“For this is my covenant unto them (to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ and surrender their lives to Him), when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:27). Notice, God’s covenant is not merely the forgiveness of our sins, or paying the death penalty for our sins, His covenant with us is that He will take away our sins! The former liar will lie no more. The former thief will steal no more. The Lord has taken away those sins.
“For the law (the Old Covenant) made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (the New Covenant) did, by the which we draw nigh unto God.” (Hebrews 7:19). Remember, without holiness no man shall see the Lord. (See Hebrews 1:14). Therefor it is imperative that the Lord be permitted to do His sanctifying work. Sanctification is as much a part of the salvation experience as justification. God doesn’t forgive us then leave us in our sinful condition. How absurd! His winnowing “fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor (here meaning the body of Christ, His church), and will gather the wheat (His purified sons and daughters) into His garner (the Kingdom of God), but the chaff (those clinging to their sinful ways as a lifestyle) He will burn with His unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:17).
An unquenchable fire is not a fire that burns forever, or eternally, but a fire that none can extinguish until it has accomplished what God has designed for it to do, that is to snuff out the life and reduce to ash all who rebel against the Lord and refuse to obey Him.
“For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1). A tree is not totally destroyed if you merely cut it down. It is totally destroyed when roots and branches – the whole tree – is burned in a fire. This is a perfect analogy of the fate of the wicked. They will be totally, completely, utterly destroyed. “And ye (the faithful elect) shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this.” (Verse 4 of Malachi 3).
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley