447. Refine, Purify, Purge
Malachi 3:3 And shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: an he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
The Messenger of the Covenant, Jesus Christ, will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purge as gold and silver. The refining process of gold and silver is used in the Bible as an image of what must happen to the sin-contaminated souls of believers. When gold or silver is placed in a super-heated furnace the impurities melt off and drain away. This is what the Holy Spirit is really doing in our lives.
The Spirit within uses the Word of God and the experiences of life to file off the sharp edges of the soul. But more significantly, the Spirit will use life’s afflictions to turn up the heat in order to burn away the impurities in the soul. We have been forgiven of all sins and declared to be righteous, but the actual working out of salvation is a long-term process of sanctification. In Christ, who is our sanctification, we are wholly holy and pure and righteous, But sin remains, and the process of purification must proceed continually, while the Spirit sanctifies us to bring us more and more into line with the holiness which has already been granted by grace. The life, lips and behavior slowly begin to match what we have been saved for. The outward is catching up to the inward. All change begins inside.
The flesh cannot purge itself, no matter how many hair shirts one wears and how often one self-flagellates. And we cannot make ourselves better by trying to be good. Self-improvement cannot come from the self, but improvement in purity comes from, grows and is maintained by the Holy Spirit within. God does it all. And often the Lord must use trial, troubles and afflictions to turn up the heat. Every problem we deal with is a call to repent of our own sin and turn to the Gospel in faith. God uses the refining furnaces in the school of experience to refine, purify and purge. Sinners resist this process and slow it down by trying to turn down the heat, but the Lord is faithful, persistent and relentless; He won’t quit. It takes more than a lifetime to reach 100% purity, but for salvation and life Jesus is 100% pure for us.
Meanwhile, by faith we offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. But in reality, the Lord Jesus has offered Himself to the Lord as an offering in righteousness. And by this offering we are saved, and then refined.