A CONSUMING FIRE, is to burn up the carnal mind ( the corrupt nature within man ), and
to purify man, depositing His very divine nature within him. This is brought about by the FIERY TRIALS of God in and through
our wilderness experiences. As we come to understand this process, we will learn to burn without complaining ( Well …
At least we will not complain quite as much ). Let us boldly enter into the fire of God, NOT FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE, BUT
YIELDING TO HIS FIRE WITH SUBMISSION!
-GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE!-
