Fool's Gold

Jeremiah 6:29-30 KJV

The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

As I understand it, at the time of this writing a refiner would mix lead into his silver or gold as a purifying agent. Bringing the mixture to a molten state he would then turn his bellows, not upon the fire, but upon the molten metal. The lead would oxidize and carry away the impurities in the dross. In this case nothing was left but dross. There was very little silver in the mass or else what silver was there was so corrupted it was worthless.  The refiner could work his process as well as he might, he could bring forth no silver unless there was silver there originally.

Ancient students interpreted the bellows as being either the prophets and priests or else Jeremiah himself as having exhausted themselves attempting to get the people of God purified. Carrying on with that application, we can see the lead as a type for religion added into people's lives in an attempt to bring about:

• Holiness
• Righteousness
• Godliness

The lesson is plain. It is not the preaching of the man of God, be it ever so passionate; nor is it the practice of religious rituals, be they ever so faithfully attended to that brings about true salvation and pure regeneration. Only one thing is able to do that, it is Christ.

• When a man possesses Christ in His being,
• when Christ has taken residence in him.
• When the man is Christ's and Christ is the man's

Only then is

• Sound preaching
• Christian Discipline and
• Church service

useful to bring about holiness and Christlikeness in a man.

Until Christ is in a man, all that preaching and Christianity can produce is "reprobate silver" and fool's gold.