Results 141 - 160 of 161
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Results from: Notes Author: biblicalman Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
141 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228731 | ||
Perhaps in view of what has been said on this forum we should consider certain facts about the use of Greek in the New Testament The so-called 'historic present' is to my knowledge only used in the Gospels. I have discovered no instance where it is used by Paul or in theological narratives. Examples of its rare use in the Gospels are where it is used to make the historical descriptive narrative vivid (we do the same in English). For example: Matthew 3.1 'In those days comes John --.' John 1.29 'On the next day He sees John and says --.' Mark 11.27; 12.9 'They come to Him --.' (Matthew has 'they came'. In the New Testament its usage is therefore strictly limited. It cannot be taken as a general rule that a present can be used as a past tense. It is limited to historical descriptive narrative. With regard to the aorist it is used as a present in the following examples: 'My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased (aorist)' 'If you love me keep (aorist) my commandments.' 'Praise (aorist) the Lord all the nations and let all the peoples sing praises (aorist) to Him' (Romans 15.11). 'Awake (aorist) to righteousness and sin not' (1 Cor 15.34). 'Draw out (aorist) the water and bear (present) to the governor of the feast' (John 2.8) 'Take (aorist) these things hence -- (john 2.16) These are clear examples and make plain that the aorist can be used of the present, and can be used of continual action. Best wishes to all. I hope this is helpful |
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142 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228732 | ||
In the past the following have been mooted as contradictions using Greek in the normal way. 1) Slaves or not: Rom 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Rom 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. There is in fact no contradiction here. The former verse states the ideal position to which the Christian has been raised. He has been set free from sin and become a slave to righteousness (because he is in Christ). That is his status. It is a privileged status, but sadly one from which we often fall short, even if unconsciously. Who among us can say that he 'always does good, and sins not?' The weakness of the flesh regularly results in our failing to do the good that we should do perfectly all the time. Only Jesus achieved this standard. Indeed we are often not sure of what good we should do. Who among us continually and perfectly continues do to others what we would have them do to us?' The standard is huge in its implications. It is something at which we aim, not something that we can possibly achieve, for its demands are endless. Paul, knowing this, said, 'We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.' What did he mean by this vivid description? He was indicating that the Law in order to be fulfilled needed a truly spiritual response. It was in the realm of the Spirit. In contrast there is that within us which he calls 'indwelling sin' which drags us down from being spiritual. It is something that has to be constantly overcome through the power of the Spirit (compare Galatians 5.16-24). From the commencement of our lives we have been 'sold under sin'. That is sin has been our master. And when we become Christians that sin still indwells us making its claim to be our master. But because Christ died for us on the cross and we have been united with Him in His body, we have in Him died to sin. That does not mean that sin has died. It means that we are to see ourselves as having died. We are to 'reckon on it' (Romans 6.11) We are to reckon on the fact that we are slaves to righteousness. Thus when sin within us raises its head we say, 'yes as we are in ourselves we are sold under sin, but as we are as those who have been united with Christ we are sold under righteousness'. We are servants of righteousness. There is no contradiction in that. 2) To sin or not to sin: Rom 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Rom 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Both these statements are true for all of us at the present. We are not to let sin reign in us so that we obey its evil desires. Sin dwells within us, but we are not to let it reign. We are to say to it, 'In Christ I have died to you. In myself I am your slave and have been from birth. But in Christ I have died. So positionally I am no longer your slave. For I am dead, Of course I am not really dead. I am still the identical person to th one that I was. But because I have been united with Christ my spiritual position has changed so that I am 'dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord'. This is my new status. This is how I am to see myself (Rom 6.11), so that when the sin that dwells in me makes demands I reply, 'in Christ I am dead to you'. Thus I can now call on the Spirit's power to enable me to overcome sin. But if we look at our lives as they are in themselves we have to admit, 'I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.' Good lives in me because Christ lives in me,but as I am in myself nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. Left to myself I have the desire to do what is good but cannot carry it out. Let me but take my eyes off Christ and cease to reckon on myself as dead to sin, and then sin will take over. In order to live a holy life I am wholly dependent on Christ and His risen power. I am wholly dependent on the Spirit. Without Him reigning in me sin will again take over the reins. So these verses are not contradictory. They are complementary. They describe on the one hand what I am in Christ, and what on the other hand I am when I cease to reckon on myself as dead to sin. In the latter case sin once again exerts its right. |
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143 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228737 | ||
Hi Tim, You ask : 1) Slaves or not: You seem to take the position that believers have two natures. Allow me to ask a question. What determines which nature we will follow? My reply: No I think we have one sinful nature. I usually avoid the term nature as everything depende upon the definition, and few can even come close to defining it. I used the term sinful nature because it was in the verse I was dealing with. We have, of course, a human nature tainted by sin. Thus it is a sinful nature. But what determines our actions is a mix of body, soul and spirit. It is the 'I' who am responsible for what I do, whether I follow the sin that dwells within me (Romans 7.20), in some cases spoken of as 'the flesh' (Galatians 5.16 ff.), or whether I follow my renewed mind ((Romans 7.22, 23 25) and spirit, with the aid of the Holy Spirit. You ask: 2) To sin or not to sin: Do we just reckon ourselves as dead to sin, or are we really dead to sin? My reply: That is a slightly loaded question. I do not believe either. In Christ we are dead to sin, for when He died we, who have been made one body in Him, died also. But my body did not die. It is typing this answer. And my body is indwelt by the tyrant sin. So no, I as I am in myself am not dead to sin. As I am in Christ, however, I am dead to sin. Thus I have to reckon on myself as dead to sin because I died in Christ's body. But we must not stop there for I also rose with Christ. Thus I have within me the risen Christ and the Holy Sprit (and also the Father), and they have wrought within so that I am a 'new creature'. My spirit has been renewed. No longer am I totally enslaved by sin. The Triune God at work within me provides the means and power by which I can defeat the tyrant sin which dwells within me, by being active through my spirit and renewed mind. But my flesh, the taint of sin within my body, still struggles within me to gain the mastery. Let me ask a question in return. If someone is really dead to sin how can they ever sin again? That would mean that they were not really dead to sin. Note that I do not say you. I do not know what you believe on that issue. Best wishes. |
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144 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228738 | ||
Hi Tim I will discuss Greek tenses in another post. I will simply say that the aorist is a bit like the tongue. The aorist can no man tame. It has a life of its own. I get sick of reading in commentaries by high level Greek scholars the number of inferences that can be made from the aorist, all conflicting with each other. Now to look at your question: You said The aorists in Eph. 4:22-24 are infinitives, and seem to be designed to make a point. We are to "put off" the old man v. 22 (an event viewed as a whole or even completed action), and we are to "put on" the new man v. 24. My reply: Well I do not see this as continual action, but I do see it as an action that has to be repeated. Clealy when we are faced ith Paul's command we have to make a decision whether we will 'put off the old man', in other words will begin to reckon on ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God. In that sense it is completed action. We make the decision and act on it. But it certainly does not mean that we are done with sin. What is the old man? It is I as I am when I am not in obedience to Christ. It is my old life. Puttng on the new man means that I come in full submission to Christ. I reckon on myself as alive to God through Jesus Christ my Lord. I allow the risen Christ to take control of my life. Putting on the new man is allowing the renewed mind to take conrol. But it will only succeed if I am fully responsive to the Holy Spirit. But as you say we are 'being made new' as a continuing process. As 2 Corinthians 3.18 puts it, by beholding the glory of Christ we are being changed from glory into glory by the Spirit of the Lord. Thus there is a continuing process in which more and more we put off the old man, and put on the new. The young Christan puts off his old life, but as God continues His work in him he recognises more of the old life that he has to put off. So the putting off of the old life occurs again and again even if he continues on faithfully. But many sadly allow the old life to re-exert itself. Thus once again they have to put off their old lives. Thus the aorist does not refer to a once-for-all event. And this is made clear in verse 25. There we learn of sins which we must constantly deal with. We must put them off again and again. This is the practical reality. And as we grow in knowledge we will put off more and more. The present infinitive would not have indicated this. Incidentally I did not have these verses in mind in my post which was a general one, the aim of which was to briefly explain Greek tenses to anyone interested.. |
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145 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228739 | ||
Hi Tim, You say: The first example is a little different. It is an Aorist Active Indicative verb, which is rather unusual. A. T. Robertson calls it a 'timeless aorist', while others refer to it as a gnomic aorist. The gist of it is that the Aorist here indicates something that is 'timeless' in nature. In other words, the Father has always been, and always will be, pleased with His Son. My reply: The verse in question is, 'This is (or 'you are') My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' I cannot agree that in this case we have a timeless aoriat. It is of course true that the Father was always well pleased with His Son. But Jesus hardly needed to be told that. What Jesus in His manhood needed to know was that up to this point He had pleased the Father. Was the Father well pleased with His progress up to that point in time? That is why the translators put it into the present tense. Indeed the coming of the Holy Spirit was evidence of that fact. It was even more necessary for John to be told that. God was assuring him that His Son was at this point in time pleasing to Him, because all is life had been pleasing to Him. It was what he needed to know. Thus while we may certainly see in the background a kind of timelessness, the assurance was for that point in time. It is a clear use of the aorist indicating a present situation, ven though an unusual present situation. It was not a lesson in theology. It was a present assurance. |
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146 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228740 | ||
Further to my note on Ephesians 4.24 ff. I omitted to point out that of course our initial putting off of the old man and putting on of the new was when we became Christians. 'If any man is in Christ he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, everything has become new'. (2 Cor 5.17) It is thus a putting off of the old and the putting on of the new 'which in the likeness of God is created in righteousness and true holiness'. But as Paul indicates in Eph 4.24 ff this experience has to be repeated. Not the new creation which is of course permanent, but the putting into practise of what that new creation involves. In the same way having died with Christ and risen with Him we have to continually reckon on the fact. |
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147 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228744 | ||
Hi Tim You say: First of all, I always try to start with the clear statements of Scripture, not the less clear, or even my own experience. So, I begin with Rom 6:2 'By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?' This is a clear statement. In fact, our death to sin is compared and contrasted with Christ's death on the cross. My reply: But I do not see this as 'a clear statement'. It immediately raises the question, how have I died to sin? What is certainly true is that it does not mean that we do not sin, for our whole lives are involved in sin. To sin is to come short of the glory of God, and 2 Cor 3.18 makes clear that our progress towards the glory of God is a continuous one. Thus we are all 'sinning' by coming short of it. We are told to love God with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength, but we all fall short of that in our daily lives. It is in our sinful state impossible of achievement. Thus we are all continually coming short of Christlikeness, for He did love God with heart, sould, mind and strength. Consider how Jesus would rise 'a great while before day' in order to be in communion with His Father because He loved Him so. But He did not expect it of His disciples. He was fully aware that they still came far short of loving the Father as He did. Thus we, like the disciples, are all sinning. Do you not think that they should ALL have been arising a great while before day? Thus we must ask, what does it mean to die to sin? And the answer lies in both what has been said before, (that we have 'died to sin' because Christ died for our sins, and we died in Him) and in what he subsequently says, that we are 'drenched into His death', that we are 'united with Him in His death'. We have been made one body with Him (1 Cor 12.12-13). In consequence His death was our death. And sin can therefore no longer condemn us because in Him we have died and paid the penalty of sin. That is real, not pretence. But it does not mean that sin within us is therefore dead. We are not restored to the innocence of Adam. Our death is in no way 'contrasted' with Christ's death, nor is it 'compared' with it. Christ's death IS our death. It is because He died that we can consider (not pretend) that we have died to sin. Paul's logic is based on what has caused our justification, what has caused our being accounted as righteous in Christ. But if there is one thing that is abundantly clear, we are all still in a state of sin (that is, are still continuaslly sinning) which is why we come short of the glory of God, and is why we do not all the time love God as we should. It was because Paul knew that many of his listeners would be saying, 'but my experience is not like that. I am not dead to sin. I am very conscious of sin, Does that mean that I am not a Christian', that Paul called on his own experience in Rom 7.14-25 so as to make clear to them that all Christians, even Paul, still had sin dwelling within them. He did not articulate what those sins were because he wanted his words to apply to the condition of each of his hearers. He wanted them to be assured that, even though they might still be struggling against sin, it did not mean that they were not Christians. And he wanted them to know that there was also a way by which they could overcome their known sins through the activity of the Spirit of Christ. But be assured that all of us without exception, would, if God suddenly made Himself vividly known to us, fall on our faces in despair at our sinfulness (Job 42.5-6; Isaiah 6.5). That is one thing that happens in time of revival, a facing up to sin as never before. Indeed it would be unbearable were it not for the fact that Christ having died for us, and we having died in Him, we have assurance of forgiveness and being accounted as righteous, even though we are not. You say: When, I get to Rom. 8:11, I don't take 'reckon' or 'consider' as simply pretending that we are dead, but as a logical recognition of what Christ has done for us. My reply: Nor do any of us. We reckon on it as a fact that we are dead to sin and alive to God THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. But we do not reckon on the fact that sin is dead. We must be constantly alert to it. Best wishes |
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148 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228747 | ||
Hi Tim, Interestingly as you have said we both tend to come to almost to the same position by slightly different methods. I would prefer you to have said 'we are given the opportuniy to be free from the slavery of sin', because it is not in fact inevitable in the Christian for some considerable time. And while agreeing that the person is regenerate I would see him as still having sin dwelling within him, even though it may be dormant. I would also see 'dead to sin' as indicating that its dominion is potentially broken. I would therefore describe us as living in a sinful human body. Otherwise we are mainly in agreement (except on Romans 7 lol). Best wishes |
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149 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228748 | ||
What Does It Mean To Be Dead To Sin? Having established the need for, and method of achieving, the accounting righteous of the sinner, Paul is now minded to refer to what it will achieve. It has brought us within the sphere of the unmerited favour of God as a result of which we are in hope of the glory of God. And he then describes the experiences of life which the sinner must go through, tribulation, etc. on the way to that goal, something which will be successful as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit as He floods our hearts with the love of God (5.1-5). Up to this point the cross, and even the resurrection (4.25), have been seen as achieving man’s acceptance with God. But now the emphasis changes. We are not only to be saved by our being accounted as righteous through Christ, but we are also to experience the power of His resurrection. ‘Much more, being now reconciled, we will be saved by His life’ (5.10). There is still a strong emphasis on being accounted as righteous through the gift of the righteousness of Christ, but there is now also an emphasis on the fact that as a consequence we will reign in life through Christ (5.17). For grace will reign through righteousness unto eternal life (5.21). So we have now seen two prongs to salvation, justification through His death (3.24-4.25), justification and salvation through His life (4.25; 5.10). We thus approach chapter 6 with the recognition that whereas sin previously reigned unto death, grace is now to reign through righteousness unto eternal life (5.21). Because we have been accounted as righteous through Christ’s death, the reign of sin has ended. Because God’s grace is now at work upon us we will, through the righteousness that God has imputed to us (compare 5.17), reign unto eternal life. The Christian life is intended to be one of victory. This now raises the question as to whether, being freely accounted as righteous by faith, we can therefore sin without restraint. Indeed, would this not result in God showing even more grace resulting in glory being given to Him (compare 3.5, 7)? Paul immediately seeks to discount this argument by demonstrating that the very method of our justification which we have enjoyed demonstrates that we are dead to sin because we died with Christ on the cross. We should note that this is not spoken to people who have a background of Paul’s teaching, but to those to whom he is as yet a stranger. Why then should he expect them to understand it? The answer can only be that it is as a result of what he has already said, that is that we are justified through faith in His blood (3.24), and that Christ was delivered for our offences (4.25). Our offences have been forgiven because He died for us. And in consequence in Him we have died, and especially have died to sin, otherwise we would still be subject to the penalty of death. Thus this is not talking about some spiritual experience that we undergo, for that has not yet been spoken of. It is not that something has happened within us that has caused us to die to sin. It is that we have died along with Christ. Thus apart from Christ we ourselves have not really died. It can only refer to the position that we find ourselves in because of His death for us. In that He died, we died. Thus in Him we have died to sin. Sin can no longer accuse us. And He will now explain that this is because we are one with Him. This is what makes His death, our death. We should note that this is not just a legal fiction. There is a real sense in which we have died, for we are one with Him. And this is true even though there is nothing in ourselves that has died. The death was His, in which we share. The experiential change comes about because we have been saved by His life (5.10). Thus our death arises from the way in which we have been justified by faith in His blood. Our ensuing life results from the fact that we have been raised with Him. Thus victory is now available because we can reckon on our death with Him, and can reckon on the life which has been given to us by God, through Jesus Christ our Lord (6.11). Thus we now know that our old man, the will to live the life that we once lived, has been crucified with Christ. And this was so that the body of sin might be done away, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin (6.6). But in what way is the body of sin done away? How could our being crucified with Christ result in the doing away of the body of sin? The answer lies in the fact that previously our bodies had been under the slavery of sin. We lived in a ‘body of sin’. But as a result of the fact that we have died with Christ on the cross, the body of sin has been done away. We have rejected that part of ourselves which served sin, so that we should no longer be in bondage to sin. Now we are living in a body which repudiates sin. Of course, it is the same body. But now it has a different direction. |
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150 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228749 | ||
CONTINUATION: What then will be the cause of the victory in our new life? Firstly it will arise from the fact that grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, with the result that sin no longer reigns unto death (5.21). Secondly it arises because through Christ’s resurrection life we can walk in newness of life (6.3-5). Thirdly it is because, as a result of the fact that we have been crucified with Christ, we have put off the body of sin (chosen no longer to obey that part of our body which yielded to sin), so that we should no longer be under bondage to sin (6.6). And fourthly because we present ourselves as servants to righteousness, so that we are no longer the servants of sin (6.16). So the victory arises from the grace of God at work upon us through the Holy Spirit (5.5, 21), the life of Christ that we have received within us (6.4), our choice to put off the sinful aspect of our body so that we should no longer be under the bondage of sin (6.6), and our choice to become the servants of righteousness (6.16), that is to commit ourselves to obedience to the body of teaching that has now been given to us, so that we might be made free from sin (6.17). |
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151 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228751 | ||
No problem. My view, and the view of most commentators, is that John is referring to the basic sin that still dwells in us as Christians. 'If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us'. We have to recognise that there is that within us which seeks to drag us down into sin. I think, however, that there is agreement among all of us that that does not mean that we need continually be defeatd by besettings sins. We can gain victory over all of them by walking after the Spirit (Romans 8.4). Indeed John makes that clear for he goes on to say that Christians, while they abide in Christ, 'do not go on sinning' (1 John 3.6). We must never make our sinful natures an excuse for sinning. If we are truly abiding in Christ we will not go on sinning. John is, of course talking about sins of which the person is aware. The Christian of long standing will see as sin what the new born babe in Christ never even considers. Nevertheless, and I gather that we all agree on this, we do nevertheless sometimes sin. We are as it were caught unawares. 'If we say that we have not sinned we make God a liar' (1 John 1.10). But it is not something we should be complacent about. If we fully walked in the Spirit we would not be caught out in this way. But the fact that sin dwells within us does explain, as you rightly say, why even at our best we know that we come short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23). We are not wholly Christ-like in every way. If we were what an amazing world this would be (although they would, of course, immediately crucify us because it would make them feel guilty. The world likes goodness in small measures). Best wishes. |
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152 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228752 | ||
Paul’s Self Analysis In The Light Of The Spiritual Nature Of The Law (7.14-8.4). We note that Paul now switches from the past tense, his experience of the past as an unregenerate man, to the present tense, his experience now as a regenerate man. We should note that it is a depiction of Paul as he is in himself, and especially so if he does not walk in the power of the Spirit. He recognises that he 'as he is in himself' is still fleshly, sold under sin (a slave to sin), having sin dwelling within him. In other words of himself he is helpless against sin. Left to himself he would therefore be without hope. And this in spite of being regenerate. That the description is one of a regenerate man comes out constantly. ‘I do not do what I would’ (verse 15). He wants to do good but his flesh is weak. ‘I consent to the Law that it is good’ (verse 16). He acknowledges the rightness of God’s spiritual Law. ‘It is not I who do it, but sin which dwells in me’ (verse 17). His aim is to do good, it is indwelling sin which prevents it. ‘To will is present with me’ (verse 18). His will is set on what is good. ‘I delight in the Law of God after the inward man’ (verse 22). He not only respects the Law, but like the godly Psalmist (Psalm 119.24, 35, 70, 77, 92, 97, 111, 113, 127, 143, 163, 167, 174) he rejoices in it, and he rejoices in it deep within. That Psalm is the Psalm of a regenerate man as he contrasts himself with the unregenerate. As a Pharisee Paul had respected the Law, (as interpreted by the traditions of the Elders), but it had been a burden to him. It was not something that had delighted his heart. But now deep within him he delighted in that Law. That was the difference that knowing Christ had made. Christ has given him a new view of the Law. ‘I as I am in myself serve the Law of God’ (verse 25). The problem was not that he did not want to obey God. The problem was that indwelling sin prevented it. So in this self-analysis Paul brings out the contrast between the Spirit and the flesh. On the one hand there is the Law. The Law is spiritual. It is on the side of the Spirit. It is of value to spiritual men (compare James 1.23-25). On the other there is his fleshly self. He as he is in himself is fleshly. While he delights in the Law he does not naturally respond to it. Left to himself it is a constant battle. Although thanks be to God victory is obtainable through the Lord Jesus Christ (7.25). We should note here what Paul’s purpose is. He knows that many of the Roman Christians will be struggling against sin. And having heard what he has previously said they will be saying, ‘but that is not my experience. I do constantly sin. I am constantly having to admit my sin. Although I long to be the servant of righteousness, I so often am not. I am not dead to sin. Does this mean I am not a Christian?’ Paul would have been failing in his duty if he had not dealt with this problem. But he wanted to do it gently and so he did it by describing his own experiences. I have often done the same myself, selecting experiences out of my life through which to help others. No one can accuse me of arrogance when I do that. For I am not accusing them at all. But it is my genuine hope that they will apply it to their own lives. This has caused many expositors genuine difficulties. And I will deal with that in another post. |
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153 | Is sinless perfection possible on earth? | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228753 | ||
Some expositors find great difficulty in what I have said. They read the account and say, ‘Paul could not possibly be describing his own life as a Christian’. But that is because they have a low view of sin (I do not mean that in any derogatory way. Most of us have a low view of sin). They see sin in terms of what we could call gross sins, the sins Paul so often lists as typical of unbelievers (Romans 1.29-32; 1 Corinthians 6.9-10; Galatians 5.19-21; and so on). But Paul had a high view of sin. He recognised that in spite of his upward climb he was not already perfect (Philippians 3.12). He still had to keep himself constantly under control (1 Corinthians 9.9.26-27). He had not yet attained to full Christ-likeness. He acknowledged that the flesh prevented him from continually loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength. He recognised that he did not always do to others what he would have them do to him (Matthew 7.12). That he came short of the full glory of God (Romans 3.23), that glory which the Holy Spirit was working to produce within him as he was being transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3.18). Thus he was constantly aware of the sin within that prevented him being what he wanted to be. Indeed the more holy a man becomes, and the nearer he gets to God, the more sinful that man sees himself to be. It is the testimony of holy men through the ages. We must remember that Paul lived constantly under the searchlight of God. He walked in the light, and had experiences of God of which we know nothing (2 Corinthians 12.2-4). And we should therefore recognise that he experienced God in similar ways to Job and Isaiah. He too could cry ‘now my eye sees you, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in sackcloth and ashes’ (Job 42.5-6). He too could cry, ‘Woe is me for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips -- for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts’ (Isaiah 8.5). He had no false illusions about himself. He was not just thinking of his long past when he spoke of ‘sinners of whom I am chief’ (1 Timothy 1 .15). There are few Christians who, if true revival comes, will not have to fall on their faces and cry out to God in despair. We can read the accounts for ourselves. And Paul experienced times of continual revival. His was no ordinary Christian life. Of course he did not mean that every day of his life was total failure. Indeed that is not true of anyone, even unregenerate people. He was simply saying that always he was conscious that sin was preventing him from being and doing what ultimately he should be and do. But he was presenting it in terms which would be helpful to his listeners. He wanted them to apply it to themselves. And he recognised that one day there would be an end to his sin. ‘Who will deliver me out of the body of this death (this dying body)?’. And his reply was, ‘I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord -- for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death -- God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, condemned sin in the flesh so that the ordinances of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit’ (7.25-8.4). They are fulfilled wholly in the fact that Christ fulfilled them wholly on our behalf, and this is resulting in our also gradually fulfilling them if we walk after the Spirit. |
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154 | Can we determine thr truth of the matter | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228760 | ||
When Jesus said, 'I will guide you into ALL truth' He was speaking to His disciples. These words guarantee that the New Testament revelation is reliable. No one today is led into ALL truth (not even me lol). This is evidenced by the fact that He also said, 'But the One called alongside to help, even the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things AND WILL BRING TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE ALL THAT I HAVE SAID TO YOU' (John 14.26) Certainly the Holy Spirit leads us into truth today, but He is hindered by our presuppositions, church background and personal prejudice. Yes we have revelation knowledge if you mean by that the Holy Spirit illuminates the word to us. But we do not have revelation knowledge if you mean by that that we are guided in such a way that we are not in error. When Jesus thanked His Father for the revelation that He had given His disciples and followers He was not suggesting that at that stage they had been led into all truth. We know very well from what followed that they had not. What He was thanking God for was that they had appreciated the truth about Him while the great teachers were still in ignorance. |
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155 | Can we determine thr truth of the matter | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228768 | ||
Hi Doc, I so agree with both your recent posts. I remember Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones that great reformed Gospel preacher telling how one week he had preached a stirring and very clear and detailed message about the way of salvation. When he was standing at the door afterwards a man approached him and said 'Dr Lloyd Jones, I enjoyed your message. I was so pleased to find that you agreed with me that as long as we live a good life we have nothing to worry about.' It was a clear case of someone simply hearing what they wanted to hear. I think some people read posts in the same way. Best wishes |
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156 | Can we determine thr truth of the matter | 1 John 1:8 | biblicalman | 228779 | ||
Hi Doc Yes as a young man I sat under his ministry at Westminster Chapel on Sunday evenings for a number of years. With a group of friends we would preach at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park, and then go on to the Chapel for spiritual sustenance. In fact I was married in Westminster Chapel. I was present when he told us that rather illuminating story. Best wishes. |
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157 | Can a person push God too far?? | 1 John 1:9 | biblicalman | 229654 | ||
To 'fall from grace' is a doctrinal issue not a life issue. It means to have taken up a false position. It does not mean that someone is in such a position that they are no longer experiencing the grace of God, or are acceptable to Him. The Galatians had not been rejected by God, rather they had been led astray doctrinally. It means that doctrinally they have gone astray from the truth. They have taken up a position where they have begun to depend on their own righteousness rather than on the righteousness provided by God. Paul was clearly hopeful that it would only be a temporary phase. |
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158 | Can a person push God too far?? | 1 John 1:9 | biblicalman | 229679 | ||
Hi, It is quite clear that Hebrews 6 refers to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That is the only sin for which there is no repentance. Interestingly the words in Hebrews 6 can be applied to the Scribes and Pharisees. They had been enlightened by Jesus (compare John 1.9). They had tasted of the heavenly gift, that is of Jesus. They had seen His miracles, they had heard His teaching. They had shared in the Holy Spirit, for they had experienced the Spirit-filled Jesus.(How else could they have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit?). They had tasted the good word of God spoken by the Spirit-filled Jesus. And yet they were in danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit by final rejection. The writer was writing to a group of Jews who had been considering the claims of Christ. Some had fully responded, others were hesitating. They too had experienced signs and wonders wrought by the Holy Spirit (Heb 2.4). They had heard the word of God spoken by those who knew Jesus (Heb 2.3). And now they were faced with a final choice. He was not speaking of born again people but of 'believers' like those in John 2.23-25. Some of them he likened to ground covered with thorns and thistles which CANNOT produce fruit (Heb 6.8). |
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159 | rev.7:4 | Revelation | biblicalman | 229120 | ||
It should be noted that the term 'the twelve tribes of Israel' is used by James to refer to the whole church (James 1.1). It is quite clear that James is not simply addressing Christian Jews because in his letter, which is full of moral exhortation, no reference is made to how Jewish Christians should see Gentile Christians, which was a burning topic at the time. Had James been writing to Jewish Christians only he would unquestionably have dealt with this topic at least once. Furthermore it is clear that his letter would have been read out in all the churches that received it (there were no separate Jewish churches as far as we know) and had he not intended it to be a letter to all he would certainly have sent a greeting to Gentile Christans. That being so 'the twelve tribes of Israel who are scattered abroad' is a reference to the church as a whole. This ties in with the idea that the Apostles would sit on the thrones of David (Psalm 122.5) on behalf of the Messiah overseeing 'the twelve tribes of Israel' i.e. the church of the Messiah. Whilst we have lost sight of the fact the early church laid great emphasis on the fact that the true church were the true Israel. They were founded on the early believers in the Messiah who were all ex-Jews, and thus formed the true remnant of Israel (Rom 9.6; 11.1 ff). And as Paul makes clear in Romans 11.16-24 the believing Gentiles were engrafted into Israel, whilst the unbelieving among the Jews were cut off. For the teaching that the true church is the true Messiah-believing Israel see Rom 11.16-24; Gal. 3.29; 6.16; Eph 2.11-22; 1 Peter 2.9; James 1.1. The reason that the names of Ephraim and Dan were omitted is not difficult to determine. It is because those names were especially associated with idolatry in the OT. Abstention from idolatry is an emphasis of Revelation. (That Ephraim is included as Joseph indicates that the issue was over the names not over the tribes). In Rev 21.12, 14, 17, the bride of Christ (the New Jerusalem), and therefore the Old and New Testament church, combines the twelve patriarchs with the twelve Apostles, and this in connection with 144000. There could be no clearer indication that the bride of Christ is in mind in Rev 7 and 14. Best wishes |
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160 | rev.7:4 | Revelation | biblicalman | 229124 | ||
hi searcher, You will note that it does not say that 'he saw' the 144,000, only that he heard their number. Thus the number was important depicting 12 x 12, the patriarchs and the Apostles (Rev 21). Then he looked, and what did he see? That what he had heard numbered was a multitude which no man could number. Thus they were the chosen of God, numbered by Him and yet innumerable. But the New Testament makes clear that the true Israel is the Israel who believed in the Messiah. They were the believing remnant. They WERE Israel and as Israel had always done they accepted Gentiles into their number. They were the olive tree which is Israel (Jer 11.16). It would be very strange if God took up the position of discounting those large number of Jews who believed in the Messiah, in order to favour the unbelieving who were accursed from Christ. Best wishes |
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