Month: April 2023

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:10-11).

T. Austin-Sparks has something to say about the furnace of affliction, in the second chapter of his book The Essential Newness of the New Creation. It gave me clarity on the subject. I have to say that I found this entire book to be foundational. Just my opinion, but I wish I had read the book much earlier in my Christian life! Here is the quote:

The furnace of affliction is for those who by faith are in Christ. What happens in the furnace of affliction? What is it that is dealt with in the fire? Is it you, and is it I, that are refined in the fire? Are you refined in the fire? Am I refined in the furnace of affliction? I say, No! emphatically NO!! If we say, Yes! well, let us look at the furnace of affliction, the fire with the metal in the crucible. What are you doing with that metal? Well, you say, you heat the fire intensely and all the uncleanness, the corruption, comes to the surface; this is skimmed off, and when that process has been carried through to its end, there is left pure gold! Then if you say that is you or that is me you will have to abandon your doctrine of total depravity, and you will have to come back to the place where you say there is good in us, after all! You will have to say there is good and bad in us, and the furnace of affliction is to get the badness out of us and leave the goodness! Is that true doctrine? No! The furnace of affliction is not for the removal of the bad out of us so as to leave the good that is in us, and secure it! Then what is its purpose? Is it to refine Christ in us? We need not discuss that! Christ needs no refining! What is it for? It is to divide between what is us in fallen nature, and what is Christ, and to get rid of the one in order to give full place to the other! The furnace of affliction is the application of the Cross to the getting rid of you and me, in order to leave the whole place for Christ. It is the measure of Christ that God is after, not to cut in between the good and bad in us, but to cut in between what is Christ, and what is ourselves.

This explanation reminded me of the experience of the three young men recorded in the book of Daniel, chapter 3. To remain faithful to the living God, they placed themselves in the position of being thrown into a “fiery furnace.” The earthly king who ordered their execution was so angry at their defiance that he even cranked up the heat of the furnace. The young men fell bound into this center of intensity. But they didn’t die. Instead the fire released them from their bonds. They walked freely within the furnace and didn’t seem interested in leaving. Not only that, but a fourth person appeared with them, having the likeness of a “son of the gods.” The three did exited the furnace only when asked to do so. Unharmed. No singed hair. No smell of smoke. Promoted to another plane of existence.

They didn’t know it until they tumbled in, but that fire was for them the love of God. They thought, beforehand, that the furnace was something that God might deliver them from. Instead, it liberated them and brought them into the presence of the pre-incarnate Christ. And it made them witnesses to God for His glory, testifying to the earthly king and everyone who gathered to see their execution. In the same way, when we fall into our own fiery furnace, what do we lose and what remains? Who is in there with us? And, who is observing from the outside?

Peter wrote a letter to suffering Christians. He asked them not to be taken by surprise: “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. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:12-14).

So, thank God for another day in the furnace of affliction, which really is a manifestation of His love and leads to His glory.

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When I began to blog on the topic of personal transformation, I was acting on the recommendation of a mentor. I have kept at it for three years now. In 2022, and so far this year, I have posted less frequently. This happened not because I’m running out of ideas, but from numerous distractions that prevent me from turning ideas into text. All this has forced me to think about the value I place on my mentor’s advice. Why write about Jesus and his transforming power?

A good starting point is the early Church. Immediately after its birth on Pentecost, the apostles began to proclaim Jesus as Savior and King. When the religious authorities tried to stop them, Peter and John replied, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Even under threat of persecution. And now, those of us who have known the transforming work of Jesus, how can we help but direct the attention of others to him? Our testimony may take various forms, of which writing is one.

Another thought has to do with the nature of the believer in Jesus Christ. Now that the Spirit has come for all believers, we have a common fund of knowledge about our Lord. Prophecies in the Old Testament predicted this (for example, Jeremiah 31:33-34). The indwelling life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is a promise to all of us: first given to Jewish believers (Acts 2:38-39), then to believers in Samaria (Acts 8:14-17), and then to the Gentiles (10:44-48). Incidentally, this progression maps onto Jesus’s last words to his followers prior to his ascension (Acts 1:8).

Although we all hold a common knowledge of our Lord, there are also things that He uniquely gives to each of us as we are open to Him. Each one has singular experiences, insistences in spirit, and revelations for the edification of the Church. We should not necessarily keep them to ourselves. In many cases, God intends for us to share them, weighing them in the company of other believers, to promote understanding and avoid error (1 Corinthians 14:26-32). In Philippians 4:8-9, the apostle Paul invites the believers to notice Christ all around them, and think about what they are seeing. He issues this invitation in the context of a congregation of believers. Their experiences are meant to be considered first by individuals and then shared among the group. He then presents himself for their consideration—have they seen Christ in him? Have they been living out of that Life?

It’s all about Christ and the Church. The considerations that occupy us will come out. The Life that is within us will shine out. T. Austin-Sparks makes this observation with reference to the passage in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (“And we all, … beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…”). Here is the quote:

You become like that which obsesses you, which occupies you. Is that not true? You see what people are occupied with, and you can see their character changing by their obsessions. They are becoming like the thing which is obsessing them; they are changing; they are becoming different. Something has got a grip on them; they can never think about anything else, talk about anything else; and it is changing their character. Now Paul said, “For me to live is Christ – being occupied with Him.” It is the wrong word to use, but nevertheless it would be a good thing if He became our “obsession,” our continuous occupation. As we steadfastly fix our gaze upon Him, the Spirit changes us into the same image.

[T. Austin-Sparks, Men Whose Eyes Have Seen The King ]

We can share that which the Lord has accomplished by His transforming work in our lives. Writing about it makes it available outside our immediate circle. Anyone who is interested can read and consider. If what we write rings true to them, if it fixes their attention on Jesus Christ, if it is confirmed to them by the Holy Spirit, they may become more occupied with Him. They may experience a greater degree of transformation.

These reflections also speak to me. They make it clear that my occupation with Him should rise above all the distractions of the present time.

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