Our God, A Consuming Fire - Hebrews 12:28-29

 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:28-29

The writer of Hebrews draws a conclusion based on the previous texts. And that text provides a theology that is exclusive to Christianity alone. “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” - Hebrews 12:22-24.

According to Holy Scripture, first we are called to be grateful for this ‘heavenly Jerusalem,’ this kingdom, that we have been granted access to, through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Because it is through Christ it cannot now or ever be shaken. It is rock solid for those who believe. We have been assured of this by Christ himself. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” - John 5:24. Our guaranteed salvation awaits us all in the shadow of the Cross.

Gratitude should be of paramount importance to the Christian. Our gratitude should be observable in our worship to God. Thus, we are called to offer Him ‘acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.’ Those three criteria should be apparent in the way we worship God. Starting with acceptable worship we are instructed, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” - Romans 12:1. We cannot come before God with flippant attitudes and casual convenience. We are WORSHIPING GOD!

We must show our Lord both reverence and awe. Reverence should be obvious in the very way we approach our worship. “You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.” - Leviticus 26:2. We can define reverence as ‘deep respect’ tendered in solemnity and severity. I fear most people today lost the ability to respect very much. It shows in both their attitudes and behavior. God has said He will not accept such profane worship. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” - Hosea 6:6. All the worldly things that we might do to please God injure our worship rather than enhance it. We must revere God in our hearts, our minds, and our actions. A proper heart toward God is not a mere suggestion. It is a command.

Next, we must worship with awe. The King James version, as well as many other versions, replaces awe with fear. It is most appropriate when one considers that awe is simply a synonym of the word ‘amazement.’ It does not mean the type of fear that requires recoiling in stark terror, although it could be so. Awe in this usage means wonder or astonishment. Both words often lead to fear. When we refuse to comply with God’s edicts, we should be filled with reverential fear.

Finally, we recognize that ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ If we cannot perceive this or recognize it as an offshoot of God’s holy wrath, we don’t know God. And Holy Scripture reminds frequently “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” - Psalm 111:10.

The knowledge of God is reserved for those who ‘offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe’. After all, our God IS a consuming fire.