Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 22:37 And Jesus replied to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' [Deut 6:5] |
Subject: What is "persevering to the end?" |
Bible Note: Greetings Emmaus, In your post you ask, "what does it mean to persevere to the end?" If you refer to Rev. 3:10, please consider the following: James E. Rosscup in "The Overcomers of the Apocalypse," GTJ 3 (Fall 1982): 261-86, commits the error of the illegitimate identitiy transfer, ie. the practice of noting usage in various contexts, adding all the usages up, reading them into the semantic value of the word and carrying that freighted new meaning into other contexts." Barr, pp 206-62. His attempt to define the meaning of "overcomer", in Rev. 2-3 is a prime example. In I Jn 5:4 it seems clear that the overcomer is a Christian and that all who are Christians are, in a particular sense, overcomers. Those who know the Lord have, according to John, overcome by virtue of the fact that they have believed and for no other reason." In Revelation, however, the overcomer is one who has "kept the word of My perseverance" (Rev. 3:10) and who "keeps My deeds until the end" (Rev. 2:26) As a result of this faithful behavior, the overcomer receives various rewards. Rosscup, in the interests of the Reformed doctrine of perseverance, wants the overcomer in I John (all Christians) to mean the same thing as the overcomer in Revelation. He seems to misunderstand the context of I John and feels it refers to tests of whether or not one is a Christian, when in fact it refers to tests of our walk and fellowship with God. This can be twisted, but the natural sense is to be found in the purpose statements in the opening verses. All who are overcomers in I John, therefore, may or may not be walking in fellowship; all who are overcomers in Revelation are. An overcomer in I John is simply a Christian; an overcomer in Revelation is a persevering Christian. Dillow, "The Reign of the Servant Kings" pp 36-37. All of the above gives me reason to believe that one doesn't lose his salvation because he isn't the Christian who perseveres to the end in walking closely with our Lord, staying in constant fellowship, faithfully resisting temptation, and being abundant in good works "to the end." Thanks for reading my post. In Him, Eagle One |