Fanning the Flames of God's Passion in Others' Hearts
The concept of "fanning the flames" in a spiritual sense relates to igniting or intensifying zeal, love, and spiritual fervor in individuals, often through the communication of God's truth and the work of the Holy Spirit. This imagery draws on various biblical themes, including divine passion, the transformative power of the Gospel, and the unifying force of spiritual love.
God himself is described as having "passion" or "jealousy," which is a fundamental aspect of his character in the Old Testament. This divine passion signifies God as a personal deity, not an abstract force, and it drives his commitment to his word and his covenant people. This passion leads to consequences for sin, restoration for repentance, and rewards for righteousness [8].
The Gospel message is frequently depicted as a source of this spiritual fire. The words of John 3:16, for instance, are noted for their power to "send thrilling sensations through millions of mankind" and to "kindle in the cold and selfish breasts of mortals the fires of self-sacrificing love to mankind" [3]. Similarly, Jesus stated, "I am come to send fire on the earth" (Luke 12:48). This "fire" can be interpreted as the Gospel itself, which brings both light and warmth to believers, causing their hearts to "burn within them." It can also signify the zeal for the Gospel, which may be met with opposition and "sharp contentions," or even persecution, described as a "fiery trial" that tests faith [6].
The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in kindling and sustaining this spiritual fervor. The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost was marked by "cloven tongues like as of fire" appearing to the apostles, symbolizing the diverse languages in which they would preach the Gospel [7]. This event is understood as the "baptism with fire" that John the Baptist spoke of [7]. The Spirit also diffuses love among believers, making the work of Christ's servants a shared interest [4]. Paul beseeches believers "by the love of the Spirit," referring to the love that the Spirit "kindles in the hearts of believers towards each other" [4]. This love is essential for knitting hearts together in unity and understanding [1].
Brotherly love is a key outcome of this spiritual fire. Christians are called to a "special and spiritual affection" for one another, which is distinct from general human affection [9]. This love is a sign of a "peculiar people, zealous of good works," whom Christ purchased for himself [9]. The unity among believers, fostered by the indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son, is a powerful witness to the world, leading them to believe that God sent Christ [5].
Conversely, the absence of this spiritual fire can lead to negative consequences. Paul warns against "burning" with the "secret flame of lust" if one "cannot contain" themselves, suggesting that the "dew of God's grace is needed to stifle the flame" of unholy desires [10]. Those who "refuse to know God" and "decline to hearken unto the glad-message of our Lord Jesus" will face "vengeance" in a "fiery flame" [2]. Thus, the concept of "fanning the flames" encompasses both the positive cultivation of spiritual passion and the warning against destructive, unholy fires.
Sources
- Colossians “Colossians 2:2 (Rotherham) — In order that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, even unto all the riches of the full assurance of their understanding, unto a personal knowledge of the sacred secret of God,—Christ:”
- II Thessalonians “II Thessalonians 1:8 (Rotherham) — In a fiery flame; holding forth vengeance—against them that refuse to know God, and them who decline to hearken unto the glad-message of our Lord Jesus,”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 3:16: For God so loved, &c.--What proclamation of the Gospel has been so oft on the lips of missionaries and preachers in every age since it was first uttered? What has sent such thrilling sensations through millions of mankind? What has been honored to bring such multitudes to the feet of Christ? What to kindle in the cold and selfish breasts of mortals the fires of self-sacrificing love to mankind, as these words of transparent simplicity, yet overpowering majesty? The picture embraces several distinct compartments: "THE WORLD"--in its widest sense--ready "t”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 15:30: Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit--or, "by the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit"--not the love which the Spirit bears to us, but that love which He kindles in the hearts of believers towards each other; that is "By that Saviour whose name is alike dear to all of us and whose unsearchable riches I live only to proclaim, and by that love one to another which the blessed Spirit diffuses through all the brotherhood, making the labors of Christ's servants a matter of common interes”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 17:21: that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us--The indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son is the one perfect bond of union, knitting up into a living unity, first all believers amongst themselves; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe, that Christ never mixes Himself up with His disciples as He associates Himself with the Father, but says I in THEM and THEY in US). that the world may believe that thou hast sent me--sentest me. So the grand impression upon th”
- Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 12:48: I am come to send fire on the earth,.... Meaning either the Gospel, which is as fire, that gives both light and heat, warms the hearts of God's people, and causes them to burn within them; though very distressing and torturing to wicked men; so the word of God is compared to fire, in Jer 20:9. Or else zeal for it, and which would be opposed with sharp contentions by others; or rather persecution for the sake of the Gospel, called sometimes the fiery trial; which tries men, as gold is tried in the fire, what they are, and what their principles and profession be; unless ”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 2:3: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,.... An emblem of the various tongues and languages, in which they were to preach the Gospel; these appearances were like flames of fire parted, and these parted flames looked like tongues; so, a flame of fire is with, the Jews called, , "a tongue of fire", Isa 5:24 hence the Apostle James compares a tongue to fire, Jam 3:6 this was the baptism with fire, John the Baptist speaks of; see Gill on Mat 3:11; and the Jews say (t), "the holy blessed God baptizeth with fire, and the wise shall understand. Through t”
- Zechariah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Zechariah 8:2: 8:2 Passion (or jealousy, zeal) is a basic element of the Old Testament concept of God (see also 1:14). God’s passion identifies him as a personal deity, not an abstract natural force. God is passionate for his word and for the people of his covenant. His passion results in punishment for sin, restoration for repentance, and reward for the pursuit of righteousness.”
- Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 13:1: The design of Christ in giving himself for us is that he may purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Now the apostle calls the believing Hebrews to the performance of many excellent duties, in which it becomes Christians to excel. I. To brotherly love (Heb 13:1), by which he does not only mean a general affection to all men, as our brethren by nature, all made of the same blood, nor that more limited affection which is due to those who are of the same immediate parents, but that special and spiritual affection which ought to exist among the ”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 7:9: if they cannot contain--that is, "have not continency." burn--with the secret flame of lust, which lays waste the whole inner man. (Compare AUGUSTINE [Holy Virginity]). The dew of God's grace is needed to stifle the flame, which otherwise would thrust men at last into hell-fire.”