In chapter one verses 20 and 21 of the Book of Matthew we find a man named Joseph being visited by and angel in a dream. The angel tells him that his wife had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and that she would give birth to a son whose name would be Jesus Who would “… SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.” Note that He would save them from, not in, their sins. In chapter two we find King Herod asking the Jewish priests and scribes where the Jewish Christ (anointed one) would be born. They informed him that, according to God’s Word, the child would be born in Bethlehem, and that He would “… rule My (God’s) people ISRAEL.”

In Luke 2:25-38 we find that Mary and Joseph have brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to fulfill the custom of the law. In the Temple was a man named Simeon upon whom the Holy Spirit had settled. Following the Spirit’s instructions, he had come into the Temple and, seeing Jesus, took Him up in his arms and spoke to the Lord, thanking Him for allowing Him to ” … see (the Source of) Your salvation … for the glory of Your people ISRAEL.” In the Temple was a prophetess named Anna who, upon seeing Jesus, “spoke of Him to all who looked for redemption in JERUSALEM.” She was undoubtedly well versed in Isaiah 53 where it is written that the Christ would die for “the transgressions (sins) of MY PEOPLE”–the nation of Israel.

Let this be understood: THE ENTIRE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN TO, FOR AND ABOUT ISRAEL. The only time Gentiles (heathen–everyone who was not an Israelite) are mentioned is when they came into contact with Israel. In order for Gentiles to become God’s people they had to obey His Law (Genesis to Revelation which He condensed into the Ten Commandments). By doing so they became spiritual Israelites–the people (children) of God. Today these people (biological and spiritual ISRAEL) comprise the true Church of God. In Galatians 6:16 the church is called “the ISRAEL OF GOD.”

Gentiles have from early on been welcomed into the tribes of Israel beginning with their extraction from Egyptian slavery. In Exodus 12:38 we are told that “a mixed multitude came out (of Egypt) with them (Israel)” (Exo. 12:38). These were Gentile slaves who had accepted the Israelite’s God after seeing His power displayed during the curses He had poured out on their captors. These biological Gentiles became spiritual Israelites by observing Passover immediately after being freed and later, at Mt. Sinai, by agreeing to obey God’s Law. Over time they married into the tribes of Israel and became, in the eyes of God, equals with them. Read Who and Where is Israel Today? Key word–Where. Now that we have established who God’s people are, we must determine how one–whether Israelite or Gentile–becomes a spiritual child of God.

In chapter three of Matthew’s Gospel we find John the Baptist announcing the first step that must be taken in order to become true Biblical Christian (Spiritual Israelite) regardless of one’s biological pedigree. John came saying: “REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (vs 2). Repent of what? Sin. What is sin? The transgression of God’s Law (1 Jn. 3:4). The kingdom of heaven is the true Church of God of which Jesus is the head (LORD–RULER). Those within it are His true spiritual brethren, His true friends who, Jesus said, are few in number. Read the Friends of Jesus and Jesus’ Brethren. Key words–Friends and Brethren respectively. Unless Jesus is a salvation seeker’s LORD in this life, He is not one’s FRIEND or BROTHER and will not be one’s SAVIOR upon His return to earth (Read Matthew 10:22). What is the key to being friend and spiritual brother to Jesus? Obeying God’s Law that He condensed into Ten commandments.

John goes on to tell the people that, following repentance, the salvation seeker must “… prepare the way of the Lord by making His paths straight” (vs 3). Note that we must prepare the way for Him to “walk” in us. We must choose to die to self and live to Him (allow Him to “walk” in us). This is accomplished by obeying His Holy Spirit that lives within us. True saints receive His Spirit upon true conversion. God says about those who are led by the Spirit, “I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God and they will be My people” (2 Cor. 6:16). God “walks” in true saints by manifesting Himself in them through their thoughts, words and actions. This can only be done by obeying the “voice” of His Holy Spirit that dwells within them. Peter describes such people in 1 Peter 2:9 as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.”

In order to reach the spiritual status that Peter describes there is a process that must be followed. We find the pattern laid out for us in Matthew 3:10-12. Here John is telling the people who have come for baptism, including some Pharisees and Sadducees, that they’re being fruit-producing (religious) “trees,” meant nothing to the Lord. Here John is telling us that we must produce “good fruit,” and that every fruit (religious) tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire. He goes on to tell us that being baptized in water was symbolic of having repented of our past sins (Rom. 3:25).

John tells us that in order to qualify for salvation we must receive the Lord’s Holy Spirit which serves two purposes: 1) to lead us along our specific path leading to righteousness which is necessary for salvation and 2) to empower us to walk that path and to attain that righteousness. In verses 11 and 12 the apostle tells us how purpose #1 is accomplished. The process is called the “baptism of fire” which is designed to destroy the convert’s “chaff”–everything not of God. Verse 12 tells us that not only must we be cast into the crucible of spiritual fire, but that the Holy Spirit is fanning it, making sure that nothing ungodly survives and remains within us.

This process of sin removal is symbolic of the method used by ancient farmers to remove chaff from wheat. Chaff is a thin film that covers the wheat kernel. The chaff is worthless to those who use the wheat for making bread, etc. and must be removed from the wheat prior to the process. The separation process was carried out by using a “fan” (large pitch fork) by which the farmer pitched the wheat into the air and allowing the wind to separate the chaff from the kernel and blow it away as the heaver wheat fell back to the floor. Biblically this is called “purging the floor” (vs 12).

I have eaten raw wheat in the field by stripping the kernel off of the stem, rolling it around in my hands to separate the chaff which I blew away, leaving the wheat in my palm. In days of old the chaff, having no purpose, would collect in a pile to be burned. The wheat would then be placed in a protective enclosure for later use. In this way the farmer would “purge his floor.”

In the life of the salvation seeker this purging (baptism of fire) is absolutely necessary in order to make the seeker suitable for use by the Lord. No sin (chaff) is allowed to remain in the seeker (wheat). The removal of chaff was permanent in that it was totally consumed by the fire. The idea that one can periodically embrace chaff (sin), then rid himself of it (by repentance), then take on more chaff and later get rid of it is in no way Biblical. As stated, Jesus came to save man FROM not IN his sins. Ridding us of our sins is a burning process. God provides the fire, but we must apply it to those areas of our lives that must be destroyed. Dealing with and eliminating the sins in our lives equates to the wheat being tossed into the air. Chaff takes any number of forms. We each must deal with it having the fire of God within us to burn up those chaffy parts by which Satan has controlled us for so long. All chaff must go. There will be no chaff in the Kingdom of God. L.J.