A Consuming Fire (Reflecting on Christmas)

This week, I had planned to create two posts before Christmas day, but that didn't happen. I had planned to write one post about making an effort to focus on the beauty behind the Christmas story in the midst of this chaotic season, but instead I was wrapped up in the hectic celebration like I am most other years. Today, I finally slowed down enough to reflect on the story of Christ's birth, and what God has revealed to me through His Word this week.

This Christmas, I was gifted with a "devotional" written by A.W. Tozer called Mediations on the Trinity. The first day's reading was centered around Hebrews 12:29 which, in context, states:

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" [Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV] (emphasis added)

Tozer explains that God often uses fire as a "similitude" (quality or state of being similar) to show what He (God) is like. Essentially, God shows us what He is like through the qualities of fire, and does so throughout both the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. As I began to explore this idea, and how it relates to the overall picture of the Trinity, I discovered that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each depicted as, or related to fire throughout the Bible.

In Deuteronomy 4:24 (quoted in Hebrews 12:29) we see that God the Father is a "consuming fire". In Luke 12:49, the Son (Jesus) says that He has come to "cast fire on the earth", and in Acts 2:3 the Holy Spirit is described as tongues of fire. There are multiple instances in the Bible where each member of the Trinity is related to fire. Tozer uses Ezekiel 1:28 to explain how God utilizes fire to signify His immense glory. But, what caught my attention the most was the prayer that Tozer included at the end of this devotion. Tozer writes,

"Great God, if I really saw You in all Your majesty I too would fall on my face before You. And this is only a glimpse of what You are! Show me Your glory, I pray. Amen."

When I read this, I realized that it's easy for me to ask for God to reveal His glory to me without truly recognizing what that request means. The glory of God is compared to fire, and fire -- as shown in 1 Peter 1:7 -- is meant to refine. Why would I want to see the glory of God if, as Tozer says, it will cause me to fall on my face? Because the revelation of the glory of God is what allows me to grow! It breaks me down and shows me my flaws and undeservedness. Recognizing God's glory means recognizing the massive gap between my efforts and His holiness -- but it also reveals the vastness of His love and mercy as He bridges the gap and makes Himself available to me.

As I read this, I realized that this is the beauty of the Christmas story. That God the Father sent His Son to bridge the gap -- to make HIS holiness available to you and me. We aren't just celebrating the birth of a Savior who would go on to die for us, we're celebrating the heart of God -- His burning desire for us to share in His glory, and His initiating act of coming down to earth to make this relationship possible. To me, this act of love is incomprehensible.

After soaking these truths in, I looked back at the account of Jesus' birth in Matthew 1, and found reinvigorated meaning in the Christmas story. I saw the bridge being created with each word.

"'She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'" [Matthew 1:21, NIV]

"'and they will call him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us.'" [Matthew 1:23, NIV]

Jesus entered this earth as an infant, fully God and fully man, with the sole purpose of making the glory of God available to sinners like you and me. He was named "Jesus" because He had come to redeem. He was called "Immanuel" because He was the incarnation of God walking alongside mankind, making it possible for mankind to one day walk alongside God.

This week, God was calling me to recognize the truth about His glory. But, more importantly, He was using that truth to reveal to me His heart behind the birth of the Son. Jesus was born to bridge the gap. He came to close up the space between my sin and God's glory -- and, like Hebrews 12:28 states, that is something we can be thankful and worship God for every day.