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NASB | Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. |
Subject: assurance of salvation |
Bible Note: Hi, Lanny; I hope I don't sound like I'm interrogating you.... Paul's words seem pretty clear - first person singular, present tense - so I can't see where your before-and-after interpretation might come from. I also can't think of anywhere in the Bible that says anyone other than Jesus can lead a sinless life. That is the goal, of course. The Bible contains many calls to Christians to live a holy life. But as a fallen race, failure is a certainty. Consider 1 John 1:8-10 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." Or Paul's much shorter "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Neither John nor Paul qualifies his statement by suggesting that it applies only to people before they are saved. Indeed both were writing to communities of believers, many of whom were undoubtedly saved. If we are able to live a perfect life, what did Jesus die for? Only to pardon those sins we committed before we were saved? That's not what the Bible says. In the passage above, John said "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.". And he continued "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2) No before-and-after qualification, just an unequivocal statement that "if we sin", Jesus' death has already atoned for it. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |