The word “tinder” has become synonymous with an infamous dating app, which acts as little more than a meat market. But, it’s a striking name. Tinder is dry, flammable material that’s used to start a fire. So, the name suggests the excitement of sexual connection. The idea is: it won’t take much to move from this app to “more”.
But “tinder” is a word with a significant Christian history. Medieval theologians used the phrase “tinder” or “kindling wood” to describe an unstoppable inner motion to sin. The fancy theological term for this is “concupiscence”. It basically means disordered desire – the kind Paul refers to as “all kinds of covetousness” (Rom 7:9) and “evil desire” (Col 3:5). It’s the stuff we feel, and that we want, and that we hanker after, that is sinful.
I don’t know what specifically led medieval theologians to connect the imagery of “fire” to sinful desire. But there is an obvious biblical basis. In 1 Cor 7:9, Paul says: “It is better to marry than to burn with passion” – clear fire imagery. In the same passage, he says it is good for a man not to touch a woman – where the word “touch” can mean ignite, or set alight; it’s what you’d do to start a lamp burning (Luke 11:33; 15:8). (1 Cor 7:9). “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?” asks Proverbs (6:27).
Whatever its origin, I think “tinder” is a vivid, clarifying image. I need to learn I’m carrying “tinder” around inside me. I’m like a vehicle that transports chemicals, that needs a haz-chem symbol on the outside. I need a “highly flammable” sticker slapped on me.
Yes, when we become Christians, Jesus transforms us. Yes, our “old man” was crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6), and now we are a “new man” (Eph 4:24). But, the sparks of evil desire aren’t completely put out. John Calvin wrote: “In this matter all writers of sounder judgment agree that there remains in a regenerate man a smoldering cinder of evil, from which desires continually leap forth to allure and spur him to commit sin” (Institutes, Book III, ch.3, part 10). He talks about saints being tickled to lust.
So:
– Don’t get discouraged by the presence of “tinder” inside you. It’s not a sign that you’re not a Christian, but it’s a sign you’ve not reached the finish line yet, and the war isn’t over.
– Don’t be silly about it. It’s easy to get cocky or naïve about our own hearts. Don’t play with fire. Just as you’re told not to light barbeques on a hot summer’s day, in undesignated spots, we need to be careful about the situations we put ourselves in, particularly with members of the opposite sex, and especially if you’re dating.
– Look by faith to Jesus Christ, who walked through this world, with no tinder in his heart, but has done battle with his natural desires, and the temptations of the devil, sacrificing himself, for our salvation. Jesus, the Redeemer, will light a very different bonfire in our hearts, that burns with love to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
