Fire in the Bible Part 3 – Fire and the tongue
The tongue of someone that boasts great things is like a small fire setting alight the whole forest around it
Chapter 5 The trial by fire
The Passover
We have seen in part 2 that metal tried by fire will come out either as pure metal or as metal corrupted by the dross. The refining of metal in other words was a way of showing us in symbol how we will be tried by fire.
God used other ways as well of showing us this theme of trial by fire. This is what is recorded in Exodus Chapter 12 and verses 5 to 10. Here we see the scene of the first passover.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
So firstly, the sacrificial lamb must be without blemish. Second, when the lamb is killed, the blood from it must be put on the posts around the door. And last, the flesh of the lamb must be eaten. To eat the flesh they must firstly roast it with fire. This is important because it underlines in verse nine the fact that the lamb must not be eaten raw. This act of eating the lamb after it had been roasted with fire pointed forward to the lamb of God having to go through fiery trial so that he might be a perfect sacrifice to his God.
For any sacrifice to be acceptable with God it must be purged by trial. Fire is a symbol of trial and Christ himself was made perfect through the things which he suffered.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2:10
Verse ten of Exodus twelve says that there must be nothing remaining in the morning. Likewise Christ made sure that his whole life was consumed in the service of his Heavenly Father. No part of his life was left not devoted to God. We too must perfect our faith through fiery trial, in order that our complete sacrifice may be acceptable with God. 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 and verses 13 to 17 tells us more about this.
each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
The bodily temple
Destructive fires must have been frequent in a densely populated city like Corinth, and there must have been many fires that could not help but remind the Corinthians that all that time devoted to constructing buildings could very quickly be reduced to smouldering ashes.
When we build our bodies as temples to God let us make sure that we build that temple well for it must withstand fire. For as fire purges out the dross and leaves the pure metal so likewise with a building, the fire will consume the combustible parts of the building and will leave those parts which have been well built. The fire in other words will reveal the building for what it truly is like the fiery trials of life will reveal our character for what it truly is. For if we build badly let us remember the possible frustration and danger of punishment that will await us at the judgement seat.
So let us build upon the strong secure foundation that we know as Jesus Christ. The materials we use in the temple must be quality materials that will be capable of withstanding the day to day trials that we all face. 1 Peter Chapter 1 and verse 6 and 7 speaks more about the fiery trial that we must all go through.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and also verse 12 and 13 of chapter 4 of 1 Peter.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Let us take these words of Peter to our heart, that the fiery trials that we face are not things to be frightened of but rather something that we should rejoice in, for we are sharing in Christ’s sufferings.
Chapter 6 Fire and the tongue
Igniting a roaring fire
James tells us that the tongue is not unlike a roaring fire. A few words from the tongue can start something that will get completely out of control. This is what it says in James Chapter 3 and verses 1 to 8.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
From these verses we can see that the perfect man in verses two is the man who controls his tongue. This is illustrated in verse three with the example of the horse rider who by holding the reins controls the whole body of the horse. Another illustration of this is seen in verse four where it says that as the small rudder of the ship can control the whole ship so also can the small tongue be capable of great things. It is saying that if we could control our tongue then we would have enough moral strength to control our whole moral being.
No one besides Christ has ever been available to achieve this status. Even Moses, the man of God, said wrong things when he was provoked and as a consequence he was not allowed to enter Canaan. These are the actual words talking about Moses lack of control of his tongue
They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. Psalm 106:32
Likewise the tongue that boasts great things is like a small fire setting alight the whole forest around it. From this little source all spiritual life can be destroyed.
In verses six we see that the words of a wicked man are likened to a fire. Maybe James had the words of Proverbs (Chapter 16 verses 27) in his mind when he said this, for in Proverbs it says these words:
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
So the wicked man can cause the pain that a burning fire would do to a person. Yet, despite the words of a wicked man being likened to fire we also see that the spirit word is also likened to “tongues of fire”. To find out how fire can be representative of both good and bad read these words in verses 16 and 17 of James Chapter three.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere
The fire of the Spirit
From these verses we can see that the fire of the spirit word is lit from above and becomes a fire in our bones. However, the fire of the natural tongue is ignited from below the heavens and defiles our whole bodies.
Paul in his letter to the Colossians tells us that our speech must be seasoned with the incorruptible attributes of salt. As believers it is up to us to make sure that the words we speak are those of the spirit and not of the flesh. Let our words be not defiled by the fire of wickedness but rather let our words be uplifted by the spirit word.
If we should let our words be those of the wicked man then it is likened in verse six (James 3), to ourselves becoming like hell on fire. The word “hell” here is the word for “Gehenna”. And what this is saying is that the raging inferno caused by the evil words of the tongue was kindled by a spark from this polluted place.
Gehenna was the place where the apostate kings of Israel made their abominable sacrifices and was a constant rubbish dump.
Therefore, James is showing that the fire spread by the evil influence of the tongue is a fire which spreads pollution, disease and death among all those whom it affects. Do we want to be found guilty of spreading death and the disease of sin among our fellow believers? If we don’t, then as the old saying goes: “HOLD YOUR TONGUE!”. For once a word is spoken there is no getting it back. There is nothing so impossible to kill as a rumour; there is nothing so impossible to obliterate as a idle or malignant story.
Let us remember that once a word is spoken, it is gone from our control; like a small fire is, when it is lit in a forest full of wood. Always remember the words Christ found in Matthew Chapter 12 and verses 36 and 37.
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Chapter 7 Fire and the doctrine of the devil
The image held by many
In the south of England there is an ancient church. When you walk through this church you can see paintings on the walls of it. The paintings are of varied scenes. However, there is one scene that has the appearance of both serenity but also at the same time torment. The picture is split into two with a ladder connecting the lower half to the upper half. The upper half is supposed to represent heaven with angels weighing peoples souls. The lower half depicts the devil and his assistants in hell. The left side of this picture of hell shows a cauldron with sinners entering it, and flames underneath. Next to the ladder, shows the devil’s assistant with two sinners impaled. The right side of the picture shows the torture of a sinner sitting on flames whilst overhead, sinners walk along a plank studded with nails.
This is the picture of hell that is held by people both now and in many centuries in the past. It is a place they imagine of subterranean fires, endless torture and a superhuman monster gloating over the agonies of his many victims. However, we can all relax for the only place that this terrible scene exists is in the minds of people with fertile imagination.
This belief in a place called hell which has been handed down from generation to generation, is simply a relic of Pagan superstition and the heathen cults of Babylon, Egypt and Assyria, and has not the slightest foundation in the Bible. It is based on the ancient belief that there were gods, good and bad, and that these were eternally fighting each other for mastery.
If we truly think about it, we know that this picture could not possibly be true for if it were, then Hell by now must be full of peoples of all nations, far outnumbering those on earth, and these people would be tormented day and night by flame and fork. We ask, if this was the case then how could God be the God of love, mercy and compassion which the Bible shows Him to be?
We also know that if the picture of Hell was true then the words of the Psalmist, Job and Solomon who all wrote by the spirit of God are also untrue for they all testify that there is no consciousness in death. Listen to these words of the Psalmist:
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
The beliefs of some that the “devil” comes from a fiery place called Hell are therefore flawed to say the least. Yet, people to this very day go on believing them. Even modern day marketing managers believe it: in some countries, when you want to go and buy a packet of chemical cubes used to help start fires you have to ask for a pack of “little lucifers”.
Is there torment of hell-fire?
Let’s look at some of the verses which are used by some churches to prove that not only is there hell but that there is a fire there. Have a look at Mark Chapter 9 and verses 43 to 48.
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
Some churches use these verses as proof that the souls of the wicked will spend eternity suffering the torment of hell-fire. However, as opposed to this there are verses in the Bible which contradict this. First, it seems that Jesus is almost certainly here quoting from Isaiah Chapter 66 verse 24.
“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
This hell fire portrayed here is not the hell fire of some church’s teaching. The reason for this is that firstly the fire talked about here is burning outside Jerusalem which is not the hell-fire teaching of some churches and secondly, we are told that travellers will observe the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against God. This is opposed to the teachings of some churches which say that it is our souls not our bodies or carcasses that go to Hell.
Gehenna – a valley south of Jerusalem
The word “Hell” here comes from the Greek word, “Gehenna” which in Hebrew is “Ghi- Hinnom”. This is the name of the valley to the south of Jerusalem which was Jerusalem’s garbage dump. It was the place where dead animals were thrown and refuse was burned. Therefore, Jesus was using the word “Gehenna” as a symbol of complete and utter destruction, not as a term denoting eternal preservation in torment.
Fire is always used in the scriptures for complete destruction and not for preserving so that it can be used for torment. Just think of some of the examples of fire being used we have considered in part 1 of this series. For example, consider the event where fire was used to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The fire destroyed the cities and that was the finish. The fire was not kept going so that anyone who happened to live there would continue to suffer the same torment in the future.
A unquenchable fire
What about the fact that Jesus mentions that the fire is unquenchable? Doesn’t this prove that this place must be hell? Not really. When it says unquenchable it means that the item on fire will continue burning until it has been completely consumed. Let’s have a look of an example of this in Jeremiah chapter 17 and verses 26 and 27.
And people shall come from the cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the Shephelah, from the hill country, and from the Negeb, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and frankincense, and bringing thank offerings to the house of the Lord. But if you do not listen to me, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and not to bear a burden and enter by the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and shall not be quenched.’”
Here we are being told that a fire will be lit at the gates of Jerusalem and that it shall not be quenched. Does this mean that it is still burning today? No, it all means is that the fire will not be quenched until it had consumed all that could be burned.
There is a similar meaning of unquenchable fires in Jeremiah Chapter 7 and verses 17 to 20.
Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.”
Again if we look at Jerusalem now, we do not still see fires burning there. Indeed we are told in Matthew that Jerusalem will be the great city of the King.
So moving back to the original verses we were considering in Mark chapter 9, we can see then that when it says a unquenchable fire it means a fire that will not be put out until all that is burning there is completely consumed.
There are other similar passages where fire is used by some churches to claim it proves the existence of hell. But, as we have just done, looking closely and logically at particular verses in the Bible demonstrates they are not correct.
