a perishable gold that is tested by fire
“But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.” - 1 Corinthians 15:46
We’re tied to the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:46 speaks of the physical body coming first, then the spiritual body. Without our physical body, a vessel for the spirit, we would be unmade and unformed. It is hard then, to resist things of the material world. We were taught first to live materially, than to live spiritually. For me, engaging in the teachings of Christ to nurture my undying spirit is an ongoing investment in my spiritual health. Caring for my soul relates to not tainting my body with immorality of the flesh, from sexual immorality to material greed to earthly desires.
“It’s hard to let go anything you love. We live in a world that teaches us to clutch. But when we clutch, we’re left with a fistful of ashes.” - Madeline L’engle
The quote above from Madeline L’engle reminds me of a core tenet of Buddhism which is that attachment leads to suffering. That we shouldn’t be attached to anything in this material world. In Christianity, I compare the concept in Buddhism of attachment being wrong to false idolatry. False idolatry is a very real phenomenon. I’ve been guilty of it, in my desire for love, manifested in romantic and physical form, in my pursuit of career success and achievement, in my greed for more and more money. False idolatry stems from our desire for earthly things, to the point that we start to revolve our very being around the earth and all its material trappings of success and sex. Ironically, the more we pursue these materialistic desires, the more we’re led away from them. God doesn’t want us to fixate on the things of this world, He wants us to worship Him and only Him.
“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 1:7
Our spiritual self is more precious than perishable gold. We are tested by fire, refined by consuming fire day by day. Burning my impurities away, the Holy Spirit revives and refines me to make me clean. Letting go of my material desires, my spirit and soul emerges to consume me, instead of my physical body consuming me. I am fed by the Spirit, not by the Body. My faith is what makes me whole and pure. My faith is what I cling onto in the midst of the holy fire and the burning oil.
Often times, I have been misled and have strayed from the path the Holy Spirit leads me on. Clinging onto material things, caught up in secular righteousness, caught in traps of unforgiveness and judgement of others, I judged others only to be judged by others as well.
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” - John 7:24
Many Christians are judgmental, but to be judge means to be judged. Can one really escape judgement by others? Human judgement is errant, flawed, biased, and arrogant. We must be humble before the eyes of God, if we are saved. We can’t escape the judgment of God — God judges us on the Day of Judgment by his righteouness, when all will be revealed by consuming fire and the sinners will be thrown into Hell and the saved will enter Heaven.
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”
Those whose names aren’t written in the Book of Life will receive eternal damnation — eternity is only reserved for those deserve it. Seek eternity by doing good in the eyes of God. Jesus dying on the cross for our sins is only our first step to salvation. The rest is up to us.
