The Baptism of Fire

[godson777]

What is your interpretation of Matthew 3:11?

Matthew 3:5-12 says: People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

I was listening to a sermon by David Wilkerson on "The Baptism of Fire". He said that Christians these days have very little of understanding of The Baptism of the Fire. David Wilkerson says that we get saved, then the axe is layed to the root (meaning we get rid of ther one major sin in our lives), then we are baptised in water, then baptised in the Holy Spirit, and then we are baptised with fire. He said that the baptism of fire is a completely different and distinct exent from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said that the bap of fire is when you go through an extreme trial in life. He said that Jesus was water baptised, then Holy spirit baptised when the holy spirit came upon him, and then he was baptised with fire when he underwent the trial and temptation of satan in the desert. He said that after Paul was baptised in the Holy Spirit he was persecuted and people plotted to kill him, and this was Paul's baptism of fire.

I have heard people say that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same thing as the Baptism of Fire, and i have heard people say that Christians are supposed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whilst non-christians are baptised in fire in hell.

What is your interpretation of the baptism of fire?

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Well, I'm not sure that I can say this right but I think it's a deep inner cleansing. When we are born again old things are passed away and all things become new. However, there is still the old nature to contend with.

I think this might be where the Penticostals get the 2 differents fillings of the Holy Spirit. One is filled with the Holy Spirit I believe the moment they ask Jesus into their life. They can be baptised in the Holy Spirit at the same time and that is probably the same thing as the Baptism in fire. With the baptism comes the power to witness and also the burning away of all that is not needed in us. As we learn to submit to Him, He will burn deep into our spirits innards and begin burning away all the stuff that may distract us from Him and His molding us into His image.

 

[Wigglesworth]

12 Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. 14 If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.

I Corinthians 3:12-15 (NLT).

Fire destroys the chaff and refines the gold. It may happen now or later, but it will happen.

I like what David Wilkerson was saying according to the earlier post.

 

[godson777]

Well, I'm not sure that I can say this right but I think it's a deep inner cleansing. When we are born again old things are passed away and all things become new. However, there is still the old nature to contend with.

I think this might be where the Penticostals get the 2 differents fillings of the Holy Spirit. One is filled with the Holy Spirit I believe the moment they ask Jesus into their life. They can be baptised in the Holy Spirit at the same time and that is probably the same thing as the Baptism in fire. With the baptism comes the power to witness and also the burning away of all that is not needed in us. As we learn to submit to Him, He will burn deep into our spirits innards and begin burning away all the stuff that may distract us from Him and His molding us into His image.

So you would say that the baptism of the holy spirit and the baptism of fire are generally the same thing?

 

[godson777]

I Corinthians 3:12-15 (NLT).

Fire destroys the chaff and refines the gold. It may happen now or later, but it will happen.

I like what David Wilkerson was saying according to the earlier post.

The verses you quoted don't seem to support David Wilkerson's interpretation of Matthew 3:11.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NIV says: 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Notice that this 'revealing with fire' and 'escaping through the flames' and 'burning up' etc is all supposed to happen at the 'Day' (NIV) or 'judgement day' (NLT). So this means that the fire that is being spoken of in these verses is not a fire that we experience subsequent to the baptism of the holy spirit in this life (as david wilderson suggests), but is something that is experienced on judgement day after the second coming.

 

[Wigglesworth]

Correct. That's why I said it will happen now or later.

Wilkerson says it will happen in this life. The passage in Corinthians is what is offered by some to support the idea of a "baptism with fire" after death in purgatory, where the bad baggage Chrisitans have been carrying around will be destroyed before they enter Heaven.

We can and should eliminate the chaff here and now with the help of the Holy Spirit. I believe that's the point Wilkerson would make.

 

[Wigglesworth]

. . . I was listening to a sermon by David Wilkerson on "The Baptism of Fire". He said that Christians these days have very little of understanding of The Baptism of the Fire. David Wilkerson says that we get saved, then the axe is layed to the root (meaning we get rid of ther one major sin in our lives), then we are baptised in water, then baptised in the Holy Spirit, and then we are baptised with fire. He said that the baptism of fire is a completely different and distinct exent from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said that the bap of fire is when you go through an extreme trial in life. He said that Jesus was water baptised, then Holy spirit baptised when the holy spirit came upon him, and then he was baptised with fire when he underwent the trial and temptation of satan in the desert. He said that after Paul was baptised in the Holy Spirit he was persecuted and people plotted to kill him, and this was Paul's baptism of fire.

I have heard people say that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same thing as the Baptism of Fire, and i have heard people say that Christians are supposed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whilst non-christians are baptised in fire in hell.

What is your interpretation of the baptism of fire?

When thinking about the fire, bear in mind its two functions - cleansing and refining. My earlier post was not intended to say that Jesus needed his chaff burned away, and I don't think anyone in this thread believes that. However, I think His glory was certainly shined up like polished gold when he passed through temptations and still put Satan in his place. The devil had to be impressed at His refinement.