September 11, 2005

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

The Baptism of Fire

 

Introduction

 

   John the Immerser said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.  He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit 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.”  (Matt. 3:11-12.)

 

   Last Sunday evening, we discussed two baptisms, in water and in the Holy Spirit, in relation to the subject of tongue-speaking.  We noted that there is only one baptism that applies to every believer and that relates to salvation.  That baptism is water baptism to wash away sins.  (Eph. 4:4, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16.)

 

   There is another baptism named by John in our text to which we give very little attention.  It is the baptism of fire.  As with Holy Spirit baptism, Jesus is the only one who can administer this baptism.  This baptism is certainly not for salvation and one that the Lord does not want to perform.  What is the baptism of fire?

 

   In the context, John had just refused to baptize some people.  They were the Pharisees and Sadducees who came out to be baptized.  But John called them a generation of vipers and demanded that they bring forth fruits to show that they had repented.  (Matt. 3:5-10.)  John rebuffed them and said that the axe is already laid at the root of the tree and it is ready to be cut down and cast into the fire.  There are two references to fire in this text.  The tree that will be burned in the fire and the chaff when it is separated from the wheat.

 

   Some think that the fire mentioned by John the Baptist means a purifying work of the Redeemer.  While that is true that the Gospel purifies the hearts of men, something more is intended here.  Fire does not purify trees that are cut down or chaff that is separated from wheat.  It burns it up.  Surely, the meaning is that the Lord would baptize some of mankind in the Holy Spirit, he would sent forth the apostles to baptize all those who believe in water, and those who rebel and refuse would be baptized in fire.  This is a judgment against evil and sin.  Only the Lord can administer or perform it.  In Revelation, the Lamb of God is the only one who has prevailed to open the seals of the book.  The opening of the book in the hand of God refers to judgment, not to salvation.  The Lamb of God is only one who can perform these two things: to redeem and to judge.

 

The Imagery of Chaff Blown Away

 

   “How oft is the candle of the wicked put out!  How oft comes their destruction upon them! God distributes sorrows in his anger.  They are as stubble before the wind and as chaff that the storm carries away. . . His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.”  (Job 21:17-20.)

 

   “The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”  (Psalm 1:4-6.)

 

   “The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters, but God shall rebuke them and they shall see afar off and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.”  (Isaiah 17:13.)

 

   “What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?  Is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord?  And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.”  (Jer. 23:28-29.)

 

The Analogy of Fire

 

   “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”  (Matt. 25:46.)  “. . . whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and a godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.”  (Heb. 12:29.)  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  (Heb. 10:31.)

 

   “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.”  (2 Thess. 1:6-9.)

 

   “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world.  The Son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”  (Matt. 13:40-43.)

 

   Jude wrote that "the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  (Jude 14-15.)

 

Many Objections

 

   There are many objections that people make against the very idea of a baptism of fire or any kind of eternal judgment against the wicked.  Everyone should know that God does not delight in the death of the wicked.  If God had his desire, no one would suffer such a fate.  He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9.)  God has abundantly provided our salvation in his Son.  Jesus suffered greatly that we might be saved.

 

   The objections that people make against a baptism of fire are not valid.  They are usually based upon weak human emotions and intellect.  One might say, But I would not do such a thing as punish the ungodly with fire.  But hear Isaiah the prophet of Israel.

 

   “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isa. 55:8-9.)  God is righteous and we are not.  God is sovereign and we are not.

 

   Another set of objections focus on the nature of eternal punishment.  These do not deny that there is ‘a baptism of fire,” but rather focus upon how we are to understand it.  It is similar to different opinions on the nature of heaven.          Whether it is eternal or not should be settled by what Jesus said.  “These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”  (Matt. 25:46.)  If punishment is temporary, then life must also be.  If life is eternal, so must also the punishment for the wicked be.  Annihilationism is the theory that the wicked will not be punishment forever, but they will be destroyed or annihilated. The wicked die and exist no longer.  This theory does not agree with what Jesus said.

 

Reasons for Believing the Baptism of Fire

 

   The Bible clearly names it.  Even if there are some things that challenge us, we should believe that such a thing as baptism of fire exists because John the Baptist said that the Lord would perform this baptism.  We believe that a baptism of the Holy Spirit exists for the same reason.  There is only one visible, physical baptism; that is, the one in water.  Holy Spirit baptism cannot be seen with the human eye; only the results of it can be witnessed.  The apostles had the Holy Spirit to come upon them in the form of doves so that others could see it.  Jesus taught much about eternal punishment during his life.  This is one baptism that he does not want to perform, but he will and can do so in righteousness.  (2 Thess. 1:6f.)

 

   It is called an unquenchable fire.  One reason why we should believe that punishment for the wicked is eternal is because John said that it was unquenchable.  It is interesting that the Greek word is asbestos, which means eternal.  The word is found only two times in the NT: Matt. 3:12, Luke 3:17.  Both references are relating John’s statement about his baptism in water and the Lord’s two baptisms that he will perform.  Asbestos is incombustible; that is, it will not burn.

 

   Jesus’ suffering on the cross.  We should believe in a place of everlasting punishment because of what our Lord suffered on the cross.  The seriousness of our redemption is shown at Calvary.  If there were no serious consequences to sin, then why such suffering?  The cross and the baptism of fire together show the real nature of sin.  The problem has always been that men view sin one way (flippantly, casually, even jokingly), but God sees it in quite another light.  Sin is the cause of the first death and the second death.

   Man is extremely sinful.  Note what the Bible says about sin.

 

   “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”  (Heb. 3:12-13.)

 

   “Was then that which is good made death unto me?  God forbid.  But sin that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”  (Rom. 7:13-14.)  Sin is exceeding sinful, but men have made light of it.

 

   Peter and Jude gave vivid descriptions of the ungodliness of ungodly men.  Some have already been punished by an unsparing God; others await their judgment.  Some have done such ungodly things that it is not good to speak of their shameful deeds in public.  I believe in a place of everlasting punishment because of the sinfulness and rebellion of fallen man.  Puny man has spoken arrogantly against the God who made him.

 

   The modern enlightened man has taken his stand against God.  He has reasoned and argued and convinced himself of many fool-hardy things.  First, modern man has decided that no one should be punished for any disobedience to parents, teachers, or others in authority.  Most modern governments have decided against the death penalty.  It is cruel and unusual punishment.  Parents ought not to spank their children.  Teachers cannot spank them, regardless of what they have done.  Now, we have decided that even God cannot punish the wicked.  Modern intelligent man in his foolish state of rebellion of sin easily dismisses the very idea of God.  If we allow a god, it will be one of our own making and liking.  We live easily and comfortably having rejected the idea of God.  Yet, there is that passage—the fool has said in this heart. . .  .  (Psalm 14:1, 53:1.)

 

   The holiness of God.  If we accept and approve of sin, then we too are guilty.  Sinful people are likely to accept sin.  But God is holy.  This is why we cannot compare ourselves and our thinking to God.  Sin has affected us entirely.  God does have the right to judge sinful man, regardless of the outcries against it. "Let God be true and every man a liar." (Rom. 3:4.)