Fire: the character of God

God forgives sin because of who God is. His character. See Exodus 34.6-7: "Yahweh, Yahweh, a God compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, ever faithful and true, remaining faithful to thousands of generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion and sin but without acquitting the guilty, one who punishes children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the iniquity of their fathers!" Note in passing that forgiveness lasts for thousands of generations but punishment for only three or four. Maximum.

Dallas Willard says, “I am thoroughly convinced that God will let everyone into heaven who, in his considered opinion, can stand it.” And continues: “But ‘standing it’ may prove to be a more difficult matter… The fires in heaven may be hotter than those in the other place.” (The Divine Conspiracy, p330) Which means that a) Steve Chalke may be write when he says that the only thing that keeps us out of heaven is our own refusal to respond to God (or something like that); and b) my own "our God is a consuming fire" thesis may not be too far wrong after all.

Our God is a consuming fire is a book I have drafted bits of but never got round to working on properly. Its argument is that "hell" (Dallas's “the other place”) is not separate from God himself. If there are fires in heaven (which is rather likely since our God is a consuming fire) what need is there of another place (hell) with fire in it? What we know as "hell" is the flip-side of God. God is a consuming fire. Get on the wrong side of him, and his fire will consume you (consume, NOT torment endlessly); get on the right side of God and his fires will complete the refining process that he is already doing in you.

God forgives sin. He does that because it is ingrained in his character. Jesus’ death is the means by which he forgives sins but not the reason why he forgives sin. And so on that basis everyone, anyone is welcome into heaven. “If you can stand it.” Or it may be that the fires of heaven are too hot and our God who is a consuming fire will consume you. It seems likely that if I have got used to living in the light, looking to the light, moving closer to the source of the light, that I will survive the fires of heaven. For fire gives light. Light gives heat. The two cannot be separated. More than that, the Light is the Centre of my being. I love the Light. The Light shines in me and through me. And so when I approach the Light, the Fire in heaven, it will be a coming home.

Michael