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Originally Posted by Ohio
To be cast into the fire and be burned (v.6) corresponds with passing thru fire. (I Cor 3.15) Once again, we should not equate all of God's "testing fires" with the final "Lake of Fire." If all your works are burned up it would appear as if you yourself are burned, but this is the fire of the Lord's discipline for how we live as Christians, and not the Lake of Fire for the judgment of sins.
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The ones passing through fires of 1 Cor 3:15 are able to escape the flames but there is no indication that the branches of John 15 or the trees of Matthew 7 escape the flames.
John the Baptist also talks about the same fate for bad trees that Jesus described and Jesus disciples would have associated his imagery from Matthew 7 with this. To claim that these are different events would make God the author of confusion.
Quote:
Matthew 3:10
"Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
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This was spoken to the Pharisees who John called a "brood of vipers". Clearly these are unsaved people and not saved believers who are bad trees.
Quote:
Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
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