1 JOHN
In This Section
1 JOHN 3:5-9, 4:20, 5:3-5
1 JOHN 3:5-9
Coming into chapter 3 of 1 John we see some beautiful proclamations concerning our eternal security in Salvation. John says;
"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies [cleanses] himself, just as He is pure [clean]." (1 John 3:1-3)
If you are saved, then you are one of the "children of God." Plainly, to be God's child, is to be saved. John encourages all saved people with this fact by pointing it out to the Asian churches. Next, John assures his saved audience that they know that when Christ appears at His coming again, that all saved people will be like Him. This is called surety in security for all eternity. John says that everyone who has this hope fixed on Christ, purifies himself, just as Christ is already pure. This is the classic teaching of the daily outworking of salvation that God's children already have, and never lose. Essentially, what this means is that saved people are already made clean and pure positionally in clean and pure Christ;
"7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
1 John 1:7 describes the saved person's position in Christ, where the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the saved person. Along with a saved person's position in Christ, there also exists their current earth-bound condition, where each and every day, the believer seeks to repent of sinful thoughts and actions, but saved people do this as those who are already pure in Christ, and further, saved people do this as those who can only do it because they are empowered by Christ to do so. This outworking of one's inward salvation is what John addresses most in this letter. So, the saved, have their position in Christ, which is spiritual-eternal salvation, and they have their condition on earth right now; then something else is guaranteed to come. It is when God's children will be like Christ, because they will see Him just as He is. It is the glorious hope of the future, where all Christians look forward to being in Christ's presence forever and ever--changed and spotless. What has just been described, are the three tenses of the believer's one salvation that is never lost: 1) The elect believer was saved and it is eternal. 2) The elect believer works out salvation each day, which is now. 3) The elect believer will be super-glorified after death, which is the eternal future. Keep this in mind, because John now goes on to write the passage which has turned out to be a common passage used to build the Not Eternally Saved Theory. John says,
"Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:5-9)
If someone were to approach this passage by just picking up a Bible and highlighting these 6 verses, and then wave the banner of "plain and literal" meaning, they may be tempted to say, "Obviously, John is saying that Christians never sin, nor can they sin." Such a cursory style of reading is what has led to the two main, yet wrong, views of this passage that spring from the grassy foundation of the NEST. The first is the view of the eradicationist faction, who believe in the NEST. Hyper-eradicationists hold to a philosophy of sinless perfectionism. It is also called entire sanctification. This sub-minority, of believers in the NEST, say that no one who is saved sins, which seems to be supported by verse 6 above. Further, no one who sins knows Christ, which seems to be supported by the same verse. Finally, they say that no one born of God can sin, (cf. verse 9). What this faction believes is that John must be teaching that a truly saved person is perfectly sinless in all of their thoughts, actions, and being. The big problem here is that this theory just eternally damned every single person except Christ Himself. In other words, everyone sins. The apostles sinned while saved and living on earth. The hyper eradicationists themselves sin every single day, which is starkly illustrated in the one great circular sin of claiming they do not sin. Additionally, you sin. I sin; everybody sins sin. Therefore, according to this view, no one has ever been saved, will be saved, or can be saved.
Additionally, if hyper eradicationists really believe in their interpretation of this passage, then they must believe in eternal security, and they must reject the NEST altogether. The reason being, that if a Christian can not sin, and so does not sin according to their theory, then, the so-called non-sinning Christian is eternally secure! This poses a really huge problem for the eradicationist who insists upon believing that one can lose one's eternal salvation by sinning, because to sin merely demonstrates according to their foundation, that the person was not saved to begin with. Remember, they think it is prima facie evidence--meaning, clearly seen in the text,
"6 ... no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. ... 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:6)
By the way, every philosophy behind conditional security requires that you sin in some manner as the condition to losing salvation.
Now, beyond any subjective experience, where we realize that we sin while we are saved, we must look at the Scriptural revelation that tells us that this is true. But before we do that, we shall briefly look at that other view of this passage that is according to the NEST. It is similar to the first one we covered, but focuses upon the word, "practices," where it is said that no truly saved person will sin very much. They equivocate the word "practice" for quantity of sins, (as in number and degree). So they say that Christians may still sin, but when Christians sin, they are in danger of losing salvation, or walking away from salvation after saved [sic.] (which is the same thing as losing salvation) because the saved person may be practicing sin at some escalated, yet undefinable level. Sinning occasionally, or seldomly, is supposed to be something different than the frequency of practicing, but since nobody really knows what occasionally sinning, or seldomly sinning really means in terms of quantity, then no one really knows whether they are practicing sin or not. Every attempt to quantify this whole theory, results in such a confusing mess that those who believe in the religion of the NEST will usually go to its soft pillow statement in the end. The soft pillow is this statement,
"Well, I don't know how much sin is too much sin but that's why you need to be careful!"
Resting one's case upon such a feathery foundation will not suffice. Such a statement is paramount to being a non-answer.
The main point is that both NEST views of John's point are wrong.
To demonstrate this, we must go to the Scriptures that prove that Christians still sin, starting with this epistle, and moving on to some others. In chapter 5, John instructs his saved audience, saying,
"If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." (1 John 5:16)
This causes an immediate problem for the theory of the hyper-eradication-sinless-perfectionist crowd. Clearly we can "see," as John says, "a brother sin a sin." Further, why should anyone listen to John and pray for a brother who commits a sin, if indeed a brother really is not committing, (and can not commit) said sin? This passage alone eradicates the eradicationist theory. There is more to add from other passages. There was that one from just a few sentences beforehand, where John says,
"My little children, [Christians] I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1)
The reason why John says that if anyone of the little children "does sin," is not because anyone does not sin anymore, but because of anyone sinning some more. Certainly, those who sin are the ones who need an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the righteous. So, with this consideration alone, we already see that John, in the disputed passage, must be talking about a meaning other than this particular NEST interpretation.
But, the questions arise; "why?"; and also "how?"--"why and how do we still sin as saved people?" Paul the apostle explains it to us in easy to understand terms. God told Paul to tell us that Christians have two natures. All saved people have a new nature which is made alive in being born again according to Christ. But along with that new nature, all saved people also have the old sinful Adam-nature that they still carry around conditionally until it is completely changed into their super-glorified state in the heavenlies. That state is the last state we will enter into in our one salvation. It is that third tense of our eternal spiritual salvation. In other words, we are glorified in one sense now, but we still have the fleshly remnant of Adam and his nature as part of our existence. We are glorified now, but only because of the glorified Christ that is in us, (cf. Colossians 1:27). Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:40,
"There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another." (1 Corinthians 15:40)
A good question to ask, is how we can have glory now, and then have glory later on in the afterlife? This is how. You have glory now in Christ in that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit, with Christ's righteousness imputed to you. You will be super-glorified later on in Christ when your whole being is supernaturally changed in the afterlife. Paul repeats this great truth in 2 Corinthians, saying,
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV emph. mine)
The main point is that we have two natures right now on earth and are experiencing "one degree of glory" as the ESV renders it. We will move on to another degree of glory in the afterlife. This is why Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to urge Christians to,
"walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Galatians 5:16-17)
What this means is that saved people can sometimes sin according to their sin-nature-flesh in which they still manifest desires of the flesh. Whenever a Christian wonders why they are saved, but they still sin, they need to recognize that it is because of their sin nature that they have in their earthbound condition. Their earthbound condition has not been completely eradicated yet. What is important is that we understand that it is this same malady of the flesh that requires that we be imputed with Christ's righteousness in the first place. In other words, God must see His righteousness covenantally applied to us through the work of His Son on the cross, and God must see His righteousness in us in the person of the Holy Spirit, for us to be acceptable. This is why Paul says,
"by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us ... righteousness" (1 Corinthians 1:30)
All saved people are righteous because they are in righteous Christ. Paul calls it the righteousness of God, saying in Romans;
"the righteousness of God has been manifested ... even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being made righteous as a gift ..." (Romans 3:21-22)
Paul defines what the righteousness of God is in 2 Corinthians,
"17... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
The reason God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf is so that we would become the righteousness of God in Him, by grace, through faith. This is the great doctrine, where God's very righteousness is what becomes our righteousness in salvation in Christ Jesus even though we still walk around with sinful flesh. This is the essence of Galatians 2:20;
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the [old sorry sin tainted] flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)
This is why Paul says in Romans 6:11,
"Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11)
The place of aliveness, and righteousness, is in Christ Jesus, and no where else. It is not in any self effort. It is not in any supposed place of sinless perfectionism or eradicationism. It is in Christ. Sin is the pandemic malady, so our co-crucifixion with Christ, and the resurrected Christ living in us, is the only remedy.
At this time, we need to look into that other theory, which is the one that focuses upon quantity of sins as the condition for losing salvation that one supposedly already had beforehand. John is continuing his point here from his contextual flow, which has been to instruct Christians to walk the Christlike life in the second tense of abiding in Christ of 1 John 2:28 (also known as known as living the Christlike life in one's condition). Remember, John says,
"Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:5-9)
Since John, and the apostles, say that Christians sin, and they say that Christians sin without quantifying amounts, or frequency, then we immediately realize that the NEST is wrong in trying to use 3:5-9 to claim that salvation is contingent upon one's consistency in abstaining from sin. So, with that in mind, let us consider what John is teaching in 3:5-9, by recognizing 5 primary points concerning it:
<1>
The first point that we must recognize is that John is still refuting the latent heresies that are still lingering, which were propagated by the proto-gnostic pagans who had gotten in among the Christian community (cf. 1 John 2:26, 2:19). So, John is still on the subject of what he addressed at the beginning of the letter, where he addressed those who say that they have no sin and therefor, make God out to be a liar;
"8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-9)
Staying with the historical and cultural considerations, and looking at John's opening context, we find, then, that John is likely saying that practicing sin as a life attribute of not being saved in the first place, is to practice lawlessness (cf. 1 John 3:5), which the proto-gnostic would be guilty of and demonstrating each and every day.
<2>
This leads to the second point that we need to consider, which is that while abiding in Christ, our new nature can not sin, though we can sin as a matter of our old nature. This is why John says here in verse 9,
"9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9 emph. mine)
John is talking about being born again, where the "anointing" in 1 John 2:20 and 27 refers to Christ's Holy Spirit as the seed Who indwells the saved person, giving the saved person a new nature. We know this is what John is talking about because John says in a few more verses, speaking of God,
"We know by this that He [God] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24)
God's abiding seed is Himself as the person of the Holy Spirit. This is the essence of spiritual regeneration, where we, who are spiritually saved, still have the old nature, but our redeemed self has Christ in us, and us in Christ, as part of the body of Christ, (cf. Colossians 1:24) which is the spiritual identity of the "one new man" of Ephesians 2:15. Having God's seed in us is how we are children of God in 1 John 3:1. This abiding seed is what Paul was talking about when he wrote,
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" (Romans 8:15, cf Galatians 4:6)
We find the same truth written by John a few paragraphs later here in 1 John 5:18, where he says,
"18 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He [Christ] who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him" (1 John 5:18 emph. mine)
Each biblical author is sharing the same truth; they just give it from a different angle. We see that "no one born of God" in their spiritual regeneration aspect, "sins." This is not to say that when we sin, we are not wholly accountable. Of course, we are the ones sinning. It is to say, though, that no one born of God in their spiritual regeneration aspect sins according to their spiritual regeneration aspect. Additionally, we must notice that in 1 John 5:18 there is also the assurance of eternal security because of this birth. Christ, "keeps" all who are born of God. The redeemed spiritual man aspect of a Christian does not sin, and not only that, but the evil one does not touch him. The redeemed man goes on forever in a resurrected body. His old sinful flesh, on the other hand, will be done away with--left behind to never be seen again. This is why it is so important to realize what it means to be born again, what it means to have two natures, and that salvation is expressed in three tenses. So, we see that the saved person does not sin through his new nature because Christ's seed abides in him as being joined in one spirit, (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:17); and he cannot sin in that respect, because he is born of God. Nevertheless, the born again person can still sin in another respect, and that is through his old nature, in which, of course, he is still the one sinning, and is completely accountable for his sin. Remember Galatians 5:17,
"17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Galatians 5:17)
The spiritual man is born of God. God's seed abides in him spiritually, and so there is this tension going on where you may not do the things that you please. The flesh nature's desires are against the Spirit, and likewise the Spirit is against the old Adamic flesh. They oppose one another, and it does not stop until you die. This is why the axiom is worthy of memorization: salvation is more than merely a concept; salvation is a miracle. Salvation is the regenerating miracle of 1 Corinthians 6, where we read the various details,
"11 ... you were washed, but you were set apart, but you were made righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. ... the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ... 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? 17... the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ... 19 ... your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and ... you are not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:11-19 emph. mine)
The "one spirit" that occurs by God's abiding seed of His Holy Spirit, simply can not, does not, and will not, sin, and yet when you sin, you are fully accountable for your sin that you commit through that aspect of you which is your sin nature. Everything we have examined so far concerning this subject, is summed up in one of the most concisely doctrinally packed sentences about this found anywhere in the New Covenant scriptures. It is found in Romans 8. Paul makes it all clear, saying,
"if Christ is in you, [God's seed] though the body [which is the flesh nature] is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive [the born again new man in Christ] because of righteousness [which is Christ and His righteousness]." (Romans 8:10)
The point is that unsaved people can only sin because they are only of sin. They are of, and positionally in, the "one man" of the body of Adam, (cf. Acts 17:26 see footnote 1 below). They are not the body of Christ. Even if what they do appears righteous, it is still sin because it comes from the only nature they have (their solitary nature of sin).
<3>
This leads to the third point to consider, and that is that John also says here,
"7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;" (1 John 3:7)
Clearly, only saved people practice righteousness. When someone is saved, this practicing of righteousness becomes their hunger and thirst. They crave righteousness. It is their normative state of existence, even if they occasionally sin. This God-given attribute of theirs is why they are convicted of sin, hate sin, grieve over their sin, and repent of sin. This is an important verse because it helps clarify that unsaved people, though they do things that seem righteous, are not righteous just as Christ is righteous. They can not be righteous (according to God's standard) because they have never had Christ's righteousness imputed to them in salvation. In other words, if an unsaved person can practice righteousness, and so thereby be righteous as Christ is righteous, then an unsaved person is saved by his works apart from Christ, because he is being as righteous as Christ. Such a view is contrary to the whole gospel message, because all our supposed righteousness is as filthy rags to the Lord, (Isaiah 64:6); none is righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). So, what this means is that children of God, which are saved people, are the people who manifest righteousness in their lives as an outworking of the inner righteousness that they have in salvation.
<4>
This leads to the forth point, and that is that in spiritual salvation, there is always that second tense of salvation that we nurture in our condition. In other words, it is because you are saved that you nurture, (meaning you outwork and express), your saved state each day through repentance, discipleship, ministry, manifesting the fruits of the indwelling Spirit, practice righteousness, and so forth. Unsaved people, when attempting to do these things, are just repeating empty religious activity. Unsaved people may think they are practicing righteousness, but they are really only practicing sin, because they are still completely and solely in the flesh of Adam. On the other hand, when saved people practice righteousness each day in outworking their salvation that they already have and never lose, then they are practicing Christ's righteousness because His seed abides in them. To practice Christ's righteousness is to not sin. To try to do otherwise, by a counterfeit good works method, is sin, and it does not matter how much unsaved people attempt to define their works as being good. So, to practice righteousness is simply to manifest one's second tense of salvation.
<5>
This leads to the fifth point, and that is that John starts out his topic with, "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness," which indicates that John is referencing the law of the great commandment that he writes about in this same context, in 3:22-24,
"... we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them." (1 John 3:22-24)
James calls this the "royal law," in James 2:8. It is called the "law of faith," in Romans 3:27. It is the law of love in Galatians 5:14 and Romans 13:8-10. With this consideration, we know that truly saved people, which are true Christians, actually do keep these commandments of Christ's Law, and so they do not practice lawlessness. Truly saved people do believe in God's Son. Truly saved people do love one another. On the other hand, unsaved people do not believe in the name of God's Son, and additionally, they hate Christians, whether latently, passive aggressively, innerly, outwardly, subjectively, objectively, or however. They do not love the true Christ, therefor they hate His little children, (cf. 1 John 3:13, 15:20, 2 Tim. 3:12). So, John is talking about everyone who practices sin, as those who practice lawlessness in transgressing the "royal law" of the New Covenant, as the "New Commandment" (cf. John 13:34) that Christ gave moments before he was betrayed and crucified, of which John repeats as a foundation in this epistle (cf. 1 John 2:8).
Therefore, taking all these considerations into account, we see that this passage does not remotely suggest that one can lose one's eternal salvation, gain salvation by meritorious efforts, or maintain keeping salvation secure by meritorious efforts. As a quick recap, we realize that John is saying that unregenerate people practice sin and lawlessness as their natural affinity. Christ appeared to take away sins in sacrificial substitutionally atonement and propitiation, and in Him there is no sin. Saved people abide in Him, and though they sin according to the flesh, and are wholly accountable, saved people do not sin as a matter of their "one spirit" state of being, (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:17). Christians, (God's children) unlike the world, practice righteousness just as the One who abides in them is righteous. The people who are totally of the flesh practice sin as their lost affinity on an ongoing basis out of their one nature, because they are of their father the devil who has sinned from the beginning. Christ, on the other hand destroys those works of the devil. The point is finalized in verse 9; No one who is born of God practices sin, because God's seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
We have finished with this passage but there is some more in John's immediate point that we need to cover before we are done with this section. It has to do with the great love connection as the great commandment of Christ. John goes on to verse 10 saying,
"10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:10)
Christians practice righteousness by the renewed nature which is Christ's righteousness. Non-Christians do not do this, and are, of course, children of the devil. Anyone then, who claims to be a child of God, and does not love another real child of God, is a liar (cf. 1 John 4:20). The great love connection here reflects that point, which is the commandment that John speaks of in this letter. John makes reference to it in the next verse,
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;" (1 John 3:11)
John teaches strongly on the importance of love and then identifies the commandment that he mentions so often in this letter in verse 23,
"22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:22-43)
This is the great proclamation of the great "new" commandment that John repeats from the days when he walked and learned from Jesus directly during Christ's earthly ministry. It is God's new covenant commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. John shows us the two in his gospel account where he recorded the words of Jesus, where Jesus taught the people both aspects of the commandment that John is talking about here in 1 John. In the gospel account John recorded Jesus saying,
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36 emph. mine)
The above is the first part of the commandment--believing in the Son is equated to obeying the Son. John also records the second part in his Gospel where Jesus lays out the "new" commandment to his students who already believe in Him,
"34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34)
John was there and heard Jesus tell him this new commandment recorded in John 13:34. The main point is that it is so important to understand that when John is talking about obeying Christ's commandments, this is what he is talking about.
John goes on through chapter 4 warning against the false prophets of the various pagan cults who have left and have gone out into the world (cf. 1 John 4:1). They deny that Christ came in the flesh, (cf. 1 John 4:2), which is something that indicates their probable association with developing emergent gnosticism. They do not confess Jesus, and so they are of the spirit of the antichrist which is already in the world (cf. 1 John 4:3). John encourages his Christian audience by stating that they have overcome the pagans and their influences, (cf. 1 John 4:4-5). The pagans on the other hand are,
"from the world [kosmos]; therefore they speak as from the world [kosmos], and the world [kosmos] listens to them." (1 John 4:5)
But John reaffirms his authority, and the truth he teaches, as opposed to the false teachers, (cf. 1 John 4:6). Then John goes on in chapter 4, with more urgings to love one another, because the one who does not love does not know God for God is love, (cf. 1 John 3:7-8). Then John says,
"9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)
This word "propitiation" is so important, because, just as in the great miracle of having Christ's righteousness imputed to us in salvation, we also have had God's wrath that we deserve concerning our sin, imputed to Christ in His suffering and death on the cross. It is imperative that we always remember this great exchange of God's grace:
A) The wrath we deserve was imputed to Christ on the cross.
B) Christ's righteousness was imputed to us in salvation.
It is because of this that we "live through Him." We live through Him, because He died for us. This is the foundation of being once saved in eternal spiritual salvation (OSIESS), also known as Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS), perseverance of the saints, and eternal security. Christ as the propitiation for our sins, means that Jesus became our wrath absorber on the cross. To put it another way, propitiation means that Christ completely satisfied God's wrath requirement that God demands for sin. What is so beautiful about this is that God did this Himself, and He did it by His own love for those whom He saves, and will save. This is the foundation of our assurance in salvation, but there are more words of assurance coming as we finish this section. John gives us some beautiful criteria for testing whether or not we are truly saved. It is not the fiction of vexing worry over your sinfulness, as certain factions of the NEST assert. It is not the fallacious belief that you are following all the rules, and so you have impressed God, and have earned salvation by merit. No, John says,
"13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ... 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:13-15)
The two points here that we can test ourselves on for our assurance of salvation, are that God has given us, saved people, His Spirit. This seed is how we know we abide in Him. Additionally, our confession, (which is our asserted acknowledgment) of Jesus as the Son of God, (the Messiah according to promise) demonstrates that God abides in us, and we in Him. The main point is that John teaches eternal security in salvation. John teaches Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS); perseverance of the saints; Once Saved In Eternal Spiritual Salvation (OSIESS), or as he quoted Jesus as saying in John 3:15-16, he teaches that to be saved is to "never perish." John puts out a lot of effort to get across that you can actually know, right now, with surety, that you have security.
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FOOTNOTES:
(1) A graphic, and even somewhat genetic connection is seen in the rendering, where all are said to be of the "one blood" of the "one man" of the body of Adam, as the Majority text has it, Acts 17:26 (see NKJV).
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1 JOHN 4:20
Examining, exegeting, and properly interpreting 1 John is a rewarding task. As we come into chapter 4, in this section, it is good for us to be reminded of the great commandment of Christ that John mentions in the context. It is in chapter 3. The great commandment of Christ comes in two parts, where John says,
"This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:23-24)
This is a great proclamation of the great commandment that John repeats from the days when he walked and learned from Jesus directly during His earthly, pre-cross, Messianic ministry. This is Christ's commandment, and it is in two parts:
1) that we believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ;
2) that we love one another, just as Christ commanded us.
John recorded the above teaching of Christ concerning belief, where Christ taught the people, saying,
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:29)
That is a direct assertion of the first part of Christ's commandment, and, we notice that God produces (ie, "work of God") this belief in people. John records the second part listed above, in his Gospel, where Jesus says,
"34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34)
It is so important to understand that when John is talking about obeying Christ's commandments, this is what he is talking about.
The next thing we notice is that John continues on through chapter 4 warning against the false prophets of the various pagan cults who have left and have gone out into the world (cf. 1 John 4:1). These people deny that Christ came in the flesh, (cf. 1 John 4:2), which is a heresy of gnostics. Since scholars can not identify this belief with the Jews, or with the various other pagan religions of that time, this leaves emergent proto-gnosticism as the most logical false religion to associate this belief with. So the particular people deny that Christ came in the flesh, and they do not confess Jesus, so they are of the spirit of the antichrist which is already in the world (cf. 1 John 4:3). John encourages his Christian audience by stating that they have overcome the pagans and their insidious influences, (cf. 1 John 4:4-5). The pagans on the other hand are lost. They are different. In fact, they are, as John says,
"from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them." (1 John 4:5)
John is concerned about the authority and teaching influence of these people. Plainly, they are to be rejected. So John reaffirms his authority and the truth he teaches as opposed to these false teachers, (cf. 1 John 4:6). Then John goes on with more urgings with that same great theme; to love one another, because the one who does not love does not know God, because God is love, (cf. 1 John 4:7-8). This is strong clarification, because a person's love as a Christian for other Christians is an identifying mark of the person's salvation. Obviously, the cultists do not love the true Christians, which only serves to demonstrate that the cultists are not truly saved; and then verses 9-10,
"By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)
John takes his authority seriously as one who is a preacher of God's revealed truth. So, John points out God's revelation of His love. John knows that going back to God is the final word on any matter--it is the beginning word in any matter. So, John gives us the ultimate definition of this whole love subject he's been talking about. It is the God definition, where he says, that in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His only begotten Son to be the propitiation for our sins. No human philosophy of love can top that revelation. To get the depth of this love action, which is the whole act of propitiation. We need to look at that word, "propitiation." Propitiation means that Jesus became the wrath absorbing sacrifice, in the stead of the elect, on the cross. "This" is love; namely, Christ Who is God manifest in flesh, completely satisfied His own wrath that He must express as God, in that God demands His just wrath as the penalty for sin. This love is the foundation of assurance in salvation, but there are more words of assurance coming,
"13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit ... 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:13-15)
Confession is a big deal in the New Testament; especially confessions concerning Jesus. It is a big deal with John. Confession is somewhat like an official proclamation where one declares something to be so. In 2:23, John says,
"No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)
John just said back in 4:2-3
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God." (1 John 4:2-3)
Then in 4:15,
"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15)
As we recognize that Jesus said this, we also recognize that Jesus is who John got this revelation from. We read it in Matthew,
"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)
It is the famous proclamation of Paul in Romans 10,
"if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" Romans 10:9-10)
We recognize the official proclamation, but it is not necessary to get hung up with the "mouth" part, because people who are mute are saved in acknowledging Christ, even though they can not talk. Confession, as in acknowledgment, in this instance where the mouth is referenced is obviously an idiomatic expression from Paul. The main point is that confession is such a big deal; not because it is some sort of work that you accomplish, but because it is the acknowledgment of the substance of your faith. Faith is belief; confession is you acknowledging what you believe. And so it is with this that John goes on with teaching on love, and then we enter into the passage that is utilized by people who believe in the NEST. John says,
"16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:16-21)
What is typically asserted, by those who believe in the NEST, concerning this passage, is that a saved person, (which means a person who is born again, judicially, positionally, and spiritually in Christ) can hate His brother, and, in so doing, loses salvation in damnation forever.
The NEST is wrong.
To quickly understand why the NEST is wrong, all we need to do is realize that John has been addressing the fact that the cultic faction which evacuated the true church, (cf. 1 John 2:26, 2:19, 4:1) really hates the true church.
So, the key to this is to realize that the brother that is to be loved is a Christian. John's meaning is that a Christian does not hate other Christians. Only lost people hate Christians. The way we know for sure that this is what John is talking about is by simply going to the next verse where John says,
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him." (1 John 5:1)
Yes, context really is king! Someone who loves the child born of God His Father, is a true brother in Christ who is loving another true brother in Christ. This is made evident by what John says earlier in describing the Christians of his audience as the true "brothers" in 1 John 3:13. Then in the very next sentence John says,
"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death." (1 John 3:14)
Loving the brothers is to be loving the Christians who are all part of the true family of God that pagans (who are fake Christians) hate. John goes on over into chapter 5 with more urgings to recognize that we truly love God's children. John says that unlike cults, or anyone who is lost because they are of the world,
"we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments." (1 John 5:2)
The proof of our faith is that we love God's children as being ourselves, also God's children. Unsaved cultists do not do this. Therefore, we recognize that this section does not remotely suggest that one can lose one's eternal salvation that one already has, gain it by personal effort, or maintain keeping it secure by self effort.
1 JOHN 5:3-5
The above passage, of 1 John 4:20, leads into another passage that is construed to assert that one can lose one's eternal salvation. It is in 5:3-5, where John says
"3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:3-5)
According to the typical assertion of those who believe in the NEST, Christians must keep the 10 commandments and various other lists of commandments. To keep all of those, is what Christians do to overcome the world. If one does not keep the NEST defined commandments, then that one is said to not be born of God. The person is not an overcomer. So, the person loses salvation that they supposedly had once before, and is damned forever.
The NEST is wrong.
To recognize why the NEST is wrong, all we have to do is realize that anyone who is born of God is saved. That is what it means to be born of God. It is spiritual regeneration. It is also called being "born again." So, as a first consideration, John is saying that whoever is born of God, right now, overcomes the world. This, then, is already a defeat for the NEST interpretation. The reason is that truly saved people, according to this verse, actually do overcome the world, and so since they actually do overcome the world in salvation then they can not lose salvation in not overcoming. Such simple logic must not be missed. Of course unsaved people are not described in the passage as overcoming the world, which makes sense, because unsaved people are not born of God in the first place.
As a second consideration, we must understand that in overcoming, the true victory for all saved people is what John says next. He says,
"this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith." (1 John 5:4)
Certainly this is the case, because all Christians are saved by God's grace through faith. So, right here we have the very definition of what makes a saved person overcome. It is what makes a saved person victorious over the world. It is the one big thing. It is not a work generated out of human effort. It is our faith, which of course is the work of God according to John 6:29, and is a gift received from the Father in 2 Peter 1:1, which is the same faith that is "granted" as a gift in Philippians 1:29, which God gives to certain people in Romans 12:3. We do not give it to Him. It is the same faith that Christ Jesus authored in the elect, and He goes on to perfect in the elect according to Hebrews 12:2. But the question concerning this faith, is, "faith in what?" John proceeds to tell us in the final verse of the section, in verse 5;
"5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:5)
The one who overcomes the world with his faith, is said to be he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the Christian's victory. This is the Christian's faith. The faith--the victory--is belief that Jesus is the Son of God.
That should pretty much clear it up, but those who believe in the NEST get hung up on the commandments part. What about the commandments? The answer resides in the fact that John has identified, defined, and explained the commandments that he is talking about for us in this same letter. John's definition of what he is talking about, when it comes to God's commandments, is what he is talking about here in 1 John 5:3-5. Let us look at the commandments;
"This is His [Christ's] commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments [plural, and the reason it is plural is because there are two commandments inside the one commandment. John goes on; The one who keeps His commandments] abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:23-24 emph. mine)
What is so wonderful about the immediate context of our passage is that John repeats both parts of the commandment in it. The first one he repeats for us right there in verse 5, where he says,
"5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:5 emph. mine, see 1 John 3:23)
That is the first commandment of the plural commandments:
1) that you believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.
The second one is found a couple of sentences beforehand in John's same contextual flow of his point in 4:21, where he says,
"this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:21 emph. mine, see 1 John 3:23)
So, there is the second one;
2) that you love one another, just as He commanded you.
Here is the point; If indeed you are saved, then you do keep God's commandments. You do overcome the world by your faith. It is your victory that overcomes. You do believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and you do love one another as those who are truly your brothers and sisters in Christ; just as He commanded you to do. Therefor, we recognize that this passage does not remotely teach that one can lose ones eternal salvation, nor that one can earn eternal salvation, or maintain keeping it secure by self effort.
