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He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. (Mal. 3:3–4)
Reflect
My grandmother always made going to church a special event. She helped me pick the right dress, made sure my shoes were shiny and clean, and withstood burns from the curling iron to perfect my hairdo. I know church attire can vary. But I still get dressed up for corporate worship because, no matter how cliché it sounds, I want to wear my Sunday best for Jesus.
Yet even in our finest clothes, we can still be dirty on the inside. Hidden sins are, after all, hidden. We can sing hymns at max volume, forgetting the way we treated our coworkers last week. We can kneel in prayer, easily dismissing what we posted on the internet earlier that morning. We can take the bread and wine even if we lost it with our kids in the car. People at church only see what’s on the outside, but God looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). And unless we come clean, we can’t come into his presence at all.
Even in our finest clothes, we can still be dirty on the inside.
Purity in God’s presence is a major theme in Scripture. In Leviticus, we learn how Israel was to distinguish between the clean and unclean. These categories extended to foods and animals. Even people could be defiled by disease or by touching unclean things such as a dead body. The temple was off-limits for the unclean. Only ritual washings and animal sacrifices made reentry into God’s presence achievable. But even this wasn’t permanent—for the blood of bulls and goats couldn’t fully atone for sin (Heb. 10:4).
Like Israel, we dare not present ourselves before God in our sinful condition. As the psalmist asks, “Who shall stand in [God’s] holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:3–4). While soap and water might wash our filthy hands, what can purify our sin-stained hearts?
In today’s verses, the prophet Malachi announced the coming of One who would refine his people as gold and silver. Later, the author of Hebrews clarified the refiner’s identity:
If the blood of goats and bulls . . . sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Heb. 9:13–14)
During Advent, we remember that Jesus is the great Refiner. He came to shed his purifying blood to cover our sins and forgive us. Then, like a refiner who heats metal to remove impurities, the Lord sanctifies us so that on judgment day we’ll be an unblemished offering to God. On that day, because of Jesus, we’ll wear white robes of righteousness (Rev. 6:11).
Grandma made sure I looked pretty for church, but I wasn’t truly clean. Jesus, the great Purifier of sinners, is the only One who can wash away every stain and remove every impurity. When he dresses us in white robes, we’ll enter God’s presence because we’ll be clean—not just on the outside but on the inside too.
Respond
Sometimes the Lord refines us through trials and difficult circumstances. How have you experienced his refining process this year? Write a prayer thanking God for Christ who cleanses, purifies, and refines us so we’ll one day be holy and acceptable in his presence.
The Gospel Coalition