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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Did Christ die for the world? | 1 John 2:2 | Lionstrong | 7017 | ||
Getting back to your proposal of referencing no other verse but the one under consideration: Why can't the verse be understood this way: since the "our" must refer to John and the recipients of his letter, and since they are not the only believers in the whole world, why can't he be referring to believers in the whole world? ("...not only the sins of us (believers), but (believers) of the whole world.") If one does not bring in other verses, be they of the unlimited or limited atonement interpretation, why can't the verse be understood this way? |
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2 | Did Christ die for the world? | 1 John 2:2 | Morant61 | 7026 | ||
Greetings Lionstrong! My short answer to your question would simply be this: If John wanted to say that, he could have very simply - "Not only did is He the propitiation for our sins, but He is the propitiation for the sins of all believers." He choose not to say that. Further, there is nothing in the context that would allow that interpretation. Furthermore, the word "world" is itself qualified by the word "whole." Is there any place in John's writtings where "world" only refers to believers? Is there any place in all of Scripture, were "world" only refers to believers? In my view, the answer to both of these questions is no. In order to interpret "world", consider how John uses the word "world" in the rest of his writings. a) In John 1:10, John says that the "world" did not recognize Christ. b) In John 1:29, Christ is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. c) In John 7:7, the "world" hates Christ. d) In John 8:23, the "world" is contrasted with heaven. e) In John 10:36, Christ is sent into the "world." f) In John 12:25, it is the one who hates his life in this "world" who will inherit eternal life. g) In John 13:1, it is the time for Jesus to leave this "world." h) In John 14:17, the "world" cannot accept the Spirit of Truth. i) In 1 John 2:15-16, we are commanded not to love the world. In fact, the word "world" is used a total of 17 times in 1 John alone. In every other occurance of the word "world" in 1 John, it either refers to the physical world or the opposition of the world to Christ. Therefore, in light of John's usage of the word "world" throughout his writings and in 1 John in particular, to add the word "believers" would be an example of forcing the verse to say what our theology demands it to say, rather than letting the verse inform our theology. I appreciate your response. However, I don't see that the case can be made for limiting the word "world" to only believers when John never ever uses the word in that way in any of his writings. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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