Quote:
Originally Posted by Ajeck
Though I no longer consider myself a Christian, I feel I should read every so often to be able to converse with believers.
How does one rectify this?
In 1 John 2:19 you are told that in general. Anyone who is a believer will continue to be a believer.
"if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
Yet in 2 John 1:8 one is warned not to "lose" what you have worked for. Which I take to be your salvation.
"Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully."
Also, I remember having discussions with individuals that Christians still can sin since we are not perfect.
Yet in 1 John 3 "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. "
How do you come to terms with this as well?
P.S. - I've fully read each passage and feel like I have not taken anything out of context.
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This is certainly one of the most difficult to understand chapters in the bible. But we have to remember that John was most concerned with love. In this chapter the sin to which he makes reference is the lack of love. Now Christ Died for sin, and in the spirit of Christ we are made new creatures in the spirit, yet in the flesh we are still corrupt till we put on incorruption. We must understand scripture in light of other scripture, and the light we must cast on this chapter is the light of romans 7 in my opinion. In the new testament, especially in the book of Galatians, we see that believers were sinning after having believed. In romans 7 Paul freely admits that even the believer serves the law of sin in the flesh, but the law of God in the spirit. I believe what John is refering to is living a life of sin without having the conviction of the spirit which causes us to confess our sins by conscience, while maintaining we believe in God. What i mean by a life of sin is that we do not live by love.
Let us not forget what is said in 1 john chapter 1 ...
John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1Pe 4:8
"Love covers a multitude of sins"
Leviticus 19:1
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
Leviticus 19:18
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
1 John 2:9
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, s in darkness even until now.
Romans 15:2
Let everyone of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Mat 22:36
"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Luke 10:29-37
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast,
and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence,
and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him;
and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
What is most interesting and relevant in this group of verses is that the Samaritans where considered infidel impostors, as bad if not worse then the pagan gentiles. They where considered enemies of Israel and thus of God. Here Jesus uses the persona of a Samaritan to make an example of what, at least in the Hebrew mind at the time of Christ, was the among the most abhorrent of all cultures(due mainly to their claim of being the true descendants and heirs of Abraham. They were then what Islam might be considered today).
The point is love is the ultimate commandment of God, and the only means of fulfilling the law. I believe John to be speaking of those who claim to be godly, but actually live by conspiring to profit at the expense of others in one form or another.
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