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Our God Is a Consuming Fire

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The letter to the Hebrews says,

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28, 29)

The same fires which heal, purify, and warm the righteous are the consuming, everlasting burnings of gehenna, (named after GeHinnom, the valley of Hinnom, a garbage dump outside Jerusalem)—where beings who refused to become the human persons they were designed to be must finally endure the “backside” of love, which is hell. They are discarded because they have not been willing to become (by their own life-long choices) what their Designer intended them to be. C.S. Lewis wrote,

“God is going to invade this earth in force. But what’s the good of saying you’re on his side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else, something it never entered your head to conceive comes crashing in. Something so beautiful to us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left. This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love, or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down, when it’s become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realize it or not. Now, today, in this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever; we must take it or leave it.”

In spite of our outward circumstances and the downward spiral of moral, economic, political, and social conditions over the face of the earth, the Good News of the Bible is that evil has already been dethroned and its power over mankind and nature broken. The new creation is as inevitable as springtime’s greening and blossoming. The loving heart of God our Father longs for us to accept his mercy, his forgiveness and mercy. He has gone to infinite lengths to make provision for us in the cosmic sacrifice of the Son of His love.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.” (John 3:16-21)

[from the BLB archives]

Comments

  1. It always amazes me how quiet we are when it comes to salvation. God’s love is so undescrible, for Him to love us so much to give His only son for a people that don’t deserve it nor appreciate it. I’m so thankful that He doesn’t look at love the same way His people does. For many years, I didn’t come to Jesus because I loved the darkness just like the scriptures says. I am experiencing God’s consuming fire of this side and I am so glad about it! Amen!

      • …thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe….

        Our testimonies each day of Him,
        our time in song to Him,
        our time in prayer with Him,
        our walking along the way in conversations of Him with our loved ones, ALL should be in reverence and awe.

        His name or our experiences should not be spoken of lightly as a byword or a slang. If His Holy Spirit is giving testimony through us we cannot but help to have reverence and awe.

  2. Ever heard Third Day’s song about this scripture..called “Consuming Fire”? Wonderful song!

  4. This consuming fire makes me think of Malachi 4:1-3. A day is coming, burning like a furnace and the Sun of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings. A stunning description of the day of the Lord. Reverence the Lord, all you people of the earth and praise His holy name.

  5. Jeremiah 4:20″ We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD,
    and the iniquity of our fathers,
    for we have sinned against you.
    21Do not spurn us,for your name’s sake;
    do not dishonor your glorious throne;
    remember and do not break your covenant with us.
    22Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
    Or can the heavens give showers?
    Are you not he, O LORD our God?
    We set our hope on you,
    for you do all these things”. Amen.

  6. * It always amazes me how quiet we are when it comes to salvation. *

    Agreed. Our church is having a Wed. night Bible study on Salvation. I highly recommend all of us do a search of the Bible and read each verse and the accompanying chapter for the keywords:
    save
    Savior
    salvation

    Mark those passages. See the progressive revelation offered from Genesis to Revelation.

    The time to choose Jesus on the Right Side is NOW. Everyday. Who knows when we will be called?

    When will our spirit leave the body? The next moment? Or should we still be on earth to be sorted the wheat from the chaff?

    All souls belong to Jesus. He has the power of mercy for our spirits to rest in Abraham’s Bosum or to go to the eternal Hell. Jesus alone has the keys to Hell.

    Pray for our continued Salvation. Seek his face!

    Our choices are to:
    Deny Jesus
    Walk with Jesus
    Walk away from Jesus

    • I went to the site the poster suggested… The Body of Christ.

      http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Body-of-Christ/109661555721801

      If the whole link does not highlight, do a cut and paste into your browser window.

      Someone posted on The Body of Christ Site this Scripture that goes wonderfully with our topic at hand.

      The Body of Christ Rev 13:8 KJV – And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
      Rev 13:9 KJV – If any man have an ear, let him hear.
      Rev 13:13 KJV – And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

  7. Another related thought -> this is from the Body of Christ on the right margin press similar sites to the link “At The Feet of Jesus”
    (I hope the link and punctation show correctly on this post.)

    Procrastination
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/-At-the-Feet-of-Jesus/171453679575568

    “…
    One of the three worst mistakes we can make in our lifetime is to delay hearing the gospel of Christ. The second is to refuse to obey the gospel once we have heard it because of unbelief. The saddest mistake is to hear the gospel and to believe it, but see not the urgency to obey it, and wait too long. Procrastination is pure poison to the soul. Why delay? Salvation, it’s now or never!

    ♥ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. Acts 22:15

    ♥ For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. 6:2

    ♥ So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,
    where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

    As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.” Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief…”

    Hebrews 3:7-19

    Indeed Salvation is now. Note the qualifier “obey.” Share the Good News of Salvation to someone today. Lead them to fall in love with Jesus and His logos, His word the Bible.

    • Truly LOVED this posting, Pat G!!! It goes hand-in-hand with what the Holy Spirit has directed my writings in drawing out the modern-day, highways & hedges ministry. I’m SO ENCOURAGED to continue writing a book series that not only helps the “average good ole boy” find God’s Will for their life, but also helps them approach the trials, hardships, & other obstacles that WE ALL face (lost, saved, or indifferent). ***read more @ http://www.thegoodoleboysseries.blogspot.com

  8. Please forgive me just one more post 😉

    Go to the Blueletter Bible site. FAQs by Don Stewart.
    Keywords: “consuming fire”.

    http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/stewart.cfm?id=281

    The FAQ also covers some of the continuing series adjective words. Definitely worth the trip to read all the consuming fire comments.

    “…

    4. God Is A Consuming Fire
    The Bible also describes God as a consuming fire.
    For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

    Fire is not God; God is like fire. The analogy of fire refers to the holiness and absolute righteousness of God’s nature.
    Fire Is Frequent Symbol Of God
    Fire is frequently used as a symbol of God and His judgment against sin.

    The Smoking Firepot And Flaming Torch

    The Bible speaks of a flaming torch and smoking firepot when God made a covenant with Abraham.

    As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses
    (Genesis 15:17).

    The Incident At The Burning Bush
    (Exodus 3:1-6).

    Elijah And The Altar Of Fire
    (2 Kings 18:24,38,39).

    …”

    I always wondered the extent of what “comsuming fire” meant.
    Glad the Blog here pointed me to it!
    Wonderful blessing is this blog!
    Thank you author. I visit everyday and make the graphic my desktop.