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NASB | 1 John 5:13 ¶ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 5:13 ¶ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [which represents all that Jesus Christ is and does], so that you will know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have eternal life. |
Subject: Crying out loud Lord rescue me |
Bible Note: Blue eyes- let me start by saying that I know sister Azure to be very loving, patient and gracious and I am confident that she was not intending to sound harsh, judgmental, nor inappropriately critical. Her history of posts here on the Forum demonstrates her kindness as well as her commitment to teaching and receiving sound biblical doctrine. With that said, I would like to offer some additional comments to help clarify the point of concern here. There is a movement that you may or may not have heard of commonly referred to as the “Word of Faith” movement. It’s unbiblical, false doctrines have caused significant unrest and confusion for many Christians who innocently fall victim to their false teachings. At the core of their teaching is the unbiblical approach to faith. In short- they teach that faith is a force that can be used indiscriminately at the disposal of believers to effect change and accomplish the goal at hand. They use language similar to what you have used in your posts to include laying “claim to God’s promises”. They neglect to point out that not all promises found in Scripture are for you and me. Some, for example, were made to the Israelites while others were made to individuals such as David, Solomon, etc. Their entire philosophy is based on a lack of knowledge of God’s word and accomplished through the picking and choosing of “verses” snatched out of the context in which they should be considered. Some, perhaps yourself, innocently incorporate these teachings into their own beliefs as they are exposed here and there to the teachings. It’s not hard to be exposed as there are a lot of famous and even friendly faces touting the nonsense on radio and television. With that said, please allow me to point to God’s word for some promises that we can know are meant for you and me and other believers. Matt 10:22 (NASB) “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. Heb 9:27 (NASB “and inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. John 12:25 (NASB) “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” Paul said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 NASB) There is nothing wrong with hoping for deliverance from hardship but we have no “promise” in Scripture guaranteeing our freedom from it. On the contrary, we are clearly told to expect it. When we do seek deliverance from a particular, it is to be our prayer that our needs be met only as their being met is in accordance with God’s will. The Word of Faith teachers will tell you that this argument is a sinful argument of unbelief. Scripture, on the other hand, tells us that He, the Holy Spirit, “intercedes for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD” (Romans 8:27- emphasis added to clarify and not intended as yelling). In other words; we have no right to isolate a verse that suits our needs, claim it in faith, and demand, or expect, our need to be met. After all, it may be God’s will that what ever burden we are suffering be ours to suffer till death. On the other hand, He may answer our prayer in short order and deliver us immediately and completely. He will not be pinned down by man’s claim to anything. In love, I hope this is helpful. Jeff |