Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 36:1 (Mar 1993)
Article: Fire In God’s House: Influence Of Malachi 3 In The NT
Author: John Proctor

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JETS 36:1 (March 1993) p. 9

Fire In God’s House:
Influence Of Malachi 3 In The NT

John Proctor*

It has been argued by D. E. Johnson that the fiery judgment afflicting the readers of 1 Peter is described in terms and imagery drawn from the prophecy of Malachi.1 The present article examines another NT passage—1 Corinthians 3—in which the Church is tested by a judgment of fire.

I. Similarities Between 1 Peter And Malachi 3

The main exegetical points of Johnson’s article may be summarized as follows:

The sufferings of the Church are discussed in 1 Pet 1:6–7 under the metaphor of fire. As metal is refined by intense heat, so the quality of these Christians’ faith is tested by trial in order that it may be more clearly evident on the day of Christ.

The description of the Church as oikos, God’s “house,” a metaphor developed especially in 1 Pet 2:4–10, connotes the idea of the Church as God’s temple or sanctuary. Translation in terms of “household” or “family” of God is inappropriate.

The two ideas above converge in 1 Pet 4:12–19. The Church is undergoing fiery trial, by which its members are tested. The word used is pyrōsis, and this represents a judgment beginning from the oikos tou theou.

It is in 4:12–19, in particular, that imagery from Malachi is employed: (1) Fire comes to the temple of God, for judgment but also for cleansing, testing and purification (Mal 3:2–3; 1 Pet 4:12); (2) this fiery testing is indicative of the presence of God, who comes to prove and cleanse his dwelling place (Mal 3:2–3; 1 Pet 4:14); (3) judgment that begins in the temple of God as a refining process will move outward into the world, destroying all evildoers (Mal 3:19; 1 Pet 4:17–18).

The way in which the material from Malachi is employed invites the readers of 1 Peter to perceive themselves as God’s new temple and to view their sufferings in that context as indications of divine presence and cleansing power in their midst. The writer’s pastoral intention is to assure and encourage a tried Church. They should not fear that God has...

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