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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; It seems to me that you have to add a lot of opinion or personal belief to the plain meaning of these passages and many others to get the before-and-after qualification. For example, John clearly acknowledged (2:1-2) the possibility that "anyone" might sin in which case Jesus speaks to Father on that person's behalf and the sin has been atoned for. If he were speaking only to non-believers, he surely would have said "when" not "if" because 1:8 and 1:10 would certainly have applied to them. Also, why would John say "we" and not "you"? He applied the present tense to himself as well as to the recipients of his letter. If I understand your idea correctly, Jesus' death only atoned for your sins up until you were saved. From that point on, you started earning your way into Heaven by living a sinless life. But how do you know it is sinless? How do you know that every deed, every word, every thought, and every nuance of behavior is in conformance with God's will? If you follow John's admonition to walk as Jesus walked then I assume you must keep every jot and tittle of the Law as he did. Since the sacrificial system is done away with, if you slip up just once, will you go to hell? As for giving Satan credit, I am indeed giving the devil his due. He is the prince of this world; I am by nature a sinner. It is in the next world where, by faith in Christ, I will be made perfect. My job in this world is not to suddenly become perfect but by the indwelling Spirit to become different - salt and light - and to become a witness for Christ. My job is to grow toward perfection and to do it boldly, not fearing failure but confident that every failure is covered by the blood of Jesus. And yes, I do give my children commands that I know they can't do. For example, I tell them to always do their best, without exception. I tell them this knowing that sometimes, due to fatigue, inattention, peer pressure, or simple teenage rebellion, they won't. They in turn know that when their very best effort falls short of achieving its goal, their father will still love them and commend them for giving it their best shot. That's something I learned from my Heavenly Father. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |