Fire in the soul forever

Spiritual problem demands a spiritual solution

From Genesis to Revelation there are two strong patterns of physical fire and spiritual fire. Which is capable of solving the spiritual problem of sin?

“Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:7)

A physical sacrifice was insufficient to atone for spiritual sin. How can earthly fire cleanse spiritual evil in heavenly places? It can’t.

In the same way, physical actions cannot bring spiritual transformation, and transformation is needed to cleanse sin out of the sinner.

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and you see not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and you take no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you the glory of the LORD shall be your rearward. Then shall you call, and the LORD shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am.” (Isaiah 58:1-9)

The people made partial behavioral changes. They fasted. They went to church. They asked God for His will. However, they were not changed in the heart. They did not surrender their pride and selfishness. They were greedy and stingy. The love and generosity of God was not permitted to flow through their hearts and hold sway in their lives and bank accounts. Outward changes are evidence and results of inward conversion, but physical changes can never cause spiritual transformation, no matter how hard we try.

“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increases with the increase of God. Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:18-23)

Popular self-help books and austere, conservative theology would have us try harder, sacrifice more, and dedicate more completely. Yet, we cannot force ourselves into transformation. Earthly efforts are incapable of heavenly achievements. Only Love can awaken love. The dark, empty soul must open itself and surrender its privacy to Him who is love. Without the yielding to grace, the sinner can become religious, but not spiritual.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:25-26)

The best our physical efforts can produce is spiritual hypocrisy. Earthly religion can make us look clean on the outside, but keep us empty of heavenly faith, hope, and love on the inside. Like our first parents, we are quite capable of clothing ourselves in fig leaves, and pinning badges and high sounding words on them, but they only cover, rather than solve, our spiritual problem. This is why Christ sacrificed the soul in His body and offers it to us.

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his SOUL an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his SOUL, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his SOUL unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.“ (Isaiah 53:10-12)

Spiritual fire spiritually purifies

Physical fire will burn the body but leave the soul untouched. Sinners will still die sinners. To purify the spiritual soul, spiritual fire is needed, which is God’s glory. To become like Christ, we need Christ himself. The Light must shine into our darkness, then we will be filled with Light. As we have seen, the light and glory of God is also described as fire.

“He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers‘ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:2-3)

Only the soul of Christ can cleanse our souls. Only the heart of Christ can purify our hearts. There is no righteousness outside of God, therefore God must be in the soul for righteousness to be in the soul. This is the truth proclaimed by John the Baptist.

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that comes after me is mightier than I... he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12)

Water can cleanse the outside of the body, just as water cleansed the outside of the Pharisee’s cup, but there will be many outwardly clean cups burned in the unquenchable fire. There will be many people who look good on the outside and will perish body and soul in the lake of fire.

“The soul that sins, it will die.” All souls have sinned. Therefore, all souls will die. Your soul will die. The question is, Will you be filled with the unquenchable fire of the Holy Ghost or will you be destroyed by it? Fire in the soul, or fire on the body, those are our only options. Jesus came to Earth to fill us with Fire!

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!“ (Luke 12:49)

And the Spirit of Fire He puts in us, seeks to spread to everyone else.

“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” (Jeremiah 20:9)

Love does not need a pattern to love, but it needs an object. In spite of resistance and negativity, love does not forbear to act kindly to its enemies. It fills the heart and overflows with truth and deeds of mercy and words of inspiration. Love is a fire that burns its container and shines glory all around. This is what the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt.

“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)

The Word of God is the channel for the love of God. Through the pipe of the word is poured the Spirit of love which kindles an irrepressible feeling to reach out to others.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Thousands were baptized on that day and adopted into the family of God. Thousands, millions, more were brought in over the years and centuries to come. The fire of the Spirit burns in the heart, then through the heart, then out through the life to be seen and received by other sinners. In this way, selfishness is purified by the freeflowing missionary Spirit who speaks through the Word and builds on the Word.

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made plain: 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. If any man’s work abide which he has built on it, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

The Fire of the final judgment will burn up everything except Itself. What is left will be eternally rewarded. And we need not wait to know ourselves and our work until it is too late to change. The fiery trials of this life reveal in this life what is in our hearts.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” (1 Peter 1:7; Hebrews 12:28-29)