Subject: Aren't the elect commanded to repent? |
Bible Note: Greetings John! You wrote: "You could not give a reasoned reply to John Owens because it turns upside down your interpretation of 1 John 2:2" I'm not sure I follow your point my friend. I gave a reasoned reply - salvation is a gift which must be received. Universal atonement does not equal univsersal salvation, so Owen's point is not valid. You may disagree, but I have given my reasons many times. :-) You also wrote: "Tim, it can be easily refuted by stating that the "whole world" refers to the elect throughout the whole world." We have been over this ground before, but may I point out that saying something is so, doesn't make it so. A word's meaning is determined by an author's usage, not what we want it to mean. So, I challenge you to find one verse in all of John's writings where 'world' conclusively refers only to believers. Here is a study I did on the word 'world' in just 1 John. *********************************************** Who does John mean when he refers to the sins of the world? John uses the word 'world' 23 times in 17 verses in this letter. Here are all the occurances so that you can decide what the word means. 1 John 2:2 - " He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:15 - "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:16 - "For everything in the world?the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does?comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:17 - "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 3:1 - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:13 - "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:17 - "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" (Note: Other translations say, "worldy goods" instead of "material possessions) 1 John 4:1 - "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 1 John 4:3 - "but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4:4 - "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:5 - " They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them." 1 John 4:9 - "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." 1 John 4:14 - "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world" 1 John 4:17 - " In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him." 1 John 5:4 - "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:5 - "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:19 - "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." ************************************************ In my opinion, it is impossible to force the word 'world' to mean 'believers around the world'. John's usage of the word is quite clear and consistent. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |