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Joseph Prince Ministries [JP]
with comments by biblestudymanuals.net [BSM]
[JP] TRUE GRACE VS COUNTERFEIT GRACE
Grace is not a teaching or a Bible school subject. Grace is a Person, the beautiful Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[BSM]
Numerous ways including
"unmerited favor" which is most applicable to the means by which one is
saved unto eternal life, according to the Bible properly interpreted
via the normative rules of reading: properly following the rules of
reading that we all learned from grammar school on: the proper use
of language, context and logic 
. So grace can be a teaching and it can be a Bible school
subject and it can be a subject in many other contexts in the Word and throughout the world.
On
the other hand, I
understand that you are presenting your point of view perhaps in a
figurative
manner revolving around Who you think Jesus Christ is - Who you make Him out to be - and your own
concept of the word grace. But
according to the dictionary which reflects how words are used and
according to a proper reading of the bible, the word grace means
"unmerited favor" such as expressed by Eph 2:8-9 quoted below. The word
grace
cannot be limited to the Person of Jesus Christ, nor can Jesus Christ
be
solely limited to being gracious or Grace as you put it. For He is God
and Man and His actions
include those which are characterized as being God, Man, just, judge,
vengeful,
sovereign, omnipotent, unfathomable, infinite, unlimited, love,
omnipresent, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Word, and grace as well, etc., etc. - all
the attributes of God and how He - the infinite God, second Person of
the Trinity operates.
Compare Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB).
8 "For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God;
9 not as a
result of works, so that no one may boast."
Notice
that it is by grace = "unmerited favor" by which one is saved unto
eternal life which is not of one's doing, but it is a gift which
signifies that one does NOTHING to receive it. Note that by definition expressing a
moment of faith is not proactive / contributory toward the end of being
saved unto eternal life, nor does one have to lead a life of
supernatural events or victorious living for Christ in order to be or verified that one is saved unto
eternal life. It is simply a moment of accepting as true all that has
been done for you relative to having eternal life - in accordance with the proper rules of reading .
So
I understand that you are Personifying the word grace as a Person: the
Lord Jesus Christ which you must realize that He is not limited to
being gracious - for He is God and Man. Nor can the word grace be
limited to only Who Jesus Christ is. The dictionary includes the
definition of grace to be "unmerited favor" which best fits the Bible
when the context is about Salvation unto eternal life for example. So
grace indeed is a teaching and should be a Bible school subject as well
- in accordance with the normative rules of language, context and logic
as the key description of how an individual is saved unto eternal life
throughout the Bible, God's Word: grace = "unmerited favor."
[JP]
And because an encounter with Him is so glorious, so liberating, and so powerful in changing precious lives, the enemy has thrown up so many controversies and misconceptions around the gospel of grace. This has caused many to be afraid of grace and kept them away from precisely what they need to draw close to God and lead a victorious, God-glorifying life.
[BSM]
According
to Scripture encounters with the Lord Jesus Christ may not always be glorious, liberating or
powerful in changing precious lives to an individual - whether
believers or not. There
is NO guarantee that a believer will view his as you say it "encounter"
with God, nor change his life in a godly way, nor experience victorious
living even once. This is why the bible has the letters / epistles
which instruct
believers in how to act in godly ways. There are no guarantees that
believers will be faithful at all as you seem to suggest. Just check
Scripture - especially
the letters / epistles. Most of the time, believers' encounters with Jesus written
about in Scripture throughout the ages reveal that very few experience
"glorious, liberating or powerful changes in their precious lives,"
while in their mortal bodies - even the disciples as they walked with
Jesus. For
no one can claim in their mortal lives to lead a victorious,
God-glorifying life under their own auspices, NO ONE - not even a
single born again believer - including the disciples and apostles! .
It takes the grace of God to credit any mortal who has always been
unfaithful to some extent all the time - even believers - with even a
moment of blameless, glorious perfection . Even the apostle Paul spoke of constantly losing out to the sin nature
within himself instead of following the inner man. Just read Ro 7:11ff
and read it properly - the context is AFTER PAUL BECAME A BELIEVER, .
On the matter of what you have written: "the enemy has thrown up so many controversies and misconceptions around the gospel of grace" which word "enemy" the Bible defines as the Devil, but notably the idea of throwing up controversies and misconceptions also includes people when they do evil things, i.e., the world. You seem to be saying that the enemy is the sole source of the believer's failure to draw close to God and have glorifying moments in their lives. Now these are contributory but not the only source of these failures. The major source is the sin nature within each believer. I must also say that your unscriptural idea of what the gospel of grace is also contributes to the believer's failure to draw close to God and lead a victorious, God-glorifying life because it demands that the believer be close to God and have a victorious, God-glorifying life in order to prove out that that individual is truly saved. But there are no guarantees, yet without these things, one can still make it to heaven. According to Scripture the gospel of grace does not include drawing closer to God or experiencing a victorious, God-glorifying life. This may come in moments in the believer's life after one is saved unto eternal life, via the gospel of God in the Christian life. If having such encounters with Jesus and having a victorious, God-glorifying victorious life are required in order to be a Christian, then no one would be saved. We are saved by grace through faith and that salvation is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, (Eph 2:8-9).
JP stated "This has caused many to be afraid of grace and kept them away from
precisely what they need to draw close to God and lead a victorious,
God-glorifying life."
The phrase "afraid of grace"
is not in Scripture and I cannot figure out what this means. Why would
a believer be afraid of God's grace, His unmerited favor / blessings
exercised toward him? Nevertheless, being afraid of grace - whatever
you think
that is supposed to mean - is not
what keeps believers from drawing close to God and leading a
victorious,
God-glorifying life. It is the sin nature which remains within all
individuals including
believers during the temporal life which believers mistakenly
continuouly follow which thwarts the believer from drawing close to
God, and from leading a God-glorifying life - and that's scriptural. So because of the sin
nature
within, no believer will choose to live a temporal life that
consistently draws
him close to God, and consistently leads to a victorious,
God-glorifying life
under his own auspices with his sin nature still intact. That will
happen in the next life when he receives his resurrection, glorified
body without the sin nature. Although
Christians are indeed equipped with the Holy Spirit within, when the
believer follows the leading of the Holy Spirit albeit imperfectly, God
graciously credits the believer with his imperfect righteous actions
with His perfect Righteouness for which that
believer receives an eternal reward for each time he does this. And
when the believer confesses known sins, God graciously provides temporal forgiveness
of that
believer of those known sins and purifies him from all unrighteousness
up
to the moment of confession, i.e., he is viewed as blameless, i.e.,
without sin from
that moment in his temporal life until he sins again. Note that this is
not about eternal forgiveness which the believer received at the moment
of faith alone in Christ alone forever. So he is
restored
to temporal fellowship with God when he confesses until he sins again
which will be
ongoing in his temporal life, (1 Jn 1:8, 10) at which time he is
to confess and move on again under the grace and fellowship of God.
This
is based on
His Son's propitiation for the sins of all mankind - a gracious act by
God for all mankind, (1 Jn
1:1-10, especially 1 Jn 1:7 ). That's the way the temporal life of the believer works.
Note
that 1 Jn 1:1-10 is about believers' temporal lives. It is not about
gnostics' or unbelievers' salvation as you contend later on in this
article. For chapter one says that fellowship of believers ("my dear little
children," 1 Jn 2:2) with God, not salvation is the purpose of this chapter and
book :
(1 Jn 1:1-4) WHAT JOHN AND FELLOW APOSTLES HAVE SEEN AND
HEARD THEY PROCLAIM ALSO TO JOHN'S READERS / AND ALL C HILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF
GOD SO THAT THEY TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND INDEED THE
APOSTLES' FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, WHICH
FELLOWSHIP READERS / AND ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD MAY HAVE AS WELL -
THIS IS THE STATED PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE:
(1 Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that
which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did
behold [in the sense of gazed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life was
manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the Eternal Life, which
was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1 Jn 1:3 NASB) "what we
have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so that you too may have
fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His
Son Jesus Christ. (1 Jn 1:4 NASB) These things we write, so that our joy may be
made complete."
Gnostics and unbelievers cannot have
temporal fellowship with God until they believe in Christ for eternal life first .
By the way, confession which is a work / an operative and contributive activity is not
the
same thing as believing which is not a work, but a mental assent /
acceptance - not contributive. For expressing faith is non-contributory,
and not proactive; it is a passive acceptiance of what Jesus Christ
did for
him on the cross. Furthermore Christ's work on the cross is complete
and needs no contribution from an individual, nor some kind of action
that is supposed to verify that they did believe in Jesus for salvation
unto eternal life.
[JP] Yet, grace is not the dangerous doctrine—promoting the license to sin—that many have claimed it to be. And it is my prayer that this article will unveil to you what true grace is, and how the Person of Jesus and His grace IS the power of God unto your salvation in every area of life.
[BSM]
Since
all
sins have been paid for, for all of mankind - even the worst of us, (1
Jn 2:2) - past, present and future; a believer remains saved even if he
continues in sin, (Ro 6:1). Relative to the forever possession of
eternal life,
sin is not the issue; and an individual who has trusted alone in Christ
alone for payment for his sins is forever forgiven and forever saved
unto eternal life, no matter what - because eternal life is eternal /
forever once received. But there will be other consequences
when he does sin / but not the loss of eternal life. Click on the
following to read about God's discipline of the believer who continues
to sin .
[Compare 1 John 2:1-2 (NASB)]
1 My little children,
[believers are in view] I am writing these things to you so that you may not
sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;
2 and He Himself is
the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the
whole world.
.
Nevertheless, there
will be consequences, even dire ones , if believers choose to sin in their
temporal lives depending upon the severity of their sins. For all believers continually sin, (1 Jn 1:8, 10 ). But there will never be loss of salvation unto eternal life. On the other hand,
believers when they sin disrupt their fellowship with God which may
result in loss of temporal blessings; and discipline
which may be quite
substantial, even to the extent of sickness and pain, even premature
physical death, as well as the
devastating loss of eternal rewards when they do inevitably get to heaven and have to
spend the rest of eternity in far more lowly positions and enjoyment
capacity for the rest of eternity than what they could have enjoyed had
they been more faithful, .Nevertheless, as Joseph Prince stated, "the
Person of Jesus and His grace IS the power of God unto your salvation
in
every area of life."
But Jesus Christ isn't the power of God, He is God
- He Himself is omnipotent, and many, many other things .
So Jesus, being God, is / has the power
over your salvation which is solely by His grace through a moment of
faith alone in Christ alone. BTW, the grace of Jesus is not the power
of God unto your salvation. The word grace means "unmerited favor"
relative to your salvation unto eternal life which salvation is
provided for one as a free gift without having to do anything to merit
/ earn your salvation when you believe in Him providing it for you
without doing anything to receive it.
[JP] BEWARE OF THE DANGERS OF COUNTERFEIT GRACE
[BSM]
I
still do not know what counterfeit grace means. The phrase
does not
appear in the Bible????? And the explanation which follows does not
make sense. Perhaps because you have not clearly explained yourself.
[JP]
We live in exciting times. Our Lord Jesus is truly restoring the gospel of grace that was first given to the Apostle Paul. Over the last decade, I have had the great privilege of reading a constant stream of praise reports and testimonies sent to our ministry office from precious people set free from all kinds of addictions, including smoking, drugs, alcohol, and especially pornography.
Beyond being unshackled from the heavy yoke of guilt and condemnation, real lives, real marriages, and real families are being transformed and these people are living for the glory of Jesus through the power of His amazing grace. Grace is not a movement, teaching, or subject to be studied. It is all about a person. His name is Jesus. What one believes about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and what He has done at the cross, makes all the difference.
[BSM]
There
is nothing in Scripture that indicates that the gospel was ever in need
of being restored. And in this time and age, how is the Lord Jesus
truly restoring the gospel of grace? History does not show that the
gospel was ever in need of being restored. Furthermore, a
restoration of the gospel of grace would not be characterized
by a constant stream of praise reports and testimonies about people set
free from all kinds of addictions, including smoking, drugs, alcohol,
and especially pornography, as you seem to indicate has been happening.
But the gospel of grace is about how one
receives eternal life, i.e., without having to merit it. This has not
changed since Adam and Eve.
Salvation unto eternal life - the gospel of
grace - is not about what Christians do with their lives after they are
saved by the gospel of grace. That comes
after one is saved unto eternal life and is not part of the gospel of
grace, but all about Christian living as especially delineated and stipulated in the
epistles. Instructions
about Christian behavior are given in the epistles once one becomes through that gospel of grace via a moment of faith and that
salvation is not of yourself, it is a gift of God, not by works. This
has always been the gospel of grace since Adam and Eve through Noah,
Abraham,
Israel, the church age without ever having been modified.
Nor is the gospel of grace to be characterized as "Beyond being unshackled from the heavy
yoke of guilt and condemnation, real lives, real marriages, and real families
are being transformed and these people are living for the glory of Jesus
through the power of His amazing grace."
This statement is not in Scripture and does not apply to the gospel of
grace which is for salvation and not for Christian living. Other
passages apply to the latter.
Romans 1:16 (NASB)
16 For I am not ashamed of
the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Notice that the gospel is the power of God for salvation [unto eternal life] to everyone who believes... notice that it does not include "for victorious living to everyone who believes." That's another story. You cannot mix the two as if living victoriously is necessary to be saved unto eternal life or in order to verify that one is saved.
Christian
living is not the gospel of grace which the latter is the good news that a moment
of faith alone
in Christ alone provides eternal life; but about believers making
progress with issuses in their daily lives, especially addictive
behavior; and "being unshackled from guilt and condemnation, or issues
with ones life, marriage, family and living for the glory of Jesus."
The word gospel means here the good news
about salvation unto eternal life not about how to overcome addictions
in one's life, or anything to do with how a believer conducts his
Christian life. That is another doctrine that depends upon the
diligence of the believer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the
grace of God. The word grace means unmerited
favor; and the gospel of grace is the means by which one receives
eternal life: by grace you have
been saved through faith and that salvation is not of yourself, it is
the gift of God, not by works, i.e., it is by unmerited favor, (Eph 2:8-9) - it
is all of God. The message of the gospel of grace has not changed, nor
been lost, nor needed
restoration throughout
the ages. So historically speaking the gospel of grace has never needed
to be restored. It has always been presented accurately according to
God's Word, albeit most of the time from the beginning the majority of
messages on this issue are not in conformity with the gospel of grace.
That's the way it has been from the beginning, even from the time of Adam and Eve.
On
the other hand, after salvation, God's grace operates in the lives of believers as well
but that is a different subject from the gospel of grace. The epistles
are written to believers of this age in order for them to learn how to conduct
their Christian lives so they can be blessed via the grace of God. For there are no guarantees that a believer's
temporal life will be faithful, much less be victorious over sin.
[JP]
REIGNING OVER SIN THROUGH GRACE
[BSM]
This
statement or something similar does not appear in Scripture.
Christian's
will not reign over sin in their temporal lives all the time, perhaps
some of the time, but never perfectly - there is always the grace of
God in this. They will however be
blameless in their resurrection bodies in eternity, where there will be
no sin. This is when there will be no sin. So the issue of reigning
over sin in the believer in his resurrection body is nonsensical, he
will be without sin. And there will there be no sin in eternity. So
this phrase 'reigning over sin is nonsensical.' There will be no sin in
eternity!!!! In their temporal lives however believers constantly
fall short of
the glory of God, His Righteousness moment to moment. Reigning over sin
in the temporal life will not happen. Confession of
sins is constantly needed and temporal forgiveness and purification is
what is required and given by the grace of God, (1 Jn 1:1-10 ).
[JP]
To understand the grace of God, it is
essential we understand the difference between the old covenant of law and the
new covenant of grace.
[BSM]
The phrase "new covenant of grace" does not appear in Scripture. The old covenant is exclusively between God and Israel and so is the New covenant. The church benefits from the New Covenant with Israel but is not a party to the New Covenant .
The life of the believer is best studied in the Epistles in the last 37
books of the Bible. Note that the words "New Testament" which refers to
the last 37 books of the Bible is not in the original text and is not
an accurate description of those books. The publishers added these
titles - Old and New Testament - to their work. These are not part of
the original text.
****** EXCERPT FROM STUDY ON NEW COVENANT ******
= full study
(Jer 31:31 NASB) 'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, [crefs Jer 32:40; 33:14; Ezek 37:26] (Jer 31:32 NASB) not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day [of My taking] them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD. (Jer 31:33 NASB) But this [is] the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' [Jer 32:40] declares the LORD, 'I will put My law within them [in the sense of within their minds] and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people [Jer 24:7; 30:22; 32:38]. (Jer 31:34 NASB) They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me [Isa 11:9; 54:13; Jer 24:7; Hab 2:14], from the least of them to the greatest of them,' declares the LORD, 'for I will forgive their iniquity [Jer 33:8; 50:20; Ezek 36:22-27 ], and their sin I will remember no more [Isa 43:25]."
[Believers in the Church Age and the New Covenant]:
2) [2 Cor 3:6]:
(2 Cor 3:6 NASB) "... [God] Who also made us [able] [= competent,
empowered] as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the
Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
Paul, his entourage, those believers of the Church in Corinth and all
believers in Jesus Christ in the Church Age period by virture of the
context of 2 Corinthians are declared to be able ["hikanōsen" =
competent, empowered] servants of a New Covenant, i.e., the New
Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 . The passage in 2 Corinthinians does not
indicate that the "us" in v. 3:6 are parties to that New Covenant but
"servants" of it - as a matter of fact they are not parties to it:
Since the New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34, et. al. is in view in the
passage by virture of the comparisons of "a covenant" in v. 6 with the
Old (Mosaic Law) Covenant, (v. 14); the comparison of the ministry of
the Spirit and of righteousness with the ministry of death and letters
engraved on stone referring to the Old Covenant, (vv. 6-18), and
multiple other comparisons, (vv. 6-18);
and since Jer 31:31-34 and other passages clearly stipulate that the
parties of the New Covenant are only God and all of a future generation
of Israel restored to the Promised Land, ;
then the servants are not parties to the New Covenant of this passage - but they are competent, empowered servants of it.
On the other hand, one could simply be a competent, empowered servant /
messenger to others of what the New Covenant is and what it does for
mankind, as Moses and the prophets were, and not necessarily be a party
to it. As a matter of fact, according to Scripture, the New Covenant
will benefit all of mankind through faith in the One Who is the
Personification of the fulfillment of the New Covenant exclusively with
a future generation of Israel via His substitutionary atonement, Who is
the Servant of the LORD, Jesus Christ; which sacrifice He made not only
for a future generation of Israel; but, out of the grace of God, for
all of the nations of the earth - throughout history, (Isa 52:1-53:12
). So just as Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, etc. were
all fully competent, empowered by the Holy Spirit servants of the New
Covenant by virtue of their writings and ministry to people of their
generation and for all generations thereafter; yet none were a party to
the New Covenant; so those of the Church Age, those in view in 2 Cor
3:6, are likewise competent and empowered servants of the New Covenant,
but not a party to it. Yet all are beneficiaries of it through Christ
by faith. Those benefits for each individual are in accordance with the
stipulations in Scripture for his / her circumstances such as time
period, whether Jew or Gentile, etc.
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM STUDY NEW COVENANT ******
[JP]
John 1:17 tells us, “For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
The law was given
through a servant; grace and truth came through the Son. The law talks about
what man ought to be; grace reveals who God is. The letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life (see 2 Cor. 3:6). Under the law, God demands righteousness
from sinfully bankrupt man. But under grace, God provides righteousness as a
gift. All who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior are
under the new covenant of grace.
Yet, many believers today are still living in confusion. They get law and grace all mixed up by holding to some aspects of the law and some aspects of grace in their Christian walk. As such, they continue in defeat, rather than reign over the power of sin through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness.
[BSM]
So
far in this study Joseph Prince has not provided sufficient information
from God's Word to explain what the sentence, "The law was given
through a servant; grace and truth came through the Son," signifies? For he says next, "The
law talks about
what man ought to be; grace reveals who God is," without going very far
into what this passage says. There is far more to it than this!!!! And
it has bearing on the grace gospel of eternal life.
The only way to convey and verify what you are trying to say is to take a careful look at verses 16 and 17 keeping in mind the context of John chapter one that came before these verses. When you do you will find out how far off you are. There are no short cuts to God's Word:
[Jn 1:16]:
(Jn 1:16 YLT) "and out of His fullness did we all
receive, [even] grace [in place of] grace"
(Jn 1:16) OUT OF THE FULLNESS OF THE WORD - FROM HIS
FULLNESS OF THE GRACE AND TRUTH OF GOD - DID ALL MANKIND RECEIVE TIME AFTER
TIME, LIKE THE WAVES OF THE OCEAN; NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH ARE THOSE GRACIOUS
AND DAILY UNMERITED BLESSINGS WHICH SUSTAIN ONES TEMPORAL LIFE; AND THE EVER
COMING MESSAGES OF THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY THROUGH THE WORD, THE LIGHT
OF MEN OF AN ETERNAL LIFE FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BY GRACE THROUGH A
MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN HIS NAME ALONE
A literal translation of the last phrase of verse 16,
rendered "And out of His fullness did we all receive, [even] grace
over-against grace," in the YLT should read: "[even] grace in place
of grace" because the Greek word "kai" in this context is best
rendered "even" as it describes the action in the previous phrase;
and the Greek word transliterated "anti" is correctly rendered
"in place of." Most translations including the NAS translate this as
something on the order of "grace upon grace." The NIV renders this:
"we have all received one blessing after another." The KJV renders
the entire verse: "And of his fulness have all we received, [even] grace
for grace." In the final analysis, author John is putting an emphasis on
the concept of grace, [unmerited favor] as it is received by mankind: From the
fullness of the Word continuously come the unmerited blessings from the grace
of God to mankind like the waves of the ocean come one after another.
(Jn 1:17) OUT OF THE FULLNESS OF THE WORD DID ALL MANKIND
RECEIVE, EVEN GRACE IN PLACE OF GRACE: THE LAW, A GRACE GIFT OF THE STATUTES OF
GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR TEMPORAL BLESSING THROUGH MOSES TO HIS PEOPLE AND
INDIRECTLY TO ALL MANKIND, WAS REPLACED BY THE GRACE AND TRUTH OF GOD THROUGH
JESUS CHRIST, THE WORD BECOME FLESH, TO FULLFILL THE LAW AND BY BEING A
SACRIFICE FOR SINS, BECOME THE MEANS BY WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL COULD BE BORN OF
GOD AS A CHILD OF GOD INTO AN ETERNAL LIFE FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BY
GRACE ALONE THROUGH A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN HIS NAME ALONE
(Jn 1:4 NAS) "In Him was life, and the Life was the
Light of men. (Jn 1:5 NKJV) And the Light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not comprehend it. (Jn 1:14 NKJV) And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the [One and only
from] the Father, full of grace and truth..... (Jn 1:15 YLT) John [lit.,
witnesses] concerning Him, and [lit., cried out], saying, "This was He of
Whom I said, 'He Who after me is coming, has come before me, for He was before
me' (Jn 1:16 YLT) and out of His fullness did we all receive, [even] grace [in
place of] grace: (Jn 1:17) For [because] the Law was given through Moses; grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ''' =
B) (Jn 1:17) FOR THE FIRST TIME, AUTHOR JOHN PROVIDES THE
NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, (= MESSIAH / = HEBREW: HAMASHIOCH) TO IDENTIFY BUT NOT BE
LIMITED IN SCOPE TO THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF THE WORD, THE LIFE, THE LIGHT OF
MEN, THE SON OF GOD HAVING COME INTO THE WORLD; FOR THE WORD, JESUS CHRIST IS
ETERNAL, HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING AND FOREVER WILL BE JESUS CHRIST
(Jn 1:14 NKJV) '''And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the [One and only from] the
Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:15 YLT) John [lit., witnesses]
concerning Him, and [lit., cried out], saying, "This was He of Whom I
said, 'He Who after me is coming, has come before me, for He was before me' (Jn
1:16 YLT) and out of His fullness did we all receive, [even] grace [in place of]
grace: (Jn 1:17) For [because] the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ''' =
For the first time, author John provides the name of Jesus
Christ, (= Messiah / = Hebrew: Hamashioch) to identify but not be limited in
scope to the Perfect Humanity of the Word, the Life, the Light of men, the Son
of God having come into the world; for the Word, Jesus Christ, is eternal, He
was in the beginning and forever will be.
[JP]
All who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior are under the new covenant of grace.
[BSM]
This
is not the means to have eternal life according to God's Word. No
passage stipulates believing in Jesus AND acknowledging Him as their
Lord and Savior together in order to have eternal life. For example, Jn 3:16 says "For God so loved the world
that He gave His one and only Son [context: to pay for the sins of the
whole world, i.e., all mankind who will ever live] that whoever
believes - literally whoever is the believing one] in Him [paying for
ones sins] should never perish [in hell] but have eternal life.
Notice no mention of "acknowledging Jesus as their Lord and Savior" which indicates human doing, i.e., works to do that including the proper / godly behavior to authenticate that that acknowledgment is true in ones life in order to acknowledge that.
This is adding to Scripture and cancels God's grace basis for receiving eternal life:
Romans 11:6 (NASB)
6 "But if it
is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer
grace."
Recall that salvation unto eternal life is as follows:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
8 For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God;
9 not as a
result of works, so that no one may boast.
Furthermore,
the phrase, "covenant of grace" is not anywhere in the Bible, nor does
the phrase "the new covenant of Grace" to which you refer to later
elsewhere in this article of yours appear in Scripture.
As I wrote
above the phrase "new covenant of grace" does not appear in Scripture. The old covenant is exclusively between God and Israel and so is the New covenant. The church benefits from the New Covenant with Israel but is not a party to the New Covenant - see excerpt on this above or goto
for the full study on the New Covenant.
The life of the believer is best studied in the Epistles in the last 37
books of the Bible. Note that the words "New Testament" which refers to
the last 37 books of the Bible is not in the original text and is not
an accurate description of those books but was added by publishers of
the Bible.
[JP]
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (see 2 Cor. 3:6). Under the law, God demands righteousness from sinfully bankrupt man. But under grace, God provides righteousness as a gift. All who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior are under the new covenant of grace.
[BSM]
On the matter of "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (see 2 Cor 3:6). Again JP does not do an adequate job in reading the Bible.
Here is an excerpt from the study of God's New Covenant with Israel relative to believers in the church age as mentioned in 2 Cor 3:6:
[2 Cor 3:6]:
(2 Cor 3:6 NASB) "... [God] Who
also made us [able] [= competent, empowered] as servants of a new
covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills,
but the Spirit gives life."
Paul, his entourage, those
believers of the Church in Corinth and all believers in Jesus Christ in
the Church Age period by virture of the context of 2 Corinthians are
declared to be able ["hikanōsen" = competent, empowered] servants of a
New Covenant, i.e., the New Covenant of Jer 31:31-34 . The passage in 2
Corinthinians does not indicate that the "us" in v. 3:6 are parties to
that New Covenant but "servants" of it - as a matter of fact they are
not parties to it:
Since the New Covenant of Jer
31:31-34, et. al. is in view in the passage by virture of the
comparisons of "a covenant" in v. 6 with the Old (Mosaic Law) Covenant,
(v. 14); the comparison of the ministry of the Spirit and of
righteousness with the ministry of death and letters engraved on stone
referring to the Old Covenant, (vv. 6-18), and multiple other
comparisons, (vv. 6-18);
and since Jer 31:31-34 and other
passages clearly stipulate that the parties of the New Covenant are
only God and all of a future generation of Israel restored to the
Promised Land;
then the servants are not parties to the New Covenant of this passage - but they are competent, empowered servants of it.
On the other hand, one could
simply be a competent, empowered servant / messenger to others of what
the New Covenant is and what it does for mankind, as Moses and the
prophets were, and not necessarily be a party to it. As a matter of
fact, according to Scripture, the New Covenant will benefit all of
mankind through faith in the One Who is the Personification of the
fulfillment of the New Covenant exclusively with a future generation of
Israel via His substitutionary atonement, Who is the Servant of the
LORD, Jesus Christ; which sacrifice He made not only for a future
generation of Israel; but, out of the grace of God, for all of the
nations of the earth - throughout history, (Isa 52:1-53:12 ). So just
as Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, etc. were all fully
competent, empowered by the Holy Spirit servants of the New Covenant by
virtue of their writings and ministry to people of their generation and
for all generations thereafter; yet none were a party to the New
Covenant; so those of the Church Age, those in view in 2 Cor 3:6, are
likewise competent and empowered servants of the New Covenant, but not
a party to it. Yet all are beneficiaries of it through Christ by faith.
Those benefits for each individual are in accordance with the
stipulations in Scripture for his / her circumstances such as time
period, whether Jew or Gentile, etc.
[JP]
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (see 2 Cor. 3:6). Under the law, God demands righteousness from sinfully bankrupt man. But under grace, God provides righteousness as a gift. All who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior are under the new covenant of grace.
[BSM]
Let's investigate some more in order to provide a better understanding of 2 Cor 3:6:
This commentary comes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary, An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty:
3:4-6. Paul's confidence was founded not on human resources but on divine ones. He was confident in the Corinthians because the Holy Spirit had worked in them. Their faith rested on God's power (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Likewise his own sufficiency and competence in the ministry was derived wholly from God (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12).
Paul's emphasis on the New Covenant implies that his opponents were ministers of the Old Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was a written revelation of the righteousness God asked of Israel (e.g., Ex. 19-23). It was accepted with an oath of obedience and a blood sacrifice (Ex. 24). When Israel proved unable and unwilling to remain faithful to that covenant, God graciously intervened and promised a New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; 32:40), new (kainēs) both in time and in quality. It was inaugurated by Christ in His sacrifice on the cross (Luke 22:20), and is entered into by faith (Phil. 3:9) and lived out in dependence on the Spirit (Rom. 7:6; 8:4). (However, the physical and national aspects of the New Covenant which pertain to Israel have not been appropriated to the church. Those are yet to be fulfilled in the Millennium. The church today shares in the soteriological aspects of that covenant, established by Christ's blood for all believers [cf. Heb. 8:7-13].)
Reliance on human rather than
divine authority in letters of commendation was shortsighted and
dangerous (2 Cor. 3:1-3). Even more so was the attempt to fulfill God's
righteousness apart from divine enablement. Those who did so found that
the letter kills (cf. Rom. 7:10-11). But those who trust in Christ find
that the Spirit gives life (cf. Rom. 8:2).
[JP]
Yet, many believers today are still living in confusion. They get law and grace all mixed up by holding to some aspects of the law and some aspects of grace in their Christian walk. As such, they continue in defeat, rather than reign over the power of sin through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness.
[BSM]
The statement written by JP, "Yet, many believers today are still living
in confusion. They get law and grace all mixed up by holding to some aspects of
the law and some aspects of grace in their Christian walk"
confuses the believer's real problem which is in overcoming his sin
nature with
mixing up law and grace. It is the sin nature that causes this action,
not being confused by law and grace. You only have to study the
epistles in the "New Testament" which lead to all parts of the Bible
and with the leading of the Holy Spirit and circumstances that God
graciously provides for you in your daily life you will be given proper
directions moment to moment on how to lead a more faithful Christian
life without having to measure your own life against the impossible standard of Joseph Prince: "draw close to God and lead a victorious,
God-glorifying life."
That's his standard by which you measure yourself, not God's. Let God
do the measuring, you do the study, your own walking and confession and
moving on all via the forgiving grace of God without Joseph Prince's
measuring stick to tear you down in failure. We always fail, so confess
and move on, (1 Jn 1:9). Actually law and grace work together within
those epistles in
directing the path of the believer one point at a time. Start with
Ephesians perhaps at the beginning and just study it verse by verse by
verse. When you find yourself becoming aware of your shortcomings
confess them, (1 Jn 1:9) and move on until you finish that book and
move on to say, Romans. Confess and move on moment by moment, letting
the Holy Spirit direct you and not you direct you. Take detailed notes
in a manner where you can add additional notes as the Holy Spirit leads
you. Your study will bring to mind your progress. You won't have to
make up your own epistle about law and grace, or
follow someone else's point of view that does not measure up to God's
Word. God has already prepared your lessons verse by verse by verse -
all 66 books.
[JP]
Romans 5:17 tells us clearly that “those
who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in
life.” When we reign in life, we reign over sin, addictions, and all forms of
evil.
[BSM]
Nothing like taking a careful look at the passage in Romans 5:17 and you will discover how wrong Joseph Prince is. THERE IS NO REIGNING IN LIFE, REIGNING OVER SIN, ADDICTIONS, AND ALL FORMS OF EVIL IN VIEW IN THIS PASSAGE:
1) BY THE ONE OFFENSE OF ADAM, DEATH REIGNED IN LIFE FOR ALL
MANKIND, SO MUCH THE MORE, BY THE ONE RIGHTEOUS ACT OF JESUS CHRIST THE
ABUNDANCE OF GOD'S GRACE AND THE ABUNDANCE OF THE GIFT OF A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM
GOD WILL REIGN IN LIFE FOR THE ONES RECEIVING THEM BY FAITH
[JP]
Thankfully, our Lord Jesus is restoring the purity of the gospel of grace today and many are finding freedom from long-term addictions and other bondages. They share with great joy how the Lord has supernaturally delivered them from decades of substance abuse and sexual addictions, frequent panic attacks, and even long-term clinical depression. Others write in, brimming with thanksgiving, because He has restored their marriages and their relationships with their estranged children, and healed their bodies when doctors had given them no hope. One common denominator took these precious people from defeat to victory, from breakdowns to breakthroughs: they all had an encounter with our Lord Jesus and caught a revelation of His amazing grace.
[BSM]
The
purity of the gospel of salvation unto eternal life in God's Word has
remained pure from Adam and Eve throughout the ages. I don't know what
you mean by the "gospel of grace," and I don't think it's scriptural.
Consider what you wrote as follows "finding freedom from
long-term addictions and other bondages. They share with great joy how the Lord
has supernaturally delivered them from decades of substance abuse and sexual
addictions, frequent panic attacks, and even long-term clinical depression.
Others write in, brimming with thanksgiving, because He has restored their
marriages and their relationships with their estranged children, and healed
their bodies when doctors had given them no hope. One common denominator took
these precious people from defeat to victory, from breakdowns to breakthroughs:
they all had an encounter with our Lord Jesus and caught a revelation of His
amazing grace."
All
of this has to do with the temporal life not eternal life. The gospel
- the good news about how to have eternal life as a free gift is about
eternal life. The Christian life is not always about good news,
sometimes it is not so good news depending upon circumstances in the
Christian life. Ever consider that believers are appointed to suffer in
their Christian lives? Is that to be considered something to look
forward to - good news, or persevere through for the sake of maturing
in the faith
and eternal rewards in the afterlife??? Now that will be good news, but
not now in this life. After one becomes a believer,
then what you
wrote about has to do with the Christian life, wherein the grace of God
operates as directed to the believer in this age especially through the
epistles, the leading of the Holy Spirit within and circumstances
provided for the believer by God to respond to in order to mature in
the faith and overcome life's difficulties. But it is not always good
news to look forward to. Now if circumstances provide salvation /
deliverance from difficulties, not that will be good news then for the
moment until perhaps there will be other difficulties to persevere
through - relying on God to get you through each difficult circumstance
and even provide blessing, purification / credit for Righteousness and
good circumstances by His grace adding to what the believer has
faithfully done albeit imperfectly.
For there is another kind of salvation which is addressed in Scripture which has to do with the definition of salvation in the original Greek text of the word "sozo" which is defined in the dictionary as deliverance, as well as salvation meaning eternal life, and a number of meanings depending upon context. In the case of what you wrote the context of "sozo" that you offer includes temporal deliverance from things such as addictions, other bondages, substance abuse, sexual addiction, frequent panic attacks, long term clinical depression, restored marriages, estranged children, healing of the body especially where there is no hope. Note that Scripture indicates that these deliverances do not require some kind of encounter with our Lord Jesus or a revelation of His amazing grace as you maintain. Nor is everyone - believers and unbelievers - delivered from these things all the time or at all. Sometimes it is just something to persevere through. Consider the conditions that old age brings about which will stay with the believer until he goes home to be with the Lord. How many believers go through the aging process and are not delivered of the difficulties therein, but must persevere by the grace of God?
[JP]
DISTORTIONS TO THE RESTORATION OF GOD’S
TRUTH
[BSM]
I
still don't get where God's truth has been distorted. Although attempts
have been made in uncountable moments in history to distort God's truth
by innumerable individuals beginning with Satan, Adam and Eve; that did
not cause God's truth to be distorted in the sense that a reliable
conveyance of God's truth is no longer available. Often when an attempt
is made to convey a distorted version of God's truth, God has always
provided a means by which individuals can obtain an accurate rendering
of God's truth - be it through someone's testimony or an accurate
written rendering of God's truth. I encounter distortion of God's Word
all the time such as in this study by Joseph Prince; but I have done my
homework in order to carefully test each point made with a reliable
translation of theBible utilizing the normative rules of language,
context and logic as taught by and large in homes, schools, etc.,
everywhere .
Since the Word of God has actually NOT been changed /
distorted; and since it is by some means available to all mankind UNDISTORTED for
those who are seeking to convey / receive the truth, then this is not an
insurmountable problem; although there might be a great deal of
difficulty, which might require do diligence to resolve the matter.
Today in many places in the world, one need only consult a reliable
translation of the Bible in their favorite language of which there are
many. There are
any number of really reliable English translations of God's Word
available
beginning with the NASB, YLT, NKJV, HOLMAN STANDARD, AMERICAN STANDARD,
KJV and others. And we have available manuscripts and interlinear
bibles which convey the text of God's Word as well in order to verify
that the translation you are using is reliable.
[JP]
Nonetheless, it is important we realize that as with any restoration of God’s truths in church history, there are distortions today to the restoration of the truth of grace. There are many controversies, inaccuracies, and counterfeits to the genuine work of grace that God is doing in His church and in people’s lives. It is also unfortunate that a small number misrepresent the truth of God’s amazing grace, using “grace” as an excuse for living a licentious lifestyle that is in clear violation of God’s Word.
[BSM]
Again
there is no need to restore God's truths for whatever reason you think
you have. God's truths have not be distorted such that the accurate
conveyance of God's truths have been unavailable at any time. Simply
consult
your reliable Bible version which has never been distorted throughout
its existence - do your do diligence to check its reliability out -
follow the proper rules of interpretation . Just get
an accurate, trustworthy version of God's Word which has ALWAYS been available throughout the ages, read it
properly in accordance with the normative rules of language, context
and logic ,
observing what it is saying and repeat what you have properly learned
to others who have either a distorted or a correct view of God's truth
-
unlike Joseph Prince in this article whose view is flawed. God's truths
in His Word are not
needed to be restored at all; despite the fact that distortions of
God's Word have been around since Adam and Eve
and Satan. Remember the reason God brought about the worldwide flood
which destroyed all but 8 people on the planet because everyone but the
8 were distorting God's truths all the time. Well that did not alter
God's truths throughout that time from the beginning, nor have an
accurate rendering of God's truths been unavailable all the way
throughout the ages from the beginning.
[JP]
It is essential that we do not draw about God’s grace based on the few who abuse it, but study God’s Word for ourselves to understand what the original, unadulterated gospel of grace truly is.
Our responsibility as ministers entrusted with the gospel is not to back away from the truth of God’s grace, but to heed the advice that Apostle Paul gave to Timothy. He instructed his young protégé to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” and to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:1, 2 Tim. 2:15 KJV).
For this reason, I would like to address in this article some of the key inaccurate and counterfeit grace teachings that have grown prevalent and led some astray. These counterfeit and pseudo grace teachings have also turned off some pastors and ministers to the gospel of grace.[BSM]
Amen,
with one proviso. The phrase "gospel of grace" DOES NOT APPEAR IN
SCRIPTURE!!!!! Furthermore, you seem to be defining this phrase to
include events in the Christian life, after one has become a believer
which obviously includes experiences which may be good or bad. For no
believer is going to be perfect in his temporal life, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
Since
the word "gospel" means good news, and since not all Christian
experiences are good news; and since salvation unto eternal life is
always good news; then this presents a confusion which is not part of
Scripture. It is not a good idea to explain this phrase as if it does
appear in the Bible.
That's what I have been writing / saying all this time above and in my website, biblestudymanuals.net. But most people have and will continue to distort God's truths nearly all the time. That does not mean that God's truths are not available to anyone who honestly seek it. God will make provision of His truths to those who honestly seek Him.
[JP]
.
There isn't a 67th book of the Bible available for someone to produce
as new revelation. There is no need for
people to receive a new revelation of an understanding of the good news
because we have the Bible - an accurate, trustworthy Bible. It is
adequate in providing that
understanding in this age - and throughout the ages. It was never
unreliable, nor needed restoration. And the gospel does not guarantee
changed
lives either - hence the epistles which teach believers in this age to
learn to act faithfully. Finally, when one expresses a moment of faith
alone in Jesus
Christ alone they have an intimate [and eternal] relationship with
their
Savior from the moment when one expresses that faith.IS GRACE A LICENSE TO SIN?
Because of the abuses and inaccurate representations of the teaching of true grace, I have heard many warning others, “Watch out for that dangerous grace teaching, it gives people a license to sin."
[BSM]
Remember that all sins are paid for (1 Jn 2:2); and remember that believers' sins - past, present and - future sins - after they become believers have been previously paid for and forgiven before they are even committed without losing their salvation:
Since
all
sins have been paid for, for all of mankind - even the worst of us, (1
Jn 2:2) - past, present and future; a believer remains saved even if he
continues in sin, (Ro 6:1). Relative to the forever possession of
eternal life,
sin is not the issue; and an individual who has trusted alone in Christ
alone for payment for his sins is forever forgiven and forever saved
unto eternal life, no matter what - because eternal life is eternal /
forever / everlasting once received. But there will be other consequences
when he does sin / but not the loss of eternal life. Click on the
following to read about God's discipline of the believer who continues
to sin .
[Compare 1 John 2:1-2 (NASB)]
1 My little children,
[believers are in view] I am writing these things to you so that you may not
sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;
2 and He Himself is
the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the
whole world.
.
Nevertheless, there
will be consequences, even dire ones depending upon the severity of their sins , for believers choose to sin in their
temporal lives continually, (1 Jn 1:8, 10 ). But there will never be loss of salvation unto eternal life. On the other hand,
believers when they sin disrupt their fellowship with God which may
result in loss of temporal blessings; and discipline
which may be quite
substantial, even to the extent of sickness and pain, even premature
physical death, as well as the
devastating loss of eternal rewards when they do inevitably get to heaven and have to
spend the rest of eternity in far more lowly positions and enjoyment
capacity for the rest of eternity than what they could have enjoyed had
they been more faithful,
If you hear of any “grace” teaching that
tells you it is all right to sin, to live without any regard for the Lord, and
that there are no consequences to sin, my advice to you is to flee from that
teaching.
You have just been exposed to counterfeit
grace. Genuine grace teaches that believers in Christ are called to live holy,
blameless, and above reproach. It teaches that sin always produces destructive
consequences and that it is only through the power of the gospel of Jesus
Christ that one can be set free from the dominion of sin.
[BSM]
Although
believers have died to sin, there are no guarantees that we believers
will live out our temporal lives
without comitting sins. So it is not true that "through the power of the gospel of
Jesus Christ that one can be set free from the dominion of sin" as
Pastor Joseph Prince seems to maintain. This is so because the believer
may reenslave himself to his old sin nature again and again.
Shall we review the first two verses of Romans chapter six?
****** EXCERPT FROM ROMANS CHAPTER 6 ******
I) [Ro 6:1]:
(v. 6:1) "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?"
A) PAUL ASKS THE BELIEVER WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN IN VIEW OF GOD'S EVER ABOUNDING GRACE COVERING MAN'S EVER INCREASING SINS
"What shall we say, then?" =
Paul asks the question "What shall we say then?", i.e., What conclusions shall we draw in view of what he just got through saying in 5:20-21 - that law was added so that the trespass - deliberate violation of a now made known statute of God's holiness - might increase; but where sin increased, God's free grace covering of that sin increased all the more in order that, just as sin had ruled in man causing temporal and eternal death so God's grace which covers sins might reign in the believer through His provision of righteousness to those who expressed a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ our Lord alone.
B) THE QUESTION IS THEN ASKED, 'SHALL WE BELIEVERS REMAIN IN SIN, I.E., LEAD A LIFESTYLE OF SIN IN SUBJECTION TO THE REIGN OF THE INTRINSIC SIN NATURE?
"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" =
Paul then asks individuals who were earlier described as "called of Jesus", (1:6); "beloved of God", "saints", (1:7); and thus it is implied are justified by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone, i.e., believers: 'shall we (believers) go on sinning so that God's free grace goes on covering the penalty for those sins?'
C) SINCE GOD'S GRACE COVERS THE BELIEVER'S SINS THE BELIEVER IS ETERNALLY SECURE
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" (cont.) =
Notice that the ever increasing sins committed by the believer are covered by God's ever increasing grace maintaining the believer's righteous standing before God. Hence the believer is eternally secure because of God's ever increasing grace.
"epimenoumen [pres, act, subj] ........te amartia [dative case]" =
"are we to remain....................................in sin" ..........................=
"are we to remain" is in the deliberative subjunctive which poses a question of objective possibility best rendered in English, 'Are we to - is such the path' (maybe we choose to and maybe we don't)
D) SHALL BELIEVERS CONTINUE IN SIN, I.E., REMAIN UNDER THE REIGN OF THE SIN NATURE SO THAT GOD'S GRACE TO COVER THEIR SINS MAY INCREASE?
(v. 5:20 NKJV) "Moreover
the [the] law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace abounded much more. (v. 5:21 NKJV) so that as sin reigned
in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. (v. 6:1) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" =
The question is asked, 'Shall we believers continue in sin, i.e., lead a lifestyle of sin in subjection to the reign of the intrinsic sin nature since God's grace will increase to cover those sins?
Verse 6:1 states the false objection in the form of a question:
'One may say that if one is saved by grace alone through faith alone that the more one sins the more grace abounds to cover those sins. So a believer can choose to continue "in sin", i.e., remain under the absolute control of the sin nature. The more that the believer committed evil acts, the more God's grace would increase to provide forgiveness for those sins. Thus objectors to free grace salvation by faith alone in Christ alone falsely state that if a moment of faith in Christ were the only condition whereby one is to be saved, (and it is), then believers would be encouraged to keep on sinning'. Nothing could be further from the truth. That is why Paul uses the strong negative in verse 2.
It is notable that Paul begins this discussion by raising an objection and answering it. The objection grows out of his presentation of justification, especially the teaching that where sin increased, grace increased all the more (5:20). The query, then, is to this effect: 'Are we not able, or even obligated, by the logic of justification, to continue on in sin, now that we are Christians, in order to give divine grace as much opportunity as possible to display itself? The more we sin, the more will God's grace be manifested to meet the situation, and this will in turn contribute the more to His glory.'
II) [Ro 6:2]:
(v. 6:1) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
(v. 6:2) "Far be the thought! Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?"
A) PAUL USES THE STRONGEST OF NEGATIVES TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, 'ARE WE BELIEVERS TO REMAIN IN SIN THAT GRACE MAY BE ABOUNDING?'
"Far be the thought" = "By no means" =
"Me .genoito"
"Not May it be!"
This is the strongest of negatives in koine Greek, it is in the aorist tense, middle voice, optative mood. Optative mood signifies Paul's wish that it be so that believers not continue committing acts of sin. Hence it is not a certainty. The aorist tense in optative mood signifies a simple undefined completed action, not a continuous one. The concept of completed action here, or rather negative completed action, points to the believer "by no means" should believers ever consider continuing in sin at any point in time. Hence we have the aorist tense which emphatically rules out such a consideration at any time.
The middle voice indicates that the believer's participation is required in some manner upon himself - it is up to him to decide whether to go on sinning or not.
B) BELIEVERS HAVE DIED TO, I.E., HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY - FROM THE SLAVERY TO - THEIR OLD SIN NATURES IN THEIR DAILY LIVES
(v. 5:21) "so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (v. 6:1) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (v. 6:2) Far be the thought! Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?"
"Such ones as we - who died to sin" =
"Such ones as we" = "hoitines", relative pronoun of characterization which has in view all believers with an emphatic force because of it's primary position at the beginning of the phrase.
"who died to sin" = having become dead, i.e., inactivated relative to being separated from the authority of the sin nature in the believer's life. Sin is singular and refers here to the capacity or nature within man which compels him to commit acts of sin, i.e., the sin nature.
The verb "died" is "apethanomen" in the Greek which is in the aorist tense denoting a completed action and not an ongoing one. Thus it cannot refer to an action as ongoing or prolonged such as a lifestyle of not sinning any more or one of gradually decreasing of acts of sin, as many maintain. Since it is a completed action it must refer to no longer being under the control of the sin nature such that the believer is not enslaved to sin all the time any more. Since believers are exhorted not to continue committing acts of sin in this passage indicating that they indeed can sin, a state of ongoing sinlessness cannot be in view. Thus the action in 'died to sin' is an aorist completed action. Hence we are looking at the believer being separated from the absolute authority over him of the sin nature within the believer such that when he was an unbeliever, everything he did was motivated by the sin nature - even the human good he did.
Previously, in verse 5:21 we learned that the old sin nature in the individual reigned "in death" in the unsaved man's life, i.e., sin rules the world to the end that all men are born sinners and spiritually dead; hence all men will physically die. But now the believer is no longer enslaved under that reign, He has died, i.e., become separated from the rule of death of the sin nature through the grace of God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ given to the believer when he believed and such position of righteousness is maintained solely by God. The believer's physical death will be immediately followed by eternal life and eternal righteousness - unless the Rapture when Christ comes into the clouds above and takes you home to evermore be with Him.
1) [Compare Ro 6:6]:
(v. 6) "Knowing this that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -"
Notice that this verse corroborates that the sin nature, the body of sin, has had its rule over an individual broken, i.e., "rendered powerless." It has not been annihilated or rendered incapable of functioning again if the individual resorts to exercising it once again.
II cont.) [Ro 6:2 cont.]:
(v. 6:2) "Far be the thought! Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?"
C) HAVING DIED TO SIN, I.E., THE SIN NATURE DOES NOT SIGNIFY THAT THE SIN NATURE NO LONGER EXISTS, NOR THAT IT NO LONGER CAN HAVE INFLUENCE OVER THE BELIEVER
"Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?" =.
Notice that Paul's question, 'How shall we any longer be living in it?' implies that it is indeed possible that the believer can do just that: The believer still has the capacity to live in sin in spite of the fact that he has died, i.e., been separated from the control of the sin nature of his lifestyle.
D) A QUESTION IS PHRASED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO ELICIT THE ANSWER THAT THE BELIEVER WILL NOT BE LIVING UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE SIN NATURE BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM ITS CONTROL OVER HIM
"How shall we any longer be living in it" =
The verb "be living in it" is rendered from the Greek:
"pOs eti .......zEsomen ......en autE" =
"how longer shall we live in .it"
"zEsomen" is in the future tense, active voice and indicative mood. Indicative mood is a statement of fact. Hence the question follows Paul's declaration that the believer has died to sin and emphasizes it all the more. Since the control of the sin nature has been deactivated in the believer's life Paul then asks, 'How will the believer live under it?' for the control of the sin nature over the believer has been made inactive in the believer's life. This question is phrased in such a way as to elicit the answer that the believer will not be living under the control of the sin nature because he has been separated from its control over him.
This is not to say, however, that the believer cannot still voluntarily resubmit himself to the control of his sin nature from moment to moment. Hence the many exhortations to lead a faithful lifestyle by the author in this passage, throughout the book of Romans and throughout the New Testament.
****** END EXCERPT ROMANS CHAPTER 6 ******
[JP]
Study Titus 2:11–15:
For the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good
works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one
despise you.
The Word of God states in no uncertain terms that the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and live godly lives. Therefore, watch out for counterfeit grace teachings that contradict Scripture.
[BSM]
[Compare Titus 2:11-15]:(Titus 2:11 NASB) "For the grace of God has prepared, bringing salvation to all men,
(Titus
2:12 NASB) instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and
to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.
(Titus 2:13 NASB) looking for the blessed hope and the [his] appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
[So
believers are instructed / commanded to deny ungodliness and worldly
desires and to
live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. Notice that
there is evidently no guarantee that these instructions will be
consistently obeyed if at all.]
(Titus 2:14 NASB) Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
[So
Christ gave Himself for us, that He out of His own efforts on the cross
redeemed us believers from all lawlessness and purified to Himself out of mankind, a
special people zealous of good works. Notice that it is all of Christ
and none of the believer accomplishing the believer's redemption from
every lawless deed, and it is solely the work of Christ and not that of
the believer that accomplishes the work of purifying for Himself [Christ] a
people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Hence the
believers' efforts or lack thereof for these purposes DO NOT CONTRIBUTE
TOWARD the ends that are specified. On the other hand believers are
commanded to forsake lawless deeds, (sinful acts) and be zealous of
good works, etc. but these efforts will not be perfect, but by the grace
of God, will be additionally rewarded eternal rewards for any efforts
they do make.
(Titus 2:15 NASB) These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Notice
that this passage does not guarantee that believers will deny
ungodliness, worldly lusts, and live sober, righteous and godly lives actually indicates that what Jesus Christ did on the cross includes
the believers being transformed into beings, i.e., into resurrection bodies who will deny
ungodliness, worldly lusts, and live sober righteous and godly lives,
not on the basis of their efforts at all, but on the basis of what
Christ has done for them on the cross in order to accomplish that transformation. Although
believers in their temporal bodies with sin natures are commanded to endeavor to be faithful - be zealous for
good works, deny ungodliness, worldly lusts, and live sober righteous
and godly lives; their efforts will continually be hampered by the
indwelling sin nature. Nor is there any guarantee in the passage that
believers will in this
life
be zealous for good works all or the majority of the time in their
lives. These are commands,
but there are no guarantees. Hence we believers in the church age have
all the epistles
in the New Testament Bible to instruct us on how to live faithful lives
in Christ, including Paul's letter to Titus.
And the presence of these instructive epistles corroborate that there
are no guarantees in the Christian life for victorious living; hence
the provision for maintaining fellowship with God in 1 Jn chapter one
when believers fall out of fellowship with God which
includes 1 Jn 1:8 and 10 which indicate that no believer can
claim to be without sin, or have not sinned at any point in time in his
Christian life. Therefore 1 Jn 1:9 reads, "If we [believers] confess
our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us these sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Note that 1st John is not
addressed to Gnostics because
having fellowship with God comes after one is saved; and Gnostics are
not believers - they are unbelievers. And confession of sins does not
provide eternal life, a moment of faith alone in Christ alone does.
(1 Jn 1:8) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD INCLUDING APOSTLES SAY THAT WE HAVE NO SIN - IN THE SENSE OF HAVING NOT COMMITTED A SINGLE SIN WITH A PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME IN VIEW, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US - AND NEITHER FOR THE MOMENT IS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
(1 Jn 1:6 NASB) "If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him and.yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth; (1 Jn 1:7 NASB) but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each of we children of God, born of God walking in the light], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn 1:8 NASB) .If we [should] say that we have no sin, we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." =
[Variant "the truth of God" in some miniscules and syr - little support, unnecessarily expanded the word "truth." The shortest reading is best]
After enlightening children of God, born of God in 1 Jn 1:5-7 on how to have fellowship with God by their unceasing acknowledgment that God is Perfect Light / Absolute Righteousness, and by unceasing acknowledgment that they constantly fall short of His Absolute Righteousness and need unceasing cleansing of their sins by the blood of Jesus God's Son; author John returns in 1 Jn 1:8 to children of God, born of God' (including apostles') tendency - even those who have a consistency of being in fellowship with God, to deceive themselves when they falsely consider themselves free of committing acts of sin; when they falsely think that they do not need continuous cleansing from "the blood of Jesus Christ."
The first phrase in verse 8, "If we [should] say that we have no sin" comprises the first clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The Greek words "ean eipOmen" rendered "If we [should] say" is in the aorist tense and the subjunctive mood, conveying a completed action of maybe we do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood of objective possibility conveys a message of children of God, born of God potentially making a statement that they have no sin, [sin, singular conveying that the child of God, born of God no longer bears present guilt for some particular sin - any sin*]" For the Greek words "hamartian ouk echomen" rendered "we have no sin" is in the present tense conveying a moment in time when one thinks there is not a single sin that one can be held accountable for in a timeframe they falsely perceive as one of sinless perfection.
*Although the sin nature, the principle of sin that pervades all mortal humanity except Jesus Christ is present even in children of God, born of God including the apostles; nevertheless the phrase rendered "we have no sin," in the NASB does not refer to the presence of the sin nature / the sin principle within one, as some contend. For the Greek phrase transliterated "ouk echomen hamartian" lit. "sin not we have" and rendered "we have no sin" in the NASB, occurs elsewhere in the New Testament in John's Gospel, (cf. 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11). In all these places, the obvious meaning is to bear present guilt for some particular sin - any sin, implying that the phrase rendered "we have no sin," in 1 Jn 1:8 implies the false idea that a child of God, born of God experiences moments of sinless perfection.
A
child of God, born of God may not be conscious of any acts of sin in
his life, or maintain that he no longer has a sin nature which produces
acts of sin; or he may think that he has overcome his sin nature with
his new nature via the indwelling Holy Spirit for
a period of time in order to achieve moments of sinless perfection.
Some might even falsely contend that they are beyond the categories of
good and evil because they possess the Spirit of God or have achieved
some kind of spiritual transcendance. But whatever one thinks does not
contradict the fact that while in one's mortal body, one nevertheless
has a sin nature, commits sin all the time, and constantly falls short
of the glory of God - His Absolute Righteousness all the time -
children of God, born of God including apostles (as well as all
unbelievers). This is clearly and repeatedly conveyed in Scripture, (1
Jn 1:10; even admitted to by the apostle Paul after he became a child
of God, born of God and an apostle: ref. Romans chapter 7 ).
The
second clause of the If-Then statement contains two phrases, "we
[deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It declares the result
of when we children of God, born of God do say that we have no sin: we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." It brings
out into the light those children of God, born of God who have wilfully
hidden their mentalities from the sphere of light in which God dwells -
the sphere of His Absolute Righteousness, which sphere man cannot
attain under his own auspices in his mortal life. This is man's typical
self deception - his arrogance - which serves to puff himself up to
think that he has committed no sin for a period of time - that he has
no sin nature or has overcome it if he is a child of God, born of God
with the new nature within him that the Holy Spirit has provided .
The Greek word "heautous" rendered "ourselves" is the first word in the
second clause, "we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It
is in an emphatic position emphasizing that such a self deception is
deliberate and wilful, bearing no resemblance to the truth nor to
innocence. Such children of God, born of God are in danger of becoming
progressively delusional and evil as the timespan that they claim to be
without sin increases.
So when children of God, born of God feel close to God, they should nevertheless remember that a closeness with God, i.e., a genuine fellowship with Him is not due to their being free of sin - without acts of sin being committed by them, or by some kind of feeling based on emotion or some unbiblical idea. Fellowship with God only comes to a child of God, born of God via confession to God Who is Light / Absolute Righteousness, and out of the grace of God because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, which cleanses us from all sin, (1 Jn 1:7). Fellowship does not result from how good the child of God, born of God behaves or feels but how much more he is focused upon God's Absolute Righteousness as compared with the evil nature of his own thoughts, words and deeds which he acknowledges to God.
And notice that it is Christ Himself by virtue of His giving of Himself on the cross for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. But these guarantees will be fulfilled when we go to be with Him and are transformed into perfect individuals in resurrection bodies like the Lord's. So this wonderful end is indeed part of what He has done for us who believe in His propitiation for our sins - and for all humanity should they believe in Him. Notice it is ALL by His effort AND NOTHING THAT WE DO - WE CONTRIBUTE NOTHING toward that end!!!! Albeit our efforts to attempt to obey the commands in this temporal life - albeit always imperfect here in this passage and elsewhere in Scripture to be faithful do contribute to the reception of eternal rewards above and beyond what Christ and Him alone has done for us. So observing what an individual does is not an accurate measure of whether or not he is a believer destined for heaven.
So how do we know if someone is truly
living under the grace of God?
We look at their lives.
[BSM]
That's
arrogant. Are you that righteous that you can tell if someone's conduct
demonstrates that they are saved unto eternal life. Have you watched
them 24 / 7, discerned their innermost thoughts??? Is salvation unto
eternal life dependent upon their conduct, their works????
[Compare Eph 2:8-9]:
(Eph
2:8-9 NAS) "For by grace you have been [lit., are having been] saved
through faith, and this [salvation is] not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God,
(Eph 2:9 YLT) not of works that no one may boast."
Notice
that ones salvation unto eternal life cannot be corroborated by ones
works because one did nothing to get it; nor did one do anything to
keep it. It is the gift of God with NO proviso in this passage that
they do anything in order to keep it! Other passages may not
be
consulted in order to modify or add to what Eph 2:8-9 is conveying.
That is the rule of context. You cannot edit a passage based on what
another passage says. It must stand on its own context. That is how one
learned to read from the beginning of ones schooling in how to read.
Otherwise the Bible is a contradictory book and must be discarded. If
other passages say differently, then burn the Bible and find another
book to trust in, if you can; (and you cannot if you read it properly .
[JP]
If someone is leaving his wife for his secretary and tells you he is under “grace,” tell this person that he is not under grace but under deception!
[BSM]
Actually
if someone is saved unto eternal life, he has been saved through a
moment of
faith alone in Christ alone; and that [salvation] is not of himself, it
is the gift of God,
not by works; (Eph 2:8-9). So anything he does after salvation is not
required to keep that salvation; nor will
anything he does necessarily reflect that salvation. No believer leads
a sinless life, or even have sinless moments, (1 Jn1:8, 10). He has
been saved
by grace and relative to that salvation unto eternal life he is forever
under God's grace no matter what. He is not under deception at all - he
can sin because Ro 6:1 says so: What shall we [believers say] shall we
go on sinning so that grace may increase - so that God will cover that
sin relative to salvation unto eternal life? He may sin but that is not
a license to sin because God will indeed discipline His child if he
continues to sin .
There is no
deception there at all.
Albeit he may no longer realize that he is saved by grace for one
reason or another. He has the latitude to sin but he will pay the
consequences here in this life and in eternity when he goes to heaven
when he will suffer great loss of rewards in eternity and will not
enjoy serving the Lord for the rest of forever as much as he could have had he been more faithful and persevered in the faith .
[JP]
If someone is leaving his wife for his secretary and tells you he is under “grace,” tell this person that he is not under grace but under deception! Go by the authority of God’s Word, not what this man says. Romans 6:14 states, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” If this person were truly living under grace, he would not be dominated by such a sin. And no one living in sin can legitimately use grace as an excuse to sin, because it is antithetical to God’s holy Scriptures.
[BSM]
When you say, "Go by the authority of God's Word, not what the man says"
I say, "Amen." And then you quote Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not have
dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." But it
seems that you don't understand that believers have been freed from the
absolute dominion of sin over them, but that DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY CANNOT REENSLAVE THEMSELVES TO SIN once again. as they so choose. Then you violate God's Word by what you wrote by saying, "If this person
were truly living under grace, he would not be dominated by such a
sin." That does not make sense, because the believer can redominate
himself by sin as he so chooses at anytime. He just is not always
absolutely dominated by sin all the time unless he chooses to
redominate himself to sin all the time again and again - because all
sins are pais for, past, present and future relative to salvation unto
eternal life!!! It is now his choice in the
Christian life to do so. Since this person was sinning, God's grace
under which he was living was indeed covering all of his sins relative
to eternal life if he
were a believer which I must presume he is in accordance with the
context of your statements here. Compare Ro 6:1, which states, "What
shall we say, shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" So
the man was indeed truly living under grace as a believer, albeit he
was sinning as you stated, yet God was indeed covering his sins. Living
under grace means that when you as a believer sin, God's grace covers
your sins because once you became a believer that's what the grace of
God does! He always cover your sins, no matter whatrelative to the
reception of eternal life! Your idea of what
grace means relative to the believer's temporal life differs from what
Scripture says. And when you quote Ro 6:14 it seems that you think that
sin shall not have dominion over the believer in the sense of how he
conducts himself in his temporal life.
[JP]
Genuine grace is not a license to sin; it is the power to live above the dominion of sin. Genuine grace doesn’t compromise God’s holy standards and condone sin; it is the answer that gives people power to live glorious lives zealous for good works.
[BSM]
This
is the problem with cherry picking verses and ignoring context. The
believer at the point of salvation is no longer under the absolute
dominion of
sin until he decides to reenslave himself to that dominion once again and again and again -
and that's how God's grace unto eternal life operates, The believer keeps his salvation
forever because all of his sins are covered by Christ's propitiation
for him - past, present and future to that eternal life end no matter
what. So for those moments
after he got saved and freed from the absolute dominion of sin in which
he
continues to sin, those sins are nevertheless covered! And he may
choose to continue in sin thereafter, however it suits him to ignore
his 'job' as a Christian and not study to show himself approved and
follow the leading of the Holy Spirit within him to obey what he has
learned; but instead follow the prompting / temptations of the sin
nature within, disregarding the consequences if he does. For there are
disciplinary
consequences if the believer continues in sin - from
not living out the length of years appointed to him, to the loss of
eternal rewards which will enhance ones eternity beyond imagination as
believers will have the inestimable capacity to serve God in
unimaginably satisfying joyful ways - lost if they do not persevere in
the faith. What an inestimable and sorrowful loss that will be, to the
extent of weeping and gnashing the teeth for the believer during the
millennial rule as he continues to reside in the Millennial Kingdom.
Thereafter all tears will be wiped away (Mt 22: ).
There will always be a small number of people who are abusing grace, stirring controversy with counterfeit grace teachings, and living in ways that do not glorify the Lord. But what should our response be? Should we shy away from preaching and teaching the true grace of God because of the controversies and abuses? Certainly not. I exhort you today, with the words of Titus, to “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."
[BSM]
Pastor Prince, you wrote, "There will always be a small number of people who are abusing grace, stirring controversy with counterfeit grace teachings, and living in ways that do not glorify the Lord."
NO!
All Christians do not lead perfect lives; and therefore they all abuse
the grace of God if by that phrase you mean they sin, (1 Jn 1:8, 10); and that's no
small number.
Not sure what you mean by this phrase, and don't like defining words or
phrases that are not in the bible as if they do and then try to give
them a biblical meaning. I am not a writer of the Bible. I should only
interpret what is in the Bible. And they constantly fall short of the
glory of God. I
don't know what 'abusing grace' means because this phrase does not
appear in the Bible. And
what does "counterfeit grace teachings" mean? Again, let's stick with
the words that are found in the Bible and not editorialize God's Word. So
I am not going to editorialize the Bible and make up some kind of
definition for these terms. Why not choose something in the Bible to
describe what it says relative to the matter of when Christians sin or
what one teaches that might be called something that is not in the
bible.
The grace of God which forgives the sins the believer continues in is not a counterfeit grace. It is real, after all Christ died for those sins. They are bought and paid for and the individual who believes in Christ's payment is forgiven of all sins past, present and future unto eternal life. But the value of his life if largely unfaithful will be of little value, thereby the second kind of salvation, the preservation of his temporal life for eternal rewards in heaven will be little if not nothing. What a shame, though that the believer who continues in sin and takes advantage of God's grace and thereby does not move into being more faithful instead. He will pay in this life with God's disciplne; and the next when he suffers great loss of rewards in eternity. His residence in heaven is a free gift, but his lifestyle will cause him to suffer great loss when he realizes for the rest of eternity that the joy he will have is severely limited because he did not persevere in the faith in his temporal life.
Now,
Pastor Prince that is the true grace of God, there is nothing
counterfeit in His forgiving believers who continue in sin. Christ paid
for those sins - all of them, even those the believer commits in his
Christian life!! How grand is that. How sad if the believer does not
move on much in the Christian life. So that is why you are right in
exhorting others with the words of Titus, to "Speak these things,
exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you," for
doing this to the end that God's grace will not have to be exercised in
covering so many sins for the believer who has decided to continue in
sin and not move on in the Christian faith as Paul so aptly preaches
especially in (Ro 6:1ff ).
[JP]
In other words, don’t back away from preaching the grace of God. In fact, we should be doubling down on our preaching of the genuine gospel that teaches all to “[deny] ungodliness and worldly lust” and to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” The more genuine grace is preached, the more counterfeit grace teachings will be stamped out.
[BSM
If
you would stop using the phrases, "genuine gospel" and "genuine grace"
you would be biblical - these phrases do not appear or are explained in
God's Word as such. So long as you go verse by verse in your teaching without adding to Scripture,
for example in (Ro 6:1ff ),
you will be on target if you read / interpret God's Word in accord with
the normative rules of language, context and logic, i.e., utilizing the
normative rules of reading that you learned in grammar school. There is
only one gospel and one grace that
describes God's operation which is characterized by unmerited favor
toward others relative to salvation unto eternal life. There are no
counterfeit grace teachings addressed in God's Word, they are either
gracious or they are not. There is no such thing as genuine grace vs
disingenuous grace. Grace means unmerited favor and can apply to
how God operates relative to any number of things: salvation unto
eternal life, forgiveness
of temporal sins; giving out of eternal rewards; etc., etc. There is no
such thing as disingenuous grace in the Bible. So leave these kinds of
ideas out of explaining the Bible. Just observe and report how God operates verse by
verse by verse. So God does forgive ALL of the wrong doing of believers throughout their mortal lives no matter what. Read Ro 6:1ff . There is a latitude by which believers can choose to sin, but there are consequences .
Stop confusing people with your editorialzations of the Bible by adding
such phrases as "genuine gospel" and "genuine grace" when there is only
one gospel and one grace; and the Bible does not address genuine grace
and genuine gospel vs disingenuous / counterfeit grace and disingenuous
/ counterfeit gospel. We do not need to explain
what is counterfeit and what is genuine.
If you just preach what God's Word has to offer and stop your
editorializations and stick to the words of God's Word and stop
offering your own unbiblical interpretation of what phrases and words
are not specifically in the Bible in the first place such as the what
the gospel and
grace are when they are counterfeit and when they are realyou would not
be so
counterproductive and incomprehensible.
People may use the word grace freely, calling themselves “grace preachers” with “grace ministries” or “grace churches.” But we need to be discerning. Just because they use the word grace doesn’t mean they are accurately or truly representing the gospel of grace. Test everything! Be sure that their position against sin is clear, as sin is destructive and brings with it a whole host of damaging consequences.
-
[BSM]
So
go verse by verse, line upon line and preach the word in accordance
with the normative rules of language, context and logic. But stop editorializing and adding words and phrases and
explanations that are not in God's Word. Relative to the subject at hand, start with Ro 6:1ff .
[JP]
TRUE GRACE DOESN’T DISREGARD THE MORAL
EXCELLENCIES OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
There have been many inaccurate explanations about the Ten Commandments in counterfeit grace teachings. Be clear that true grace teaches that the Ten Commandments are holy, just, and good. True grace teaching upholds the moral excellencies, values, and virtues espoused by the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are so perfect in its standard and so unbending in its holy requirements that Galatians 3:11 states that no man can be justified by the law in the sight of God. Justification before God can only come by faith in Christ.
[BSM]
You
know that there are more than Ten Commandments in the Law right????
There are 613. Check it out. There is no difference between true grace
and grace relative to God's
grace salvation unto eternal life, right. True is a redundant word,
right???
Do you ever consult the Bible carefully? The phrase "counterfeit grace
teachings" does not appear in the Bible nor is it defined in the Bible
anywhere. Rather than invent the definition of counterfeit grace
teachings which phrase does not appear in the bible, why not learn from
the bible what grace means relative to eternal life,
forgiveness of sins in the temporal life, and the reception of eternal
rewards relative to the grace of God, etc. Do your homework!!!
[JP]
The Ten Commandments are glorious. The
problem has never been the Ten Commandments or God’s perfect law. The problem has always been imperfect
man’s ability to keep God’s perfect law.
[BSM]
Amen. But you know that there are 613 commandments, not just 10 in the Law of Moses. Read your bible.
Here is an excerpt from Gal 3 on the purposes of the Law. Read this and then explain the Law to your congregation properly according to God's Word:
****** EXCERPT FROM GAL 3 ON THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW ******
OR READ THE ENTIRE STUDY
3) (Gal 3:19a) Why, Then, Was The Law Given At All? Reasons Are As Follows
(Gal 3:19a NIV) "Why, then, was the Law given at all? It was added
because [lit., for the sake] of transgressions until the Seed to Whom
the promise referred to had come." =
a) The Law Was Given To Reveal The Righteousness Of God - The Standard
Of Righteousness That God Demands For Eternal Life And A Proper
Relationship With Him In The Temporal Life
i) [Compare Lev 18:5]:
(Lev 18:5 NASB) [The LORD, speaking to Moses said, (v. 1)]: " 'So you
shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he
does them; I am the LORD."
Lev 18:5 promises a good life here and eternal life hereafter - the
whole OT context of faith in God and trust in His promises, including
those given in the symbolism and typeology of the sacrifices detailed
in the Book of Leviticus. Notice that keeping the statutes of the Law
resulted in living out the temporal life with blessing, enjoyment,
fulfillment.
ii) [Compare Gal 3:21]:
(Gal 3:21 NKJV) "Is the Law then against the promises [of God]?
Certainly not! For if there [was given] a law which could have given
life, truly righteousness would have been by the Law."
Gal 3:21 stipulates that the Mosaic Law is not against the promises of
God. On the other hand, if keeping a law could have given eternal life,
truly righteousness would have been by the Mosaic Law, implying that
the Law is righteous. For man is not capable of being righteous at any
time.
iii) [Compare Ro 7:12]:
(Ro 7:12 NASB) "So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."
This implies that the character of the provisions of the Mosaic Law is an absolutely Righteous one - every statute.
iv) [Compare Ro 2:20b]:
(Ro 2:20b) "[the Jews, (vv. 14, 17-18)] Having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,"
Notice that it is stipulated in Ro 2:20b, "You [Jews] have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth!"
[Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, G & C Merriam Co,
Springfield, USA, 1980, p. 368 provides this applicable meaning of
'embody']:
"Embody... 1 b. To make concrete and perceptible"
This is not to say that the Mosaic Law contains all knowledge and
truth. The most applicable definition of the word 'embodiment' here is
that the Law makes all knowledge and truth concrete and perceptible,
implying that it is the source upon which knowledge and truth is built.
Since God is righteous and knowledge and truth and the Law comes from
God, then the knowledge and truth which the Law embodies is righteous,
hence the Law is the embodiment of God's Righteousness.
The Jews were given the Law by God in order to represent Him to the
world. So the Jews evidently are to represent God relative to the Law
being given to them by God and their obedience to it as God's chosen
people.
b) The Law Was Given To Provide A Rule Of Conduct / Life For Jews -
Especially Those Who Are Of The Faith Of Abraham During That Time
Period Before The Establishment Of The Body Of Believers In Christ, The
Church - An Example For The Rest Of Mankind To Follow, Leading To The
Knowledge Of And Faith In The One True God And His Salvation Through
His One And Only Son Through Faith Alone In Him Alone
i) [Exodus chapters 20-23]:
c) To keep the Jews a distinct people - the people of the one true God
i) [Compare Lev 11:44-45]:
(Lev 11:44 NASB) " 'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves
therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make
yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the
earth.
(Lev 11:45 NASB) 'For I am the LORD Who brought you up from the land of
Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.' "
ii) [Compare Lev 20:7-8, 26]:
(Lev 20:7 NASB) " 'You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
(Lev 20:8 NASB) You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the LORD Who sanctifies you.
(Lev 20:26 NASB) Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine"
iii) [Compare Dt 7:6; cf. Dt 14:1ff]:
(Dt 7:6 NASB) "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD
your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of
all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
This was the specific reason for the Law - setting the Israelites to
the one true God apart from the peoples of the world who did not
worship Him. This was in order to characterize God as holy and unique.
The Law was to be a blessing to them physically and spiritually such as
the dietary laws and the clothing laws. The Jews were to be distinct
from all other people in a variety of ways, such as their worship
habits (Lev 1, 7, 16, 23), their eating habits (Lev 11:1-47), their
sexual habits (Lev 12), their clothing habits, Lev 19:19, and even the
way they cut their beards (Lev 19:27). Other passages for this point
include Ex 19:5-8 and 31:13.
d) The Law Was Given To Provide Israel With Occasions For Individual And Corporate Worship Of God
i) [Review Lev chapter 23 and other key chapters in the Hebrew Bible ]:
e) The Law Was Given To Reveal Sin To Israel And To All Mankind Through
Israel's Experience At Failing To Keep The Law - To Demonstrate All Of
Mankind's Utter Sinfulness And Helplessness Before A Holy And Righteous
God, To Lead One To Seek Eternal Life Via A Moment Of Faith Alone In
The Sacrifice Of His Son For Sins Alone
The Law was given Israel to prove mankind's utter sinfulness and
helplessness. This is indicated in Paul's own experience in Romans
chapter 7.
i) [Ro 7:7-13]:
(Ro 7:7 NASB) "What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be!
On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the
Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said,
'You shall not covet.' "
(Ro 7:8 NASB) 'But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment,
produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is
dead.
(Ro 7:9 NASB) I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;
(Ro 7:10 NASB) and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;
(Ro 7:11 NASB) for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
[That the Law was holy and righteous is obvious as stated by Paul in Ro 7:12-13 as follows]:
(Ro 7:12 NASB) So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
(Ro 7:13 NASB) Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death
for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be
shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so
that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful."
Apart from the life of Jesus Christ in His perfect and sinless
humanity, (2 Cor 5:21), there has been universal failure to keep such
laws as God has revealed to mankind. The Law was never given as a means
for salvation or justification. The Law became a curse to Israel (ref.
Gal 3:10) bringing them condemnation (2 Cor 3:9) and death (Rom.
7:10-11) and to all mankind by the example of her failure. A beneficial
effect of the Law was to drive Israel to Christ as the only Savior and
Mediator.
ii) [Compare Ro 3:19-20 cf. Gal 3:11, 24]:
(Ro 3:19 NASB) "Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to
those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all
the world may become accountable to God;
(Ro 3:20 NASB) because by the works of ... law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through law comes knowledge of sin."
iii) [Compare Ro 5:20]:
(Ro 5:20 NASB) The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."
Notice that the Law increased sin, revealing the sinfulness of mankind.
It represented to mankind what is holy and righteous as the God of
Israel is holy and righteous.
f) The Law Was Given To Shut Up Everyone Under Sin, So That The Promise
By Faith In Jesus Christ Might Be Given To, i.e., Fulfilled In Those -
Jew And Gentile - Who Believe. The Law Thus Became Our Tutor
[Guardian-Trainor] To Lead Us To Christ, So That We May Be Justified By
Faith
i) [Compare Gal 3:22-24]:
(Gal 3:22 NASB) "But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so
that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who
believe.
(Gal 3:23 NASB) But before [this] faith [in Jesus] came, we [all
mankind] were [being guarded] under law, [having been] shut up to the
faith [in Jesus] which was later to be revealed [by His appearance in
history with His atonement for sins on the cross].
(Gal 3:24 NASB) Therefore the Law has become our tutor
[guardian-trainor] to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by
faith."
g) The Law Was Given To Make A Person Sin More
i) [Compare Ro 5:20, cf. 7:7-13]:
(Ro 5:20 NASB) "The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."
h) The Law Was Given To Serve As A Wall Of Partition Between Jew And Gentile - Until It - The Law - Was Abolished
i) [Compare Eph 2:14-15]:
(Eph 2:14 NASB) "For He Himself is our peace, [having made the both]
groups into one and [having abolished] [the dividing wall of the]
barrier [of enmity (v. 15)] between us,
(Eph 2:15 YLT) [having abolished (v. 14)] the enmity [between both
groups] in His flesh, [having annulled] the Law of the commands
[contained] in ordinances ... that the two [groups] He might create in
Himself into one new man, making peace,"
Eph 2:14-15 goes on to declare that Christ has made, in the sense of
created, both groups - Jewish believers and Gentile believers - into
one group which is neither Jew nor Gentile, but one new creation in
Christ Jesus, (cf. Gal 3:28; 2 Cor 5:17) - Christ having abolished in
His flesh, (Eph 2:15), the dividing wall - literally, the middle wall
of the partition in the sense of the dividing wall that is the barrier
- the Mosaic Law, the "enmity" between the two groups, (Eph 2:15) -
resulting in no godly reason for there to be enmity between one another
in this temporal life, nor in eternity. Neither Jew nor Gentile
believer in Christ Jesus can claim superiority over the other. Both
must rely on the grace of God for the temporal and eternal life through
faith in His Son.
i) The Law Was Given To Serve As An Example Of The Righteousness Of God
By Which Christ Did Live And Thus Qualify Himself In His Perfect
Sinless Humanity Without A Sin Nature To Die In Payment For The Sins Of
The Whole World In Order To Provide The Gift Of His Righteousness To
Those Who Trust Alone In Him Alone For Eternal Life
i) The Law represents the Righteousness of God - the standard of
righteousness that God demands for eternal life and for a proper
relationship with Him in the temporal life in every statute
[Compare Gal 3:21]:
(Gal 3:21 NKJV) "Is the Law then against the promises [of God]?
Certainly not! For if there [was given] a law which could have given
life, truly righteousness would have been by the Law."
Gal 3:21 stipulates that the Mosaic Law is not against the promises of
God, so if keeping a law could have given eternal life, but it is man
that is not capable, truly righteousness would have been by the Mosaic
Law indicating that the Law is righteous.
[Compare Ro 7:12]:
(Ro 7:12 NASB) "So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good."
This implies that the character of the provisions of the Mosaic Law is an absolutely Righteous one - every statute.
[Compare Ro 2:20b]:
(Ro 2:20b) "[the Jews, (vv. 14, 17-18)] Having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,"
Notice that it is stipulated in Ro 2:20b, "You [Jews] have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth!"
[Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, G & C Merriam Co,
Springfield, USA, 1980, p. 368 provides this applicable meaning of
'embody']:
"Embody... 1 b. To make concrete and perceptible"
This is not to say that the Mosaic Law contains all knowledge and
truth. The most applicable definition of the word 'embodiment' here is
that the Law makes all knowledge and truth concrete and perceptible,
implying that it is the source upon which knowledge and truth is built.
Since God is righteous and knowledge and truth and the Law comes from
God, then the knowledge and truth which the Law embodies is righteous,
hence the Law is the embodiment of God's Righteousness.
The Jews were given the Law by God in order to represent Him to the
world. So the Jews evidently are to represent God relative to the Law
being given to them by God and their obedience to it as God's chosen
people.
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM GAL 3 ON THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW ******
[JP]
Based on the terms of the Mosaic covenant, if you kept God’s law, you were blessed. But if you didn’t, you were cursed and condemned with a death sentence hanging over your head.
[BSM]
Not
all violations of the Mosaic Law were death sentences. Consult your
bible - read the above excerpt again on Gal 3 . Stick to what the Bible says and stop editorializing.
The fact is that under the old covenant, no man could keep the law perfectly. That is why soon after the law was given, God made a provision of animal sacrifices so that man’s curse, condemnation, and death sentence could be transferred to the sacrificial bull or lamb.
[BSM]
Not true. Check your bible. Capital offenses were not transferred to animals. People were stoned to death
even in Jesus' time, no one went and got an animal. Attempts were made on Jesus' life, and Paul's by the "keepers of the Law, the Pharisees, etc. They did not sacrifice animals in their stead]
[JP]
The fact is that under the old covenant,
no man could keep the law perfectly. That is why soon after the law was given,
God made a provision of animal sacrifices so that man’s curse, condemnation,
and death sentence could be transferred to the sacrificial bull or lamb.
This is a picture of Jesus at the cross! When John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). So even in the law we see that man’s only hope to be right with God once and for all is Christ. True grace teaching esteems the moral excellencies of the law, but it will also make clear to us that no man can be justified by keeping the Ten Commandments so that we see our need for Christ.
[BSM]
You must know that the Law has 613 commandments, not just 10! So the sacrifices of animals were pictures, foreshadowings of Christ's all time sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
AN ANIMAL SACRIFICE WAS
PERFORMED ONCE A YEAR FOR THAT YEAR'S SINS BY THE NATION ISRAEL WITH A VIEW TO
THE ONCE FOR ALL TIME SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST
An animal sacrifice was performed
once a year for that year's sins by the nation Israel. Cp Heb 9:1-10.
In addition to the yearly
setting aside of sins by the nation Israel, this yearly sacrifice was meant to
look forward to and be symbolic of the Messiah Jesus Christ and His once for
all time sacrifice for sins:
[Heb 9:13-15]:
(v. 13) "The blood of
goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are
ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. [for that
year, (v. 7)]
(v. 14) How much more, then,
will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so
that we may serve the living God!
(v. 15) For this reason
Christ is the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive
the promised eternal inheritance - now that He has died as a ransom to set them
free from the sins committed under the first covenant"
["first covenant"
= meaning the first of the two covenants that the author continues to write
about in chapter nine: The Mosaic Law, see verses 7:18, 28; 8:6-7; 9:1. The
second covenant is the infinitely superior one: the grace gift of Christ's once
for all time sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Cp Gal 3:17-19]
[JP]
This is a picture of Jesus at the cross! When John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). So even in the law we see that man’s only hope to be right with God once and for all is Christ. True grace teaching esteems the moral excellencies of the law, but it will also make clear to us that no man can be justified by keeping the Ten Commandments so that we see our need for Christ.
[BSM]
It's amazing that John the Baptist announced Jesus as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. You should have elaborated more on this passage to explain why Jesus is the only hope for eternal life and explained how the Law is not a feasible means to receive eternal life according to the Bible:
(Jn 1:29-34) JOHN THE BAPTIST BORE FURTHER WITNESS OF THE CHRIST WHEN HE SPOKE OF SEEING THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN LIKE A DOVE AND REMAINING UPON JESUS AS GOD'S CONFIRMATION TO JOHN THROUG H THIS REVELATION THAT JESUS WAS THE CHRIST, THE COMING MESSIAH. JOHN DID NOTKNOW JESUS AS THE CHRIST BEFORE THIS, BUT NOW JOHN DECLARES THAT THE CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD AND THE ONE WHO BAPTIZES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IDENTIFYING THE BELIEVER WITH CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
(Jn
1:6 YLT) There came [into being, (cf. NASB)] a man - having been sent
from God - whose name is John. (Jn 1:7 NKJV) This man came for a
witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through Him [the Light
of men, the Life, the Word, (Jn 1:1-4)] might believe, (Jn 1:8 YLT)
that one was not the Light, but - that he might testify about the
Light... (Jn 1:19 NKJV) Now this is the testimony of John, when the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"
(Jn 1:20 NKJV) He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not
the Christ." (Jn 1:21 NKJV) And they asked him, "What then? Are you
Elijah?" He said, 'I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered,
"No." (Jn 1:22 NKJV) Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may
give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"
(Jn 1:23 NKJV) He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the LORD,' as the prophet Isaiah
said.' " (Jn 1:24 NKJV) Now those who were sent were from the
Pharisees. (Jn 1:25 NAS) [And] they asked him, and said to him, "Why
then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the
Prophet?" (Jn 1:26 NKJV) John answered them saying, 'I baptize with
water, but there stands One among you Whom you do not know (Jn 1:26b
YLT) this One it is Who is coming after me, Who [has] been before me
(Jn 1:27a YLT) of Whom I am not worthy that I may loose the cord of His
sandal" (Jn 1:28 NAS) These things took place in Bethany beyond [lit.,
across] the Jordan where John was baptizing." (Jn 1:29 NKJV) The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of
God Who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1:30 YLT) this is He
concerning Whom I said, 'After me doth come a man, Who hath come before
me, because He was before me:' (Jn 1:31 NKJV) I did not know Him; but
that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with
water.' (Jn 1:32 NKJV)And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. (Jn 1:33
NKJV) I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said
to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him,
this is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' (Jn 1:34 NKJV) And I
have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." ''' =
John the Baptist bore further witness of "the Christ" when he spoke of seeing the Spirit, meaning the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, (cf. Jn 1:33c), descending from heaven like a dove and remaining upon Jesus; evidently via direct revelation from God. John reiterates that, beforehand, he did not know Jesus as "the Christ." Then he explains that God, Who sent him to announce the coming of "the Christ," (Jn 1:6-9), revealed to him that he would see the Holy Spirit descending and remaining upon the Christ as confirmation that He was the Christ and that "this [was] He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit," (Jn 1:33c). So John's revelation from God implies that the Holy Spirit will remain upon "the Christ" in His Humanity, as a permanent indwelling, evidently to aid Him in His mission as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. The last phrase of Jn 1:33, "This is He [the Christ] Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" implies that heretofore all believers will be baptized with the Holy Spirit which will remain on, i.e., remain in the believer as the Spirit remained on, i.e., remain in "the Christ." Since baptism signifies immersion into / an identification with something, then the Christ's baptism of individuals with the Holy Spirit signifies being immersed into the Holy Spirit to the extent of being identified with God's righteousness and holiness at the moment of faith alone in the Christ alone. This is the same as what John's water baptisms of Israelites symbolized at the time they believed. But the key difference between John the Baptist's water baptisms and the Christ's baptisms with the Holy Spirit are that John's are symbolic of the relationship with God which were established by faith through the work of the Holy Spirit, and the LORD's are the actual working of the Holy Spirit, Who will now remain upon, i.e., permanently indwell the individual as He did the Humanity of Jesus.
At
the point of God's revelation to him of the Spirit descending upon
Jesus, John the Baptist testified that He was "the Son of God" with the
definite article, "the." The phrase "the Son of God," (Jn 1:34), which
John the Baptist declared "the Christ" to be, describes "the Christ" as
the unique Son of God. The meaning of the word "Son" refers to having
the characteristics, the qualities of God. Hence He is both God and
Perfect Man in an hypostatic union. This corroborates what author John
and John the Baptist have been declaring in John chapter one: that "the
Christ" is God, (Jn 1:1-3, 15, 30), Who has the characteristics and
glory of God and as such makes God known to man, (Jn 1:14; 18); and
Who, as God, is coming into the world in Human form, (Jn 1:23; Isa
40:3).
Furthermore,
Paul explains grace very well without harping on the word 'true.' And
there you go again about true grace. This phrase does not
appear in Scripture. Why not just cite the word "grace?" And then find
a passage such as Eph 2:8-9 to indicate what grace means relative to
eternal life. It explains that you have been saved [perfect tense
signifying that it is a moment in time not an ongoing faith or
faithfulness] through faith [= acceptance as true, i.e., a mental
assent as defined in the dictionary: hence nothing that you do to
contribute to your salvation] and that [neuter = your salvation, not
faith which is feminine] ... and that salvation is not of yourselves
[again, you do nothing to get your salvation unto eternal life, i.e.,
it is non-contributory] it is a gift [i.e., you do nothing to get your
salvation] not by works [again you do nothing to get your salvation] so
that no one can boast. That's it. There is no word true needed here. There is so much misconception about
what one must do to be saved that you must go to Scripture to prove out your point. Eph 2:8-9 does this.
Now on the matter of the Law; compare Gal 2:16 YLT: "having known also that a man is not declared righteous by works of law, [i.e. any human doing which includes the Law of Moses), if not through ... faith [in] Jesus Christ, also we in Christ Jesus did believe, that we might be declared righteous ... by faith [in] Christ, and not by works of law [any law including the Law of Moses], wherefore declared righteous by works of law shall be no flesh."
Refer to excerpt on Gal 3 above .
[JP]
TRUE GRACE CAUSES YOU TO MORE THAN FULFILL
THE LAW
In the 1,500 years that God’s people lived
under the law, not a single man (apart from our Lord Jesus) could obey the Ten
Commandments perfectly and be justified. Listen carefully to what I am about to
say. Under grace, when we experience the love of our Lord Jesus, we will end up
fulfilling the law! Under true grace, we will end up being holy. Grace produces
true holiness! As Apostle Paul boldly proclaimed, “Love does no harm to a
neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).
When the love of Jesus is in us, we can’t
help but fulfill the law. When our hearts are overflowing with God’s grace and
loving-kindness, we lose the desire to commit adultery, murder, bear false witness,
or covet.
[BSM]
Where
does it say in Scripture that believers will actually in their temporal
mortal lives fulfill the Law by virtue of having their hearts
overflowing with God's grace and loving-kindness and lose their desire
to sin and thereby have moments of sinless perfection??? - Even surpass the righteousness of the Law??? No where. That
is what believers are to strive for, but it is not a goal that will be
reached in this life even for a moment!! (1 Jn 1:8, 10 ).
God's grace is God's unmerited favor toward us despite how poorly we
behave, especially relative
here to His salvation unto eternal life. God's grace is not something
that believers in this mortal life will express toward others for we
are flawed individuals and incapable of expressing the unflawed grace
of God toward others until the next life when we will be in resurrection
bodies - by the actions of God's grace and his grace alone. Furthermore, if believers demonstrate holiness, godly love,
obedience to the Ten Commandments, or any of the commandments,
demonstrating justified behavior commensurate with the Righteousness of God Himself, thus fulfulling the whole Law, not harming
our neighbor as you suggest that is the believers own doing AND NOT
GOD'S GRACE OPERATION!!!! Do you get that? Grace is God's crediting one
with His Righteous behavior and in this mortal life it does not constitute
equipping the believer with perfect sinless behavior on his experience. That's for the
next life: eternal life. It is not about what the believer does,
righteous or not. It is not the believers doing anything righteous /
lawful in this life. It is either God crediting the believer with His Absolute
Righteousness or the believer doing
righteous things himself. It is one or the other! And the latter is not going to happen in this life.
Compare Ro 11:6:
(Ro 11:6 NKJV) "[But] if by grace, [then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work"
Notice that the words of Joseph Prince, "Under grace, when we experience the love of our Lord Jesus, we will end up
fulfilling the law! Under true grace, we will end up being holy. Grace produces
true holiness! As Apostle Paul boldly proclaimed, “Love does no harm to a
neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”demand
godly behavior of the believer in a mortal body that constantly
has sins to confess with no hope for ending up being holy, fulfilling
the Law and even exceeding it in their mortal lives as Joseph Prince
states in this article. This is a serious contradiction to Scripture as
Ro 11:6
indicates above. There is simply no way that a believer's works - his
lifestyle - can exemplify the grace of God in his mortal life
in the sense that Joseph Prince defines grace which is not scriptural. For how
a believer behaves does not necessarily reflect the grace of God. God's
grace does not transform the believer in his mortal life to an
individual who does not sin. If that were true - that as a result of
the
efforts, the works of the believer he achieves even moments of sinless
perfection, this would cancel out the grace of God. For works cancel
out the grace of God.
Hence being holy and fulfilling the Law is out of the question on the
part of the believer in his mortal life with or without the grace of
God. I think that Joseph Prince misinterprets or ignores those passages
that refer
to God's promises to the believer to make them holy and blameless IN
THE NEXT LIFE when they receive their resurrection bodies by the grace
of God.
[JP]
We will have the power to love our neighbors as ourselves. Where does this power come from? From our being firmly rooted and established in the grace of God. We have the power to love, because He first loved us (see 1 John 4:19)!
[BSM]
Again, Joseph Prince's idea of the grace of God is NOT UNMERITED FAVOR GIVEN BY GOD TO AN UNDESERVED, SINFUL BELIEVER - THAT'S BIBLICAL. BUT HE THINKS THAT GOD'S GRACE EMPOWERS THE BELIEVER TO LIVE WITHOUT SIN, such as the believer acting under some kind of power which God's grace evidently gives to him to love his neighbors as himself. This is not in the Bible - that is the goal but will not be perfectly exemplified in the mortal life. Believers are with the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit to operate under their own power. This power is not demonstrated in Scripture as characteristic of any believer except to be contaminated by the sin nature within that believer. No believer can claim to love another with a perfect godly, agape, self-sacrificial love. For no believer can claim to be firmly rooted and established in the grace of God. It is the grace of God which provides forgiveness of the believer when he acts toward another in an UNLOVING manner which is all the time in his mortal life. For no believer can claim to have not sinned for even a moment in his mortal life and must confess his shortcomings and THEN be forgiven by the grace of God, (1 Jn 1:8-10). Just because God first loved us, does not mean that believers now have the power to express godly, agape, self-sacrificial love. That will come in the next life for believers when they receive their resurrection bodies.
[JP]
The fact is that when God’s people are
under grace, not only do they fulfill the letter of the law, but they also
exceed it or go the extra mile.
[BSM]
JP's
statement "The fact that when God's people are under grace"
means that
believers are being afforded by God something they do not merit, i.e.,
they are meriting something by their own successful doing. But this
cancels out God's grace entirely. So it
is nonsensical to say "they fulfill the letter of the law." Believers
never fulfill the letter of the law in this life - even for a moment. For man in his mortal life is flawed with a sin nature,
(1 Jn 1:8-10); so much the more is it nonsensical for JP to write "but they also exceed it [the Law] or go the extra mile!!!"
That's nonsense. God does not give
the believer the gift of fulfilling the law in their mortal lives especially excelling it's righteousness; they
are credited with the Righteousness of God, not transformed yet into
perfect, sinless individuals. Neither in their deeds
nor in their works can they fulfill the letter of the law in their
experience, only in their position are they righteous, not their
experience. Only in the next life, eternal life is a believer capable
of being righteous in his experience. God's grace provides salvation
unto eternal life based on a moment of faith alone and God's grace
provides restoration of fellowship for a believer based on the moments
when a believer confesses his known sins.
[JP]
The law commands us not to commit adultery, and there are people who can fulfill just the letter of the law and not commit adultery outwardly. However, inwardly, they have no love for their spouses. Grace changes all that. Grace doesn’t just deal with the surface; it goes deeper and teaches a man to love his wife as Christ loved the church. In the same way, the law can command us not to covet, but it has no ability to make us cheerful givers. Again, God’s grace goes beyond the superficial to inwardly transform our covetous hearts into hearts that are loving, compassionate, and generous.
[BSM]
Grace
is God's unmerited favor toward a believer who falls short of the
glory of God. Grace will not make a believer excel in righteousness in
this
mortal
life- that's up to him to study God's Word, follow the leading of the
Holy Spirit, etc. or not. God's gracious actions are to make provision
for blessings that the believer does not deserve because of the
believer's inevitable
failings due to his constant submission to the sin nature within that
causes him to choose the constant sinful propensities within instead of
the godliness that the Spirit directs within. If God's grace changes
the believer into an individual who does not sin, that would
dismantle the believer's makeup which contains that sin nature and the
inner man and make him into a robot. The believer is to
choose to do righteous things of his own volition - and not have his
actions force upon him overridding his free will; but then as it
indicates in Scripture, he will interminably fall short of
God's glory including the apostle Paul, (Ro chapters 6 & 7).
[JP]
Remember the story of Zacchaeus in Luke chapter 19? Not a single commandment was given. Yet, when the love and grace of our Lord Jesus touched his heart, the once-covetous and corrupt tax collector wanted to give half of his wealth to the poor and repay fourfold every person he had stolen from. The love of money died when the love of Jesus came.
[BSM]
There is no indication that Zacchaeus was transformed into a wholly faithful believer who no longer coveted money, or committed any other sin. His one time faithful act is not stipulated as a permanent godly experience from then on in his mortal life; nor did his commendable faithful behavior include all other kinds of sin; nor was his faithful act necessarily without flaw:
Luke 19:1-10 (NASB)
1 He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a
chief tax collector and he was rich.
3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable
because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in
order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that w ay.
5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him,
"Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.
7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half
of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of
anything, I will give back four times as much."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to
this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which was lost."
1-4 Zacchaeus was a
"chief tax collector" (architelones, v. 2), holding a higher
office in the Roman tax system than Levi did (5:27-30). This system, under
which an officer gained his income by extorting more money from the people than
he had contracted to pay the Roman government, had evidently worked well for
Zacchaeus. His location in the major customs center of Jericho was ideal. Being
both a member of a generally despised group and wealthy, he is a notable
subject for the saving grace of God. Observe the proximity of this story to
that of the rich ruler, whose attitude toward wealth kept him from the Lord
(18:27). Zacchaeus's desire to see Jesus, though commendable, was surpassed by
the fact that Jesus wanted to see him.
5-6 Not only did he
want to see Zacchaeus, Jesus had to stay with him—"I must stay at your
house today" (v. 5). This divine necessity is stressed in Luke (see
comment on 4:43). Luke also has the word "today," with its special
meaning (see comment on 4:21). The reciprocity of the divine, sovereign call
and the human response is striking (v. 6; cf. v. 10).
Expositor's Bible Commentary, The - Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke.
A second person in
Jericho came to faith in Jesus. Zacchaeus, like the blind man, was considered
outside the normal Jewish system because of his activities for Rome as a tax
collector (cf. 5:27; 18:9-14). Zacchaeus responded to Jesus' message in
precisely the opposite way the rich ruler had responded (18:18-25). Zacchaeus,
also wealthy (19:2), knew he was a sinner. When Jesus called on him, he
responded with a greater enthusiasm than Jesus had asked for. This account is
also a commentary on Jesus' words that with God all things are possible
(18:25-27), for Zacchaeus was a wealthy person who found salvation.
19:1-4. This incident
seems ludicrous. Here was Zacchaeus, a wealthy and probably influential man,
running ahead of the crowd and climbing a sycamore-fig tree (cf. Amos 7:14) to
get a chance to see... Jesus. Luke may have been presenting Zacchaeus' actions
as a commentary on Jesus' words that unless people become like little children
they cannot enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:17).
19:5-6. Jesus already
knew Zacchaeus' name and all about him. He instructed the tax man to come down
immediately for Jesus wanted to stay at his house. This was more than Zacchaeus
had hoped for, so he welcomed Him gladly. The word "gladly" (chairōn)
is literally "rejoicing." Luke used this verb (and the noun chara)
nine times (1:14; 8:13; 10:17; 13:17; 15:5, 9, 32; 19:6, 37) to denote an
attitude of joy accompanying faith and salvation.
19:7-10. As usual,
many complained (began to mutter) because Jesus had gone to be the guest of a
"sinner" (cf. 15:1). But Zacchaeus stood up and voluntarily announced
that he would give half of what he owned to the poor and repay fourfold all he
had wronged. He publicly wanted the people to know that his time with Jesus had
changed his life. Interestingly he parted with much of his wealth, similar to
what Jesus had asked the rich ruler to do (18:22).
Jesus' words, Today
salvation has come to this house, did not imply that the act of giving to the
poor had saved Zacchaeus, but that his change in lifestyle evidenced his right
relationship before God. Zacchaeus, a son of Abraham by birth, had a right to
enter the kingdom because of his connection with Jesus. That was Jesus'
mission—to seek and to save those who are lost (cf. 15:5, 9, 24).
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary
Faculty.
In contrast, the rich young ruler in Luke chapter 18 came to our Lord Jesus boasting that he had kept all the commandments. This young man was probably expecting Jesus to compliment him on his law keeping, and was feeling really confident of himself. But notice what Jesus said to him. Instead of complimenting him, He said, “One thing you still lack” (see Luke 18:22). You see, every time we boast in our ability to be justified by the law, our Lord will point out an area we lack in. He told the young man to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him. Jesus was giving him the very first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” (not even money) and look at what happened. The young ruler walked away sorrowful. He was not even able to give away one dollar! I believe the Holy Spirit placed these two stories side by side in Luke 18 and 19 to show us what boasting in the law produces and what the power of the Lord’s unconditional grace produces in people’s lives.
[BSM]
There
is no indication that God's grace imbues power in the believer's mortal
life in Scripture. Grace is unmerited favor, not imbued power in the
believer's life. The
rich young ruler was one of the majority of mankind who choose not to
believe in Jesus' payment for his sins for his particular reasons.
Others who reject Christ have their particular reasons. No point in
editorizing this into something beyond what the context offers.
GROW FROM GLORY TO GLORY WITHOUT THE VEIL
God’s grace is not against God’s perfect
and glorious law of the Ten Commandments. In fact, Apostle Paul says, “For I
delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Rom. 7:22). However, he
goes on to say, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law
of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members” (Rom. 7:23). Can you see? The law of God is holy, just, and good, but
it has no power to make you holy, just, and good.
[BSM]
And
neither will God's grace provide power to the believer to make him
holy, just and good in his mortal life, overring his free will. That will happen in the next
life when he receives his resurrection body and God will make him blameless, . It's up to the believer to choose to do evil or good in his
mortal life and rely on the grace of God for forgiveness and
purification when he fails to receive forgiveness and purification from
all unrighteousness when he confesses: 1 Jn 1:9, Ro 6 & 7. Just read it. No
where does Ro 6 & 7 or anywhere else in Scripture provide the
believer in his mortal life to make him holy, just and good. This is
confirmed in 1 Jn chapter one. Read it
[JP]
Hear what Paul says in Romans
7:
Well then, am I suggesting that the law of
God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I
would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You
must not covet.” But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous
desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power….the law
itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good….Sin used what was
good to bring about my condemnation to death….So the trouble is not with the law,
for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a
slave to sin.”
—Romans 7:7–8, 12–14 NLT
[BSM]
Amen
[JP with blue font comments in brackets by BSM]
We learn from Paul that when we combine
God’s perfect law with the flesh (the sin principle), the result is not
holiness. It is, as Paul described, a life that is dominated by sin,
condemnation, and death. In man’s flesh dwells no good thing and as long as we
are in this mortal body, the sin principle in our flesh will continue to be
stirred. But praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ, this doesn’t have to end in
misery and hopelessness [in the temporal life?]. cause of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross,
we can have the veil of the law removed, so that we can behold Jesus
face-to-face and be gloriously transformed: So
if the old way, which has been replaced,
was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains
forever!...But
the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old
covenant is
being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand
the
truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ….[Yet not in this life but in the next!!!!] So all
of us
who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the
Lord. And
the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are
changed
into his glorious
image. [Yet not in this life but in the next]
And
the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed
into his glorious image. [In the next life]
—2 Corinthians 3:11, 14, 18 NLT
It is clear from God’s Word that the law
stirs up our sinful nature, whereas grace produces true holiness. Holiness is
all about becoming more and more like Jesus, and it comes about when the veil
of the law is removed. When the veil is removed, we see our beautiful Savior
face-to-face, and His glorious grace transforms us from glory to glory. The
glorious gospel of grace always produces glorious lives. As we behold Jesus, we
will grow from glory to glory and shine as a testament of the Lord’s goodness
and moral excellencies.
[BSM]
But
not in our mortal life. We are not under law - true - and we
are under grace - true. But God's grace in this life is not to provide
our gloriously transformed resurrection bodies. That comes in the next
life, Phil 3:20-21). Our moment of faith in Christ provides eternal life as our
immediate present tense possession along with the promise, not the experience of an
incorruptible body which will be received in the next life - which comes when we go to be with Jesus IN
THE NEXT LIFE. DIDN'T YOU READ ROMANS CHAPTER 7 excerpted above? Even the apostle
Paul had moment to moment difficulties in the Christian life -
continually losing out to the sin nature within him. Our change into
His glorious image is not so evident as believers struggle daily as it
is delineated in Scripture.
Compare Phil 3:20-21 NASB:
20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 Who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
Compare 1 Jn 3:2 NASB
(1
Jn 3:2 NASB) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not
appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will
be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
Author John addresses his readers once more as "beloved" signifying that they are fellow born again children of God under God's care as their Father. The word picks up the thought of the previous verse that we believers are the objects of the agapE Love of the Father, Who regards and calls us His children.
The Greek word "nun" rendered "now" is in an emphatic position at the beginning of the verse, in second position: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be." It signifies the present moment of our experience of being children of God who still have the capacity to sin, as compared to the future - portrayed as a future mystery with the words rendered "and it has not appeared as yet what we will be." Then author John goes on to say, "We know that when He appears we will be like Him," This has in view our resurrection to eternal life in eternal bodies with a new intrinsic capacity to view things through the righteous eyes of Jesus Christ within our being: "because we will see Him just as He is," having the capacity to do only the Righteousness of God, and not sin at all.
Even though the child of God can be manifested as such by doing acts of righteousness (1 Jn 2:29) - at least manifested to God, themselves and fellow believers - the 'visibility' he thus achieves does not consist of any physical aspect or characteristic of the manifestation of ones future glorified physical body. The physical transformation which all the children of God will have when the LORD appears will become evident at that time. Thus the world which deliberately chose not to know Jesus, sees nothing to mark us out as God's children at the present time, (cf. 1 Jn 3:1b).
Still, one thing is known about that transformation: "we shall be like Him." So when Christ appears "what we shall be" will 'appear' too, and since "we shall be like Him" - without a sin nature but with wholly Righteous natures, then we do not want to "be ashamed before Him" because we had been unlike Him until then:
1) [Ref. 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2]:
(1 Jn 2:28 NASB) "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have [bold assurance] and not shrink away from Him in shame at His [appearing]."
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
2) [Phil 3:20-21]:
(Phil 3:20 NASB) "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
(Phil 3:21 NASB) who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
3) [1 Cor 15:49-54]:
(1 Cor 15:49 NASB) "Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
(1 Cor 15:50 NASB) Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1 Cor 15:51 NASB) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
(1 Cor 15:52 NASB) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
(1 Cor 15:53 NASB) For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
(1 Cor 15:54 NASB) But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' "
So from the beginning of 1 Jn chapter 3, John's message is that believers are to be inspired to abide in Christ in view of His promise to them of their transformation to be like Him when He appears.
Note that the phrase rendered "because we will see Him just as He is," in 1 Jn 3:2b implies that the born again believer while in his mortal life still cannot see Jesus Christ as He is because he still has the sin nature which is an intrinsic part of him which contaminates his mind and constantly clouds over Who our Lord is - His absolutely Holy and Righteous character:
4) [Compare Ro 7:21-23]:
(Ro 7:21 NASB) "I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
(Ro 7:22 NASB) For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
(Ro 7:23 NASB) but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members."
D) (1 Jn 3:3) CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD, WHEN / WHILE THEY TRUST THAT WHEN CHRIST APPEARS THEY WILL BE JUST AS HE IS: IN AN ETERNAL RESURRECTION BODY WITH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, GOD PURIFIES THEM JUST AS JESUS CHRIST IS PURE - THEY ARE PURIFIED FROM ALL TEMPORAL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
(1 Jn 3:1 NASB) "[Behold!] how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and .such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 Jn 3:2 NASB) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 Jn 3:3 NASB) And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." =
The phrase rendered "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him" refers to those moments when a born again child of God has the sure hope of receiving eternal life and an eternal resurrection body like that of the risen Lord Jesus Christ when He appears - a sure hope based on the Character and the Capacity of God Himself, a sure hope which is fixed on Jesus Christ, His Son in the sense of trusting in His atonement for the sins of all mankind for forgiveness unto eternal life, (1 Jn 2:2) - an eternal life that includes an eternal resurrection body.
Note that a lifelong, continuous expression of the sure hope tantamount to sinless perfection is not in view in this passage. For the attainment of sinless perfection is not possible with mortal man, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
The Greek word "elpida" rendered "hope" is not the same as in English. In the Greek it signifies a sure hope, not an indefinite possibility:
1) [Compare Titus 2:13]:
(Titus 2:13 NIV) "While we wait for the blessed hope [Elpida, Str. # 1680] - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"
Note that the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ is assured, i.e., it is a sure thing, a certainty of knowing Who God is. (Notice that Jesus Christ is called God). So the Greek word "Elpida" signifies a certain expectation - a sure hope, an event which is absolutely assured based on the absolute Power, Character, Holiness and Sovereignty of Almighty God - a sure hope.
2) [Eph 1:18-19]:
(Eph 1:18 NASB "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope [Gk "elpis"] of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
(Eph 1:19 NASB) and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might."
3) [Compare 1 Jn 5:13]:
(1 Jn 5:13 NASB) "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."
[In the phrase rendered, "so that you may know that you have eternal life," a sure hope of eternal life for those that believed in the name of the Son of God is implied]
4) [Compare Eph 1:13-14]:
(Eph 1:13 NASB) "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
(Eph 1:14 NASB) who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."
[Notice that God the Holy Spirit seals the believer and becomes a deposit Who guarantees the redemption unto eternal life of those who are God’s possession - the very ones that the Holy Spirit marks into Christ and indwells and seals at the point when an individual believes implying a sure hope in ones salvation unto eternal life]
D cont.) (1 Jn 3:3 cont.) CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD, WHEN / WHILE THEY TRUST THAT WHEN CHRIST APPEARS THEY WILL BE JUST AS HE IS: IN AN ETERNAL RESURRECTION BODY WITH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, GOD PURIFIES THEM JUST AS JESUS CHRIST IS PURE - THEY ARE PURIFIED FROM ALL TEMPORAL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, (cont.)
(1 Jn 3:1 NASB) "[Behold!] how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and .such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 Jn 3:2 NASB) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 Jn 3:3 NASB) And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (cont.) =
1 Jn 3:1 goes on to say that everyone - every child of God, born of God - who has this sure hope fixed on Jesus Christ of being resurrected unto eternal life in an eternal resurrection body purifies himself in the sense that when / while that child has this sure hope, it results in that child being purified - in being declared by God to be Righteous just as He is pure: purified unto the Righteousness of God Himself. Although no mortal with a flawed nature, a sin nature can actually purify himself, during those times that that child maintains a sure hope of eternal life fixed on Jesus Christ, that child in effect purifies himself, having prompted that response by the grace of God to declare him purified for that time.
Just as Abraham was accounted as Righteous when he believed in God's future promise to him of eternal life, so the child of God is accounted as purified when / while that child has the sure hope of eternal life fixed on Jesus Christ:
5) [Compare Ro 4:9b]:
(Ro 9b NASB) "For
we say, 'Faith was credited to Abraham as Righteousness.' " [Gen
15:6] .
During those moments when the child of God trusts in the sure hope fixed on Jesus Christ of eternal life that includes an eternal resurrection body, he is credited by God with His temporal purification, much like the result of walking in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness and confession of known sins which author John wrote of in 1 Jn 1:7, 9 which results in being cleansed by God from all [temporal] unrighteousness which is justified because of the blood of Jesus His Son, i.e., Jesus' atonement for the sins of all mankind - another way of saying that one's sure hope is fixed on Jesus Christ:
6) [1 Jn 1:7, 9]:
(1 Jn 1:7 NASB) "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each of we believers walking in the Light], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
(1 Jn 1:9 NASB) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
So a man purifies himself not because of any intrinsic power or Righteous capacity within himself, but because the exercise of his faith - in the sure hope fixed upon Jesus Christ is the basis upon which God cleanses him - forgives him of all of his temporal unrighteousness up through the time that he exercises that faith.
Note that 1 Jn
3:3 is not saying that the child of God must conduct his life commensurate
with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ in order to have the sure hope of
eternal life and continue to be a born again child of God destined for
eternal life. This unbiblical concept implies that the child of God must
put away every defilement, and be like Him in Absolutely Sinless Purity
and Godly Righteousness, as some contend. This would lead to the
conclusion that to live in sin or disobedience to God's commands is to
abandon any hope in Him of eternal life. But 1 Jn 1:8 and 10 indicate that
to claim to be without sin is not truthful .
Note that the
ongoing status of being a born again child of God and of having eternal
security is not effected by whether or not the born again child is
faithful or even continues in his mind to trust in the sure hope of
eternal life and an eternal resurrection body. His eternal destiny depends
solely upon God fulfilling His promise to His children of eternal life
from the moment that they believed in His Son, (cf. 1 Jn 5:9-3)
.
[JP]
GRACE DOES NOT MEAN AUTOMATIC SALVATION
FOR ALL
When our Lord Jesus died at Calvary, He took all of humanity’s sins with one sacrifice of Himself at the cross. He took the judgment, punishment, and condemnation for every sin upon Himself. That’s the value of the one Man, Jesus. He is an overpayment for all our sins.
[BSM]Scripture does not say "He is an overpayment for all our sins." Stop editorializing. Why not just read 1 Jn 2:1-2 for example:
1 John 2:1-2 (NASB)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may
not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous;
2 and He Himself is
the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those
of the whole world
[JP]
Now, does this mean everyone is
automatically forgiven and saved?
Of course not! While everyone’s sin was
paid for at Calvary, every individual needs to make a personal decision to
receive forgiveness of all his sins by receiving Jesus as his personal Lord and
Savior.
[BSM]
The
bible does not teach
"receiving Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior." That takes an effort
on the part of an individual by requiring him to make an effort to
make Jesus his personal Lord, i.e., that means faithful behavior. That's
works which cancels out grace, (Ro 11:6): It
only requires a moment of faith alone in Christ alone having paid for
ones sins in order to have eternal life in the sense that one is
personally forgiven of all of ones sins past, present and future .
Just
like hundreds of passages say in the Bible beginning
with Jn 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son [for the sacrifice of sins for the whole world], that whoever
believes [whoever is the believing one in that sacrifice] should never
perish but have [present tense possession] of eternal life; as well as
Eph 2:8-9. "For it is by grace you have been
saved through faith and
that [salvation] is not of oneself, it is the gift of God, not by
works, so that no one can boast; and hundreds more
[JP]
Any so-called “grace” teaching that teaches otherwise is counterfeit
grace teaching. There is no other way to be saved except through Jesus and His
shed blood. Look at what God’s Word says:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever
believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For
“whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
—Romans 10:9–13
There is no ambivalence in Scripture as to how a person becomes a born-again believer in Christ. To be saved, you have to confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.
[BSM]
Wrong!
V) [Ro 10:9-10]:
(Ro 10:6 NAS) '''But the
righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your
heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down),
(Ro
10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ
up from the dead).
(Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word
is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith
which we are preaching,
(Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Ro 10:10 Greek) "Kardia .......gar pisteuetai
..............................."With heart for .[one] believes (3sing pres)
eis ...........dikaiosunEn ...stomati ................de ....
to [for] .righteousness .with [the] mouth and
homologeitai .........................eis ...........sOtErian"
[one] confesses .(3sing pres) to [for] .salvation"
(Ro 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart [one] believes for righteousness, and with the mouth [one confesses] for salvation"
A) SALVATION FROM GOD'S ETERNAL WRATH UNTO THE RECEPTION OF ETERNAL LIFE IS RECEIVED WHEN ONE BELIEVES WITH THE HEART UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS EVEN BEFORE ONE HAS A CHANCE TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD
(Ro
3:21) '''But now a Righteousness from God, apart from law, has been
made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Ro 3:22) This
Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe. There is no difference, (Ro 3:23) for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, (Ro 3:24) and are justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus... (Ro 4:5 NAS)
But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him Who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Ro 4:23 NAS) Now not
for his [Abraham's] sake only was it written that it was reckoned to
him, (Ro 4:24 NAS) but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned,
as those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
(Ro 4:25 NAS) [He] who was delivered over because of our
transgressions, and was raised because of our justification (Ro 5:8
ASV) But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Ro 5:9 NKJV) Much more then, having
now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him...
(Ro 10:6 NAS) But the
righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your
heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro
10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ
up from the dead).
(Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word
is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith
which we are preaching, (Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth
Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. (Ro 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart [one]
believes for righteousness, and with the mouth [one confesses] for
salvation''' =
Just as in Ro 3:22;
4:3-5; 5:8-9, it is stipulated in Ro 10:10 that a Righteousness from God for eternal
life is credited to one when one expresses a moment of faith alone in
Jesus Christ alone to provide it through His blood sacrifice atonement for
mankind's sins so that this righteousness results in qualifying one to be
saved from God's eternal wrath for eternal life;
. So the phrase "For with the heart one believes for righteousness," in
Ro 10:10a has salvation from God's eternal wrath for eternal life
received by a moment of faith alone even before one has a chance to
confess Jesus as Lord. Note that the word rendered "heart" refers to an
activity of the mind, expressed figuratively
B)
ONLY AFTER ONE HAS EXPRESSED A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE TO
RECEIVE AN ETERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IS ONE
ENABLED TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD IN THE SENSE OF HIS SOVEREIGNTY
OVER THEM AS LORD AND SAVIOR; OR IN THE SENSE OF ONES TEMPORAL LIFE
ATTESTING TO BEING IN FELLOWSHIP AND FAITHFUL TO JESUS AS LORD
(Ro 3:21) "But now a Righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Ro 3:22) This Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (Ro 3:23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Ro 3:24) and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Ro 25a NAS) Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith [for a display]. (Ro 25b NAS) This [display] was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; (Ro 26 NAS) for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.... (Ro 9:30 NKJV) What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; (Ro 10:4 NKJV) For Christ is the end of ... law [rules of behavior] for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Ro 10:5 NAS) For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law [will] live by that righteousness. (Ro 10:6 NAS) But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro 10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. =
The phrase in Ro 10:9 rendered, "if
you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord"
is a confession that having believed in Him for
eternal life through a moment of faith alone in Him alone for paying
for ones sins unto eternal life, that one acknowledges that Jesus is
now positionally ones Lord and Savior in
the sense of
one being under His sovereign authority as God and Savior - a
positional truth which may or
may not be
exemplified in the believer's life, depending upon that believer's
faithfulness to Christ's Lordship. No matter what the case moment to
moment in the believer's temporal life, Jesus is nevertheless his LORD
and Savior,
i.e., Sovereign God over that individual the moment that that
individual becomes a believer. Note that all mankind is nevertheless
subject to Christ's
Lordship whether one knows this or not, or obeys Him or not. And there
will be a time when He will bring to bear His Absolute authority upon
all mankind, (Rev 17:14; 19:16).
On the other hand,
relative to the believer's temporal life: in order for a believer to
confess Jesus as Lord of his temporal life at a particular moment in
time, an
individual believer's lifestyle must be compatible at that moment with
the
Righteousness of Jesus Christ and His Lordship over his life. That
believer must be exemplifying faithfulness in his temporal life. There
cannot be any unrighteousness, (sin), for which that individual
believer is held accountable at the time of confession of Him as Lord
of his
temporal life. The dilemma is that since all men have sinned and
continually fall short of the glory of God - even as believers, (Ro
3:23; 1 Jn 1:8-10), no individual can of his own accord
confess Jesus as Lord in the sense that he is acting faithfully
to Him in his mortal / temporal life. He needs the grace of God to provide that
temporal righteousness for him through ongoing confession of his shortcomings as he strives to be obedient to the
doctrines of the faith that he has learned, .
But now there is a unique moment in the believer's life. At the moment of
faith
alone in Christ alone, a saved individual is not only justified, i.e., credited with an
eternal
Righteousness from God, (Ro 3:21-26), which forgives all of that
individual's sins - past, present and future, relative to eternal life
forever; but at that first moment of faith alone in Christ alone which includes an admission of ones sinfulness, that
individual is cleansed from all unrighteousness in his temporal life as well; whereupon that
individual is for the moment in a position of temporal righteousness
and fellowship with God by the grace of God. At that time the new born believer can
confess Jesus as Lord by
the grace of God in an eternal position and also relative to his
temporal life - until he sins again; whereupon he needs to confess again for temporal forgiveness, - his eternal forgiveness remaining forever intact.
Although eternal life
is secure forever at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone on
account of its eternality through our Lord's once for all
atonement
for sins, past, present and future for all mankind, (Ro 3:21-26 );
nevertheless, as the
believer conducts his temporal life before God under the authority of
His sovereign Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in a manner which object is
to be faithful to Christ's Lordship over him such that he is
continually confessing his sins to God; then temporal forgiveness
and purification from all temporal sins will be the result along with
temporal blessings,
such as living out the appointed years of ones temporal life,
fellowship with the Lord and eternal rewards .
And when believers confess Jesus as Lord in the sense of
declaring that the believer's salvation is through faith in Christ
alone Whose position is Lord and Savior over them regardless of how
they conduct their temporal lives, they also benefit from an ongoing
temporal salvation: that of deliverance unto blessings in this life and
rewards in eternity. So in view are acknowledgments by the believer
which are two different but closely related Lordships - one
an eternal position, the other temporal blessings and eternal rewards
for declaring that the believer's salvation is through faith in Christ
alone Whose position is Lord and Savior over them regardless of how
they conduct their temporal lives; or for ongoing attempts to be faithful accompanied by ongoing confession
of sins.
C) THE WORD OF FAITH WHICH PAUL AND OTHERS WERE PREACHING TEACHES THAT AN INDIVIDUAL WHO CONFESSES WITH HIS MOUTH JESUS AS LORD AND BELIEVES IN HIS HEART (MIND) THAT GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, I.E., A BELIEVER WHO IS ACKNOWLEDGING BUT NOT NECESSARILY FAITHFUL TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST, WILL BE SAVED FROM TEMPORAL DESTRUCTION AND PREMATURE PHYSICAL DEATH AND RECEIVE ETERNAL REWARDS FOR THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT
(Ro 4:23 NAS) '''Now not for his [Abraham's] sake only was it written that it was reckoned to him, (Ro 4:24 NAS) but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (Ro 4:25 NAS) [He] who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification... (Ro 10:4 NKJV) For Christ is the end of ... law [rules of behavior] for righteousness [for eternal life] to everyone who believes... (Ro 10:6 NAS) But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro 10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart [one] believes for righteousness, and with the mouth [one confesses] for salvation" ''' =
Notice that the conjunction "that" which joins Ro 10:8 with Ro 10:9,
(v. 8) " 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (v. 9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart (mind) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved,"
continues the context of Ro 10:1-8 into verse 9. In verse 9 Paul specifically stipulates that salvation - a salvation / deliverance [Gk homologEsEs = save / preserve] from temporal destruction and from premature physical death of a believer results when he confesses with his mouth to others Jesus as Lord. For this is a statement of fact, a positional truth of the sovereignty of Jesus as sovereign Lord over the person of the believer. On the other hand, it does not necessarily indicate that the believer has demonstrated a faithful walk with Christ at each moment of the confession.
The Greek word "homologEsEs" in the phrase:
"ean homologEsEs en ....tO stomati sou ..kurion Iesoun"
"If ...you confess ....with the mouth .your Lord ...Jesus"
rendered "If you
confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord" in the NAS in Ro 10:9 comes
from the root words 'homos' meaning 'same' (from which we get the English
word homogeneous), and the Greek word 'logo' meaning 'to speak'. The word
literally means to say the same thing, i.e., to acknowledge what is already
understood and thus on the heart = the mind, that Jesus is Lord of ones
life - an eternal positional statement of the sovereignty of Jesus
Christ over ones life, i.e., His Lordship - which is not necessarily
reflective of the believer being faithful at the moment of this
positional confession.
On the other hand,
relative to the believer's temporal life: in order for a believer to
confess Jesus as Lord of his temporal life at a particular moment in
time, an
individual believer's lifestyle must be compatible at that moment with
the
Righteousness of Jesus Christ and His Lordship over his life in order
to receive more salvation / temporal deliverance & blessing -
resulting in eternal rewards. That
believer must be exemplifying faithfulness in his temporal life. There
cannot be any unrighteousness, (sin), for which that individual
believer is held accountable at the time of confession of Him as Lord
of his
temporal life. The dilemma is that since all men have sinned and
continually fall short of the glory of God - even as believers, (Ro
3:23; 1 Jn 1:8-10), no individual can of his own accord
confess Jesus as Lord in the sense that he is acting faithfully
to Him in his mortal / temporal life. He needs the grace of God to provide that
temporal righteousness for him through ongoing confession of his shortcomings as he strives to be obedient to the
doctrines of the faith that he has learned, .
Note all believers already have eternal righteousness via one moment of
faith alone in Christ alone unto justification / salvation unto eternal
life.
Since unbelievers have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God as all men do, (cf. Ro 3:23), and since they do not have the righteousness from God credited to their account because they never believed on Christ to receive it, then unbelievers cannot confess Jesus as Lord at any time. Unbelievers must become believers via a moment of faith alone in Christ alone to be credited with an eternal righteousness from God for eternal life (cf. Ro 3:21-24). Then they will be in a position to confess Jesus as Lord - a positional statement as well as a moment to moment temporal statement, the latter as they endeavor to obey the doctrines of the faith and confess their shortcomings moment to moment.
The second and third phrases of Ro 10:9, ("that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," corroborate that believers only are in view. For to believe that Jesus was raised by God from the dead implies that the individual believes that an eternal righteousness from God for eternal life will come through a moment of faith alone in Christ alone, i.e., the sacrifice of His life for sins wherein God then raised Him from the dead as proof of that sacrifice, (cf. Ro 4:23-25). This is corroborated by Ro 10:4 and 10:10 where ones faith in Christ provides a righteousness from God for eternal life, (cf. Ro 3:21-24).
D) VERSE 10 EXPLAINS VERSE 9 MORE SPECIFICALLY AND IN THE PROPER SEQUENTIAL ORDER:
IN ROMANS 10:10, TWO KINDS OF SALVATION CONTINUE TO BE IN VIEW: (1) SALVATION FROM
ETERNAL DESTRUCTION, (ETERNAL DEATH), VIA A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN
CHRIST ALONE TO RECEIVE A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE; (2)
TO BE FOLLOWED BY A SALVATION FROM TEMPORAL DESTRUCTION AND FROM PREMATURE PHYSICAL DEATH
VIA CONFESSION WITH ONES MOUTH JESUS AS LORD - A POSITIONAL STATMENT
WHICH EXPRESSION MAY OR MAY NOT REFLECT BEING FAITHFUL TO THE LORDSHIP
OF JESUS CHRIST MOMENT TO MOMENT
(Ro 4:23 NAS) "Now not for his [Abraham's] sake only was it written that it was reckoned to him, (Ro 4:24 NAS) but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (v. 4:25 NAS) [He] who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification... (Ro 10:4 NKJV) For Christ is the end of ... law [rules of behavior] for righteousness to everyone who believes... (Ro 10:6 NAS) But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro 10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Ro 9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart [one] believes for righteousness, and with the mouth [one confesses] for salvation" ''' =
(Ro 10:10 Greek) "Kardia .......gar pisteuetai
..............................."With heart for .[one] believes (3sing pres)
eis ...........dikaiosunEn ...stomati ................de ....
to [for] .righteousness .with [the] mouth and
homologeitai .........................eis ...........sOtErian"
[one] confesses .(3sing pres) to [for] .salvation"
Verse 10 explains
verse 9 more specifically and in the proper sequential order: first, one
believes to receive the righteousness from God for eternal life
corroborating that believing that God raised Christ from the dead in verse
9 implies one has expressed faith that Christ paid the penalty for ones
sins to receive an eternal righteousness from God for eternal life, (cf.
Ro 4:23-25 );
then one can confess with the mouth Jesus as Lord either to acknowledge
Jesus' eternal sovereign position of authority over one and / or to
acknowledge ones fellowship / endeavors to be faithful to Jesus as Lord
with ongoing confession of sins () for the result of a salvation from temporal destruction, premature
physical death unto blessings in this life and eternal rewards .
)[JP]
Therefore, if any “grace” teacher tells you that you don’t need to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior in order to be saved because there are “other ways,” he or she is being scripturally inaccurate.
[BSM]
The
Bible teaches everywhere that to have eternal life one must believe
that Jesus died for ones sins. That's it. Stop editorializing!!!
You don't need to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that could
mean any number of things such as attempting to behave in a godly
manner which is works. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ's
payment for ones sins. Accepting Jesus as Savior may also mean a number
of things - such as saved or delivered from some difficulty. The issue
of Christ's payment for ones sins is essential and must not be
bypassed. Compare Jn 1:12-13 with Jn 3:16: believe that Christ the one
and only Son of God died / was given to pay for the sins of the world.
[JP]
Jesus is the only way. There is no salvation without Jesus. There is no forgiveness without the cleansing blood of Jesus. There is no assurance that all our sins have been forgiven without the resurrection of Jesus. Salvation is found in Jesus and Jesus alone!
[BSM]
Amen.
With one proviso. Jesus paid for the sins of all mankind, but not all
mankind are forgiven of their sins. Forgiveness of sins is afforded
only to those who believe that He paid for ones sins. But why not quote
from the Bible INSTEAD OF
EDITORIALIZING THE BIBLE WITH YOUR OWN PASSAGE. Try quoting the
Bible!!!
Suggestions: And then explain / teach what it says to others.
For example,
Acts 10:43 NASB "All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
s
And there are some key verses in 1 Cor 15 which speak of Christ's essential resurrection
And don't forget Ro 3 especially vv. 21-26:
21
But now God has shown us how to become right with him. The Law and the
Prophets give witness to this. It has nothing to do with obeying the
law. 22 We are made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus
Christ. That happens to all who believe. It is no different for the
Jews than for anyone else. 23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up
to God’s glory. 24 The free gift of God’s grace makes all of us right
with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. 25 God gave him
as a sacrifice to pay for sins. So he forgives the sins of those who
have faith in his blood. God did all of that to prove that he is fair.
Because of his mercy he did not punish people for the sins they had
committed before Jesus died for them. 26 God did that to prove in our
own time that he is fair. He proved that he is right. He also made
right with himself those who believe in Jesus.
[JP]
I am also aware that there are counterfeit
grace preachers who teach that everyone, even Satan and his fallen angels, will
one day in the ages to come be saved. Because of this belief, they also teach
that hell isn’t a real place of everlasting punishment. These people take an
extreme position on God’s love to the exclusion of His righteousness and
judgment, refusing to believe what the Scriptures clearly teach about eternal
torment in hell for the unsaved. This is not the gospel of grace.
ARE ONLY OUR PAST SINS FORGIVEN?
Coming back to forgiveness of sins, the
real gospel tells us that the moment we invite Jesus into our hearts and
confess Him as our Lord and Savior, all our sins—past, present, and future—are
forgiven.
[BSM]
Amen to all of the above except you don't "invite Jesus into our hearts and
confess Him as our Lord and Savior"
in order to have eternal life;
and the words "counterfeit grace" do not appear in the Bible. Find
another expression and a passage which explains what you mean. These
things are too confusing for your listeners to get an accurate and
biblical understanding without a bible passage cited and an explanation
provided from a writer of Scripture. Makeshift explanations must be
avoided, careful substantiation from God's Word is essential.
There are no places in Scripture which say these phrases. The Bible reads in numerous places that you simply believe that God gave His one and only Son [to pay for the sins of the whole world which includes yourself and thereby you immediately have present tense possession of eternal life signifying that you have been forgiven of all of your sins, past, present and future - Jn 3:16 et al. Inviting is a work because it is proactive toward securing the result of receiving eternal life. On the other hand believing in something which is passive / not proactive in what Christ did on the cross for one - all of mankind. Furthermore, inviting Jesus into ones heart is not accurate. Jesus does not occupy the believer's heart when he becomes saved unto eternal life. It is the Holy Spirit Who comes into your human spirit. and confess is a work, and testifying that Jesus is your Lord indicating that you are being faithful to His Lordship of you is a work. Works cancel out the grace basis for salvation thus you don't get to be saved by works at all! Ro 11:6 NASB "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
[JP]
To understand the total forgiveness of sins, we have to understand
the value of the person who sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. Jesus
alone, because He was the sinless Son of God, could pay for every sin of every
man who would ever live with just a one-time sacrifice of Himself.
But there are teachings that suggest that
when we receive Jesus, only our past sins are forgiven—our future sins are
forgiven as we confess them and ask God for forgiveness. This simply
contradicts the Scriptures, as we shall see.
Ephesians 1:7 states, “In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace.” In the original Greek text, the verb for “have” is in the
present tense, which indicates durative action, meaning we are continually
having forgiveness of sins, including every sin we will ever commit.1
First John 2:12 says, “I write to you,
little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” The
Greek perfect tense is used here for “are forgiven,” meaning this forgiveness
is a definite action completed in the past, with the effect continuing into the
present.2 This means that God’s forgiveness avails for us in our present and
continues into our future.
Let me give you another clear Scripture
that states that all our sins, including our future sins, have been forgiven:
You were dead because of your sins and
because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with
Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges
against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
—Colossians 2:13–14 NLT
Jesus forgave all our sins. The word “all”
in the above Scripture is the Greek word pas, meaning “every kind or
variety…the totality of the persons or things referred to.”3 It refers to “all,
any, every, the whole.”4 So “all” means all.
God’s forgiveness of our sins covers every sin—past, present, and future! When we received the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we received the total and complete forgiveness of all our sins.
[BSM]
Amen
- glad to see this kind of biblical support, except for one detail that
needs clarification: how do you receive Jesus? Will you please get used
to using the word believe. Receive means believe in Jn 1:12-13, but
many people add more than believe to the word receive such as receiving
him as Lord which involves some kind of proactive action, i.e., works
which cancels out God's Grace and destroys the reception of eternal
life. BTW "have been forgiven" not "are forgiven" is the correct
translation signifying a completed action at a point in time with
ongoing results forever.
FURTHER
BTW 1 Jn 1:7 is about temporal forgiveness not eternal forgiveness, the
former providing restoration of a believer's fellowship with God which
context is laid out for you from the beginning of the letter; the
latter a one time eternal forgiveness unto eternal life at the point of
faith alone in Christ alone for eternal life forgiveness.
Our role as ministers of God is to impart to our people the confident assurance of their salvation and forgiveness that is found in Christ. It is not to teach a mixed message that deposits insecurity and uncertainty in their hearts, leaving them wondering if they are truly forgiven and if the work of their Savior at the cross is complete. Assurance of salvation and total forgiveness of sins form the foundation of the good news we preach. I submit to you that this revelation of the good news of God’s forgiveness doesn’t lead one to live wantonly. Jesus Himself said that those who are forgiven much will love Him much. It is those who are forgiven little (actually, these creatures do not exist because all of us have been forgiven much)—or I should say, those who think they have been forgiven little—who will love Him only a little.
[BSM]
The words above rendered, "I submit to you that this revelation of the good news of God’s
forgiveness doesn’t lead one to live wantonly. Jesus Himself said that those
who are forgiven much will love Him much. It is those who are forgiven little
(actually, these creatures do not exist because all of us have been forgiven
much)—or I should say, those who think they have been forgiven little—who will
love Him only a little" are not in the Bible or words to that effect / context. Hence we have the epistles to believers in this age who are
admonished to be faithful, especially 1 Jn 1:7-9 which indicate that
believers continually sin and need provision for temporal forgiveness,
(not eternal because all sins relative to eternal life are forgiven,
past, present and future at the point of faith alone in Christ alone,
Acts 10:43; Jn 3:16 et al).
[JP]
My prayer is that everyone who hears us preach the true gospel of grace will hear just how complete God’s forgiveness is toward those who would receive His Son, Jesus Christ. It will surely lead them to fall deeper in love with Jesus and produce a life of praise, honor, and glory unto Him.
[BSM]
There
is no such thing as the true gospel of grace stipulated in the Bible - those words as such do not appear in God's Word.
It is simply the gospel. Follow what Paul and other bible writers say
what the gospel is, not the words you have imposed upon the Bible with
your own personal unbiblical meaning. See excerpt below from Ro 3. Why
not say "believe" instead of receive because many have an
unbiblical idea of what receive means!!!!! Just go and check Jn 1:12-13. Quote Acts 10:43 and Jn 3:16 for
starters. And then stipulate believe in Christ's payment for your sins and
that alone for forgiveness of sins unto eternal life!!!!! So let's
be clear about this.
Also, there is no guarantee in Scripture that believers in this age will "fall deeper in love with Jesus and produce a life of praise, honor, and glory unto Him." Even in the first century believers struggled in their mortal lives. There were moments of faithfulness and moments of struggle even suffering. Hence the epistles which presume that believers will struggle in their temporal lives resulting in discipline, suffering and difficulties. Prepare your people, Pastor Prince for this especially by focusing on those epistles!
Compare Phil 1:29 NASB "For to you [the saints in Christ Jesus, (v. 1)] it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."
******* EXCERPT FROM RO 3 ******
A) THERE IS ONLY ONE GOSPEL AND ONE GOD FOR ALL MANKIND WHO
WILL JUSTIFY THE JEW AND THE GENTILE THROUGH A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST
ALONE
(v. 1:16) "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile. (v. 3:21) But now an eternal righteousness from God,
apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
(v. 3:22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to
all who believe. There is no difference, (v. 3:23) for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, (v. 3:24) and are justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (v. 3:29) Is God the God of
Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, (v. 3:30)
since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through that same faith." =
Paul declares that there is only one gospel and one God for all mankind Who will justify the Jew and the Gentile through a moment of faith alone in Christ alone. At the beginning of Paul's epistle he established in vv. 1:16-17 that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew and then the Gentile, which encompasses all mankind. This theme is reiterated in vv. 3:22-24: "This righteousness from God, [the gospel] comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe [i.e., any individual of mankind]. Hence Paul declares that there is only one way to eternal life, one gospel; and one God Who is the God of the Jew and the Gentile alike, i.e., all mankind, because His power is over all mankind. This message is repeated in vv. 3:29-30.
WHAT ABOUT THE CONFESSION OF SINS?
When I preach that all our sins have been forgiven and that we are perpetually under the fountain of the ever-cleansing blood of Jesus, another question I’m often asked is, What about the confession of sins spoken of in 1 John 1:9? The verse says clearly, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Don’t we have to confess our sins in order to be forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness?
[BSM]
Yes,
temporal / moment to moment forgiveness of sins is in view for the
believer who already has eternal life. So the forgiveness of sins is
not for eternal life - because confession on the part of the individual
is in view, and eternal is not received by anything that the individual
does proactively = participating in order to get eternal life.
Believing is passive and not proactive. Otherwise the individual is
attempting to do some kind of work in order to be saved unto eternal
life.
Ro 11:6 NASB "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." You cannot work your way unto eternal life through confession.
In
this temporal life, believers are accountable to God for their
behavior. Confession of sins is God's gracious way of restoring a
believer not to eternal life - that's already been settled, but to
fellowship - blessings in this temporal life and rewards when they get
to heaven. So we have to verify this in a careful reading of 1 Jn
chapter one.
C) (1 Jn 1:1-4) WHAT JOHN AND FELLOW APOSTLES HAVE SEEN AND HEARD THEY
PROCLAIM ALSO TO JOHN'S READERS / AND ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD
SO THAT THEY TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND INDEED THE
APOSTLES' FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST,
WHICH FELLOWSHIP READERS / AND ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD MAY
HAVE AS WELL - THIS IS THE STATED PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE
(1 Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that which we have
heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold
[in the sense of gazed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life
was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1
Jn 1:3 NASB) "what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so
that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 Jn 1:4 NASB) These
things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." =
Of all the children of God, born of God John probably was the one who
could understand and appreciate what this kind of fellowship could
mean. He was one of the "inner circle," along with Peter and James, who
had enjoyed special privileges; for example, witnessing the
transfiguration of Jesus. He was very close to Jesus, possibly more
than the other apostles (note in 1:1 how he refers to that
relationship). He is referred to as "one of his disciples, whom Jesus
loved" (John 13:23) and sat next to the Lord at the Last Supper. But he
had enjoyed that fellowship for only a little more than 3 years; now he
could enjoy it continually through the Spirit.
So John wrote that through what he and fellow apostles have heard, seen
with their eyes, and gazed intently upon, and their hands have handled
have thereby attained, he proclaims should be the goal of his readers /
and all children of God, born of God - that through ones faith in Jesus
Christ - the Eternal Life - one may also have (Greek "echEte," present
tense), signifying having an ongoing fellowship with the apostles, (and
with all children of God, born of God). And indeed - all the more - the
fellowship that John and fellow apostles have with one another and with
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, all children of God, born of
God may also have with John and fellow apostles, with the Father and
His Son and with one another - all part of the unity of all children of
God, born of God through their faith in Jesus Christ.
[The First Epistle of John, Walking in the Light of God's Love, Zane
Hodges, Grace Evangelical Society Publishers, Irving, Texas, 1999, pp.
51-52]:
"[The phrase rendered] "fellowship with us" into which author John
invites the readers involves sharing the apostles' own "fellowship ....
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." This is a stunning
claim. The author of the epistle is stating that he is part of a circle
so intimate with God that if one has "fellowship with" his circle, one
also has "fellowship with" God "the Father and with His Son!" But the
claim is no more amazing than the one he also makes in 4:6: "We
[apostles] are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God
does not hear us."
The modern world, with its skepticism and unbelief, has virtually lost
its respect for apostolic authority. To the modern and postmodern
scholar, the apostles were mere creatures of their own, prescientific
age.
Their viewpoints have no more authority than the modern mind feels
willing to grant them, and the enlightened scholar of today always
knows more than these 'ignorant and unlearned' men did.
But the biblical point of view is different. In the Christian faith,
all claims to truth must be tested at the bar of apostolic authority.
What the apostles said as representatives of a Risen Lord carried all
the authority of the Lord Himself. To refuse to hear the apostles was
to refuse to hear God Himself. In the same way, to be "out of
fellowship" with apostolic thought and practice was to be "out of
fellowship ... with the Father and the Son." There is no form of true
Christian "fellowship" outside of apostolic truth, since the New
Testament message is nothing more nor less than the truth which the
Lord Jesus revealed to His apostles and which He commanded them to
teach to us (John 14:26-26; Matthew 28:18-20).
[Note that a diligent study of Scripture, whether New Testament or Old
Testament, in accordance with proper rules of language, context and
logic results in a message from the apostles and Old Testament authors
that is non-contradictory throughout, that perfectly fulfills every
detail of prophecy so far, that has no spelling, grammatical,
geographical or historical errors that can be substantiated; hence
Scripture throughout corroborates the testimony of each of the apostles
and each of the Old Testament authors as wholly reliable]
[Hodges, cont.]:
It is noteworthy, however, that in offering to share the apostolic
experience with his readers, John mentions only "that which we have
seen and heard." He does not repeat two ideas found in verse 1, namely,
"which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled." The word
translated "looked upon" (Greek: etheasametha) can suggest "the thought
of attentive, careful regard, as in Mt 11:7. Since here this word
follows the more common word, "seen," it is likely that John intended
the more intensive sense, as we might say, "which we gazed at." Of the
four words in verse 1 ("heard... seen... looked upon ... handled"), the
first two, which are repeated in verse 3, are in the Greek perfect
tense, while the last two, not repeated in verse 3, are in the aorist
tense.
Although commentators are often guilty of overrefinement in handling
the Greek tenses, the change of tense in verse 1 appears to be
deliberate. The thought of "sharability" most likely underlines this
shift of tense. In this context the verbs in the perfect imply the
ongoing sharability of the experience of the apostles, while the two
aorist verbs carry no such connotation. This explains why, in the
present verse, [1 Jn 1:3], John speaks only of "that which we have seen
and heard" as the basis of his shared "fellowship" with the readers.
Thus the apostles really could not share the experience of "gazing at"
and "handling" the manifested Life. But they could share whatever was
"seen" or "heard." And while all Christian "fellowship" with God must
lie within the parameters of what the apostles saw and heard, the
apostolic experience as a whole cannot be fully shared in this life. We
must wait until we are in the presence of the Lord to "gaze at" or
"handle" Him! But that is clearly something to look forward to."
The Greek word "koinOnian" rendered "fellowship" in vv. 3 and 6 means
having communion with one another with an emphasis on the closeness of
the relationship - a readiness to share. This "koinOnian" is a sense of
unity amongst all the children of God, born of God with and through God
the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ - the Eternal Life.
1) [Compare Phil 2:1-8]:
(Phil 2:1 NASB) "If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if
there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
(Phil 2:2 NASB) make my joy complete by being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
(Phil 2:3 NASB) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important
than himself;
(Phil 2:4 NASB) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
(Phil 2:5 NASB) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
(Phil 2:6 NASB) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
(Phil 2:7 NASB) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
(Phil 2:8 NASB) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross."
[Hodges, cont.]:
"This is a supernatural life that was disclosed to author John and his
fellow apostles in the incarnate Jesus Christ to His chosen apostles.
lt is the Eternal Life that comes from the Father and becomes the
eternal life which is shared individually and corporately by the
company of children of God, born of God. It is what causes the oneness
of faith - because the faith is the same for all: in Christ alone unto
eternal life.
Note that the words "fellowship with us" precede in the text the words
"fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." This is
evidently a reminder that there can be no fellowship with the Father or
with the Son that is not based on the content of the apostolic witness.
So John stresses "fellowship with us" as having priority in time.
So the purpose of John's letter is stated in these first three verses:
to inform his intended readers / and all children of God, born of God
that just as the apostles were in fellowship with one another and God
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, so the readers / and all
children of God, born of God may also have fellowship with them and the
Father and His Son.
If one has fellowship [Greek: "koinOnia," singular] with God the Father
and His Son Jesus Christ (1:3), then one will have "koinOnia" with
other children of God, born of God who have this same relationship to
God (1:6, 7). And if fellowship does not exist between children of God,
born of God, then any claim to have fellowship with God is invalid. The
converse, though not stated, would also be true: True human "koinOnia"
is impossible apart from "koinOnia" with God."
Hence the issue is not about salvation unto eternal life, as some
contend, but it is about having author John's readers / and all
children of God, born of God having fellowship with the apostles and
with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. For author John's
intended audience is children of God, born of God who are already
secure in their salvation whom he calls "My little children:"
2) [Compare 1 Jn 5:9-13]:
(1 Jn 5:9 NASB) If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of
God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified
concerning His Son.
(1 Jn 5:10 NASB) The one who believes in the Son of God has the
testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a
liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given
concerning His Son.
(1 Jn 5:11 NASB) And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
(1 Jn 5:13 NASB) These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal
life."
Note that 1 Jn chapter 5:9-13 confirms that believing in the Son is all
that is required in order to have eternal life. So the epistle of First
John is addressed to children of God, born of God - those who know they
have eternal life because they know that they have believed in the Son
of God for it.
Furthermore, the following four passages indicate that the intended
readership of First John is described by the phrase, "My little
children" a descriptive term for children of God, born of God:
3) [Compare 1 Jn 2:1]:
(1 Jn 2:1 NASB) "My little children, I am writing these things to you
so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;"
The first part of 1 Jn 2:1, "My little children, I am writing these
things to you so that you may not sin," further establishes to whom the
First Epistle of John was written. Since 'unchildren' of God, 'unborn'
of God are hopelessly enslaved to sin, (Ro 6:17, 20); and since only
children of God, born of God therefore would be in a position to not
sin; then the intended audience of this epistle must be children of
God, born of God, as author John described as "My little children."
This is further confirmed by the final phrase of 1 Jn 2:1, "And if
anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
Righteous," which confirms that children of God, born of God are in
view in this passage; for those who are not children of God, born of
God first must become children of God, born of God in Jesus Christ in
order to have Him as an Advocate with God the Father when they do sin.
4) [Compare Jn 1:12-13]:
(Jn 1:12 YLT) "But as many [individuals of His own creation, (Jn
1:11a)] as did receive Him to them He gave authority to become sons
[lit., children] of God - to those believing in His name"
5) [Compare 1 Jn 3:1-2]:
(1 Jn 3:1 NASB) "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this
reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not
appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will
be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
6) [Compare 1 Jn 2:12]:
(1 Jn 2:12 NASB) "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake."
Note that only children of God, born of God have the status wherein
their sins are forgiven them relative to eternal life, (cf Acts 10:43).
So the subject of the first epistle of John is the exhortation to the
reader / children of God, born of God to live a holy and righteous life
resulting in fellowship with God.
This could not apply to what one must do to receive eternal life since
acting righteously, i.e., keeping God's commandments, etc., are not
part of receiving eternal life, (1 Jn 5:9-13 ); nor are they absolutely
trustworthy - they are untrustworthy at best, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
D) (1 Jn 1:1-4) THE EPISTLE OF FIRST JOHN WAS WRITTEN TO COUNTER THOSE
ERRORS WHICH GO AGAINST THE TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE IN ORDER TO KEEP
READERS - ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD - ABIDING IN THE TRUTHS THEY
HAVE LEARNED. AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY SO THAT ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN
OF GOD MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND WITH GOD THE FATHER
AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST; SO THAT THE JOY OF THE READERS /
CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD AS WELL AS THE APOSTLES' JOY MIGHT BE
COMPLETE. THE APOSTLES' JOY WOULD RESULT BECAUSE OF THE SPIRITUAL
WELL-BEING OF THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST
(1 Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that which we have
heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold
[in the sense of gazed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life
was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1
Jn 1:3 NASB) what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so
that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 Jn 1:4 NASB) These
things we write*, so that our joy** may be made complete."
[*"These things we write" in WH, NU, Sinaiticus, A(org), B, P Psi, 33,
Treg, Alf, Tisc, Weis, sod, UBS is favored over the longer "These
things we write to you" which the latter adds nothing to the meaning
and which is in TR, A(corr), C, K, L, byz, it, bo, 1739, Maj
**"our" is in sinaiticus, B, L, Psi, 049, syr(p), cop(sa) best fits the
context of readers and author John, fellow children of God, born of
God's and apostles' mutual joy all having been fulfilled altogether; as
opposed to "your" limiting the joy just to the readers - the latter
which is in A, C, P, 33, 1739, syr(b), cop(bo)] =
Author John in verse 4 completed the message of the first three verses
with "These things we write so that our joy may be made complete." This
statement implies that should John's readers respond positively to his
message which follows in more detail in the rest of the epistle, then
those that respond positively to the message as well as all children of
God, born of God who follow the message would be in fellowship with the
apostles and with God the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And
this fellowship would make their joy complete - evidently referring to the
apostles as well as any readers / children of God, born of God who
respond positively to John's message. The source of this joy would be a
spiritual one - one which included an assurance of eternal life, a
temporal peace with God and a confidence in ones intimate and eternal
connection with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, an inner joy
which continues to bless the individual despite what goes on in the
temporal life. The apostles' joy would also be due to the spiritual
well being of their brothers and sisters in Christ who respond
positively to their message and thereby share in the apostles'
fellowship with one another and with God the Father and with His Son
Jesus Christ.
1) [Compare 2 Jn 1:12]:
(2 Jn 1:12 NASB) "Though I have many things to write to you, I do not
want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak
face to face, so that your joy may be made full."
[Author John here writes of a joy made full in those to whom he writes
and speaks as a result of their responding positively to his message to
them of what he had seen and heard from the Word of Life, Jesus Christ]
2) [Compare 3 Jn 4:1-4]:
(3 Jn 4:1 NASB) "The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
(3 Jn 4:2 NASB) Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
(3 Jn 4:6 NASB) For I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth.
(3 Jn 4:4 NASB) I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."
Author and apostle John indicates that when those to whom he ministers
walk in the truths which he has related to them, he has no greater joy.
This joy author John also refers to his gospel:
3) [Compare Jn 15:5-11]:
(Jn 15:5 NASB) [Jesus said] "I am the vine, you are the branches; he
who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me
you can do nothing.
(Jn 15:6 NASB) If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a
branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire
and they are burned.
(Jn 15:7 NASB) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
(Jn 15:8 NASB) My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
(Jn 15:9 NASB) Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
(Jn 15:10 NASB) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love;
just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
(Jn 15:11 NASB) These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
4) [Compare Jn 16:22-24]:
(Jn 16:22 NASB) [Jesus said] "Therefore you too have grief now; but I
will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take
your joy away from you.
(Jn 16:22 NASB) In that day you will not question Me about anything.
Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My
name, He will give it to you.
(Jn 16:22 NASB) Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."
5) [Compare Jn 17:13]:
(Jn 17:13 NASB) [Jesus said] "But now I come to You; and these things I
speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves."
The joy that Jesus spoke of was a joy which came from abiding in Him in
the sense of walking in the truths that the LORD spoke of which He
personally exemplified during His three year ministry. This joy begins
with salvation unto eternal life since those to whom the LORD was
speaking directly to were His disciples. And as the child of God, born
of God abides in Christ, he would be blessed in his temporal life,
including whatever he asked for in the LORD. The child of God, born of
God would then experience the joy of the LORD in full - especially in
the sense of being in fellowship with Him as he abides in Him. So the
joy the LORD spoke of and author and apostle John wrote of and
proclaimed was inseparable from the salvation that is present in "the
Word of Life," the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It is directly bound up
with the Person of the Son, Who is Himself present in the fellowship
with the one who walks with Him in the truths that the LORD spoke of
and exemplified.
E) (1 Jn 1:5) IN VERSE 5, JOHN EMPHASIZED AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT POINT
ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND WITH
GOD THE FATHER, AND HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST: THAT GOD IS LIGHT AND IN HIM
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DARKNESS - NO EVIL AT ALL!!! ON THE OTHER HAND,
GOD'S LIGHT EXPOSES HIS CREATION AND REVEALS THAT MAN IS INHERENTLY
EVIL AND CANNOT HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH A HOLY GOD WHO IS ABSOLUTE
RIGHTEOUSNESS. SO THE FELLOWSHIP EACH INDIVIDUAL MAN COULD HAVE COULD
ONLY BE THROUGH GOD'S PROVISION ALONE WHEREBY MAN CAN BE PURIFIED FROM
ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS BY GOD HIMSELF
(1 Jn 1:5 NKJV) "*This is the message which we have heard from Him and
declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." =
[*TR WH NU sinaiticus A B Maj. have "this is the message which we have heard from Him"
The variant of "promise" for "message" in C P 33 cop and miniscules 69
81 323 614 945 1241 1505 1739. Another variant has "the love of the
promise" in Sinaiticus2, Psi. Since the phrase "God is Light and in Him
is no darkness at all" is stipulated in this verse as a statement of
fact, it could hardly be construed as being a promise. On the other
hand, it is remotely possible but unlikely that it could be referring
in some way back to 1:3-4 wherein John promised the readers that they
would be having the joy of fellowship with the Father and the Son as
were the apostles. The textual evidence speaks against the variants
because the variant "promise" appears in two forms in later
manuscripts, while the TR WH NU reading has the combined support of
three early witnesses (sinaiticus A B) - speaking of the transmission
of Christ's message. Just as Christ passed on the message he heard from
the Father, so the apostles in turn passed on the same message they
heard from the Son]
1) [Compare 1 Jn 1:5c Greek Interlinear]:
"Kai .skotia .....en autO ouk estin oudemia"
"And darkness in Him ..not .is .....none"
It is evident from 1 Jn 1:1-4 that author John earnestly desired that
his readers - and all children of God, born of God - might have
fellowship with himself and fellow apostles and thus they would also
have the fellowship the Apostles have with God the Father and with His
Son, Jesus Christ. In verse 5, the Apostle John once more declared to
have heard the message from "the Word of Life" whereupon he wrote of
having declared that message to his readers - hence to all children of
God, born of God. And that part of the message author John declared in
verse 5 was an emphatic hence extremely important point about the
message of how to have fellowship with the apostles and with God the
Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. John wrote "That God is Light; and in
Him there is no darkness at all!!!
Author John writes, "God is light," meaning that God is characterized
by light - light in the sense of a light which is absolutely pure,
i.e., Absolute Righteousness, Absolute Purity, Absolute Holiness,
Absolute Truth. Absolute Splendor, Absolute Glory, etc., etc: that is
what God is characterized by. And then, to make this first statement in
verse 5 more emphatic, author John writes, "and in Him is no darkness
at all!!!" Darkness here is the opposite of the light that
characterizes God - mutually exclusive of that light and of Who God is.
The light of God reveals the darkness which is in all men - their
sinful characters and the evil that they constantly do: all men, except
God the Son, Jesus Christ in His Humanity. And most of all this
darkness has in view that men tend to remain wilfully ignorant of Who
God really is - the light of His Absolute Righteousness. Throughout
history all men have demonstrated that they love darkness / evil and
choose to dwell in it instead of in the Light / the Righteousness of
God. This darkness is sin / evil / unrighteousness which has no part of
Who God is and what He does. Because this darkness pervades the
character of all men, all of mankind has a problem with Who God is,
because no man is capable of being as Righteous as God is Righteous.
All men, even children of God, born of God, even apostles are
inherently evil and incapable in and of themselves of having fellowship
with God, and yet all men wilfully tend to remain ignorant of Who God
is.
The light of God's Absolute Righteousness has been testified to from
the beginning of Creation and throughout the ages: by observing
Creation, by what the prophets of old said and did - especially as
recorded in Scripture, by what the apostles said and did - especially
as recorded in Scripture, most particularly what they wrote of the Word
of Life, Jesus Christ, God the Son - as to what they heard and observed
Him say and do and in their writings that comprise the New Testament
books.
2) [Compare Jn 3:19-21]:
(Jn 3:19 NASB) "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the
world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their
deeds were evil.
(Jn 3:20 NASB) For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not
come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
(Jn 3:21 NASB) "But [the one doing] the truth comes to the Light, so
that his deeds may be manifested as having been [accomplished by] God."
So man under his own auspices, being evil, cannot have fellowship with
a Holy God Who is Absolute Righteousness, unless God provides the
wherewithal to account each man moment to moment to be as Righteous as
God is, so that what that individual does in the moment can be
manifested as Righteous - having been accomplished by God.
3) [Compare Jn 8:12]:
(Jn 8:12 NASB) "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light
of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will
have the Light of life.' "
The phrase "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in
the darkness, but will have the Light of life," in the sense of
believing in Jesus Christ for eternal life, (cf. Jn 1:6-13; 3:14-21;
5:24; 6:29, 35, 40, 47; 7:38; 8:24; 20:31); and then following what
Jesus taught about conducting oneself in the temporal life to receive
blessings, be provided with a true purpose in life and consequently add
eternal value to that temporal life in the form of eternal rewards.
And the opposite is true that those that do not follow Jesus' teaching
by neither believing in Him for eternal life, (cf. Jn 8:24), nor
following His teaching would be walking in the darkness of evil - the
opposite of what the Light of the world, Jesus Christ was all about.
4) [Compare Jn 12:28-37]:
(Jn 12:28 NASB) ''' "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out
of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."
(Jn 12:29 NASB) So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were
saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken
to Him."
(Jn 12:30 NASB) Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.
(Jn 12:31 NASB) Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
(Jn 12:32 NASB) And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."
(Jn 12:33 NASB) But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.
(Jn 12:34 NASB) The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard out of the
Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son
of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
(Jn 12:35 NASB) So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the
Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness
will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where
he goes.
(Jn 12:36 NASB) While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that
you may become sons of Light." These things Jesus spoke, and He went
away and hid Himself from them.
(Jn 12:37 NASB) But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.'"
By believing in "the Light," (vv. 35-36), "the Christ," (v. 34), "the
Son of Man," (v. 34) - a moment of faith - and one has become a son of
Light, (v. 36), implying having possession of eternal life - having an
eternal fellowship with the Light / Jesus Christ, (cf. Jn 3:16).
So 1 Jn 1:5 says that God is light in the sense that He reveals Himself
in and to His creation, and in so doing He reveals the wickedness that
is found in creation - in all men - which is completely set apart from
Who He is. Thus, it is in the very nature of Who God is that man is
inevitably exposed by the light of God as falling far short of His
moral glory.
The second phrase in 1 Jn 1:5 is a negative corollary to the first
phrase "God is light." This second phrase is rendered "and in Him is no
darkness at all." The Greek literally says "and darkness is not in Him
- none." It has two negatives to make the message very emphatic.
Although there are those who contend that there is darkness / evil in
God, 1 Jn 1:5b says emphatically that there is absolutely no darkness /
evil in God at all! In the paganism of the day, there was a mythology
about the gods reflecting a capriciousness and willingness to do harm.
Others' contend that 'evil,' as well as 'good,' originated from the
Creator and so moral distinctions were invalid. But according to and
throughout all of Scripture which has no contradictions on this matter;
and according to the experience of the apostles, who saw and heard from
"the Word of Life," Jesus Christ, Who is God - their accounts having
been written down without contradictions in this matter, there is no
evil in God - only absolute Righteousness:
5) [Dt 32:3-4]:
(Dt 32:3 NASB) "For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God!
(Dt 32:4 NASB) The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are
just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and
upright is He."
6) [Isa 45:21]:
(Isa 45:21 NASB) "Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them
consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long
since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God
besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me."
7) [Ro 3:21-25]:
(Ro 3:21 NASB) "But now apart from the Law the Righteousness of God has
been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
(Ro 3:22 NASB) even the Righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
(Ro 3:23 NASB) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Ro 3:24 NASB) being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
(Ro 3:25 NASB) whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His
blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because
in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
"
Notice that the Righteousness of God has been witnessed to in Scripture
- "the Law and the Prophets" - which Righteousness is received only by
an individual through a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone -
in His propitiation in His blood / in His atoning sacrifice for sins.
For all men have sinned and fall short of the glory - the Absolute
Righteousness of God, and consequently have no righteousness of their
own.
The fact that God is light and in Him is no darkness is testified to in
Old Testament Scripture without the slightest contradiction throughout.
This is corroborated by the noncontradictory written accounts of the
personal experiences of the Apostles of the words and actions of the
Word of Life, Jesus Christ, Who is God the Son in His Humanity in the
New Testament. There was observed and heard by the apostles no evil
present in the Word of Life, in God the Son, Jesus Christ in His
Humanity, Who is God, and Who came from God the Father. On the other
hand, man is inherently evil and cannot have fellowship with a Holy God
Who is absolute righteousness. So the fellowship each individual man
could have could only be through God's provision alone whereby that man
can be purified from all unrighteousness by God Himself. So an
individual's fellowship with God can only be through being purified
from all unrighteousness by God Himself - the Righteous One, (Isa
53:11; cf. 1 Jn 1:9). For no man other than Jesus Christ Himself is
without sin, nor can claim any man to be without sin, (cf. 1 Jn 1:8,
10).
F) (1 Jn 1:6) IF FOR A PERIOD OF TIME (UNSPECIFIED) WE CHILDREN OF GOD,
BORN OF GOD INCLUDING APOSTLES SAY, "WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM (GOD)
AND YET WALK IN DARKNESS / SIN WHILE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT GOD IS
LIGHT / ABSOLUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS, WE LIE AND DO NOT DO THE TRUTH."
ALTHOUGH ALL UNBELIEVERS WALK IN DARKNESS, NEVER ACKNOWLEDGING THAT GOD
IS LIGHT / ABSOLUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS, THEY ARE NOT IN VIEW IN THIS PASSAGE
(1 Jn 1:5 NKJV) "This is the message which we have heard from Him and
declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (1
Jn 1:6 NASB) If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him and
yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth." =
Author John completes the thought he began in verse 5, that since God
is light, i.e., Absolutely and Eternally Righteous; and since in Him
there is no darkness at all, i.e., never anything evil, (cf. Jn 1:5;
3:19; 12:35 [twice]; 1 Jn 1:5-6; 2:8-9, 11 [twice]; then "If we
[should] say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not [do] the truth."
The first phrase in verse 6, "If we [should] say that we have
fellowship with Him [God] and yet walk in darkness" comprises the first
clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The phrase rendered, "walk in
darkness" conveys the sense of not acknowledging ones sins before a
Holy God Who is Light, i.e., Absolute Righteousness. The Greek words
"ean eipOmen" rendered "If we should say" is in the aorist tense and
the subjunctive mood, conveying a completed action moment of maybe we
do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood is a mood of
objective possibility which conveys a conditional statement of children
of God, born of God including apostles' potential of making a
statement that they have fellowship with God yet walk [= an unspecified
period of time defined in the present tense] in darkness in the sense
of not acknowledging their sins before a Holy God Who is Absolute
Righteousness.
The second clause of the If-Then statement declares the result if we
children of God, born of God do [aorist tense] say that we have
[present tense] fellowship with God and walk [present tense] in
darkness:" "we lie [present tense] and do not [do] [present tense] the
truth."
******
The words rendered "we" in verse 6 refer back to verse 5 incorporating
John and fellow apostles, John's readers and all children of God, born
of God - all of whom are children of God, born of God. For whether one
is an apostle or a reader / child of God, born of God, if one is
walking in darkness / sin - ignoring Who God is, that He is Absolutely
Righteous, and one makes the statement that one has fellowship with God
then that statement is a lie and those children of God, born of God are
not doing the truth. Note that to walk in darkness is to hide from God
and to refuse to acknowledge Who He is - that He is light and in Him is
no darkness at all - to refuse to recognize ones sinful character and
the evil that one commits all the time, (cf. 1 Jn 1:8, 10). So the "we"
applies to all children of God, born of God, including the apostles.
Had John and fellow apostles thought that they were impervious to a
failure in their walk with God, John could have easily written, "If you
say" thereby excluding themselves. But they did not.
Four of the five verbs in verse 6 are simple present tense - the first
verb is aorist tense. These four verbs are without any words in the
context to convey permanent habitual / lifestyle action. The present
tense in koine Greek without qualifying words does not demand permanent
habitual / lifestyle action as some contend it does convey in this
passage .. The duration of the time in which one might walk in darkness
and not do the truth can be a short duration of time or a long one
depending upon the particular circumstance of the one walking in
darkness. Note that all children of God, born of God experience moments
of walking in darkness every day, so no one can claim to have no sin,
(1 Jn 1:8), or have not sinned, (1 Jn 1:10), for some period of time -
short or long or permanent - hence not be acknowledging the truth of
their lives before God, and especially not be acknowleding Who God is
moment to moment - His Absolutely Righteous Onmipresence in all men's
lives, (1 Jn 1:8, 10). So 1 Jn 1:6 is saying that if for those
particular moments that a child of God, born of God says that he has
fellowship with God yet for those moments he is walking in darkness by
doing evil / not reconciling himself with God by responding to God's
light by walking in the light through acknowledging Who God is and
through confession of ones sins, (1 Jn 1:7, 9); then he is moving in a
sphere from which God is absent - not having that evil accounted for by
God; and that child of God, born of God is lying, and is not doing the
truth - not being truthful for the duration of that particular time.
So the Greek phrase "kai ou poioumen tEn alEtheian" in 1 Jn 1:6
rendered "and do not [do] the truth" in the YLT, AV, KJV is imprecisely
rendered in other versions as "and do not practice the truth," in the
NASB, NKJV; and "and are not practicing the truth" in the Holman; and
"and do not live out the truth," in the NIV - adding additional words
such as "practice," "practicing," and "live out" that are not in the
original Greek text.
1) [Compare Jn 3:21]:
(Jn 3:21 NKJV) "But he who *does [NKJV, AV, KJV, YLT] the truth comes
to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been
done in God."
* NASB: "practices;" HCSB, NIV: "lives by."
The simple present tense verb form that is present in 1 Jn 1:6
"poioumen" which means "do," and the nominative participle verb form of
this verb in Jn 3:21, (poiOn tEn alEtheian") which means "he who does,"
lit., "the one doing the truth" both convey the concept of a limited
timespan when one is not walking with God but in darkness - in sin and
in wilful ignorance of the fact that God is Perfect Light / Absolute
Righteousness. Both verb forms require additional words in order to
convey the context of characteristic of ones lifestyle, ("living the
truth"), or an extended timeframe of not "practicing" as opposed to
simply not "doing" the truth for the moment that is in view in the text.
Although children of God, born of God while they walk in darkness are
nevertheless eternally secure, born again children of God, (Jn 1:12-13;
1 Jn 2:1-2; 5:9-13 ); but for the time that these children of God, born
of God do walk in darkness, they are wilfully denying the Absolute
Righteousness of God - hiding in the darkness of their minds from His
Perfect Light. Hence as children of God, they
are out of temporal fellowship with God - apostles included. And while
they walk in darkness they are moving in the realm of evil - while God
remains in the realm of holiness and Absolute Righteousness. Temporal
fellowship of these errant children of God, born of God with God is not
available.
This passage does not apply to unbelievers as some contend it does.
Although all unbelievers stand under God's condemnation; hence they
walk in darkness / evil - all the time - even when they do 'good;' and
although some of them may lie and say that they are in fellowship with
God in order to pretend holiness and lead others astray with their
false religious points of view; the word rendered "we" in 1 Jn 1:6
cannot refer to those who are neither John's intended readers, nor any
of the apostles, nor anyone who is a child of God, born of God. For
chapter one has only those who are children of God, born of God in view
whether apostles, intended readers or any children of God, born of God.
No where in chapter one of this epistle are nonbelievers in view. Note
that the extant nature from which comes sinful actions and the new born
of God nature from which comes godly righteousness have both been in
view in the children of God, born of God in First John up to this point.
G) (1 Jn 1:7) BUT IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD - APOSTLES
INCLUDED - WALK IN THE LIGHT - NOT ACCORDING TO IT IN SINLESS
PERFECTION; BUT IN THE SENSE OF (1) ACKNOWLEDGING THAT GOD IS PERFECT
LIGHT / ABSOLUTE RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND (2) ACKNOWLEDGING OUR SINFUL
SHORTCOMINGS BEFORE A HOLY GOD, THEN WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD
WHILE WE ARE WALKING IN THE LIGHT HAVE (TEMPORAL) FELLOWSHIP, ONE [GOD]
WITH ANOTHER [WITH EACH OF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD WHO ARE
WALKING IN THE LIGHT]; AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS, GOD'S SON, CLEANSES US
FROM THE TEMPORAL SIN WE ARE ACKNOWLEDGING AND FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
(1 Jn 1:5 NKJV) "This is the message which we have heard from Him and
declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (1
Jn 1:6 NASB) If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him
and.yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth; (1 Jn
1:7 NASB) but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each
of we children of God, born of God walking in the light], and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." =
In verse 5, author John emphatically established that God is light /
Absolute Righteousness and in Him is no darkness / evil at all. And
with that in mind, he wrote in verse 6, "if we children of God, born of
God [apostles included] say that we have fellowship with Him [God, Who
is Absolute Righteousness] and yet walk in darkness [hiding in the
darkness of our minds from His Perfect Light - not acknowledging our
sins in the presence of the light of a Holy God - a God Whom we
wilfully refuse to acknowledge in our minds is Absolute Righteousness,]
we lie and do not [do] the truth." Whereupon John wrote in verse 7 of
an alternative to walking in darkness: walking in the light,
acknowledging in our minds the presence and character of God Whose
sphere is Perfect Light / Absolute Righteousness and reviewing our
thoughts, words and deed before Him - acknowledging what we know falls
short of His Absolute Righteousness:
The first phrase in verse 7, "But if we walk in the light as He Himself
is in the light" which conveys the sense of acknowledging ones sins
before a Holy God Who is Absolute Righteousness comprises the first
clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The Greek words "ean de en tO
phOti peripatOmen" rendered "But if we walk in the light as He Himself
is in the light," is in the present tense and the subjunctive mood,
conveying a present action moment of unspecified duration of maybe we
do walk, and maybe we do not walk, depending upon the circumstances of
each child of God, born of God. The subjunctive mood is a mood of
objective possibility which conveys a conditional statement of the
potential of children of God, born of God of walking in the light as He
[God] Himself is in the light - the sphere of His Absolute
Righteousness.
The second clause of the If-Then statement in verse 7 rendered [then]
"we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with
each one of we children of God, born of God walking in the light]; and
the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" declares the
result if we children of God, born of God walk [present tense] in the
light as He [God] Himself is in the light," namely fellowship with God
and cleansing from all unrighteousnesses.
Note that the Greek word "allElOn" rendered "one another," in the
phrase "have fellowship with one another" has in view the two parties
named at the beginning of this statement which begins in verse 6,
namely, "If we [children of God, born of God including apostles] say
that we have fellowship with Him," i.e., God. So God and children of
God, born of God including apostles while they are walking in the light
are in view. So to walk in the Light of God is to walk in the sphere of
God which illuminates everything as it shines on us and everything
around us - throughout the world, implying a worldwide illumination of
Who God is: Absolute Righteousness. Since according to this passage God
not only is light (verse 5), but He also is in the light (verse 7); so
to walk in the light means to acknowledge God's presence, Who He is,
and what He has revealed about Himself in Creation and via the proper
study, understanding and acknowledgement of truths contained in
Scripture. The more we children of God, born of God study the Word of
God and the more we acknowledge our shortcomings to Him, the better our
fellowship with God will be.
So the issue for children of God, born of God including apostles is not
to satisfy an impossible requirement to walk according to the light of
God's Absolute Righteousness: The issue is not to stay on a path of
life that is in line with His holy character to attain moments of
sinless perfection in order to have fellowship with God during those
'perfect moments,' as some contend. For this is something which is
impossible for all men except Jesus Christ - the Son of God in His
Humanity, (Jn 1:1-14; 1 Jn 1:7-8, 10). But the issue is to walk in the
light of God's light - allowing that light which is the absolutely
perfect Righteousness of God to illuminate our sinful natures - our
sins on a moment to moment basis as we compare our lives to the
standard of His Absolute Holiness - implying an ongoing acknowledgment
of Who God is - His Absolute Righteousness.
And since God has made provision through the sacrifice of His Son to
pay for all the sins committed by all men throughout history, past,
present and future, (1 Jn 2:1-2); which serves to provide eternal life
for we who have trusted in Him for it, (Jn 3:16), to become those who
are in view in First John chapter one, i.e., "we" children of God, born
of God; then as we children of God, born of God walk in the Perfect
Light of God's Perfect Holiness - acknowledging to God whatever the
Perfect Light of God reveals is wrong in our lives; then the blood of
Jesus Christ cleanses us children of God, born of God from whatever
temporal sins we have been acknowledging; and furthermore, the blood of
Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness. And during these
moments of walking in God's Perfect Light, we have fellowship with God,
and He with us. We are made clean / holy to be in fellowship with God
by virtue of the Savior's shed blood - His propitiation for the sins of
all mankind.
1) [Compare 1 Jn 2:2]:
(1 John 2:2 NASB) "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and
not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
2) [Compare Ro 3:21-26]:
(Ro 3:21 NASB) "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has
been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
(Ro 3:22 NASB) even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
(Ro 3:23 NASB) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Ro 3:24 NASB) being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
(Ro 25a NASB) "Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith [for a display].
(Ro 25b NASB) This [display] was to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously
committed;
(Ro 26 NASB) for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the
present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who
has faith in Jesus."
a) Redemption, (Being Freed From The Consequence Of Ones Sins Unto A
Righteousness From God), Came By Christ Jesus Whom God Displayed
Publicly, I.E., Provided An Observable Demonstration To The The World
Of Christ Jesus' Propitiation In His Blood, I.E., His Satisfactory
Atoning Sacrifice In His Blood, For The Sins Of The Whole World Which
Redemption Comes Through Faith In That Sacrifice
(v. 23) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (v.
24) and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus, (v. 25a NAS) Whom God displayed publicly as a
propitiation in His blood through faith. =
Redemption, (being freed from the consequence of ones sins unto an
eternal righteousness from God, i.e., justification), came by Christ
Jesus Whom God displayed publicly, i.e., provided an observable
demonstration to the world of Christ Jesus' propitiation, His
satisfactory atoning sacrifice, in His blood, for the sins of the whole
world, which redemption comes through faith in that sacrifice.
Notice that in 1 Jn 1:7 the present tense in the phrase "and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin," indicates an ongoing
cleansing as acknowledgement / confessions are made by we children of
God, born of God, (cf. v. 9). The more consistent our walk in the Light
of God, the more we walk away from those things which our sin natures
move us to do such as refusing to acknowledge the Perfect Light of God,
denying we have an ever present evil nature in our character and
denying that we commit sins all the time. All mental and physical
activity which acknowledges a Holy God distances us from activity
toward the darkness in our temporal lives. Note that the pursuit of
walking in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness is enhanced by the
pursuit of the knowledge of God through study of the Word of God, such
as what John wrote in his first epistle.
H) (1 Jn 1:8) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD INCLUDING APOSTLES SAY
THAT WE HAVE NO SIN - IN THE SENSE OF HAVING NOT COMMITTED A SINGLE SIN
WITH A PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME IN VIEW, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH
IS NOT IN US - AND NEITHER FOR THE MOMENT IS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
(1 Jn 1:6 NASB) "If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him
and.yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth; (1 Jn
1:7 NASB) but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we
have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each
of we children of God, born of God walking in the light], and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn 1:8 NASB) .If we
[should] say that we have no sin, we [deceive] ourselves and the truth
is not in us." =
[Variant "the truth of God" in some miniscules and syr - little
support, unnecessarily expanded the word "truth." The shortest reading
is best]
After enlightening children of God, born of God in 1 Jn 1:5-7 on how to
have fellowship with God by their unceasing acknowledgment that God is
Perfect Light / Absolute Righteousness, and by unceasing acknowledgment
that they constantly fall short of His Absolute Righteousness and need
unceasing cleansing of their sins by the blood of Jesus God's Son;
author John returns in 1 Jn 1:8 to children of God, born of God'
(including apostles') tendency - even those who have a consistency of
being in fellowship with God, to deceive themselves when they falsely
consider themselves free of committing acts of sin; when they falsely
think that they do not need continuous cleansing from "the blood of
Jesus Christ."
The first phrase in verse 8, "If we [should] say that we have no sin"
comprises the first clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The Greek
words "ean eipOmen" rendered "If we [should] say" is in the aorist
tense and the subjunctive mood, conveying a completed action of maybe
we do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood of objective
possibility conveys a message of children of God, born of God
potentially making a statement that they have no sin, [sin, singular
conveying that the child of God, born of God no longer bears present
guilt for some particular sin - any sin*]" For the Greek words
"hamartian ouk echomen" rendered "we have no sin" is in the present
tense conveying a moment in time when one thinks there is not a single
sin that one can be held accountable for in a timeframe they falsely
perceive as one of sinless perfection.
*Although the sin nature, the principle of sin that pervades all mortal
humanity except Jesus Christ is present even in children of God, born
of God including the apostles; nevertheless the phrase rendered "we
have no sin," in the NASB does not refer to the presence of the sin
nature / the sin principle within one, as some contend. For the Greek
phrase transliterated "ouk echomen hamartian" lit. "sin not we have"
and rendered "we have no sin" in the NASB, occurs elsewhere in the New
Testament in John's Gospel, (cf. 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11). In all these
places, the obvious meaning is to bear present guilt for some
particular sin - any sin, implying that the phrase rendered "we have no
sin," in 1 Jn 1:8 implies the false idea that a child of God, born of
God experiences moments of sinless perfection.
A child of God, born of God may not be conscious of any acts of sin in
his life, or maintain that he no longer has a sin nature which produces
acts of sin; or he may think that he has overcome his sin nature with
his new nature via the indwelling Holy Spirit for a period of time in
order to achieve moments of sinless perfection. Some might even falsely
contend that they are beyond the categories of good and evil because
they possess the Spirit of God or have achieved some kind of spiritual
transcendance. But whatever one thinks does not contradict the fact
that while in one's mortal body, one nevertheless has a sin nature,
commits sin all the time, and constantly falls short of the glory of
God - His Absolute Righteousness all the time - children of God, born
of God including apostles (as well as all unbelievers). This is clearly
and repeatedly conveyed in Scripture, (1 Jn 1:10; even admitted to by
the apostle Paul after he became a child of God, born of God and an
apostle: ref. Romans chapter 7 ).
The second clause of the If-Then statement contains two phrases, "we
[deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It declares the result
of when we children of God, born of God do say that we have no sin: we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." It brings out into the
light those children of God, born of God who have wilfully hidden their
mentalities from the sphere of light in which God dwells - the sphere
of His Absolute Righteousness, which sphere man cannot attain under his
own auspices in his mortal life. This is man's typical self deception -
his arrogance - which serves to puff himself up to think that he has
committed no sin for a period of time - that he has no sin nature or
has overcome it if he is a child of God, born of God with the new
nature within him that the Holy Spirit has provided . The Greek word
"heautous" rendered "ourselves" is the first word in the second clause,
"we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It is in an
emphatic position emphasizing that such a self deception is deliberate
and wilful, bearing no resemblance to the truth nor to innocence. Such
children of God, born of God are in danger of becoming progressively
delusional and evil as the timespan that they claim to be without sin
increases.
So when children of God, born of God feel close to God, they should
nevertheless remember that a closeness with God, i.e., genuine
fellowship with Him is not due to their being free of sin - without
acts of sin being committed by them, or by some kind of feeling based
on emotion or some unbiblical idea. Fellowship with God only comes to a
child of God, born of God via confession to God Who is Light / Absolute
Righteousness, and out of the grace of God because of the shed blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, which cleanses us from all sin, (1 Jn 1:7).
Fellowship does not result from how good the child of God, born of God
behaves or feels but how much more he is focused upon God's Absolute
Righteousness as compared with the evil nature of his own thoughts,
words and deeds which he acknowledges to God.
I) (1 Jn 1:9) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD - APOSTLES INCLUDED -
SHOULD CONFESS OUR SINS - IN THE SENSE OF SHOULD WE CONSTANTLY
ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICULAR ACTS OF SIN WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD
INEVITABLY, CONSTANTLY COMMIT THAT ARE BROUGHT TO OUR MINDS BY GOD WITH
A VIEW TO HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS; THEN GOD IS FAITHFUL - ABSOLUTELY
TRUSTWORTHY AND RIGHTEOUS / JUSTIFIED IN FORGIVING OUR SINS WHICH WE
CONSTANTLY CONFESS. AND HE IS JUSTIFIED IN CONTINUALLY PURIFYING US
FROM ALL OF OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO TEMPORAL FELLOWSHIP ONCE MORE WITH
HIMSELF; FORENSICALLY JUSTIFIED BECAUSE THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS
SON PAID FOR THE SINS OF ALL MANKIND
(1 Jn 1:9 NASB) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous
to forgive us *our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." =
[*"our" in the phrase "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our
sins" is in 01Sinaiticus 04C, 044Psi 81 614 623 630 1505, 1852, 2464,
2495 - the best manuscript evidence for this variation. Although the
alternative reading has the Greek definite article "tas" rendered "the"
in lieu of "our," it is an article of previous reference, referring to
the first phrase in the verse, "If we confess our sins." So the
meaning of "our" is implied. Hence either rendering suits the context
of the passage]
1) If We Children Of God, born of God - Apostles Included - Should
Confess Our Sins, Our Acts Of Sin (Plural) Which We Inevitably And
Constantly Commit Which Are Brought To Our Minds By God
"If we confess our sins" =
First John 1:7, which reads, "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself
is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with
another = with each of we children of God, born of God walking in the
light], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin," is
saying the same thing as "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" in verse 9. The issue in the phrase in verse 7 of
walking in the light is not a matter of walking with God through one's
own effort, which would be expressed differently as "walk according to
the Light." It is actually a matter of recognition of one's own
depravity - of recognition of one's incompatibility with the Absolute
Holiness and Righteousness of God, (1 Jn 1:5). It is not a matter of
repenting unto behaving better, as some contend; but a matter of
confessing one's sins.
So to walk in the light in order to be in fellowship with God is
further explained by author John in verse 9: "If we" [children of God,
born of God including apostles] "confess our sins" [in the sense of if
we should acknowledge to God particular sins God is bringing to our
minds which we are committing] "He [God] is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Greek verb form "homologOmen" rendered "confess" is composed of
"homo" meaning the same, and "logOmen" meaning "we say" from the Greek
verb "lego," to speak. "HomologOmen" therefore means to say the same
thing back to God that the Holy Spirit is saying to us: The Holy Spirit
is bringing certain sins which we have committed to our attention which
we are to confess back to God. The verb is in the present tense
conveying a duration - a continuance in time which is dependent upon
how long a particular child of God, born of God has been committing
sins and has fallen out of fellowship with God and is due to confess
his sins. The Greek phrase "ean homologOmen tas hamartias hEmOn"
rendered "If we should confess our sins," is the first part of a third
class If-Then statement. It is in the subjunctive mood conveying
objective possibility; i.e., maybe we children of God, born of God will
and maybe we won't acknowledge back to God what He is reminding us of
committing particular sins.
The Greek noun "hamartias" in the phrase "tas hamartias hEmOn" rendered
"our sins" is plural, signifying acts of sin which we children of God,
born of God have committed. The singular form of sin which might
signify the sin principle / the sin nature is not in view.
2) And As We Children Of God, Born Of God Confess Our Particular Acts
Of Sin, The Character Of God Being Absolutely Trustworthy And
Absolutely Righteous, He Will Forgive Us Our Sins That We Have
Confessed And Purify Us From All Unrighteousness Unto Temporal
Fellowship Once More With Him. For God's Forgiveness And Cleansing Is
Forensically Justified Because The Blood Of His Son, Jesus Was Shed For
Us And For All Mankind To Pay For The Sins Of Mankind
"He [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." =
Rather than continuing to deny that we are committing particular acts
of sin by not acknowledging them to God, Who is reminding us of our
falling short of His Absolute Righteousness, we children of God, born
of God - apostles included - are being given the opportunity to
acknowledge our sins freely back to God as we are committing them. Once
we confess our particular acts of sin which we have committed, the
character of God being Absolutely Trustworthy, (cf. Jer 31:34), and
Absolutely Righteous, (Ps 71:19); as promised, He will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness unto fellowship once more
with God including those sins which we confessing children of God, born
of God are not aware of; until God provides the next reminder of our
falling short of His Absolute Righteousness.
For as Scripture promises, God has always been and will be true to His
nature of being Absolutely Faithful and Trustworthy - fulfilling every
promise He makes. For "God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at
all," (cf. 1 Jn 1:5). God "is faithful" because He is Who He is:
Absolute Faithfulness. Consider especially the unfathomable gift of the
life of the Son of God promised to mankind throughout the ages and
faithfully dying on the cross and rising from the dead for our sins as
prophesied.
Children of God, born of God including apostles who confess known sins
are temporally cleansed of those sins which they have confessed;
whereupon they are also temporally cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Although no sin can go unpunished without impugning God's Perfect
Justice; and the mercy of God cannot be invoked without the justice of
God being satisified. We need not fear that God will refuse to forgive
because it would not be 'right' for Him to do so in the sense that no
payment was made to provide His forgiveness. There is no compromise of
God's Absolute Righteousness when He does forgive the child of God,
born of God who confesses his sins to Him. For the sins of all mankind
have been attoned for by Jesus Christ for eternal forgiveness for any
who trust in that eternal provision, (becoming children of God, born of
God, 1 Jn 5:9-13 ); as well as for temporal forgiveness / cleansing of
sins - a familial forgiveness provided for those who are already
children of God, born of God: those of the family of God - those who
have believed in Jesus' name for eternal life, (Jn 1:12-13) - in order
to provide the blessings of temporal fellowship with a Holy God while
in their mortal bodies. So God is righteous in doing this, i.e., God is
judicially justified in cleansing us children of God, born of God of
all of our sins who confess them because He has made a grace provsion
for the temporal forgiveness / cleansing of sins through the shed blood
of His Son, Jesus Christ in temporal payment for all sins confessed and
unconfessed - activated for the times when any child of God, born of
God is walking in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness, (ref. 1 Jn
1:7; 2:2), by confessing his sins in order to provide fellowship with
God his Father.
The child of God, born of God is then cleansed of temporal sins on the
basis of what Jesus his Savior did for him on the cross. That child of
God, born of God, for the moment, is in fellowship with God, i.e.,
abiding in Christ until he violates a principle from God's Word again.
3) Since Confession Of Sins Is Never Connected In Scripture With The
Acquisition Of Eternal Life; And Since The Reception Of Eternal Life Is
Not Stipulated As A Result Of Confession, (But Temporal Fellowship Is);
And Since Eternal Life Is Always Conditioned Solely Upon A Moment Of
Faith Alone In Jesus Christ Alone Plus Nothing Else In Scripture; And
Since Unbelievers Are Not In View In First John Chapter One, (But
Children Of God, Born Of God Are); Then First John Chapter One Is Not
Giving Instruction To Unbelievers Or Children Of God, Born Of God On
How To Have Eternal Life Via Confession Of Sins
Since confession of sins is never connected in Scripture with the
acquisition of eternal life. Other passages that have confession of
sins in view do not provide eternal life either ; and since eternal
life is not so named as a result of such an action or any action in 1
Jn chapter one - directly or indirectly - but (temporal) fellowship of
children of God, born of God including apostles with one another and
God is, (vv. 3, 6, 7); and since eternal life is always conditioned
solely via a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone plus nothing
else throughout Scripture, (Jn 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 3:36, 5:24; 6:29, 35,
40, 47; 20:31; 1 Jn 5:9-13 ) - resulting in an irreversible spiritual
birth and an irrevocable promise of eternal life; and since there are
no requirements of an individual other than a one time expression of
faith in Christ and certainly no ongoing qualifiers built into God's
plan of salvation, (Eph 2:8-9; 1:13-14; Ro 11:29); and since
unbelievers are not in view in First John chapter one; then First John
chapter one is not giving instruction to unbelievers or believers on
how to have eternal life via confession of sins, as some contend.
4) Although A Child Of God, Born Of God Already Has Forgiveness In
Christ Relative To Eternal Life Forever As A Born Again Child Of God;
Temporal / Familial Forgiveness Is Provided For That Born Again Child
On A Moment To Moment Basis To Secure Temporal / Familial Fellowship
With God For The Oft Failing Child When He Inevitably Sins Again
Some contend that a child of God, born of God already has forgiveness
in Christ, (ref. Eph 1:7; 4:32; Col 1:14; 2:13) and does not need to
confess his sins or do something for forgiveness of his sins as he
commits them. But this point of view confuses the perfect / eternally
secure position which a Christian has in God's Son (by which he is
assured and even "seated... with Him in the heavenly realms" [Eph
1:13-14; 2:4-9]) with his temporal position before a Holy God as a
continually flawed individual in his mortal body on earth. What is
considered in 1 John 1:9 may be described as "temporal" or "familial"
forgiveness. It is perfectly understandable how a son needs to have his
father forgive and cleanse him of his faults while at the same time his
position within the family as a son is not in jeopardy.
This confession is not a deed but an admission, an acceptance of guilt.
And by this acceptance a child of God, born of God is forgiven by God
of all temporal sin to the point of the confession. ALL of the child of
God, born of God's daily sins up to the point of confession are
completely cleansed. This is like eternal salvation in that the
cleansing we receive is by accepting our guilt and trusting in God to
make it right - through the sacrifice of His Son for our sins. When
eternal salvation occurs our sins are cleansed for all eternity by
being promised a new nature - a new righteousness from Christ, (Rom
3:21-24). And when confession of sin occurs in a child of God, born of
God, that child of God, born of God's sins up to that moment are
cleansed relative to now being placed back into fellowship with God -
no longer under His discipline, (Hebrews 12:4-6) - no longer grieving
the Holy Spirit with sin, (Eph 4:17-30) - but throughout it all always
remaining a child of God forever - a born again child of God, (Jn
1:12-13). You are in fellowship with God your Father until you sin
again.
5) We Children Of God, Born Of God Including Apostles Must Be Vigilant
Of Our Own Sinfulness And Confess From Moment To Moment When An
Inevitable Shortcoming Is Revealed To Us In The Light Of God's Absolute
Righteousness
Note that as we children of God, born of God including apostles find
ourselves in fellowship with God as a result of confession to God, we
must still be prepared at all times to be conscious of the light of
God's Absolute Righteousness as well as ever vigilant of our own
sinfulness and confess from moment to moment when a shortcoming is
revealed to us in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness. So as long
as we walk in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness by
acknowledging His Holiness all the time, God will reveal to us our
failures in the Light of His Holiness; and when failure inevitably
happens we should confess it to restore our fellowship with Him.
6) In Order To Walk In The Light And Confess Known Sins, We Children Of
God, Born Of God Including The Apostles Are Commanded To Be Discerning
Of What Is Right And What Is Wrong - What Represents The Absolute
Holiness Of God And What Does Not. This Necessitates An Earnest Study
Of The Bible And A Constant Acknowledgment To God When One Does Not
Conform To The Standard Of God's Holiness
The more consistent our walk in the Light of God, the more we walk away
from those things which our sin natures move us to do such as refusing
to acknowledge the Perfect Light of God, denying we have an ever
present evil nature in our character and denying that we commit sins
all the time. All mental and physical activity which acknowledges a
Holy God distances us from activity toward the darkness in our temporal
lives. Note that the pursuit of walking in the Light of God's Absolute
Righteousness is enhanced by the pursuit of the knowledge of God
through study of the Word of God, such as what John wrote in his first
epistle.
In order to walk in the light and confess known sins to God, we
children of God, born of God including the apostles are commanded to be
discerning of what is right and what is wrong - of what represents the
absolute holiness of God and what does not. This necessitates an
earnest study of the bible and a constant acknowledgment to God when
one does not conform to the standard of God's holiness.
7) Confession Of The Child Of God, Born Of God Of His Sins Is A
Repentance / A Change Of Mind From Not Acknowledging His Sins To
Acknowledging Them Before God. This Does Not Require An Emotional
Reaction Such As Feeling Sorry, Although That May Occur; Nor Does It
Have In View A Repentance From Committing Acts Of Sin To Sinless
Perfection, Which Is Neither Possible With Mortal Sinful Man Nor Is It
In View In First John Chapter One
Confession of the child of God, born of God of his sins is a repentance
/ a change of mind from not acknowledging his sins to acknowledging
them before God. This does not require an emotional reaction such as
feeling sorry, although that may occur; nor does it have in view a
repentance from committing acts of sin to sinless perfection, which is
neither possible with mortal sinful man, nor is it in view in First
John chapter one.
a) Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E.
Vine, Revell Publishing, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1981, pp. 279-280),
defines the verb to repent:
"METANOEO, lit., to perceive afterwards (meta, after, implying change,
noeo, to perceive; [comes from the Greek noun] nous, the mind, the seat
of moral reflection), in contrast to pronoeo, to perceive beforehand,
hence signifies to change one's mind or purpose..." ).
So the Greek verb "metanoeo" = to repent relative to a child of God,
born of God being in fellowship with God means for him to change his
mind about willfully refusing to acknowledge that he has shortcomings in
his life before a Holy God to confessing them to God. Although the
basis for maintaining fellowship with God is simply one of
acknowledging Who God is - Absolute Righteousness and then by
confessing ones shortcomings before Him in the light of God's Absolute
Righteousness on a moment to moment basis. And the more a child of God,
born of God distances himself from repeating those shortcomings, the
greater the opportunity he has to enjoy the blessings of fellowship
with the LORD through confession.
8) Old Testament Provisions Of Confession For Forgiveness Of Temporal
Sins Of The Child Of God, Born Of God Indicate That There Are Blessings
From The LORD Provided To The Child Of God, Born Of God Who Confesses
His Sins
Compare what David, a believer, states in Psalm 32:5:
a) [Ps 32:1-11]:
(Ps 32:1 NASB) "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
(Ps 32:2 NASB) How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
(Ps 32:3 NASB) When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.
(Ps 32:4 NASB) For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My
vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
(Ps 32:5 NASB) I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not
hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'; And You
forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
(Ps 32:6 NASB) Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a
time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will
not reach him.
(Ps 32:7 NASB) You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
(Ps 32:8 NASB) I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
(Ps 32:9 NASB) Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no
understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in
check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.
(Ps 32:10 NASB) Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
(Ps 32:11 NASB) Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart."
The sacrifice of a goat or a lamb under certain Mosaic Law provisions
was meant to be a picture of an individual's acknowledgment to God of
certain sins committed which then results in God's forgiveness of those
'confessed' sins:
b) [Lev 4:27-35]:
(Lev 4:27 NASB) " 'Now if anyone of the common people sins
unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded
not to be done, and becomes guilty,
(Lev 4:27 NASB) if his sin which he has committed is made known to him,
then he shall bring forth his offering a goat, a female without defect,
for his sin which he has committed.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'The priest shall take some of its blood with his
finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all
the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was
removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall
offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD.
Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt
offering.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin
offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt
offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base
of the altar.
(Lev 4:27 NASB) 'Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of
the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the
priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by
fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in
regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.' "
Note that old testament saints were saved unto eternal life in the same
way by a moment of faith alone in Christ (the Messiah Savior) to come
alone except that they looked forward to the time of His provision for
their sins, (ref. Ro 4:1; Jn 3:16; Heb 11:4, 13); whereas church age
children of God, born of God look back in time, (Eph 1:3-2:9).
Fellowship with God for old testament believers came as a result of
confession and practice of various acts such as stipulated under Mosaic
Law, (cp Lev 4:3, 5:5; 5:15-19; Ex 30:19-21, 40:11-12, 30-31; Pr 28:13;
Ps 32:5).
c) [Compare Lev 5:1-6]:
(Lev 5:1 NASB) " 'Now if a person sins after he hears a public
adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or
otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.
(Lev 5:2 NASB) 'Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a
carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a
carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he
is unclean, and then he comes to know it, then he will be guilty.
(Lev 5:3 NASB) 'Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort
his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden
from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty.
(Lev 5:4 NASB) 'Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do
evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly
with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it,
he will be guilty in one of these.
(Lev 5:5 NASB) 'So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.
(Lev 5:6 NASB) 'He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for
his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a
goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his
behalf for his sin."
d) [Compare Pr 28:13]:
(Pr 28:13 NASB) "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
J) (1 Jn 1:10) IF WE SHOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SINNED - CLAIMING
PERIODS OF SINLESS PERFECTION - WE MAKE GOD OUT TO BE A LIAR AND HIS
WORD IS NOT IN US RELATIVE TO THIS MATTER
(1 Jn 1:10 NASB) "If we [should] say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."
The first phrase in verse 10, "If we [should] say that we have not
sinned" comprises the first clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement.
The Greek verb form "ean eipOmen" rendered "If we should say" is in the
aorist tense and the subjunctive mood conveys a completed action of
maybe we do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood of
objective possibility - a message of children of God, born of God's
potential of making a statement that they have not sinned - a potential
of claiming the experience of a period of sinless perfection. For the
Greek words "hEmartEkamen" rendered "we have not sinned" is in the
perfect tense conveying a moment in time when sinless action began in
the past and which continues through the present. This denial of
committing sin might even be a denial that we children of God, born of
God have ever or at anytime sinned. So if instead of confessing as sin
what the light of God has shown us to be sin, if we children of God,
born of God categorically deny the testimony of God's Word and the
message in our minds given to us by the Holy Spirit about our falling
short of the Absolute Righteousness of God, then the result will be as
stated in the second clause:
The second clause of the If-Then statement, "we make Him a liar and His
word is not in us," declares the result if we children of God, born of
God do say that we have not sinned then we make God out to be a liar
and His word is not in us, implying that God and His Word which
characterize all men as constantly sinful, committing sins all the time
without the possibility of moments of sinless perfection are liars. By
denying that testimony of God, we in effect charge God with
untruthfulness, untrustworthiness and evil. Note that the extant nature
from which comes sinful actions and the new born of God nature from
which comes godly righteousness have both been in view in the children
of God, born of God in First John up to this point.
My friend, you are looking at someone who
went all the way with the traditional interpretation and understanding of this
verse. As a young adult earnestly wanting to live a holy life and please God, I
started confessing my sins all the time when I received that teaching. I didn’t
want to spend even one minute not being “right with God.” So when just one
wrong thought crossed my mind, I would confess that sin immediately. I would
cover my mouth and whisper my confession, even if I was in the middle of a
soccer match with my friends!
Needless to say, I appeared weird to my
friends. I was also perplexed as to why my Christian friends weren’t confessing
their sins as I was. Why weren’t they serious about wanting to be 100 percent
right with God?
The constant, unceasing confession of my sins made me extremely sin-conscious. I became so aware of and troubled by every negative thought that I believed there was no more forgiveness for my sins. I even began to believe that I had lost my salvation and was going to hell! The enemy took advantage of my obsession with needing to confess every sin and placed me under constant condemnation. The oppression grew so heavy that I felt as if my mind was about to snap!
[BSM]
You
missed the context then and still miss it now!!!! The subject is
fellowship - temporal fellowship with God NOT eternal life or the
maintenance thereof!!! You do not maintain eternal life by constantly
confessing ALL OF YOUIR SINS MOMENT TO MOMENT TO MOMENT. THAT'S
IMPOSSIBLE!!! All sins are paid for 1 Jn 2:2 for all mankind,
and all sins past, present and future are forgiven unto eternal life
for the one who expresses a moment of faith alone in Christ alone, Acts
10:43. So you have eternal life no matter how you conduct your temporal
life. You are going to heaven whether you like it or not. Some
believers may even go kicking and screaming off to heaven. Note that
many misinterpret Ro 10:9-10 to require confession to
receive eternal life as well. Such is not the case. Check this out here
[JP]
I’ve
shared more extensively about my past
struggle with 1 John 1:9 and what the verse is actually about in my
book "unmerited favor".6 So let me give you just a quick understanding
of the subject
here:
• The first chapter of 1 John was not written to believers but to Gnostics who did not believe that Jesus came in the flesh, hence the uncharacteristic opening in the first epistle of John.7 There was no greeting to believers, unlike what we find in his second and third epistles. Instead, the apostle John opens up his first epistle with a direct address to the serious heresy of the Gnostics—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled” (1 John 1:1). John was telling them that Jesus had indeed come in the flesh, as he and his fellow disciples had heard, seen, and touched Jesus.
[BSM]
The first chapter of 1 John is written to believers not to Gnostics or any unbelievers:
1)
The stated purpose of 1 Jn 1:1-10, especially v. 3, is fellowship with God and His Son
for the readers and the apostles, i.e., all
believers. For only they have available to them a means for fellowship with God and
His Son, hence the first chapter and the entire epistle of First John
is written to believers, and no one else. Gnostics do not have the
means by which they can have fellowship with the apostles, believers
and most of all, God and His Son until they become believers by
expressing a moment of faith alone in Christ's propitiation alone for
their sins unto eternal life. Confession will not do it until they become believers.
Gnostics don't believe in the Christ of the Bible, so why would they
desire and confess their sins in order to have fellowship with the Christ of the Bible?
2) There is no mandate that John must always begin his writing in the same way. As a matter of fact the first three verses imply that the letter is addressed to believers and believers alone because only believers have available to them a means for fellowship with God and His Son. And the only kind of people God and His Son and the apostles desire to have fellowship with is believers:
a) [Compare 1 Jn 1:1-3 NASB]:
"1
Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that which we have
heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold
[in the sense of gazeed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life
was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1
Jn 1:3 NASB) what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so
that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
3) Just as John began his gospel and addressed Who God is and Who Jesus is - both God and man without someone deciding that his gospel was directed at Gnostics, so 1 Jn 1 addresses Who God is and Who Jesus is with a special messsage NOT TO GNOSTICS but to believers authenticating the apostles including John as authoritative in what they wrote because of their intimate personal even physical contact with Jesus in His Humanity and what He taught to them. So there is no need to restrict John's message to Gnostics or unbelievers.
[JP]
• It is only in chapter 2 of John’s first epistle that you see the phrase “My little children” for the first time, intimating that from that chapter on, the apostle John was addressing believers.
[BSM]
Chapter headings are artificial and may not indicate a change of audience / readership. As a matter of fact there is no change of readership evident in the context as previously stipulated above. For the context of chapter one cannot apply to unbelievers or Gnostics because having fellowship with the apostles, God and Jesus Christ is not an option until one becomes a believer. So unbelievers and Gnostics are not in view in chapter one at all.
Secondly,
the phrase "My little children" is not out of place at all. It is
obvious who chapter one of First John is addressing: believers only. And
the phrase rendered "My little children is well placed- an endearment
describing to whom the first chapter is written to: believers,
affirming that believers are in view in chapter one and ongoing.
[JP]
• The Gnostics also believed that they had no sin. So the apostle John was telling them that if they would acknowledge and confess their sins, God would forgive them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8–9).
[BSM]
Since the Gnostics believed that they had no sin why would John address 1 John chapter one to them!!! They are not interested in being told they are accountable to God or anyone for sinful behavior? It is obvious that chapter one is addressed to believers not Gnostics. Furthermore, believers are not perfect in this temporal life. Hence 1 Jn 1 addresses this fact - that those believers who claim to have not sinned are not telling the truth. Besides that, you don't get to acknowledge your sins and confess them [redundant] and receive forgiveness of sins and be cleansed from all unrightenousness unto eternal life. Confession is a work, it is proactive toward that end of forgiveness; and therefore cancels out God's grace of forgiveness, (Ro 11:6).
Your
reference to 1 Jn 1:8, which reads in the NASB, "If we [believers]
should say that we have no sin, we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is
not in us" is puzzling. Since Gnostics and many unbelievers do not
consider that they are accountable to God for any wrong doing, so what
if they say they have no sin. That's what they believe. And since they
are not believers in Christ for salvation unto eternal life, confession
will accomplish nothing in the way of forgiveness of sins that they
don't believe they have any to confess in the first place. This is
nonsensical.
[JP]
• The early Christians did not have the book of 1 John for some fifty years, so their getting “right with God” could not have been through the confession of sins.
[BSM]
Why not? Temporal forgiveness of sins through confession has been available for hundreds of years before the First Century. Besides that believers verbally conveyed the doctrines of the New Testament Bible from the beginning when the Church Age began, which included forgiveness of temporal sins unto fellowship with God and eternal sins unto eternal life, authenticating their oral teaching via miracles. Let's look at the 'Old Testament' period.
Compare what David, a believer, states in Psalm 32:5:
[Ps 32:5]:
"I [David] acknowledged my sin to Thee,
And my iniquity did not hide;
I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'
And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin."
Note that old testament saints were saved unto eternal life in the same
faith alone in Christ (the Messiah Savior) alone way except that they
looked forward to the time of the cross, (ref. Ro 4:1; Jn 3:16; Heb
11:4, 13); whereas church age believers look back in time, (Eph
1:3-2:9).
Fellowship with God for old testament believers came as a result of
confession and practice of various acts such as stipulated under Mosaic
Law, (cp Lev 4:3, 5:5; 5:15-19; Ex 30:19-21, 40:11-12, 30-31; Pr 28:13;
Ps 32:5).
[Compare Lev 5:5-6]:
(v. 5) "When anyone is guilty in any of these ways [vv. 1-4], he must confess in what way he has sinned
(v. 6) and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to
the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and
the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin."
The sacrifice of a goat or a lamb under certain Mosaic Law provisions
was meant to be a picture of an individual's acknowledgment to God of
certain sins committed which then results in God's forgiveness of those
'confessed' sins:
[Lev 4:27-35]:
(v. 27) "Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in
doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done,
and becomes guilty.
[i.e., becomes aware of his sin]
(v. 28) if his sin, which he has committed is made known to him, then
he shall bring forth his offering a goat, a female without defect, for
his sin which he has committed.
(v. 29) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
(v. 30) And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and
put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of
its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
(v. 31) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed
from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up
in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest
shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the
LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be
forgiven.
(v. 32) But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.
(v. 33) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and
slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt
offering.
(v. 34) And the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering
with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering;
and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the
altar.
(v. 35) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb
is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest
shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to
the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his
sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven."
[Compare Pr 28:13]:
"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
[JP]
• Apostle
Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the epistles to the churches, never once taught
on confession of sins. In fact, in his letter to the Corinthian Christians,
many of whom were committing sins like visiting temple prostitutes, he didn’t
tell them to go and confess their sins to get right with God. Rather he
reminded them of who they were in Christ—“Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16 KJV).
• Our
being “right with God” is not based on the imperfect confession of sins by
imperfect man, but on the riches of God’s grace and the perfect sacrifice of
His Son.
• Those
who believe that 1 John 1:9 is telling believers to confess their sin every
time they sin need to realize that every sin needs to be recognized and
confessed (otherwise, based on that verse, one is still unrighteous). You
cannot pick and choose what to confess or confess only the sins you remember.
And it is not humanly possible to confess every sin in thought, word, and deed.
• The word confess in 1 John 1:9 is the Greek word homologeo, which means “to say the same thing as” or “to agree with.”8 To confess our sins, therefore, is to say the same things about our sins as God does: that it is sin, and that our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:5). When you have sinned and realize you have sinned, true confession is agreeing with God’s Word and expressing your gratefulness to Him for the reality of your forgiveness in Christ.
[BSM]
"Expressing our gratefulness to Him [God] for the reality of our forgiveness in Christ" is NOT IN THIS VERSE! Stop addingto Scripture. This verse says confess what God brings to your mind - confess only those particular sins and we are forgiven of those sins we confessed and also purified from ALL unrighteousness relative to what sins we believers are commiting for the moment = all of the sins that are temporal. Eternal life is not in view, those sins have already been forgiven relative to eternal life - all of them past, present [temporal life] and future at the point of a moment of faith alone in Christ alone. The sins in view in this verse 1 Jn 1:9 are relative to temporal / day to day = temporal life for fellowship- not for eternal life. No where in the passage are words that indicate eternal life forgiveness.
Note
that the text indicates we believers confess those sins that we are
reminded of by God to have committed, whereupon God forgives us those
particular sins that He has reminded us of committing and then purifies
us from all unrighteousness, i.e., all sins that He has not reminded us of
committing. So individual acts of sins are in view and not original
sin!!!!! Nor eternal life.
So the Greek verb form "homologOmen" rendered "confess" is composed of
"homo" meaning the same, and "logOmen" meaning "we say" from the Greek
verb "lego," to speak. "HomologOmen" therefore means to say the same
thing back to God that the Holy Spirit is saying to us: The Holy Spirit
is bringing certain sins which we have committed to our attention - NOT EVERY SIN - which
we are to confess back to God. The verb is in the present tense
conveying a duration - a continuance in time which is dependent upon
how long a particular child of God, born of God has been committing certain
sins and has fallen out of fellowship with God as a result and is due to confess
his sins - those sins that God has brought to the believer's attention. The Greek phrase "ean homologOmen tas hamartias hEmOn"
rendered "If we should confess our sins," is the first part of a third
class If-Then statement. It is in the subjunctive mood conveying
objective possibility; i.e., maybe we children of God, born of God will
and maybe we won't acknowledge back to God what He is reminding us of
committing certain / particular sin(s)]
[JP]
[To the theologian, I want to share with
you a powerful revelation that the Lord has opened my eyes to. In my study, He
asked me to examine the word sins in 1 John 1:9 and to see if it is a noun or
verb in the original Greek text. Are you ready for this?
In the two instances where we see the word “sins” in 1 John 1:9, it is the Greek noun hamartia that is used. According to well-known Bible scholar William Vine, hamartia (“a missing of the mark”) indicates “a principle or source of action, or an inward element producing acts . . . a governing principle or power.”9 In other words, it refers to the sin principle, or our sinful state on account of Adam’s sin. By using the noun form of this word, John was clearly not referring to our committing of individual acts of sin, or he would have used the verb form, hamartano.
That’s why 1 John 1:9 is primarily a salvation verse, one that encourages the sinner to acknowledge and confess his sinful state or “sinnerhood,” get born again by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and have his sinful state through Adam replaced with a new righteous state through Christ. The heretical Gnostic doctrine did not subscribe to a belief in man’s sinful state. John was addressing this heresy directly in the first chapter of 1 John and encouraging the Gnostics to confess their sinful state and receive the Lord’s complete forgiveness and total cleansing from all their unrighteousness through His finished work at the cross.
[BSM]
This is an unwarranted restriction of the Greek definitions of both words "hamartia" and "hamartano" which have the available meanings which include act or acts of sin. The context of the passage demands acts of sin, because the last part of the verse indicates that God purifies the believer of all unrighteousness, i.e., all acts of sin beyond forgiveness of the sin(s) confessed. Certainly God is not purifying the believer of his sin nature, his sin principle that he inherited by birth from Adam. Surely he does not need to repeatedly purify himself of his sin principle, his sin nature, of which he has only one, not many. That will occur in his experience when he receives his resurrection body which will have no sin nature. For God has already forgiven the believer of all of his acts of sin relative to the reception of eternal life which his sin principle - his sin nature will ever produce. I have found no credible versions that hold to Joseph Prince's interpretation.
[JP]
In light of this, can you see how 1 John 1:9 is not talking about confessing our sins every time we sin in thought or in deed? John was speaking of the need to acknowledge and confess to God that we are sinners because of Adam’s sin, as well as to receive the total forgiveness for all our sins through Jesus’ finished work. How often do we need to do this? Only once.
[BSM]
I) (1 Jn 1:9) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD - APOSTLES INCLUDED -
SHOULD CONFESS OUR SINS - IN THE SENSE OF SHOULD WE CONSTANTLY
ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICULAR ACTS OF SIN WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD
INEVITABLY, CONSTANTLY COMMIT THAT ARE BROUGHT TO OUR MINDS BY GOD WITH
A VIEW TO HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS; THEN GOD IS FAITHFUL - ABSOLUTELY
TRUSTWORTHY AND RIGHTEOUS / JUSTIFIED IN FORGIVING OUR SINS WHICH WE
CONSTANTLY CONFESS. AND HE IS JUSTIFIED IN CONTINUALLY PURIFYING US
FROM ALL OF OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO TEMPORAL FELLOWSHIP ONCE MORE WITH
HIMSELF; FORENSICALLY JUSTIFIED BECAUSE THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS
SON PAID FOR THE SINS OF ALL MANKIND
(1 Jn 1:9 NASB) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous
to forgive us *our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." =
[*"our" in the phrase "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our
sins" is in 01Sinaiticus 04C, 044Psi 81 614 623 630 1505, 1852, 2464,
2495 - the best manuscript evidence for this variation. Although the
alternative reading has the Greek definite article "tas" rendered "the"
in lieu of "our," it is an article of previous reference, referring to
the first phrase in the verse, "If we confess .our sins." So the
meaning of "our" is implied. Hence either rendering suits the context
of the passage]
1) If We Children Of God, born of God - Apostles Included - Should
Confess Our Sins, Our Acts Of Sin (Plural) Which We Inevitably And
Constantly Commit Which Are Brought To Our Minds By God
"If we confess our sins" =
First John 1:7, which reads, "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself
is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with
another = with each of we children of God, born of God walking in the
light], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin," is
saying the same thing as "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" in verse 9. The issue in the phrase in verse 7 of
walking in the light is not a matter of walking with God through one's
own effort, which would be expressed differently as "walk according to
the Light." It is actually a matter of recognition of one's own
depravity - of recognition of one's incompatibility with the Absolute
Holiness and Righteousness of God, (1 Jn 1:5). It is not a matter of
repenting unto behaving better, as some contend; but a matter of
confessing one's sins.
So to walk in the light in order to be in fellowship with God is
further explained by author John in verse 9: "If we" [children of God,
born of God including apostles] "confess our sins" [in the sense of if
we should acknowledge to God particular sins God is bringing to our
minds which we are committing] "He [God] is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Greek verb form "homologOmen" rendered "confess" is composed of
"homo" meaning the same, and "logOmen" meaning "we say" from the Greek
verb "lego," to speak. "HomologOmen" therefore means to say the same
thing back to God that the Holy Spirit is saying to us: The Holy Spirit
is bringing certain sins which we have committed to our attention which
we are to confess back to God. The verb is in the present tense
conveying a duration - a continuance in time which is dependent upon
how long a particular child of God, born of God has been committing
sins and has fallen out of fellowship with God and is due to confess
his sins those particular ones. The Greek phrase "ean homologOmen tas hamartias hEmOn"
rendered "If we should confess our sins," is the first part of a third
class If-Then statement. It is in the subjunctive mood conveying
objective possibility; i.e., maybe we children of God, born of God will
and maybe we won't acknowledge back to God what He is reminding us of
committing particular sins.
The Greek noun "hamartias" in the phrase "tas hamartias hEmOn" rendered
"our sins" is plural, signifying acts of sin which we children of God,
born of God have committed. The singular form of sin which might
signify the sin principle / the sin nature is NOT in view.
2) And As We Children Of God, Born Of God Confess Our Particular Acts
Of Sin, The Character Of God Being Absolutely Trustworthy And
Absolutely Righteous, He Will Forgive Us Our Sins That We Have
Confessed And Purify Us From All Unrighteousness Unto Temporal
Fellowship Once More With Him. For God's Forgiveness And Cleansing Is
Forensically Justified Because The Blood Of His Son, Jesus Was Shed For
Us And For All Mankind To Pay For The Sins Of Mankind - for both the
temporal life of the believer and for eternal life for all who have
believed in His Son's payment of ones sins.
"He [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." =
Rather than continuing to deny that we are committing particular acts
of sin by not acknowledging them to God, Who is reminding us of our
falling short of His Absolute Righteousness, we children of God, born
of God - apostles included - are being given the opportunity to
acknowledge our sins freely back to God as we are committing them. Once
we confess our particular acts of sin which we have committed, the
character of God being Absolutely Trustworthy, (cf. Jer 31:34), and
Absolutely Righteous, (Ps 71:19); as promised, He will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness unto fellowship once more
with God including those sins which we confessing children of God, born
of God are not aware of; until God provides the next reminder of our
falling short of His Absolute Righteousness.
For as Scripture promises, God has always been and will be true to His
nature of being Absolutely Faithful and Trustworthy - fulfilling every
promise He makes. For "God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at
all," (cf. 1 Jn 1:5). God "is faithful" because He is Who He is:
Absolute Faithfulness. Consider especially the unfathomable gift of the
life of the Son of God promised to mankind throughout the ages and
faithfully dying on the cross and rising from the dead for our sins as
prophesied.
Children of God, born of God including apostles who confess known sins
are temporally cleansed of those sins which they have confessed;
whereupon they are also temporally cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Although no sin can go unpunished without impugning God's Perfect
Justice; and the mercy of God cannot be invoked without the justice of
God being satisified. We need not fear that God will refuse to forgive
because it would not be 'right' for Him to do so in the sense that no
payment was made to provide His temporal forgiveness. There is no compromise of
God's Absolute Righteousness when He does forgive the child of God,
born of God who confesses his sins to Him. For the sins of all mankind
have been atoned for by Jesus Christ for eternal forgiveness for any
who trust in that eternal provision, (becoming children of God, born of
God, 1 Jn 5:9-13); as well as for temporal forgiveness / cleansing of
sins - a familial forgiveness provided for those who are already
children of God, born of God: those of the family of God - those who
have believed in Jesus' name for eternal life, (Jn 1:12-13) - in order
to provide the blessings of temporal fellowship with a Holy God while
in their mortal bodies. So God is righteous in doing this, i.e., God is
judicially justified in cleansing us children of God, born of God of
all of our sins who confess them because He has made a grace provsion
for the temporal forgiveness / cleansing of sins through the shed blood
of His Son, Jesus Christ in temporal payment for all sins confessed and
unconfessed - activated for the times when any child of God, born of
God is walking in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness, (ref. 1 Jn
1:7; 2:2), by confessing his sins in order to provide fellowship with
God his Father.
The child of God, born of God is then cleansed of temporal sins on the
basis of what Jesus his Savior did for him on the cross. That child of
God, born of God, for the moment, is in fellowship with God, i.e.,
abiding in Christ until he violates a principle / command from God's Word again that he is reminded of to confess.
3) Since Confession Of Sins Is Never Connected In Scripture With The
Acquisition Of Eternal Life; And Since The Reception Of Eternal Life Is
Not Stipulated As A Result Of Confession, (But Temporal Fellowship Is);
And Since Eternal Life Is Always Conditioned Solely Upon A Moment Of
Faith Alone In Jesus Christ Alone Plus Nothing Else In Scripture; And
Since Unbelievers Are Not In View In First John Chapter One, (But
Children Of God, Born Of God Are); Then First John Chapter One Is Not
Giving Instruction To Unbelievers Or Children Of God, Born Of God On
How To Have Eternal Life Via Confession Of Sins.
Since confession of sins is never connected in Scripture with the
acquisition of eternal life. Other passages that have confession of
sins in view do not provide eternal life either; and since eternal
life is not so named as a result of such an action or any action in 1
Jn chapter one - directly or indirectly - but (temporal) fellowship of
children of God, born of God including apostles with one another and
God is, (vv. 3, 6, 7); and since eternal life is always conditioned
solely via a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone plus nothing
else throughout Scripture, (Jn 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 3:36, 5:24; 6:29, 35,
40, 47; 20:31; 1 Jn 5:9-13 ) - resulting in an irreversible spiritual
birth and an irrevocable promise of eternal life; and since there are
no requirements of an individual other than a one time expression of
faith in Christ and certainly no ongoing qualifiers built into God's
plan of salvation, (Eph 2:8-9; 1:13-14; Ro 11:29); and since
unbelievers are not in view in First John chapter one; then First John
chapter one is not giving instruction to unbelievers or believers on
how to have eternal life via confession of sins, as some contend.
4) Although A Child Of God, Born Of God Already Has Forgiveness In
Christ Relative To Eternal Life Forever As A Born Again Child Of God;
Temporal / Familial Forgiveness Is Provided For That Born Again Child
On A Moment To Moment Basis To Secure Temporal / Familial Fellowship
With God For The Oft Failing Child When He Inevitably Sins Again
Some contend that a child of God, born of God already has forgiveness
in Christ, (ref. Eph 1:7; 4:32; Col 1:14; 2:13) and does not need to
confess his sins or do something for forgiveness of his sins as he
commits them. But this point of view confuses the perfect / eternally
secure position which a Christian has in God's Son (by which he is
assured and even "seated... with Him in the heavenly realms" [Eph
1:13-14; 2:4-9]) with his temporal position before a Holy God as a
continually flawed individual in his mortal body on earth. What is
considered in 1 John 1:9 may be described as "temporal" or "familial"
forgiveness. It is perfectly understandable how a son needs to have his
human father forgive and cleanse him of his faults while at the same time his
position within the family as a son is not in jeopardy.
This confession is not a deed but an admission, an acceptance of guilt.
And by this acceptance a child of God, born of God is forgiven by God
of all temporal sin to the point of the confession. ALL of the child of
God, born of God's daily sins up to the point of confession are
completely cleansed. This is like eternal salvation in that the
cleansing we receive is by accepting our guilt and trusting in God to
make it right - through the sacrifice of His Son for our sins. When
eternal salvation occurs our sins are cleansed for all eternity by
being promised a new nature - a new righteousness from Christ, (Rom
3:21-24). And when confession of sin occurs in a child of God, born of
God, that child of God, born of God's sins up to that moment are
cleansed relative to now being placed back into fellowship with God -
no longer under His discipline, (Hebrews 12:4-6) - no longer grieving
the Holy Spirit with sin, (Eph 4:17-30) - but throughout it all always
remaining a child of God forever - a born again child of God, (Jn
1:12-13). You are in fellowship with God your Father until you sin
again.
5) We Children Of God, Born Of God Including Apostles Must Be Vigilant
Of Our Own Sinfulness And Confess From Moment To Moment When An
Inevitable Shortcoming Is Revealed To Us In The Light Of God's Absolute
Righteousness
Note that as we children of God, born of God including apostles find
ourselves in fellowship with God as a result of confession to God, we
must still be prepared at all times to be conscious of the light of
God's Absolute Righteousness as well as ever vigilant of our own
sinfulness and confess from moment to moment when a shortcoming is
revealed to us in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness. So as long
as we walk in the Light of God's Absolute Righteousness by
acknowledging His Holiness all the time, God will reveal to us our
failures in the Light of His Holiness; and when failure inevitably
happens we should confess it to restore our fellowship with Him.
6) In Order To Walk In The Light And Confess Known Sins, We Children Of
God, Born Of God Including The Apostles Are Commanded To Be Discerning
Of What Is Right And What Is Wrong - What Represents The Absolute
Holiness Of God And What Does Not. This Necessitates An Earnest Study
Of The Bible And A Constant Acknowledgment To God When One Does Not
Conform To The Standard Of God's Holiness
The more consistent our walk in the Light of God, the more we walk away
from those things which our sin natures move us to do such as refusing
to acknowledge the Perfect Light of God, denying we have an ever
present evil nature in our character and denying that we commit sins
all the time. All mental and physical activity which acknowledges a
Holy God distances us from activity toward the darkness in our temporal
lives. Note that the pursuit of walking in the Light of God's Absolute
Righteousness is enhanced by the pursuit of the knowledge of God
through study of the Word of God, such as what John wrote in his first
epistle.
In order to walk in the light and confess known sins to God, we
children of God, born of God including the apostles are commanded to be
discerning of what is right and what is wrong - of what represents the
absolute holiness of God and what does not. This necessitates an
earnest study of the bible and a constant acknowledgment to God when
one does not conform to the standard of God's holiness.
7) Confession Of The Child Of God, Born Of God Of His Sins Is A
Repentance / A Change Of Mind From Not Acknowledging His Sins To
Acknowledging Them Before God. This Does Not Require An Emotional
Reaction Such As Feeling Sorry, Although That May Occur; Nor Does It
Have In View A Repentance From Committing Acts Of Sin To Sinless
Perfection, Which Is Neither Possible With Mortal Sinful Man Nor Is It
In View In First John Chapter One
Confession of the child of God, born of God of his sins is a repentance
/ a change of mind from not acknowledging his sins to acknowledging
them before God. This does not require an emotional reaction such as
feeling sorry, although that may occur; nor does it have in view a
repentance from committing acts of sin to sinless perfection, which is
neither possible with mortal sinful man, nor is it in view in First
John chapter one.
a) Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E.
Vine, Revell Publishing, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1981, pp. 279-280),
defines the verb to repent:
"METANOEO, lit., to perceive afterwards (meta, after, implying change,
noeo, to perceive; [comes from the Greek noun] nous, the mind, the seat
of moral reflection), in contrast to pronoeo, to perceive beforehand,
hence signifies to change one's mind or purpose..." ).
So the Greek verb "metanoeo" = to repent relative to a child of God,
born of God being in fellowship with God means for him to change his
mind about willfully refusing to acknowledge that he has shortcomings in
his life before a Holy God to confessing them to God. Although the
basis for maintaining fellowship with God is simply one of
acknowledging Who God is - Absolute Righteousness and then by
confessing ones shortcomings before Him in the light of God's Absolute
Righteousness on a moment to moment basis, (1 Jn 1:7). And the more a child of God,
born of God distances himself from repeating those shortcomings, the
greater the opportunity he has to enjoy the blessings of fellowship
with the LORD through confession
8) Old Testament Provisions Of Confession For Forgiveness Of Temporal
Sins Of The Child Of God, Born Of God Indicate That There Are Blessings
From The LORD Provided To The Child Of God, Born Of God Who Confesses
His Sins
Compare what David, a child of God, born of God, states in Psalm 32:5:
a) [Ps 32:1-11]:
(Ps 32:1 NASB) "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
(Ps 32:2 NASB) How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
(Ps 32:3 NASB) When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.
(Ps 32:4 NASB) For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My
vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
(Ps 32:5 NASB) I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not
hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'; And You
forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
(Ps 32:6 NASB) Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a
time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will
not reach him.
(Ps 32:7 NASB) You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
(Ps 32:8 NASB) I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
(Ps 32:9 NASB) Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no
understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in
check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.
(Ps 32:10 NASB) Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
(Ps 32:11 NASB) Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart."
The sacrifice of a goat or a lamb under certain Mosaic Law provisions
was meant to be a picture of an individual's acknowledgment to God of
certain sins committed which then results in God's forgiveness of those
'confessed' sins:
b) [Lev 4:27-35]:
(Lev 4:27 NASB) " 'Now if anyone of the common people sins
unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded
not to be done, and becomes guilty,
(Lev 4:28 NASB) if his sin which he has committed is made known to him,
then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect,
for his sin which he has committed.
(Lev 4:29 NASB) 'He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
(Lev 4:30 NASB) 'The priest shall take some of its blood with his
finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all
the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
(Lev 4:31 NASB) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was
removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall
offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD.
Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
(Lev 4:32 NASB) 'But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.
(Lev 4:33 NASB) 'He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering
and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt
offering.
(Lev 4:34 NASB) 'The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin
offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt
offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base
of the altar.
(Lev 4:35 NASB) 'Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of
the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the
priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by
fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in
regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.' "
Note that old testament saints were saved unto eternal life in the same
way by a moment of faith alone in Christ (the Messiah Savior) to come
alone except that they looked forward to the time of His provision for
their sins, (ref. Ro 4:1; Jn 3:16; Heb 11:4, 13); whereas church age
children of God, born of God look back in time, (Eph 1:3-2:9).
Fellowship with God for old testament believers came as a result of
confession and practice of various acts such as stipulated under Mosaic
Law, (cp Lev 4:3, 5:5; 5:15-19; Ex 30:19-21, 40:11-12, 30-31; Pr 28:13;
Ps 32:5).
c) [Compare Lev 5:1-6]:
(Lev 5:1 NASB) " 'Now if a person sins after he hears a public
adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or
otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt.
(Lev 5:2 NASB) 'Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a
carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a
carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he
is unclean, then he will be guilty.
(Lev 5:3 NASB) 'Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort
his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden
from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty.
(Lev 5:4 NASB) 'Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do
evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly
with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it,
he will be guilty in one of these.
(Lev 5:5 NASB) 'So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned.
(Lev 5:6 NASB) 'He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for
his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a
goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his
behalf for his sin."
d) [Compare Pr 28:13]:
(Pr 28:13 NASB) "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
[JP]
Now, what does the apostle John say then, about our committing of sins after we’ve become believers? Just two verses later in the second chapter of 1 John, John answers this question as he begins his address to believers: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).This time, the words sin and sins are the
Greek verb hamartano. John is now referring to believers’ committing of
sins—their sinful thoughts and deeds. What does John say regarding this? He
reminds us that when we fail as believers, we have an Advocate with the
Father—Jesus Christ.
Because of our Lord Jesus and what He has
accomplished at the cross, we have forgiveness and we still stand righteous
before God even when we’ve missed it.
[BSM]
AGAIN
YOU HAVE MISSED IT! Go back to the first 3 verses and read again of the first chapter.
Believers' daily fellowship with God, not salvation unto eternal life
is in view. Then go to verse 7: If we believers walk in the light of
the Righteousness of God implying acknowledging when you as a believer
fall short of the Light, the Righteousness of God, the blood of Jesus
purifies us of all unrighteousness - unto FELLOWSHIP not unto eternal life. All
of this points to Jesus being an Advocate with the Father because He
paid for the sins of all mankind - payment for forgiveness of not only
sins relative to eternal life but also sins relative to fellowship of
the believer with God in their temporal lives. Don't you see the word
fellowship in v. 3?
C) (1 Jn 1:1-4) WHAT JOHN AND FELLOW APOSTLES HAVE SEEN AND HEARD THEY
PROCLAIM ALSO TO JOHN'S READERS / AND ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD
SO THAT THEY TOO MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND INDEED THE
APOSTLES' FELLOWSHIP IS WITH THE FATHER AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST,
WHICH FELLOWSHIP READERS / AND ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD MAY
HAVE AS WELL - THIS IS THE STATED PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE
(1 Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that which we have
heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold
[in the sense of gazed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life
was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1
Jn 1:3 NASB) "what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so
that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 Jn 1:4 NASB) These
things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." =
Of all the children of God, born of God John probably was the one who
could understand and appreciate what this kind of fellowship could
mean. He was one of the "inner circle," along with Peter and James, who
had enjoyed special privileges; for example, witnessing the
transfiguration of Jesus. He was very close to Jesus, possibly more
than the other apostles (note in 1:1 how he refers to that
relationship). He is referred to as "one of his disciples, whom Jesus
loved" (John 13:23) and sat next to the Lord at the Last Supper. But he
had enjoyed that fellowship for only a little more than 3 years; now he
could enjoy it continually through the Spirit.
So John wrote that through what he and fellow apostles have heard, seen
with their eyes, and gazed intently upon, and their hands have handled
have thereby attained, he proclaims should be the goal of his readers /
and all children of God, born of God - that through ones faith in Jesus
Christ - the Eternal Life - one may also have (Greek "echEte," present
tense), signifying having an ongoing fellowship with the apostles, (and
with all children of God, born of God). And indeed - all the more - the
fellowship that John and fellow apostles have with one another and with
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, all children of God, born of
God may also have with John and fellow apostles, with the Father and
His Son and with one another - all part of the unity of all children of
God, born of God through their faith in Jesus Christ.
[The First Epistle of John, Walking in the Light of God's Love, Zane
Hodges, Grace Evangelical Society Publishers, Irving, Texas, 1999, pp.
51-52]:
"[The phrase rendered] "fellowship with us" into which author John
invites the readers involves sharing the apostles' own "fellowship ....
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." This is a stunning
claim. The author of the epistle is stating that he is part of a circle
so intimate with God that if one has "fellowship with" his circle, one
also has "fellowship with" God "the Father and with His Son!" But the
claim is no more amazing than the one he also makes in 4:6: "We
[apostles] are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God
does not hear us."
The modern world, with its skepticism and unbelief, has virtually lost
its respect for apostolic authority. To the modern and postmodern
scholar, the apostles were mere creatures of their own, prescientific
age.
Their viewpoints have no more authority than the modern mind feels
willing to grant them, and the enlightened scholar of today always
knows more than these 'ignorant and unlearned' men did.
But the biblical point of view is different. In the Christian faith,
all claims to truth must be tested at the bar of apostolic authority.
What the apostles said as representatives of a Risen Lord carried all
the authority of the Lord Himself. To refuse to hear the apostles was
to refuse to hear God Himself. In the same way, to be "out of
fellowship" with apostolic thought and practice was to be "out of
fellowship ... with the Father and the Son." There is no form of true
Christian "fellowship" outside of apostolic truth, since the New
Testament message is nothing more nor less than the truth which the
Lord Jesus revealed to His apostles and which He commanded them to
teach to us (John 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20).
[Note that a diligent study of Scripture, whether New Testament or Old
Testament, in accordance with proper rules of language, context and
logic results in a message from the apostles and Old Testament authors
that is non-contradictory throughout, that perfectly fulfills every
detail of prophecy so far, that has no spelling, grammatical,
geographical or historical errors that can be substantiated; hence
Scripture throughout corroborates the testimony of each of the apostles
and each of the Old Testament authors as wholly reliable]
[Hodges, cont.]:
It is noteworthy, however, that in offering to share the apostolic
experience with his readers, John mentions only "that which we have
seen and heard." He does not repeat two ideas found in verse 1, namely,
"which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled." The word
translated "looked upon" (Greek: etheasametha) can suggest "the thought
of attentive, careful regard, as in Mt 11:7. Since here this word
follows the more common word, "seen," it is likely that John intended
the more intensive sense, as we might say, "which we gazed at." Of the
four words in verse 1 ("heard... seen... looked upon ... handled"), the
first two, which are repeated in verse 3, are in the Greek perfect
tense, while the last two, not repeated in verse 3, are in the aorist
tense.
Although commentators are often guilty of overrefinement in handling
the Greek tenses, the change of tense in verse 1 appears to be
deliberate. The thought of "sharability" most likely underlines this
shift of tense. In this context the verbs in the perfect imply the
ongoing sharability of the experience of the apostles, while the two
aorist verbs carry no such connotation. This explains why, in the
present verse, [1 Jn 1:3], John speaks only of "that which we have seen
and heard" as the basis of his shared "fellowship" with the readers.
Thus the apostles really could not share the experience of "gazing at"
and "handling" the manifested Life. But they could share whatever was
"seen" or "heard." And while all Christian "fellowship" with God must
lie within the parameters of what the apostles saw and heard, the
apostolic experience as a whole cannot be fully shared in this life. We
must wait until we are in the presence of the Lord to "gaze at" or
"handle" Him! But that is clearly something to look forward to."
The Greek word "koinOnian" rendered "fellowship" in vv. 3 and 6 means
having communion with one another with an emphasis on the closeness of
the relationship - a readiness to share. This "koinOnian" is a sense of
unity amongst all the children of God, born of God with and through God
the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ - the Eternal Life.
1) [Compare Phil 2:1-8]:
(Phil 2:1 NASB) "If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if
there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
(Phil 2:2 NASB) make my joy complete by being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
(Phil 2:3 NASB) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important
than himself;
(Phil 2:4 NASB) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
(Phil 2:5 NASB) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
(Phil 2:6 NASB) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
(Phil 2:7 NASB) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
(Phil 2:8 NASB) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross."
[Hodges, cont.]:
"This is a supernatural life that was disclosed to author John and his
fellow apostles in the incarnate Jesus Christ to His chosen apostles.
lt is the Eternal Life that comes from the Father and becomes the
eternal life which is shared individually and corporately by the
company of children of God, born of God. It is what causes the oneness
of faith - because the faith is the same for all: in Christ alone unto
eternal life.
Note that the words "fellowship with us" precede in the text the words
"fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." This is
evidently a reminder that there can be no fellowship with the Father or
with the Son that is not based on the content of the apostolic witness.
So John stresses "fellowship with us" as having priority in time.
So the purpose of John's letter is stated in these first three verses:
to inform his intended readers / and all children of God, born of God
that just as the apostles were in fellowship with one another and God
the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, so the readers / and all
children of God, born of God may also have fellowship with them and the
Father and His Son.
If one has fellowship [Greek: "koinOnia," singular] with God the Father
and His Son Jesus Christ (1:3), then one will have "koinOnia" with
other children of God, born of God who have this same relationship to
God (1:6, 7). And if fellowship does not exist between children of God,
born of God, then any claim to have fellowship with God is invalid. The
converse, though not stated, would also be true: True human "koinOnia"
is impossible apart from "koinOnia" with God."
Hence the issue is not about salvation unto eternal life, as some
contend, but it is about having author John's readers / and all
children of God, born of God having fellowship with the apostles and
with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. For author John's
intended audience is children of God, born of God who are already
secure in their salvation whom he calls "My little children:"
2) [Compare 1 Jn 5:9-13]:
(1 Jn 5:9 NASB) If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of
God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified
concerning His Son.
(1 Jn 5:10 NASB) The one who believes in the Son of God has the
testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a
liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given
concerning His Son.
(1 Jn 5:11 NASB) And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
(1 Jn 5:13 NASB) These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal
life."
Note that 1 Jn chapter 5:9-13 confirms that believing in the Son is all
that is required in order to have eternal life. So the epistle of First
John is addressed to children of God, born of God - those who know they
have eternal life because they know that they have believed in the Son
of God for it.
Furthermore, the following four passages indicate that the intended
readership of First John is described by the phrase, "My little
children" a descriptive term for children of God, born of God:
3) [Compare 1 Jn 2:1]:
(1 Jn 2:1 NASB) "My little children, I am writing these things to you
so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;"
The first part of 1 Jn 2:1, "My little children, I am writing these
things to you so that you may not sin," further establishes to whom the
First Epistle of John was written. Since 'unchildren' of God, 'unborn'
of God are hopelessly enslaved to sin, (Ro 6:17, 20); and since only
children of God, born of God therefore would be in a position to not
sin; then the intended audience of this epistle must be children of
God, born of God, as author John described as "My little children."
This is further confirmed by the final phrase of 1 Jn 2:1, "And if
anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
Righteous," which confirms that children of God, born of God are in
view in this passage; for those who are not children of God, born of
God first must become children of God, born of God in Jesus Christ in
order to have Him as an Advocate with God the Father when they do sin.
4) [Compare Jn 1:12-13]:
(Jn 1:12 YLT) "But as many [individuals of His own creation, (Jn
1:11a)] as did receive Him to them He gave authority to become sons
[lit., children] of God - to those believing in His name"
5) [Compare 1 Jn 3:1-2]:
(1 Jn 3:1 NASB) "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this
reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB) Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not
appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will
be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
6) [Compare 1 Jn 2:12]:
(1 Jn 2:12 NASB) "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake."
Note that only children of God, born of God have the status wherein
their sins are forgiven them relative to eternal life, (cf Acts 10:43).
So the subject of the first epistle of John is the exhortation to the
reader / children of God, born of God to live a holy and righteous life
resulting in fellowship with God.
This could not apply to what one must do to receive eternal life since
acting righteously, i.e., keeping God's commandments, etc., are not
part of receiving eternal life, (1 Jn 5:9-13 ); nor are they absolutely
trustworthy - they are untrustworthy at best, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
D) (1 Jn 1:1-4) THE EPISTLE OF FIRST JOHN WAS WRITTEN TO COUNTER THOSE
ERRORS WHICH GO AGAINST THE TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE IN ORDER TO KEEP
READERS - ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD - ABIDING IN THE TRUTHS THEY
HAVE LEARNED. AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY SO THAT ALL CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN
OF GOD MAY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE APOSTLES AND WITH GOD THE FATHER
AND WITH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST; SO THAT THE JOY OF THE READERS /
CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD AS WELL AS THE APOSTLES' JOY MIGHT BE
COMPLETE. THE APOSTLES' JOY WOULD RESULT BECAUSE OF THE SPIRITUAL
WELL-BEING OF THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST
(1 Jn 1:1 YLT) "That which was from the beginning, that which we have
heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold
[in the sense of gazed intently upon], and our hands did handle,
concerning the Word of ... Life - (1 Jn 1:2 NASB) and [indeed] the Life
was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the
Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us - (1
Jn 1:3 NASB) what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you *also, so
that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 Jn 1:4 NASB) These
things we write*, so that our joy** may be made complete."
[JP]
As the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian believers who had failed that they were still the temple of the Holy Spirit, John reminds us of who we are in Christ? This is not to encourage us to sin but to encourage us to look to our Lord Jesus, to see our sins punished at the cross, and to live victoriously and gloriously for Him. That is what true repentance is all about—turning to the cross, and returning to His grace! When you fail today, know that you can talk to God honestly about your failing, but do it with a revelation of the cross of our Lord Jesus. See your sins punished in His body and receive afresh His forgiveness and unmerited favor to reign over your sins.
[BSM]
Don't
you get it!!!!! In the context of committing sinful acts in the
temporal / Christian life, to return to the grace of God for a believer
IS to return to God's fellowship when we sin in the temporal life. That
is what Paul is talking about here. Paul is not talking about returning
to the grace of God relative to salvation unto eternal life. That was
already and forever established at the point of faith alone in Christ
alone when they became believers. When Paul writes of the short comings
of the Corinthian believers the implication is that they acknowledge
their sins, i.e, confess them to restore their fellowship with God -
not restore their salvation!!!! And that restoration is solely by the grace of God. That's the context isn't it???? - the
same as in 1 Jn chapter one!!! To do it with a revelation of the cross
of our Lord Jesus is precisely what John is writing about in 1 Jn 1:7: "If
we believers walk in the light of
the Righteousness of God implying acknowledging when you as a believer
fall short of the Light, the Righteousness of God, the blood of Jesus
purifies us of all unrighteousness - unto FELLOWSHIP not eternal life - all by the grace of God."
The believer whether sinning or not sinning - his eternal life is
eternally secure.
[JP]
DO WE CONFESS OUR SINS UNDER GRACE?
[BSM]
The
question, "DO WE CONFESS OUR SINS UNDER GRACE?" is nonsensical, not in
the bible and should be ignored. It is not clear what this question is
intended to mean. One might confess his sin such that God will not
graciously forgive those sins such as if one is an unbeliever, a
gnostic, of if the confession is not accurate or real. If it does not
appear in Scripture
then it should not be addressed as if it were. There is no passage that
explains the answer to this foolish question. Now if one is a believer
and he is confessing legitimate sins, then God will forgive those sins
and purify the believer from all unrighteousness - that's called grace
and it is based God's Son's propitiation for the sins of all mankind -
that's the grace of God.
[JP]
Once, when I was preaching in Italy, a prominent psychiatrist to whom I had been introduced shared with me something heartbreaking. He told me that he has counseled many sincere Christians who are living defeated lives, some even in mental asylums, because they believe that being right with God hangs on their ability to confess every sin.
[BSM]
By
now you must understand that God is not asking the believer to confess
every sin in order to be right with God for eternal life. You confess
the same thing
that He, God, brings to mind which is evidently NOT every sin and He forgives those sins and purifies
the believer from all unrighteousness unto temporal fellowship and
blessings in this life - eternal life having been secured forever at
the point of faith alone in Christ alone.
[JP]
My friend, can you see how dangerous this teaching is? Without the assurance of complete forgiveness, these believers are sin-conscious, burdened with guilt and shame, condemned by the enemy, joyless, and totally insecure about their salvation.
[BSM]
Learn
to read: "fellowship" is the issue not assurance of eternal life.
Assurance of eternal life is clearly explained throughout God's Word
based on a moment of faith alone in Christ alone no matter what
And it does not involve being sin-conscious, burdened with guilt and shame, condemned by the enemy, joyless,
and totally insecure about their salvation.
[JP]
Yet the truth is that every believer has total forgiveness in Christ, whose eternal blood keeps on cleansing them from all sin. The moment they know this truth, heaven comes into their souls, as it did for Frances Havergal, a famous nineteenth-century hymn writer.10 And the effect this produces in their lives is not a desire to go out and sin, but a desire to live a life that glorifies their Savior. He who knows that he is forgiven much—forgiven of all, actually—will love much (Luke 7:47 NLT).
[BSM]Wrong again. There are no guarantees that a believer will have a desire to live a life that glorifies their Savior; or that he who knows that he is forgiven will love much. No where in Scripture is this guaranteed. The epistles indicate that believers must study to show themselves approved, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and depending upon their response they will be provided with rewards and / or discipline depending upon their faithfulness.
[JP].
We confess our sins knowing we are already forgiven, not to be forgiven.
So is Joseph Prince against a Christian’s confessing his sins? Let me say this clearly: I do believe in the confession of sins and I do confess my sins still. But there’s a big difference now—I confess my sins knowing that all my sins are already forgiven. I don’t confess my sins to be forgiven. Because I have a close relationship with my heavenly Father, I can be honest with Him when I’ve done wrong. I can talk to Him about it, receive His grace for my weakness, and move forward knowing full well that He has already forgiven me through His Son’s sacrifice. And I no longer worry about the fact that I can’t possibly confess every sin, because I know it’s not my confessions that save me, but the blood of Jesus.1 Jn 1:9 does not stipulate that ones sins are already forgiven even before one confesses them. The question arises then why confess them at all if they are already forgiven. And suppose the believer stubbornly refuses to admit the wrong doing, will they still be forgiven? What scripture says must not be tampered with. Your statement about 1 Jn 1:9 is nonsensical. God is not a nonsensical God - and He does not need you to correct Him.
1 Jn 1:9 says what it says and it is not to be tampered with regardless how close a relationship you think you have with the Father. Instead of obeying what 1 Jn 1:9 says, you do not have the latitude to change what God has provided for you to do to receive forgiveness and purification of all unrighteousness - nor change that the subject is restoration of fellowship of believers with God, and not about salvation of Gnostics or unbelievers. You also imply that you have to confess every sin, yet you stipulate that you cannot confess every sin, therefore it seems you don't confess like you think the verse is saying. That's not honest, it's deceptive. Actually, the verse does not stipulate that you have to confess every sin, only those sins God brings to your mind and He will forgive those sins and purify you from all unrighteousness. Finally, you still don't get the fact that 1 Jn 1:1-10 is all about restoring fellowship with God, not about keeping your eternal life intact.
[JP]
Beloved, our forgiveness was purchased perfectly with our Lord’s precious blood. It is not contingent on how perfectly we are able to confess our every sin. How can our forgiveness be dependent on the consistency, frequency, and quality of our confessions? That is bound to fail! Our forgiveness is dependent upon our faith in the quality of our Lord’s sinless blood that was shed at the cross. There is a world of difference between these two bases for our forgiveness, and it results in a world of difference to your peace of mind!
[BSM]
You
are drawing unwarranted conclusions about this passage in 1 Jn 1:9. It
is God's
grace to forgive your confessed sins and purify you from all
unrighteousness relative here to restoration of fellowship with God -
NOT ABOUT ETERNAL RESTORATION!! There is no requirement to confess our
every sin or
to confess each sin
perfectly in order to maintain your salvation in view. Your assessment
of your
peace of mind is not evident in the context of this passage either.
Your words, "the
more conscious you are of how forgiven you
already are in Christ, the more you will truly live above every
defeat," is no where in the Bible. The principle is not one of the
believer living above every defeat, but of God's grace of getting you
through every moment of your life despite your defeats and
not your not being defeated. Though the believer is weak, God is strong
and He promises the believer not to give the believer more than he can
handle
[Compare 1 Cor 10:13 NASB]:
"No
temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and
God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you
are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
so that you may be able to bear it."
[JP]
TRUE GRACE TEACHES PROGRESSIVE
SANCTIFICATION
Now, I understand there are ministers who are genuinely worried that when the truth of the gospel is told like that, people will take advantage of their total forgiveness in Christ and lead godless lives. They are worried that such teaching places no emphasis on sanctification or the desire to live holy, God-glorifying lives. This is a misconception, because true grace does teach progressive sanctification.
[BSM]
Believers
do have total forgiveness of sins unto eternal life and by the (true) grace of God. Nevertheless they may choose to
live godless lives or commit sins all the time, (Ro 6:1-2). As a matter of fact
they do commit sins all the time, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).
[JP]
Let me state clearly that while a believer has been justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus, it is also true that sanctification is ongoing in his growth as a Christian. This is why the author of the book of Hebrews says that we are “being sanctified” even though we have been “perfected forever” by Christ’s one act of obedience at the cross (see Heb. 10:14).
[BSM]
When
a believer has been justified he is not made as Righteous as God is in
his
experience - in his temporal body and life. He has been declared
Righteous by God which is a positional truth not an experiential truth
YET until he is transformed at resurrection. So he is not Righteous in
his behavior in this life. He has not yet been made Righteous. After
all he still has a
sin nature so he can't be righteous in this life while he has that
nature intact in himself, albeit the control of the sin nature has been
broken, he still may choose to sin and he does, (1 Jn 1:8, 10)!!
Note
that Heb 10:14 stipulates the following: "For by one offering He
[Jesus] has
perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." There is no
stipulation here that there will be much progress, even moments of sinless
perfection in the temporal lives of believers. But there is
implied a
final result of sinless perfection, albeit not in the temporal life
when all individuals still have a sin nature to which all succomb to
all the time, (1 Jn 1:8, 10). Romans chapters six
and seven make this very clear:
Just look at Ro 6:1-2 which says, "What
shall we say then, shall we go on sinning
so that grace may increase? By no means. Far be the thought such ones
as we - who died to sin. How shall we any longer be living in it?"
Notice that although we believers died to sin in the sense of being
freed from sin's absolute control over our lives, we still have the opportunity
to choose to let sin control us once again, and again, moment to moment in our
lives because the sin nature still lives within us always there
tempting each one of us to consider and do sinful acts. But the grace
of God still covers that sin. It does not give us believers power to
break free of that sin. Nevertheless, it is our choice to endeavor to
do
so. And as you
continue to study Romans chapters 6 and 7 especially, the temporal life
is indeed a struggle between the sin nature within us and the inner man
and the Holy Spirit. Although believers are being sanctified as
Scripture indicates, it is still true that the evidence shows that
believers cannot claim to be without sin at any time as it says in 1 Jn
1:8-10.
Take a look at this excerpt from my study on 1 John:
H) (1 Jn 1:8) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD INCLUDING APOSTLES SAY
THAT WE HAVE NO SIN - IN THE SENSE OF HAVING NOT COMMITTED A SINGLE SIN
WITH A PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME IN VIEW, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH
IS NOT IN US - AND NEITHER FOR THE MOMENT IS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
(1 Jn 1:6 NASB) "If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him
and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth; (1 Jn
1:7 NASB) but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we
have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each
of we children of God, born of God walking in the light], and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn 1:8 NASB) If we
[should] say that we have no sin, we [deceive] ourselves and the truth
is not in us." =
[Variant "the truth of God" in some miniscules and syr - little
support, unnecessarily expanded the word "truth." The shortest reading
is best]
After enlightening children of God, born of God in 1 Jn 1:5-7 on how to
have fellowship with God by their unceasing acknowledgment that God is
Perfect Light / Absolute Righteousness, and by unceasing acknowledgment
that they constantly fall short of His Absolute Righteousness and need
unceasing cleansing of their sins by the blood of Jesus God's Son;
author John returns in 1 Jn 1:8 to children of God, born of God'
(including apostles') tendency - even those who have a consistency of
being in fellowship with God, to deceive themselves when they falsely
consider themselves free of committing acts of sin; when they falsely
think that they do not need continuous cleansing from "the blood of
Jesus Christ."
The first phrase in verse 8, "If we [should] say that we have no sin"
comprises the first clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The Greek
words "ean eipOmen" rendered "If we [should] say" is in the aorist
tense and the subjunctive mood, conveying a completed action of maybe
we do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood of objective
possibility conveys a message of children of God, born of God
potentially making a statement that they have no sin, [sin, singular
conveying that the child of God, born of God no longer bears present
guilt for some particular sin - any sin*]" For the Greek words
"hamartian ouk echomen" rendered "we have no sin" is in the present
tense conveying a moment in time in that present period of time when one thinks there is not a single
sin that one can be held accountable for in a timeframe they falsely
perceive as one of sinless perfection.
*Although the sin nature, the principle of sin that pervades all mortal
humanity except Jesus Christ is present even in children of God, born
of God including the apostles; nevertheless the phrase rendered "we
have no sin," in the NASB does not refer to the presence of the sin
nature / the sin principle within one, as some contend. For the Greek
phrase transliterated "ouk echomen hamartian" lit. "sin not we have"
and rendered "we have no sin" in the NASB, occurs elsewhere in the New
Testament in John's Gospel, (cf. 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11). In all these
places, the obvious meaning is to bear present guilt for some
particular sin - any sin, implying that the phrase rendered "we have no
sin," in 1 Jn 1:8 implies the false idea that a child of God, born of
God experiences moments of sinless perfection.
A child of God, born of God may not be conscious of any acts of sin in
his life, or maintain that he no longer has a sin nature which produces
acts of sin; or he may think that he has overcome his sin nature with
his new nature via the indwelling Holy Spirit for a period of time in
order to achieve moments of sinless \ perfection. Some might even falsely
contend that they are beyond the categories of good and evil because
they possess the Spirit of God or have achieved some kind of spiritual
transcendance. But whatever one thinks does not contradict the fact
that while in one's mortal body, one nevertheless has a sin nature,
commits sin all the time, and constantly falls short of the glory of
God - His Absolute Righteousness all the time - children of God, born
of God including apostles (as well as all unbelievers). This is clearly
and repeatedly conveyed in Scripture, (1 Jn 1:10; even admitted to by
the apostle Paul after he became a child of God, born of God and an
apostle: ref. Romans chapter 7 ).
The second clause of the If-Then statement contains two phrases, "we
[deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It declares the result
of when we children of God, born of God do say that we have no sin: we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." It brings out into the
light those children of God, born of God who have wilfully hidden their
mentalities from the sphere of light in which God dwells - the sphere
of His Absolute Righteousness, which sphere man cannot attain under his
own auspices in his mortal life. He needs the grace of God to declare
him forgiven and purified from all unrighteousness in the moment - that
moment in which he actually confesses sins that God brings to his mind
- NOT EVERY SIN!!, (1 Jn 1:9). This is man's typical self deception -
his arrogance - which serves to puff himself up to think that he has
committed no sin for a period of time - that he has no sin nature or
has overcome it if he is a child of God, born of God with the new
nature within him that the Holy Spirit has provided. The Greek word
"heautous" rendered "ourselves" is the first word in the second clause,
"we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It is in an
emphatic position emphasizing that such a self deception is deliberate
and willful, bearing no resemblance to the truth, nor to innocence.
Such
children of God, born of God are in danger of becoming progressively
delusional and evil as the timespan that they claim to be without sin
increases.
So when children of God, born of God feel close to God, they should
nevertheless remember that a closeness with God, i.e., genuine
fellowship with Him is not due to their being free of sin - without
acts of sin being committed by them, or by some kind of feeling based
on emotion or some unbiblical idea. Fellowship with God only comes to a
child of God, born of God via confession to God Who is Light / Absolute
Righteousness, and out of the grace of God because of the shed blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, which cleanses us from all sin, (1 Jn 1:7).
Fellowship does not result from how good the child of God, born of God
behaves or feels but how much more he is focused upon God's Absolute
Righteousness as compared with the evil nature of his own thoughts,
words and deeds which he acknowledges to God.
[JP]
As believers, we cannot become more
righteous, but we can become more sanctified or holy in terms of how we live
our lives.
[BSM]
Nonsensical. At the point of faith alone in Christ alone, believers have been declared Righteous with a capital 'R' indicating God's perfect Righteousness, not relative human righteousness which the latter is always contaminated with some kind of evil, (1 Jn 1:8, 10).9. So in God's eyes all believers are viewed by God but not actually in their experience as Righteous as God is Righteous because God has promised to transform all believers into beings that are indeed in their experience as Righteous as God is - without sin at the point of resurrection. So to say we cannot become more righteous as God is Righteous is nonsensical and nowhere in Scripture. No one can become more righteous than God!!!!! If you would only stick to Scripture you would be a benefit to mankind.
So believers in this mortal life are always failing to be
Righteous, falling far short of the glory of God. So it is a work in
progress via study of the Word, following the leading of the Holy
Spirit and confessing known sins to maintain a better record of
faithfulness / righteousness - but never a moment of sinless perfection.
[JP]
Justification by faith happened
instantaneously. The moment we received Jesus, we were forgiven, cleansed,
perfected in righteousness, and saved.
[BSM]
Indeed justification by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone happened instantaneously but only in the sense that God declared the believer to have His Righteousness - a positional truth not an experiential one - to be experiential at resurrection. And the moment we received Jesus in the sense of believed in Him, (Jn 1:12-13) we were forgiven of our sins unto eternal life; and cleansed of all unrighteousness relative to eternal life, but not cleansed of all unrighteousness relative to how we conduct our lives in this temporal life. And we have NOT BEEN PERFECTED YET IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. We have been declared Righteous but our experience does not reflect an experiential Righteousness moment to moment in our temporal lives. Nevertheless, at that moment of faith alone in Christ alone we were saved forever unto eternal life. But it would be better to refer to Scripture and explain the words in God's Word that convey this message. That you did not do and your message is confusing. When you say "Justification by faith happened instanteously" why not go to a passage in Romans chapter 3.
Compare [Ro 3:21-24]:
(v. 3:23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God,
(v. 3:24) and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
A) RECEIVING A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE, THE
GOSPEL, IS ACCOMPLISHED APART FROM HUMAN DOING, HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN THROUGHOUT
THE AGES AND IS TESTIFIED AS SUCH IN SCRIPTURE
(v. 1:16) "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile. (v. 1:17 NKJV) For in the gospel [an eternal]
righteousness from God is revealed [in one to mankind] from faith to faith,
[i.e., out of ones belief in the gospel to faithfulness in ones life to that
belief] just as it is written: 'The righteous [one] by faith will live.' (v.
3:21) But now an eternal righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." =
Receiving a righteouseness from God unto eternal life, the
gospel, is accomplished apart from human doing, has been made known throughout
the ages and is testified as such in Scripture. The phrase "apart from
law", literally "without law", ("chOris nomon") is
without the definite article pointing to a quality of law, not a specific law
like the Mosaic Law. So the phrase "chOris nomon" = "without
law" means without any set of rules of human doing, not limited to the
Mosaic Law. It refers to the reception of an eternal righteousness from God
unto eternal life apart from, i.e., to the exclusion of any human doing. Verse
1:17 refers to an eternal righteousness from God being revealed in the gospel.
Hence verse 3:21: "But now an eternal righteousness from God apart from
law has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify" is
directly related to the gospel and its proclamation to the world. The phrase
"an eternal righteousness from God...has been made known" in v. 3:21
has in it the verb "has been made known," rendered from the Greek,
"pephanerOtai," which is in the perfect tense. The perfect tense
signifies a completed action (in the past) of providing information as to the
reception of the righteousness of God, (the gospel, ref. 1:17), with an ongoing
result of that action in the present. In effect this is an ongoing proclamation
of the gospel throughout the ages largely through the testimony of Scripture.
The phrase "the Law and the Prophets" is a phrase which was established
in the past to refer to the entire Old Testament Scriptures, the Law referring
to the Pentateuch and the Prophets referring to the rest of the OT books. It is
thus declared in 3:21 that an eternal righteousness from God, (the gospel),
apart from law, i.e., apart from human doing, has been made known throughout
history to which Scripture testifies.
XI) [Ro 3:21-24]:
(v. 3:22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
(v. 3:23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God,
(v. 3:24) and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
A) RECEIVING A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE, THE
GOSPEL, IS ACCOMPLISHED APART FROM HUMAN DOING, HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN THROUGHOUT
THE AGES AND IS TESTIFIED AS SUCH IN SCRIPTURE
(v. 1:16) "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile. (v. 1:17 NKJV) For in the gospel [an eternal]
righteousness from God is revealed [in one to mankind] from faith to faith,
[i.e., out of ones belief in the gospel to faithfulness in ones life to that
belief] just as it is written: 'The righteous [one] by faith will live.' (v.
3:21) But now an eternal righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." =
Receiving a righteouseness from God unto eternal life, the
gospel, is accomplished apart from human doing, has been made known throughout
the ages and is testified as such in Scripture. The phrase "apart from
law", literally "without law", ("chOris nomon") is
without the definite article pointing to a quality of law, not a specific law
like the Mosaic Law. So the phrase "chOris nomon" = "without
law" means without any set of rules of human doing, not limited to the
Mosaic Law. It refers to the reception of an eternal righteousness from God
unto eternal life apart from, i.e., to the exclusion of any human doing. Verse
1:17 refers to an eternal righteousness from God being revealed in the gospel.
Hence verse 3:21: "But now an eternal righteousness from God apart from
law has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify" is
directly related to the gospel and its proclamation to the world. The phrase
"an eternal righteousness from God...has been made known" in v. 3:21
has in it the verb "has been made known," rendered from the Greek,
"pephanerOtai," which is in the perfect tense. The perfect tense
signifies a completed action (in the past) of providing information as to the
reception of the righteousness of God, (the gospel, ref. 1:17), with an ongoing
result of that action in the present. In effect this is an ongoing proclamation
of the gospel throughout the ages largely through the testimony of Scripture.
The phrase "the Law and the Prophets" is a phrase which was established
in the past to refer to the entire Old Testament Scriptures, the Law referring
to the Pentateuch and the Prophets referring to the rest of the OT books. It is
thus declared in 3:21 that an eternal righteousness from God, (the gospel),
apart from law, i.e., apart from human doing, has been made known throughout
history to which Scripture testifies."
[JP]
We were also sanctified in Christ (see
Heb. 10:10). However, it is important to understand that the revelation and
outworking of our sanctification in Christ is progressive. This means that the
more we grow in our relationship with the Lord Jesus, the more holy we will
become in every area of our lives.
The Word of God proclaims that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). So be wary of any counterfeit grace teaching that says behavior, discipline, correction, and right living are not important. The revelation of forgiveness does not detract from, nor is it at the expense of, right living. Instead, it is the fuel that makes right living happen.
[BSM]
Sanctification means to set apart for special use or purpose. So to be sanctified in Christ as a result of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all means to be set apart as an actual member of the body of Christ, the Church to serve Him as directed by Him implying being absolutely Righteous - in sinless perfection once the process of sanctification process is completed - evidently when resurrection comes, (1 Jn 3:2; Phil 3:20-21).
Compare 1 Jn 3:2
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
So
the declaration by God of being sanctified in Christ comprises God's
declaration of an individual's status with God so far as He is
concerned and has promised us that we will
become in our actual experience at resurrection.
And Heb
10:10 NASB reads, "By this will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." So the believer's
sanctification, his being set apart to God is as a result of the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Final sanctification, however, will not occur until resurrection.
On the other hand, the statement by Joseph Prince or the equivalent, "However, it is important to understand that the revelation and outworking of our sanctification in Christ is progressive," does not appear in Scripture. The word revelation is not clearly explained. If it means that in this mortal life it will be revealed that believers will achieve sanctification, i.e., sinless perfection; then the idea of such a revelation is unscriptural. Although many passages focus believers on taking steps toward leading better Christian lives, believers have a sin nature which constantly leads them astray, (1 Jn 1:8, 10; Ro 6:1ff). Sanctification in this mortal life is not guranteed to occur in a progressive manner or in any manner at all. There will not be moments when a believer can claim not to have sinned, (1 Jn 1:8, 10). And Joseph Prince's statement, "However, it is important to understand that the revelation and outworking of our sanctification in Christ is progressive. This means that the more we grow in our relationship with the Lord Jesus, the more holy we will become in every area of our lives," is not guaranteed. There will be moments when the believer will progress albeit imperfectly and moments when the believer will backslide. Complete sanctification will occur at resurrection, (1 Jn 3:2; Phil 3:20-21).
[JP]
Merriam-Webster Online describes sanctification as “the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after conversion.”11 You see, it is all about growing in grace. We should encourage our people today to establish themselves in the gospel of grace. Paul told Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1). Peter encouraged believers to build a strong foundation with these closing words in his last epistle: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).
[BSM]
The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines sanctification in more than one way.
Let's start with the available definitions of the verb to sanctify according to the Merrian-Webster Online dictionary:
1) to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use: CONSECRATE
2) to free from sin: PURIFY
and
there are other meanings as well which do not meet the context as well
as what we have here. You can check the rest of the meanings out to see
if what I say is accurate.
None of these meanings necessarily includes what you stated “the state of growing in divine grace as a result of
Christian commitment after conversion.” Not only do you add to Scripture but you even add to the dictionary!!!!
The
dictionary does NOT have the word sanctify or sanctification include
the concept of growing in divine
grace as a result of Christian commitment after conversion. The bible
teaches that sanctify means to set apart for a particular purpose
depending upon the context that the word sanctify or sanctification
occurs. And it does not require that one must commit to being
sanctified after conversion, albeit it is commanded of a believer - but
there are no guarantees and there is no assurance any believer reaches
perfect sanctification / sinless perfection in their mortal lives, (1
Jn 1:8, 10).
So sanctification means to set apart for special use or purpose. So to be sanctified in Christ as a result of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all means to be set apart as an actual member of the body of Christ, the Church to serve Him as directed by Him implying being absolutely Righteous - in sinless perfection once the process of sanctification process is completed - evidently when resurrection comes, (1 Jn 3:2; Phil 3:20-21).
Compare 1 Jn 3:2
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
So
the declaration by God of being sanctified in Christ comprises God's
declaration of an individual's status with God so far as He is
concerned and has promised us that we will
become in our actual experience at resurrection.
[JP]
True grace always produces true holiness.
The more one grows in grace—the more one
is washed again and again by the water of the word of God’s grace—the more one
grows in sanctification and holiness. When our people experience the true grace
of our Lord Jesus, the allure and passing pleasures of sin fade in the light of
His glory and grace. And they begin to live victorious over the power of sin.
[BSM]
The phrase "true grace" does not appear in the Bible. Grace does not need the word "true" attached to it to be grace. It is either grace or it is not grace. There is no false grace. Your definition / description does not make sense. Grace by itself without any modifying words appears many, many times and almost always it is connected to God and how He largely operates with man. A correct, i.e., true definition of grace means "unmerited favor." It almost all of the time refers to God providing unmerited blessings, favor toward an individual such as temporal blessings, temporal deliverance from something, temporal forgiveness unto fellowship for an individual for confession of sins committed, eternal forgiveness unto eternal life for those who believe in His Sons' payment for their sin to that end.
So the point being made that "TRUE GRACE TEACHES PROGRESSIVE SALVATION' is nonsensical. Grace does not teach anything, nor do the words "PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION" appear in Scripture, albeit the concept is present. It is better to go to Scripture and do a thorough study of the matter, of which an excerpt of a study on the subject from Grace Evangelical Society appears below with a more thorough approach to the subject.
So if the words 'TRUE GRACE' occur in the Bible, and they do not, they have in view God's unmerited blessing / favor toward another. If it may result in progressive sanctification in a particular individual solely out of that individual's own effort to grow in the faith unto sinless perfection at the end of that individual's life [note that Scripture does not indicate that that will occur]; nevetheless it does not teach anything that merits such benefit - without teaching anything. Note that no one will reach a stage anything close to sinless perfection until they see Jesus as He is - in the next life.
But God's grace in this life is not to provide our gloriously transformed resurrection bodies to us. That comes in the next life, (1 Jn 3:2 & Phil 3:20-21 quoted below). Our moment of faith alone in Christ alone has provided eternal life as our immediate present tense possession along with the promise, not the experience, of an incorruptible body which will be received in the next life - which comes when we go to be with Jesus at Rapture time:
Compare Phil 3:20-21 NASB
20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 Who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."
Compare 1 Jn 3:2 NASB
(1 Jn 3:2 NASB "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
So the word sanctification means to set apart for something, the context of the passage it is located in will establish the details of that setting apart. The believer for example has been set apart to salvation unto eternal life, having received immediate possession of eternal life at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone + nothing else. Whereupon his ongoing efforts toward sanctification or lack thereof in his temporal life depends upon a number of factors:
****** EXCERPT ON STUDY OF SANCTIFICATION FROM GRACE EVANGELICAL SOCIETY ******
Sanctification – Part 4: Man’s Role in Present Sanctification
September 1, 1994 by Bob Wilkin in Journal Articles
https://faithalone.org/journal-articles/mans-role-in-present-sanctification/
I. Introduction
This is the article of a study on present sanctification begun in the
previous issue. In the last article we considered God’s role in present
sanctification. In this one we will consider man’s role.
Present sanctification is also called progressive or experiential
sanctification. Present sanctification concerns the goal of the
Christian life: progressive increase in the believer’s experience of
holiness.
Some extreme Calvinists actually believe that Christians have no
personal role in their own sanctification. I remember a conversation I
had years ago with a young man just about to enter the pastorate. We
were talking about progressive sanctification. He told me that the
growth of believers, and even the amount we sinned, was all determined
by God. He was convinced that we could do nothing to effect our growth
either positively or negatively!
Years later I debated an educator who was preparing men and women for
ministry. The topic of our discussion was saving faith. He, too, was
advocating the view that man has no role at all to play in his growth
in holiness.
In the course of the debate I asked him, “If God is totally in charge
of our present sanctification and we have absolutely nothing to do with
it, why do we ever sin?” He had a clever, though in my estimate
unpersuasive, explanation.
He told the story of his grandfather’s Model A Ford. It seems it had a
bent frame. As long as you held onto the wheel, it would track straight
ahead. If, however, you let go, even for a moment, the car would
sharply and immediately veer off the road. So it is, he said, with the
Christian life. God “lets go” of our lives from time to time to show us
how much we need Him. He then soon retakes control of our lives so that
we don’t sin very much!
These are not the views of a select few. These two individuals
represent quite a number of pastors, theologians, and laypeople today.
Not only have I personally met many others who hold this view, I often
receive questions from people who have been approached by people
promoting it.
The idea that present sanctification is solely a work of God, that man
has absolutely no active role to play, is unbiblical and unhealthy. We
don’t need to sin in order to see our need for the Lord. Surely in
eternity, when no believer will ever sin, we will never lack awareness
of our need for Him.
A few months ago I had lunch with a man who is on the staff of a very
large and very affluent church. He said that it is sometimes hard
working with very powerful people. He said, only partly in jest, that
the attitude of many of those powerful people is that while they hope
God will bless what they are doing, if He doesn’t, they can bring about
the desired result without Him!
As I pointed out in the previous article, present sanctification is
impossible apart from God’s work in the lives of believers. A balanced,
biblical perspective is that both God and the believer play a role in
present sanctification. The role of man is just as clear in the Bible
as the role of God. The Scriptures clearly and repeatedly show that the
believer has an active role to play in present sanctification. A
passage like Phil 2:12-13 brings this out well:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation1
with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will
and to do for His good pleasure.
The following are a listing of but a few of the many texts which call
upon the believer to take an active part in his Christian experience:
John 14:15: If you love Me, keep My commandments.
1 Cor 9:27: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,
lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.2
Heb 13:1-5: Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain
strangers, Remember the prisoners, Fornicators and adulterers God
will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with
such things as you have.
James 1:22: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…
1 Pet 1:16: Because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
1 John 2:28: And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He
appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His
coming.
The idea that believers have no role to play in their own
sanctification is not only unbiblical. It is also unhealthy. It
certainly leads people to doubt whether they are saved since according
to this view if you fail to persevere you prove that you were never
saved in the first place. That, in turn, leads to despair. To know that
hell is real and yet to lack certainty that we are eternally secure is
terrible. Some respond to the despair by doing what their view says
they can’t: trying harder. Others respond to it by giving up. After
all, if it’s all up to God, what difference does it make what I do?
Man has a role to play in present sanctification. It is not an
independent role. Apart from God taking the initiative and giving us
“all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3), no growth
would take place. However, since God has done this, believers can
respond. It is to that response that we now turn our attention.
What follows are a number of specific things which God has commanded
believers to do. They are important aspects of the believer’s
responsibility in present sanctification. Our success or failure in
carrying out these commands has a definite impact on our progress in
the faith.
II. The Believer’s Responsibilities in Present Sanctification
A. Living by Faith
Believing in Christ is a condition of both justification and present
sanctification. On the one hand, only those who believe in Christ are
regenerate (John 3), and only regenerate people can experience present
sanctification. On the other hand, it is possible for a believer to
take his or her eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher
of our faith (Heb 12:2). In order to continue to grow as a Christian,
we must continue to look to our Savior. While we are eternally secure
from the moment we trust Christ (John 5:24; 10:27-29; Rom 8:38-39),
that does not mean that our faith will never falter.
Galatians 2:20 includes a statement about the need for ongoing faith in Christ. It reads:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me
(emphasis added).
Likewise, 2 Cor 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (emphasis added).
The portions italicized highlight an important aspect of present
sanctification which many believers underestimate or ignore: continuing
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The path of righteousness begins
and ends by grace through faith. If our faith falters, so, too, does
our progress in holiness.
Ultimately, of course, believers are commanded to believe all aspects
of God’s truth. When people become Christians they believe that Jesus
Christ freely gives them eternal life. They know that they have eternal
life because they trust His promise (e.g., John 6:47). However, that
does not mean that they either know or believe everything the Bible
says.3 They need to read and study the Bible so they can come to know
and believe more and more of what it contains.
While there are thousands of vital truths to be believed in Scripture,
most believers recognize a handful of basics, or fundamental truths
(often called the Fundamentals). These include the deity of Christ, His
virgin birth, His literal bodily resurrection from the dead, His Second
Coming, and the inerrancy of Scripture. For a person who has been a
Christian for years to stray from the truth on one of these subjects,
even if he or she remains clear on the Gospel itself, is a major
problem. Compare, for example, 2 Tim 2:17-18, which concerns doctrinal
defection regarding the future resurrection of our bodies, 2 Thess
2:1ff., which deals with defective thinking on Christ’s Second Coming,
and Gal 2:11ff., which reports an occasion in Antioch when Peter and
Barnabus withdrew from the Gentile believers there and would not eat
meals with them.
Zane Hodges writes:
Let there be no mistake. The failure of one’s faith is a grim
possibility on the field of spiritual battle. To deny this is to be
spiritually unprepared for the enemy’s assault.
But equally, to acknowledge it is not in any way an invitation to fall
prey to satanic falsehoods—far from it. The Commander still challenges
us to stand firm against our foe. He still commands allegiance to His
truth.4
B. Being Baptized
Some denominations and groups overemphasize baptism by making it a
requirement for eternal life. That view is called baptismal
regeneration. Scripture rejects such a view since it teaches that the
only condition of eternal life is believing the Gospel (cf. John 3:16;
5:24; 6:47: 11:25-27; 20:30-31; Acts 10:43-48; 1 Cor 1:17).5
[The content of that belief is that Jesus Christ paid for our sins - the sins of all mankind]
Other denominations and groups go to the other extreme and
underemphasize baptism by rarely practicing it or talking about it. At
one time I was a member of a large conservative church which was solid
on the Gospel but weak on baptism. Baptism was almost never mentioned
from the pulpit and baptismal services were rarely scheduled. I recall
only a handful of people being baptized over the course of five years.
Sometimes a whole year would go by without one baptism being conducted.
Before He ascended to heaven, our Lord Himself taught that baptism is the first step in discipleship:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you. . . (Matt
28:19-20).
Note what He told the apostles to do in order to make disciples: (1)
baptize and (2) teach. The words translated “baptizing” and “teaching”
are participles in Greek as well as in the NKJV. They are
circumstantial participles expressing the manner in which the command
they modify (make disciples) was to be carried out.6 This, of course,
presupposes that they would evangelize (cf. Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). The
apostles were to baptize and teach those who came to faith in Christ.
On the day of Pentecost the apostles began carrying out the command to
make disciples. They baptized and began teaching those who came to
faith as a result of their preaching that day. The apostles baptized
3,000 people on the Church’s birthday (Acts 2:41). Then they set about
to teach them. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in
prayers.”
Baptism is more than a public confession of our faith in Christ. It is
also an indication that a person is entering into discipleship.7 Thus,
while baptism is not a condition of eternal life, it is nonetheless
important. It is an important first step on the road of present
sanctification. To avoid being baptized is to disobey the Lord’s
command and to miss out on an vital element of our Christian experience.
C. Counting the Cost
One cannot read the teaching of Jesus on discipleship without
recognizing that discipleship is costly. To follow Christ on the path
of obedience is to pay a price.
Putting it another way, present sanctification extracts a price. To
grow significantly as a Christian we must make a decision at some point
in our Christian experience: Is it worth the cost to follow Christ? Am
I willing to suffer for Him? Am I willing to give up my time, money,
pleasures, friends, family, or whatever it takes to do what He says
(cf. Luke 14:26-33)? Ultimately to be a wholehearted disciple of Christ
we must be willing to give up everything we have and hope to have,
including not only our possessions, but also our reputations, our
comforts, and our time. Jesus said, “Whoever of you does not forsake
all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).
Lordship Salvation advocates claim that unbelievers must count the cost
of discipleship and decide if they are willing to pay the price in
order to obtain eternal life. In his book Christ’s Call to
Discipleship, James Montgomery Boice has a chapter entitled “Counting
the Cost” (pp. 105-14). There he gives the following answer to the
question “What [is] the minimum amount of doctrine or belief a person
[has] to have to be a Christian?”:
The minimum amount a person must believe to be a Christian is
everything, and the minimum amount a person must give is all. I say,
“You must give it all. You cannot hold back even a fraction of a
percentage of yourself. Every sin must be abandoned. Every false
thought must be repudiated. You must be the Lord’s entirely” [italics
in original].8
I am deeply saddened to read such a terrible distortion of the Gospel
of God’s Grace. To confuse justification and present sanctification is
a grievous error. It hinders unbelievers from being saved since it
presents them with a badly garbled gospel.
God requires that we count the cost of discipleship repeatedly. In Rom
12:1 Paul urged the believers in the church at Rome to “present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service.” That every believer needs to do this daily is
suggested by the context and by other passages of Scripture. Romans
12:2 goes on to speak of the need to be transformed by the renewing of
one’s mind—surely something which must be done repeatedly. Likewise, in
Luke 9:23 Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me…let him take
up his cross daily” (emphasis supplied).
I went to school with a young man of Arab descent who grew up in the
Middle East. When he trusted in Christ, he had to count the cost of
following Christ immediately. He knew that if he submitted to Christian
baptism, his family would disown him. He counted the cost and was
baptized. As he had feared, his family then disowned him. They
considered him as a dead man. They would not have anything more to do
with him. I was touched by his level of commitment. It encouraged me to
be ready to pay any price in my walk with Christ.
D. Receiving Christian Instruction
Closely related to counting the cost is getting involved in Christian
instruction. The Scriptures plainly teach that present sanctification
requires education. There is no such thing as instant spirituality. One
does not “arrive” in the Christian life at the point of faith—or at
some significant point of commitment, either. Growth takes time plus
obedience to what God has said. And to learn what God has said takes
instruction.
The apostle Peter ended his second epistle with these words:
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you
also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of
the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
Peter’s readers knew that growing in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior requires Christian instruction (cf. 1 Pet 4:10-11;
5:1-5; 2 Pet 1:12-15; 3:16).
The normal place for Christian instruction is the local church. Paul
instructed Timothy to teach “faithful men who will be able to teach
others also” (2 Tim 2:12). Likewise, Paul told Titus: “Speak the things
which are proper for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). The sound doctrine
Paul had in mind was not merely doctrine about salvation, the Lord
Jesus, the Holy Spirit, eschatology, and the like. He clearly also had
the doctrine of the Christian walk in mind, for he went on to speak of
the need to be sober, reverent, temperate (v 2), not given to much wine
(v 3), loving one’s spouse and children (v 4), and so forth.
There are many ways in which a person can receive instruction,
including hearing the Word taught on Sunday morning and Sunday evening,
Sunday school, training union, participating in Bible study groups,
reading commentaries and books, listening to tapes, and attending a
Christian College, Bible College, or seminary.
Unfortunately, today some people define discipleship so narrowly that
they unwittingly discourage certain meetings of the church. I was an
elder in a church where the issue of Christian instruction and
discipleship became a topic for extended board discussion. The pastor
felt that the only real Christian instruction and discipleship took
place in small groups that met outside the church building (in homes
and restaurants, for example). He did not think that meetings in the
church, such as Sunday School, the preaching service, the Lord’s
Supper, seminars, conferences, or special classes, were elements in
discipleship!
Many believers today receive a major part of their Christian
instruction through parachurch groups such as Christian colleges,
seminaries, on-campus Christian organizations, Overseas Christian
Servicemen Centers, prison ministries, and others. This is not
unbiblical, for all of those outreaches should be designed to assist
the local church, not to rival or supplant it. However, care must be
taken that a person doesn’t begin to view his involvement in a
parachurch organization as replacing his need for local church
involvement.
One growing problem is that church attendance and involvement is
dropping off for members of conservative churches. A generation or two
ago it was common for Christians to go to church at least three times a
week: Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. Sadly some
conservative Christians today are not even in church three times in a
month.
Commenting on the importance of corporate worship on Sunday, Charles
Ryrie writes, “To neglect the Lord’s Day is to slight Him, to blunt the
testimony to His resurrection, and to miss the benefits of the ministry
and protection of corporate worship” (italics added).9
Christian instruction is a lifetime proposition. You can’t end your
education prior to going to be with the Lord without calamitous
results. Anyone who thinks that he no longer needs instruction is sadly
mistaken.
E. Abiding in Christ
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”
(John 15:5).
One’s Christian experience is at its heart a personal relationship.
While there are commands to be obeyed, it is wrong to think of walking
with Christ as some legalistic exercise. He cares whether we obey His
commands or not because it pleases Him when we do and grieves Him when
we don’t (cf. 2 Cor 5:9; Eph 4:30).
On several occasions God has changed the commandments. In the Garden of
Eden there were only a few commands: tend the garden, be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth, and don’t eat the fruit of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil. Once Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden,
two of those commands were no longer in force. Under the Mosaic Law
there was a host of laws for purification and many sacrifices that we
no longer are obligated to obey (though we are obligated to apply those
timeless principles which they taught, Rom 7:12; 2 Tim 3:16-17).
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who
believes” (Rom 10:4).
What is timeless is that God delights in the obedience of His children.
He is deeply grieved by things like idolatry (which he calls playing
the harlot!—cf. Jer 2:20; 3:6; Ezek 16:20ff.), taking His name in vain,
immorality, haughtiness, lying, false measures, etc. He wants His
children to live like children of God—which is what believers are (John
1:12).
In Romans 7 Paul teaches that if a Christian focuses on the
prohibitions he will likely fail to obey God. Being obsessed with
commands is the path to disobedience and despair, not to obedience and
joy (7:13-24). Rather, Paul goes on to say, we must focus on Christ
Himself (7:25). By looking to Him, we can find the motivation and
strength we need to obey.
Witness a small child at play in the home of a stranger. What do wise
parents do when their child begins to play with things in that home
which are dangerous or fragile? They do not recite a set of rules to a
one year old. Instead, they divert the child’s attention to something
else which is safe. So, too, when a child of God is tempted to sin, he
or she needs to look to Christ. By contemplating Him, we regain proper
focus and the appeal of the temptation diminishes.
This is one of the main reasons why the Lord gave us His Supper. We are
to contemplate Christ as we eat the bread, drink the fruit of the vine,
and hear the Word taught (cf. 1 Cor 11:23-33; 14:26-39). Regular
participation in the Lord’s Supper in a contemplative environment can
do wonders for one’s walk with Christ.
We can contemplate Christ in many other ways as well: prayer, Bible
reading and Bible study, fellowship, witnessing, and meditation on
Scripture. Contemplation of Christ is not some great mystery reserved
for monks and recluses. All believers can and should regularly
contemplate Christ.
Our aim in life should be “to be well pleasing to Him” (2 Cor 5:9). Our
allegiance is not to a cold set of rules. It is to a Person, the Lord
Jesus Christ (Col 3:24). We are obeying a Person who loves us and whom
we love (1 John 4:19: “We love Him because He first loved us”).
Attitude is a key element in man’s role in present sanctification. Our
attitude should be an abiding determination to obey our loving Lord.
F. Feeding on God’s Word
Present sanctification relies heavily on regularly partaking of God’s
Word. After all, God communicated with us so that we might know how to
obey Him and that we might be continually motivated to do so.
The Psalmist said to God, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I
might not sin against You” (Ps 119:11). Paul instructed Timothy, “Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not
need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).
Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2). The Lord Jesus, citing Deut 8:3,
said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).
Many churches are moving away from verse-by-verse Bible exposition and
replacing it with string-of-pearls sermons which merely touch on a text
briefly and then, like the prodigal son, depart to a far country. I
think that this is a dangerous trend. Illustrations and applications,
while important, should not become the heart of messages.
Take a look at the Christian books which are popular today. Self-help
books do well. Commentaries and books on theology, however, do not. In
fact, it is not uncommon to go into a Christian home and find few if
any commentaries or books on doctrine.
I am not suggesting that preachers and teachers should eliminate
illustrations and applications. What I am saying, however, is that a
vital element in discipleship is learning from the Scriptures.
Well-chosen illustrations and applications can help us understand and
apply the text. However, it is the Word of God which is of primary
importance.
The Word of God is profitable for reproof, correction, teaching, and
training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16-17). It is vital, then, that we
take it in, chew on it, and allow it to transform our way of thinking
and acting (Rom 12:1-2). This can be done by reading (I like reading
through the entire Bible in a year using a one-year Bible), study,
memorization, meditation, and listening to it being taught.
Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote:
It is as His Word abides in the believer that he is in the place of
spiritual achievement (John 15:7). There is little hope for victory in
daily life on the part of those believers who, being ignorant of the
Word of God, do not know the nature of their conflict or the
deliverance God has provided. Over against this, there is no estimating
the sanctifying power of the Word of God. Our Savior prayed, “Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).10
G. Praying
God delights in the prayers of His children (Psalm 147; Rev 5:8;
8:3-4). In the words, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11),
it is clear that God wants us to daily beseech Him to meet our needs.
The apostle Paul commanded the Thessalonian believers, and through them
all believers, to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). He was asking
them to do something which was characteristic of his life (e.g.,
“without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,” 1 Tim
1:3). Daniel made it a practice to pray three times each day, even when
he knew it might well cost him his life in a lion’s den (Dan 6:10). So,
too, did David (Ps 55:17).
Regular, daily prayer takes discipline and concerted effort. It is
sadly possible for a believer to go through the whole day and not speak
to God even once. This should not be. Prayer is a vital aspect of man’s
role in present sanctification.
In fact, part of our prayer life should be directed at praying for our
own sanctification (Ps 32:6; Matt 6:13; 26:40-41; 1 John 1:9; Jude 20)
and for that of others (2 Cor 13:7; Eph 3:14-21; Phil 1:9-11; 1 Thess
5:25; 2 Thess 3:1-2; 1 Tim 2:1ff.). We should beseech God to give us
strength to control our tongue, to stay free of bitterness,
covetousness, envy, jealousy, and immorality, and to walk in a manner
pleasing to Him.
I know someone who is a prominent figure in the Gospel debate who has
been widely attacked in print for his strong advocacy of the Free Grace
position. All who know him recognize him as a man who not only believes
in grace but who also lives it. He has indicated that he is convinced
the reason he has not become bitter in the face of all the harsh words
thrown at him is because every day he asks God to keep him from
bitterness.
Prayerlessness makes us vulnerable to temptation (cf. Matt 6:13; 26:41)
and works against our growth. Prayer is the linchpin of present
sanctification. Neglect prayer and the wheels may come off your
spiritual cart!
H. Stirring One Another Up to Love and Good Works
Hebrews 10:24-25 reads:
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the
manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you
see the Day approaching.
Assembling together with other believers is a biblically mandated way
“to stir up love and good works” on the part of the believers present.
A person who comes each week to a church where God’s Word is clearly
taught in a loving, caring environment is not likely to fall away from
the Lord. Rather, as the author of Hebrews says, that typically has the
effect of stirring one up to love and good deeds. Or, stated
oppositely, one who stays away from the assembly of the local church
runs the real risk of backsliding in his or her Christian experience.11
To walk with God one must assemble together with other believers to
partake of the Lord’s Supper, to be taught, to be exhorted, to pray, to
sing, and to worship. The group may be large or small. Size is not the
point.12 Assembling regularly with other believers in a local church is.
I. Witnessing
God wants all believers to share the Gospel with unbelievers. While
only some Christians have the spiritual gift of evangelism, all are
called on to evangelize. Compare Matt 10:32-33; Mark 16:15; 2 Cor 5:20.
That last verse indicates that all Christians are ambassadors for
Christ.
Believers who think that their growth will not suffer if they fail to
share their faith are sadly mistaken. Witnessing helps us grow in the
faith in many ways. It causes us to study God’s Word more so that we
can answer the questions which we are asked. It moves us to pray for
the lost and to pray for new believers. It keeps ever before us the
fact that we are strangers and aliens in this world.
When someone trusts Christ through our witness, we are encouraged. If
we then help the new believer grow in the faith, we ourselves grow as
we teach.
In addition to these things, sharing our faith is a means by which we
share in Christ’s sufferings. Paul told Timothy: “Therefore do not be
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share
with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God”
(2 Tim 1:8). Similarly Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile
and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for
My sake” (Matt 5:11).
No Christian is exempt from witnessing. Few have the gift of giving,
but all are commanded to give. Few have the gift of helps, but all are
needed to help. Few have the gift of evangelism, but all are commanded
to evangelize.
Clarity in evangelism is, of course, absolutely crucial if we are to
please God when we witness. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses go door to
door regularly. Some of them spend 30 hours or more a month at it. Yet
this does not please God because their message is wrong.
I once heard a missionary tell how he supposedly led a tribe to Christ.
The chief came to him and said, “We want to become Christians. What do
we need to do?” The missionary’s answer to this thrilling question was
this: “Follow Christ.” How sad I was to hear this. The man wanted to
know what he needed to do to become a Christian. He should have been
told that eternal life is a free gift to all who but trust Jesus Christ
and Him alone for it. Instead, he was essentially told to work his way
to heaven by following Christ.
How tragic it is that many of the missionaries and evangelists today
are not clear on the Gospel. The fact that this is so makes it even
more important for those of us who are clear on the Gospel to share our
faith. The need is great.
Robert Lightner comments on the need for Christians, as ambassadors of Christ, to be clear on the Gospel:
Another outstanding characteristic of an ambassador is the fact that he
has news to tell. It is not his prerogative to amplify, add to, or
alter that news in any way. He simply delivers information from those
who sent him.13
III. Conclusion
God plays a vital role in the growth of every believer. Apart from His
work in our lives, growth would not take place. However, He has not
arranged it so that growth takes place totally apart from the believer
himself. Believers have a role to play as well (Phil 2:12-13).
The believer’s role in present sanctification includes living by faith,
being baptized, counting the cost, receiving Christian instruction,
abiding in Christ, reading, feeding on God’s Word, praying, stirring
one another up to love and good deeds, and witnessing.
The Free Grace position powerfully promotes progressive sanctification,
yet without annihilating assurance or muddling motivation.
ENDNOTES
1The expression work out your own salvation does not refer to working
to obtain eternal salvation. Rather, it refers to bringing about
deliverance from temporal difficulties. For further discussion see
“Working Out Your Salvation (Philippians 2:12),” The Grace Evangelical
Society News, May-June 1993, 2-3.
2Disqualified here means disapproved for reward. For more discussion
see Zane C. Hodges’s Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship
Salvation (Dallas: Redenci�n Viva, 1989), 201-202.
3For example, while I believe the Bible teaches baptism by immersion,
that is not a part of the Gospel. A person could be saved without even
knowing about or believing in baptism by immersion.
4Absolutely Free!, 111-12.
5See Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, “We Believe in Water
Baptism,” by Arthur L. Farstad, Spring 1990, 3-9; “The Gospel and Water
Baptism: A Study of Acts 2:38,” by Lanny Thomas Tanton, Spring 1990,
27-52; “The Gospel and Water Baptism: A Study of Acts 22:16,” by Lanny
Thomas Tanton, Spring 1991, 23-40.
6See Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1992), 749n.; Alan Hugh McNeile, The Gospel
According to St. Matthew, Reprint ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1980), 436. See also A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New
Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman
Press, 1934), 1128.
7Discipleship in the NT has at its basic sense being a pupil or learner
of Christ. See Bauer, Gingrich, and Danker, A Greek English Lexicon of
the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1970), s.v. “matheteuo” and “mathetes,”
485.
8Christ’s Call to Discipleship (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 114.
9Basic Theology (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986), 432.
10Systematic Theology, 8 volumes (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1947), 2:333.
11See, for example, the comments by Zane Hodges in The Bible Knowledge
Commentary, NT Edition, s.v. “Hebrews,” (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983 ),
edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, 805.
12 The editor of our Journal, for example, has had a church that meets
in his home for over twenty years. The group is small. But the impact
on those attending each week is not.
13 Cf. Robert P. Lightner, Sin, The Savior, and Salvation (Nashville:
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), 277. See also Charlie Bing’s article,
“How to Share the Gospel Clearly,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical
Society, Spring 1994, 51-65.
Appendix:
Questions and Answers About Man’s Role in Present Sanctification
Question #1. What is the relationship between present sanctification and assurance of salvation?
There are many today who teach that clearly evident progress in present
sanctification (i.e., good works) is indispensable for assurance of
salvation. This view, however, is unbiblical and leads to devastating
practical problems.
To disprove that view all one needs to find is one verse in which
someone was given assurance of salvation apart from works. There are a
host of such passages.
Consider John 11:25-27, where Jesus questioned Martha as to whether she
believed in Him and then accepted her confession of faith without
objection. If assurance were dependent on ongoing good works, Jesus
would have had to add a warning that she might not be truly saved.
The apostle Paul had complete assurance of salvation (Rom 8:38-39), and
yet he was not certain he would persevere until the end of his life
(e.g., 1 Cor 9:27).
Paul affirmed the salvation of Timothy and Titus in Scripture,
mentioning only their faith (cf. 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:5; Titus 1:4). He
did not restrict that assurance in any way. He was 100% sure that they
were saved apart from their works. And, since Paul was an apostle and
he was asserting their salvation in inspired Scripture, Timothy and
Titus were certain of their own salvation apart from their works.
Likewise, the apostle Peter told Cornelius and his household that they
were saved (Acts 10:43-48). On what basis did he do this? Surely not on
the basis of their works, for they had only been Christians for a few
minutes when he made his declaration. They hadn’t had time to do any
good works. They certainly hadn’t persevered in the faith until the
end. Rather, Peter asserted their salvation on the basis that they had
“received the Holy Spirit” (v 47). And it is clear in context that they
received the Holy Spirit as a result of believing in Jesus Christ (v
43).
The apostles were absolutely 100% certain of their salvation. They knew
they could not possibly do anything to lose it or to prove they never
had it in the first place. They had Jesus’ own word for it (cf. Luke
10:20; John 13:10). Their assurance was not dependent on their progress
in present sanctification either.
In addition, there are many passages which promise such assurance to
anyone who trusts Christ and Him alone for eternal life. In John 6:47
Jesus said, “He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” In John 5:24
He said, “He who hears My word and believes on Him who sent Me has
everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from
death to life.”
Biblically the evidence is clear. Assurance is not dependent on
progress in present sanctification. Practically this follows as well.
Not one of us could have assurance if it were linked to our works,
since our works are imperfect (1 John 1:8,10). Only perfect works could
grant certainty of salvation (which is what assurance is). In fact,
even if a person lived a perfect life for years, he couldn’t be sure
that he wouldn’t sin the next day and lose his salvation or prove he
never really had it!
Linking assurance to works can have devastating results. Christians who
accept this teaching are discouraged and insecure (because they know
hell exists and yet they aren’t sure if they will spend eternity there
or not) and are in denial as to the extent of their own sinfulness.
This greatly hinders their progress in present sanctification.
Discouragement and insecurity do not promote holiness. Neither does
denial of one’s own sinfulness.
Non Christians who accept this teaching are also discouraged and
insecure and in denial as to the extent of their sinfulness. Worse
still, this teaching greatly hinders them from being saved. It
reinforces their natural inclination to attempt to be good enough to
merit eternal salvation.
Question #2. What are proper and improper motivations to pursue personal holiness?
There are two major improper motivations: fear of hell and seeking the
praise of men. Believers should not fear hell (John 10:28-29; Rom
8:38-39). To attempt to live a godly life so you can avoid going to
hell is works-salvation thinking pure and simple.
Believers should also avoid seeking to please men as a primary aim (Gal
1:10). We are to seek to please God, not men. To be baptized to impress
one’s parents or friends, for example, is wrong. Similarly, to attend
church so others will think more highly of you is to be wrongly
motivated.
Positive biblical motivations include love and gratitude, the prospect
of God’s blessings if we obey and of His discipline if we disobey, and
the Judgment Seat of Christ and eternal rewards.
The grace of God produces a powerful sense of love and gratitude which should motivate the believer to please God (2 Cor 5:14).
While the blessings are not always material, God does bless obedience
(e.g., Matt 6:31-34; Gal 5:22-23). Things go better for the obedient
believer. On the other hand, the disobedient believer will experience
trials and difficulties as part of God’s hand of discipline (Prov 22:8;
Heb 12:3-11).
There are also significant future consequences to how we live. Those
who are enduring in the faith when they go to be with the Lord will
have eternal treasure and will rule with Christ forever (Matt 6:19-21;
1 Cor 3:10-15; 9:24-27; 2 Tim 2:12). All believers will appear at
Jesus’ Judgment Seat someday. Only those who have done well in their
Christian experience will hear His “Well done” (Luke 19:11-26; 2 Cor
5:9-10).
It is naive to think that if a person can be absolutely certain of his
salvation apart from his works that he would have no motivation to
holiness. Love and gratitude, blessings for obedience and discipline
for disobedience, and the prospect of eternal rewards all are powerful
motivators for the person who is sure of his salvation to please God.
Question #3. Is present sanctification optional?
Lordship Salvation advocates feel that Free Grace people treat the
issue of backsliding believers too casually. As a result, they often
ask the question, “Is present sanctification optional?”
Actually, it grieves us to hear of fellow believers who have
experienced a major fall. Sin is sad. The difference is, we do not
conclude that a sinning believer must not be a Christian at all. This
in no way, however, condones the sin.
Present sanctification is commanded by God (1 Pet 1:16; Heb 12:14). In that sense it is clearly not optional.
God does not remove all sinful desires from believers until they die or
are raptured. After that time believers are sinless and perfectly holy
in their daily experience (1 John 3:1). Prior to that time they fall
short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10).
Thus progress in present sanctification is a matter of degrees and is
not an all-or-nothing proposition. If the above question is understood
to mean something like, “Is it possible for a Christian to disobey God
and to grieve Him?” the answer isYes
(cf. 1 Kings 11:1-11; 1 Cor 3:1-3; 11:30; Eph 4:30; James 5:19-20).
Question #4. Is some minimum level of personal holiness guaranteed?
There is no passage in Scripture which promises such a thing or which
paints a picture of the minimum level of godliness which all believers
will attain. Even those in the Lordship Salvation camp find it
impossible and undesirable to create a picture of what such a minimum
level would look like.
What of a Christian who dies seconds after trusting Christ? Surely this
has happened a number of times in history (e.g., deathbed conversions,
battlefield conversions). How many good works could a person do in a
few seconds?
Even when considering those who live for decades after trusting Christ,
why should they aim for mediocrity? Why not excellence? Paul said, “And
whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing
that it is from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance” (Col 3:23-24).
The Bible does teach that God desires all believers to produce fruit
which honors Him (e.g., Eph 2:10). Like a track coach calling to his
charges to do their best, God calls upon believers to obey Him (1 Pet
1:16). Even more, He provides the power necessary to obey (2 Pet 1:3).
He does not, however, remove our ability to disobey or guarantee some
minimum level of achievement.
Question #5. Is perfection possible in this life?
First John 1:8 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.” This looks at our present experience.
Verse 10 of 1 John 1 looks at our past experience and affirms that past
sinlessness is also impossible: “If we say we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
It is impossible to achieve sinless perfection prior to death or the
Rapture. After those events, however, it is guaranteed for the believer
(1 John 3:2).
Question #6. Is there such a thing as a carnal Christian?
In 1 Cor 3:1-3 Paul chides the Corinthian Christians for being carnal.
The word carnal means fleshly. The Corinthian believers to which Paul
was writing had been believers for about 4 or 5 years. That was plenty
of time for them to have grown and matured in the faith, yet they were
“still carnal” (v 3) and were still “babes in Christ” (v 1).
On the one hand, Paul clearly says that Christians can be carnal. That
is, Christians can live in such a way that they are not manifesting
spiritual maturity.
On the other hand, Paul does not use the expression “carnal Christian.”
He does not establish this as a special type of believer, any more than
a baby is a special type of human. Carnality is a stage of development
that all new Christians should soon grow out of as they mature in the
faith. Unfortunately, however, just as adults can act like children, so
too those who have been believers for years, like the Corinthians, can
still act in immature childish ways.
Therefore, the answer to this question is “yes and no.” Yes, Christians
can be carnal and can act carnally. No, there is technically no special
category of believer called carnal believers.
Question #7. Hebrews 12:14 reads: “Pursue peace with all people, and
holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” What does that mean?
Does it teach that there is a certain level of holiness we must achieve
in this life in order to be saved?
Lordship Salvationists see in this verse a warning to all believers.
They suggest that this passage implicitly teaches that believers prove
whether they are true or false believers by their behavior. True
believers will heed this warning and will achieve final salvation.
False believers will not and will be eternally condemned.
Such an interpretation is illogical. If eternal security is true, and
it is, then no believer can lose his salvation. Believers don’t need
any commands or warnings in order to stay saved. Even false professors,
those who think they believe the Gospel and yet are actually believing
a counterfeit gospel, do not need to be warned to get to work. They
need to be warned that they don’t believe the Gospel. No such warning
is present here since the author is writing to Christians (cf. Heb
12:2, “looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”). False
professors need to be given the Gospel so that they can believe it and
be saved. However, the Gospel is not presented here.
The Lordship Salvation interpretation is also forced. They are reading
their theology back into a verse, not letting the verse speak for
itself. The verse says that no one will see the Lord without holiness.
It is clear from verses like 1 John 3:2, “We know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,” that
when believers see the Lord we will be perfectly holy, sinless. That is
what is called ultimate or future sanctification.
The author of Hebrews is challenging believers to strive now to live
like we will live forever. It is like Peter citing the Lord’s command
from Leviticus, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). It is also like
Paul saying, “I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which
you were called” (Eph 4:1).
Question #8. Second Corinthians 13:5 reads, “Examine yourselves as to
whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are
disqualified.” What does that mean? Does it command believers to look
at their works to see if they are regenerate?
Some see in this verse a command to test our salvation by our works.
But that interpretation flies in the face of Scripture. In both First
and Second Corinthians Paul asserted that he was writing to genuine
believers: “To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:2).
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who
is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor
6:19). “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by
all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us,
written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Cor
3:2-3). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” (2
Cor 5:10). Why would Paul come to the end of the second letter and
question the salvation of people whose salvation he had consistently
affirmed? He wouldn’t.
If the Corinthian believers needed to examine themselves to see if they
were saved, then so do all believers. There is no hint here of this
being a special requirement for assurance in Corinth. And, if believers
need to do this once, then they need to do it over and over again for
our works are not perfect and they do not remain static.
However, we know that people like the apostles, Timothy, Titus,
Cornelius and his household, Martha, and many others had absolute
certainty of their salvation apart from their works (see question 1
above). Why would God have absolute assurance apart from works for some
believers and not for all?
Note the last word in 2 Cor 13:5. In the Greek it is the word adokimos.
Paul said in 1 Cor 9:27 that he feared that after he had preached to
others he himself might be disqualified (adokimos). Clearly he did not
fear hell. What he did fear was being disapproved for the prize of
ruling with Christ (1 Cor 9:24-25; cf. 2 Tim 2:12). Likewise, the
Corinthians were in danger of being disapproved for that prize.
It is a mistake to assume that “in the faith” here refers to being
saved. A look at the preceding verses shows that some of the
Corinthians doubted that Paul himself was Christ’s spokesman (v 3). So
in v 5 Paul asks them to examine themselves rather than him! They
questioned whether he spoke for Christ. He challenges them to see if
they speak for Christ. When he says, “examine yourselves to see if you
are in the faith,” he is referring to their experience, not to their
position. Were they in the faith in their behavior?
Similarly, in this context when Paul questions them as to whether or
not Christ is in them, he is not questioning their salvation. He is
questioning their present sanctification. He wants them to see whether
Christ is experientially active in their lives or not. Paul wrote
something very similar to the Ephesian believers. He prayed “that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph 3:17). These were
saved people and he was praying that Christ might dwell, or be
completely at home, in their hearts."
****** END OF EXCERPT ON STUDY OF SANCTIFICATION FROM GRACE EVANGELICAL SOCIETY ******
LET’S NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL
My prayer is that this article will help
pastors, ministers, and leaders in the church begin a journey of discerning the
differences between what is genuine grace and what is counterfeit grace.
[BSM]
Since the phrases "genuine grace" and "counterfeit grace" and explanations of what these phrases mean do not appear in God's Word, it is best to simply bypass them and stick with what God's Word explains what grace means = unmerited favor/ blessing / deliverance, etc. depending upon context which is provided by God for someone that they did not do anything to deserve to receive. God's grace is NOT some kind of power which is imbued in an individual that he can then exert toward some end as some contend, such as growing in the faith under his own auspices. If it is considered by some such as Joseph Prince as counterfeit grace, it is not grace at all. There is no such thing as counterfeit grace. It is simply not grace. On the other hand, "genuine grace" does not need the word "genuine" to modify it. Grace is grace or it is not grace at all, (Ro 11:6).
[JP]
Many of the thoughts shared here are taken from and covered more extensively in my book, Grace Revolution—Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat.12
[BSM]
The
book title "Grace Revolution" is problematic and unbiblical. God's
grace does not need a revolution. God is immutable and beyond time. How He
operates which is largely through His grace does not need a revamping /
change. Joseph Prince seems to think that God is restricted to operate
within time. But He is outside of time and does not have to make periodic
corrections in how He operates. Some even contend that God has to wait for man to decide to
make his move and then God responds. But God created the passage
of time. Everything that happens in the universe He decreed before the universe existed - even to
the smallest action such as the precise location of a subatomic
particle as it makes its way through an atom - moment to moment to
moment BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED .
Furthermore,
individuals do not experience the power to live above defeat
in this life. The only power in view is the Power of God when He
delivers an individual from defeat or by God graciously providing
circumstances in your life that aide in helping you work through your
defeat. I have not found the expression "experience the power to live
above
defeat," in Scripture. The individual experiences the power of
God delivering him from defeat. And at times an individual suffers and
is not delivered. It is all up to the sovereignty of God. Depending
upon the individual's relationship with God and circumstances involved,
an individual might suffer defeat or be blessed with victory.
[JP]
I implore you as a brother in Christ to not back away from the gospel of grace because of hearsay, counterfeit teachings, controversies, and a small minority who abuse and misrepresent the gospel by the way they live.
[BSM]
The
best way to avoid "hearasy, counterfeit teachings, unbiblical
controversies [there are legitimate biblical controversies such as when
you are contending for the faith - Jude 3, Phil 1:27-30] abuse and
misrepresentation of the gospel is to simply READ THE BIBLE PROPERLY
and contend for what you have learned what the bible says. For proper instruction click on this .
[JP]
The gospel of grace is the answer. Grace
lifts a person who is struggling with sin out of a life of defeat.
[BSM]
Again,
grace is the unmerited favor of God providing salvation unto eternal
life, temporal blessings, deliverance from difficulties, etc. Grace
does not lift a person who is struggling with sin out of a life of
defeat. It is God Who lifts a person who is struggling with sin out of
a life of defeat which person does not deserve His deliverance, but it
is God Who exercises His power to deliver you despite the fact that you
don't deserve it. That's what grace means. At other times God permits your difficulties so that
you learn to persevere in the faith and depend upon Him and not count
on your own efforts to get through that difficulty.
[JP]
Grace produces not an outward form of holiness that is transient, but an enduring holiness that is birthed from a transformation that begins in a person’s heart when he encounters Jesus.
[BSM]
Grace produces nothing, it is God
Who produces. And because of Jesus
Christ's propitiation for the sins of all mankind, God produces a great
number of things for men by grace because His Son paid for it all.
Grace means unmerited blessing /
undeserved favor. Most
often grace describes God's activity as providing individuals blessings
/ favors that
individuals do not earn / deserve. Individuals do NOT exemplify a form
of holiness in their behavior as a result of the grace of God providing
eternal forgiveness and eternal life for them. They are
instead credited
with God's Righteousness that they do not exemplify in their lives
hardly at all in accordance with His promise to transform them into
Perfect Righteous beings at resurrection. Although believers - those
that have expressed at least a
moment of faith alone in Christ alone for eternal life - are thereby
credited with God's Perfect Righteousness, i.e., Perfect Holiness,
believers will begin to experience His Perfect Holiness only when they
are
resurrected and have received their promised resurrection bodies - and
not
before while they are in their mortal lives.
Joseph
Prince's phrase "Grace produces not an outward form of holiness that is
transient but an enduring holiness that is birthed from a
transformation that begins in a person's heart when he encounters
Jesus"
is nonsensical and unbiblical. Grace produces nothing in an individual
because it is God
Who by His grace = unmerited favor produces / provides such things as
eternal life, not the
individual. Secondly, whatever "an outward form of holiness that is
transient" is, it is not in Scripture whether good or bad. I suppose
Joseph Prince means that it is only an appearance of but not genuine
holiness / sinless perfection in a believer by the phrase "Grace
produces not an outward form of holiness." But it has already
been established that believers will not reach any form of
holiness / sinless perfection until resurrection because all mankind
except the Humanity of Jesus Christ still have a sin nature which
causes the individual to be unable to have moments of holiness /
sinless perfection. So there will not even be transient moments of
holiness / sinless perfection in the experience of any believer's life,
(1 Jn 1:8, 10);
much less enduring
holiness. Furthermore, Scripture does not stipulate that believers are
"birthed from a transformation that begins in a person's heart when he
encounters Jesus." There is no encounter with Jesus other than the
believer being placed into Christ / His body at the moment of faith
alone in Christ alone. That encounter does not result in an immediate
transformation that begins in a person's heart = mind according to the
Greek word for "heart" meaning the location within the individual of
the seat of mental / cognitive capacity - the mind, i.e. the location
where the
activity of exercising faith / belief occurs - or does such a
transformation take place anywhere else in an individuals body while in
this temporal body. So
the individual is not transformed into a holy person in the sense of
experiencing moments of sinless perfection at any time in his mortal
life. That will happen at the resurrection.
This is what happened to Neil from the
United Kingdom, who wrote to my ministry about how the Lord set him free from a
forty-year struggle with a sexual addiction:
While reading a book by Pastor Prince, I
was delivered from a forty-year addiction to pornography. In the past, I had
tried to break free from this addiction by my own power and in my own strength,
but failed every time.
Throughout that time, the devil used this
addiction to heap fear, guilt, and condemnation on me. This fear and shame kept
me from asking for help from the pastors of the various churches I attended
over the forty-year period. I had even held leadership positions in some of
these places.
As I read the book, I got a fresh revelation of who I am in Christ—I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus—and how there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. It was through this fresh revelation that the grip of this addiction was broken off my life forever.
[BSM]
Although,
I
am happy for this man's deliverance; I question his words which he
wrote, "l got a fresh
revelation of who I am in Christ" because it confuses the position a
believer has in Christ with his temporal, daily experience. His words,
"I am the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus" is his position he
has in Christ at the moment when he expressed a moment of faith alone
in Christ alone
+ nothing else in order to be saved unto eternal life - if he did this
at all. There is some question as Pastor Joseph Prince does not seem to
hold to this idea of a moment of faith alone in Christ alone,
such that he might think that salvation unto eternal life includes the
possibility of other things so that progressive sanctification might
occur, or even that supernatural experiences must verify ones
salvation. So deliverance from something
in ones daily life is not to be as a result of His being saved unto
eternal life by his
expression of a moment of faith alone in Christ alone - in Christ's
propitiation of sins which results in him being declared righteous and
placed into Christ, the body of Christ. Deliverance from temporal
difficulties such as his addiction may come to him in his temporal
life's experience because he is a believer and even a non-believer; but
this is not a result of his
salvation experience which includes his position, not his expereince of
being declared righteous by God. Actually having the righteousness of
God as a position or as an experience are not required to be delivered
of temporal difficulties in ones physical lifetime. Note that Jesus
healed many individuals - believers and unbelievers, and so did the
apostles. So his words, "It was through this fresh revelation that the
grip of this addiction was broken off in my life forever," is
questionable. BTW, there are no new revelations which add to the 66
books of God's Word, until Christ comes again in His Second Coming.
[JP]
[Neil's testimony continues here:]
I now wear a ring to remind myself that I am righteous. Every time the devil tries to tempt me to view pornography, I just have to look at the ring to remind myself that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and the temptation loses any hold on me.
[BSM]
Wearing
a ring to remind oneself that one is Righteous in the sense of being just
as Righteous as Jesus Christ is Righteous in ones experience is not
going to happen because no one except Jesus Himself is capable of being
as Righteous as He is in ones experience - ring or not; much less defeating ones
temptation to commit a sin or sins. That is just not in Scripture.
Believers will only become as Righteous as Jesus is Righteous in their experience when we
will see Him as He is - after ones resurrection when they receive a
resurrection body just like Jesus has.
[Compare 1 John 3:2]: “We know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,”
On the other hand, being
declared to have the Righteousness of God credited to ones account at the moment of faith alone will not cause
temptation or anything else to go away. These things might be accomplished through prayer, fellow believers, other means such as medical organizations, etc. We
are still individuals who, albeit saved unto eternal life, still have
our sin natures intact. There is no passage which
stipulates that believers have the life experience of having the
Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Being declared to have the Righteousness
of God credited to ones account does not signify that one acts
with the Righteousness of
God in ones experience in ones temporal life. The declaration that one
has been credited with the Righteousness of God is a positional truth
not an actual experiential reality /
position until we get to meet Jesus in the Rapture when we will see Him
as He is. It is God's promise to the believer to receive a Perfect
Resurrection body that will in the future, in ones experience, be as
Righteous as Christ's Resurrection body, after one's mortal life is over. Neil's declaration, "I now wear a ring to remind myself that I
am righteous. Every time the devil tries to tempt me to view pornography, I
just have to look at the ring to remind myself that I am the righteousness of
God in Christ, and the temptation loses any hold on me." I
am glad that Neil has separated himself from pornography however that
was done - through prayer, self-determination, or other means not even
connected with God, albeit He is sovereign and everything that happens
on the planet is under His sovereignty and decrees.
[JP]
This is the power of the gospel. Precious lives like Neil’s are being touched, changed, and transformed by the love of our Lord Jesus.
[BSM]
The power of the Gospel does not include transforming lives relative to experiences in ones mortal life - such as being cured of diseases, or freed from addictions. These are other subjects which are not guaranteed when one is saved unto eternal life. It is God Whose power saves unto eternal life those who believe in His Son's propitiation for the sins of the whole world. By believing in the gospel of eternal life, God exercies His power and that individual will receive immediate posssession of eternal life - the process to be completed by God at that individual's resurrection to be transformed at resurrection into a perfect resurrection body with unimaginably great resurrection capacities. So the gospel is the good news of salvation unto eternal life obtained through a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone by the sovereignty of God. It is not about curing addictions, diseases, getting a good job, having a happy marriage, etc. Those are other matters that may or may not occur during ones mortal lifetime, albeit by the grace and sovereignty of God.
[JP]
Our part as ministers entrusted with the gospel is not to back
away from the truth, but to study the Word of God diligently, rightly divide
His Word, and boldly proclaim His truth with absolute clarity and love. We must
not be ashamed of the gospel.
[BSM]
Amen,
except that Pastor Prince, you have shown NO evidence that you actually
are doing that in this paper. Take a look at the proper method to
interpret the Bible as I have posted here: utilizing the normative
rules of language, context and logic just like you learned beginning at
home and at elementary school WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD: biblestudymanuals.net/properb.htm
This is not rocket science but it does take time and diligence and self-sacrificial honesty - putting the welfare of others above your own gain: Here is the link: biblestudymanuals.net/properb.htm. My seminary professor told me over and over again: The most important thing to keep in mind when you are interpreting the Bible: Context, context, context - who, what, why, when, to whom, how.
[JP]
It is without doubt, as Apostle Paul proclaimed, “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16–17). The gospel is not about our self-righteousness but the righteousness of God given as a gift to those who put their faith in our Lord Jesus.
[BSM]
There is no passage which stipulates that believers while they are in their mortal bodies have the life experience of having the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. Being declared to have the Righteousness of God credited to ones account does not signify that one acts with the Righteousness of God in ones experience in ones temporal life. The declaration that one has been credited with the Righteousness of God is a positional truth not an actual experiential reality / position. It is God's promise to the believer to receive a Perfect Resurrection body that will in the future, in ones experience, be as Righteous as Christ's Resurrection body, after one's mortal life is over and he receives his perfect resurrection body - which body will have an experiential life that is Righteous as the Righteousness of God is and be rewarded depending upon ones faithfulness in their temporal lives via diligent study of God's Word, following the leading of the Holy Spirit within and the grace of God Who forgives temporal sin confession and purifies one of all temporal unrighteousness.
The
passage that you have quoted from which is Ro 1:16-17 you have quoted
from a version that does not accurately translate the passage and
thereby you have misinterpreted it. It does not indicate that
believers in their mortal lives will conduct themselves in a Righteous manner, (1 Jn 1:8 and 10 say so).
****** EXCERPT FROM ROMANS CHAPTER ONE ******
B) THE ONE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH IS THE ONE WHO WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND WILL LIVE OUT HIS TEMPORAL LIFE IN A RIGHTEOUS MANNER AS HE LIVES BY THAT SAME FAITH
(v. 16) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
(v. 17 YLT) For the righteousness of God in it is revealed from faith
to faith, according as it [has] been written, 'And the righteous one by
faith shall live,' " =
1) [Compare Hab 2:4]:
(Hab 2:4 NASB) "Behold, as for the proud one, (v. 6), His soul is not
right within him; [Hebrew and Septuagint Greek word order]: But a
righteous man by his faith will live."
The proud one [the one who is self-righteous, the Babylonian, (vv. 6-20)] his soul within him is not right - not righteous - with God. But the righteous soul - the one declared righteous before God through faith in God will live out his temporal life, the years appointed to him and forever in eternity, not so the self-righteous one.
This verse is best rendered from the word order of the Hebrew text wherein a man is not righteous before the exercise of his faith, he becomes righteous by the exercise of his faith in God's promise of eternal life through a coming Messiah / Savior by which faith he will live in the sense of have eternal life; and he will live out his temporal life in a righteous manner as he lives it by that same faith.
And by quoting the Old Testament in Ro 1:17, Paul showed that even during the dispensation of Law, legal obedience was not the basis for a justified standing before God because, as the Prophet Habakkuk wrote, "The righteous by faith will live," (Hab 2:4).
2) [Ro 1:17b Greek Interlinear]:
"Ho dE ...dikaios .............Ek pistEOs zesEtai"
"The but righteous [one] .by faith .....will live"
Note that most versions have "the righteous [one] / the just shall live
by faith" [NASB, NKJV, HCSB, ASB, KJV, NIV]. Only a few like the YLT
follows the correct word order:
3) [Compare Ro 1:17]:
(Ro 1:17 YLT) "For the righteousness of God in it is revealed from
faith to faith, according as it [has] been written, 'And the righteous
one by faith shall live,' " [Hab 2:4]
When the improper word order for Hab 2:4 / Ro 1:17 / Gal 3:11 is read
as it appears in most versions, it could easily be misconstrued to mean
that those that are righteous before God are those who live by being
faithful to law, despite the fact that the context of the verses which
precede and follow indicate that man cannot faithfully keep the Law or
any law and will remain accursed if he tries to be righteous by any
kind of human doing.