A window on the Spirit
Fire
Fire is the image of the Spirit that both warms and burns. It appears as the tongues of Pentecost and as the promise of a baptism greater than water, and it speaks of God's purifying presence and empowering zeal.
“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.”Acts 2:3
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”Matthew 3:11
The image in Scripture
The image in Scripture. At Pentecost the disciples saw "cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:3), and immediately they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the wonders of God. John the Baptist had foretold this baptism when he said of the Coming One, "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matthew 3:11), setting the Spirit's fire in contrast with his own baptism of water. Fire runs all through the story of God's presence: the flame that did not consume the bush before Moses (Exodus 3:2), the pillar of fire that led Israel by night (Exodus 13:21), and the fire that fell on Elijah's altar (1 Kings 18:38). The prophets also spoke of fire that refines, of the Lord sitting "as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Malachi 3:3). Paul draws on the same picture when he warns, "Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19), as though the Spirit were a flame to be tended rather than smothered.
What it teaches about the Spirit
What it teaches about the Spirit. Fire teaches that the Spirit purifies. As fire burns away dross and leaves the pure metal, so the Spirit works to consume sin and refine the believer into holiness. Fire teaches that the Spirit empowers; the timid disciples of the upper room became bold witnesses once the flame rested on them, and a cold heart set alight begins to burn with love for God. Fire teaches too that the Spirit carries the presence of God, for fire again and again marks where the holy God draws near, whether in the bush, the pillar, or the temple. This holiness is not to be trifled with, yet the fire that fell at Pentecost did not destroy; it rested gently on each head and filled them. So the Spirit's fire is both searching and kind, exposing what must go and igniting what should live. Even here the picture illuminates without exhausting; fire shows the Spirit's purity and power but cannot capture the fullness of His personal love.
How the Spirit glorifies Christ
How the Spirit glorifies Christ. Jesus said the Spirit "shall glorify me" (John 16:14), and the fire of Pentecost was kindled precisely so that Christ might be proclaimed. The tongues of fire loosed tongues of witness, and Peter stood to preach Jesus, "a man approved of God," crucified and raised and exalted (Acts 2:22-33). The refining fire is aimed at making believers like their Lord, burning away all that is unlike Him until Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19). And the baptism of fire that John promised belongs to Jesus to give, for the Baptist confessed himself unworthy even to loose the Coming One's shoes. So the Spirit's flame never draws worship to itself; it lights up the face of Jesus and sends His people out to lift His name. Where the Spirit burns, Christ is honored and hearts grow warm toward Him.
Questions people ask
Is the baptism with fire a judgment or a blessing?
The immediate context in Matthew 3 speaks of both the Spirit's purifying, empowering fire on the repentant and the fire of judgment on the chaff (Matthew 3:12). For those who come to Christ, the fire refines and empowers rather than destroys, as Pentecost shows.
What does it mean to quench the Spirit?
Paul's command in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 pictures the Spirit as a flame that can be dampened by sin, unbelief, or resistance to His leading. We tend the fire by obedience, prayer, and yielding to His work rather than smothering His promptings.
Does the fire of the Spirit mean intense emotional experiences?
Fire in Scripture chiefly means purity, presence, and power for witness, not a particular feeling. The Spirit may stir deep affection, but we should measure His work by holiness and Christ-exalting fruit rather than by the height of an emotion.