The Firing of the Pot
By Jonathan Mitchell
"Now we presently and continuously hold (have and possess) this treasure within containers (jars; pots; vessels; equipment) made of baked clay [e.g., pottery] so that the transcendence of the power may habitually originate its existence in God - and not from out of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).
"Then (or: And so) God formed (molded and fashioned) the human being (or: humanity) - soil (loose, moist earth) from the ground (earth; land; territory; dirt) - and then He breathed into his face a Breath of life (or: a wind from Life), and the human being (or: humanity) was birthed into a living soul (or: came to exist being a living person)" (Gen. 2:7, LXX, JM).
He breathed Himself into the human being. And...
"You see, 'even our God [is] a continuously all-consuming Fire (or: our God [is] also a progressively fully-devouring fire)'" (Heb. 12:29) [cf Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Isa. 33:14]
In Gen. 2:7, having formed the "pot," He breathed Himself (Fire) into it, and the pot was "fired," to be more than "loose, moist earth" that would otherwise either fall apart or be melted by the rain. Now it was a "baked clay container" that could hold and make accessible His glory, His presence, His life.
We see a corporate picture of this in Acts 2:
2. Then suddenly and unexpectedly there came to be (or: was birthed) from out of the midst of the atmosphere (or: sky; heaven) a roaring noise (or: sound) as of a continued rushing and driving of a violent wind (or: exactly like a continual carrying of a forcible breath), and it filled (pervaded; permeated; saturated) the whole house where they were sitting.
3. Then progressively dividing-throughout, self-distributing tongues - as if of fire - were seen by and among them, and He (or: it) sat down (or: and then one [tongue of fire] is seated) upon each one of them.
4. And so they all were filled with a Consecrated Breath-effect (or: [the] Holy Spirit; or: a set-apart attitude)...
The Fire upon the kiln of the upper room, on the Day of Pentecost, created the body of the Second Human Being, the "eschatos (Last)," Adam, and thus the called out communities, and individuals ("we"), have this Treasure (Christ) in jars of fired clay.
Furthermore, even our work (what we do or build)
"is being progressively unveiled (continually revealed) within the midst of Fire, and the Fire, Itself, will progressively test, examine and put to the proof what sort of work each one's exists being" (1 Cor. 3:13),
just as God' work in Gen. 2:7 was, and is. But not to worry, even if folks either metaphorically or literally cast us into a furnace of their making, the Son of God will be seen walking within the midst of this fire, along with us (Dan. 3:25; cf Rev. 1:20-2:1).
And now, there can be, at His direction, His Fire that comes out of our mouths (Rev. 11:5) as we speak by His Breath-effect.
Jonathan
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