First Fire, Then Salt

First Fire, Then Salt

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.” Mark 9:49.

Jesus said that everyone will be seasoned with fire. This is true for believers and for the ungodly. He who believes will allow the fire to consume sacrifices from his life, whereas the ungodly retains his evil eye, his evil foot and his evil hand. This is precisely why “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

The question is: What is the fire, and what is the salt? The fire is kindled when God’s will wrestles with our self-will over the release of the sacrifice, and it will continue to burn until we agree with God’s will and allow Him to have what He requires. The salt, then, is my consent to allow God to have what He is asking for.

The fire comes from above, but we are to have salt in ourselves.

“Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor [power (Norw.)], how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Salt is a good thing. In other words, it is good to determine to obey God, and it is good to give God what belongs to Him. It is good to allow the fire and the Spirit to point out spiritual sacrifices and then to salt those sacrifices by giving my consent. A person who loses his ability to decide for himself will lose all his power; he will be trampled underfoot by men. Good and evil, justice and injustice are available to us—we must choose between them. Our ability to choose the good and reject the evil is the salt that must not lose its power. “Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:50.

You do not season a sheep with salt while it is grazing in the meadow. It must first be appointed as a sacrifice. After that, it is slaughtered, cut in pieces and then seasoned with salt.

The fire must burn long enough to separate the particular sacrifice from sin in the flesh. In other words, “I” according to the flesh release it. Then the sacrifice can be slaughtered and seasoned with salt. He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Why is it written, “Have peace with one another”? Because I can mercilessly barge into someone else’s life and select a sacrifice that he is not able to make, since the fire has not yet worked sufficiently in his life. I can clearly see the sacrifice he ought to make, but I need to have salt within myself. If I try to force him to make the sacrifice, the result will be strife and unrest, because he does not yet have the strength to let go of it.

Some might say, “Well, he had better get used to hearing the truth and comply immediately.” Of course, this is how it should be. But are you always ready to let go of something the moment it is pointed out?? Maybe the fire has to work intensely with you for a whole year before you are able to let go of that part of your self-life. Your impatience demands that the others bring their sacrifices immediately. Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. We should count the longsuffering of our God as salvation. Don’t you think we would be able to save a lot more people if we laid hold of God’s longsuffering? So our work consists of kindling the fire of conviction and waiting patiently for the sacrifice.