Monday, May 16, 2011

How some apostles got away with sin...

1 John 3:9 would tell me that whosoever is born of God does not commit sin because God's seed lives in him and one born of God cannot sin. 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

I don’t see any latitude here for the allowance of sin or the typical theological explanation that this is talking about repeated or regular sin.  In my mind this text is perfectly aligned with some of the old testament writings like Ezekiel 36 that says God will put a new spirit within them (Israel) and will cause them to walk according to the laws and statutes.   Thus, regarding the kingdom saints, they will be without sin.

Any help would be appreciated.


Here's my understanding on those verses:

You are right—these verses do not leave any latitude for that Jewish believer to sin at all!

That's why the Holy Ghost was given—to keep them from sinning if they obeyed the Word of God and did the good works! If their will lined up with God's, then God would give them the ability to not sin!

(This way of operating is different than how God deals with us believers today!)

Again, when we rightly divide God's word, we remember that not only does the book of First John pertain to the hation of Israel, but particularly to those Jews future from us. The book looks forward to the time when God begins his prophetic program with that nation again (after our being caught away /  Rapture) and looks forward to the 70th week of Daniel [Daniel chapter 7] and the time of Jacob's trouble, aka, that Great (notable), and terrible day of the Lord's wrath.

Jeremiah 30:7
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Joel 2:31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.

In essence, just like within the book of Revelation, and also the Gospel of John, John describes things that will come to pass in Israel. He shows God's Jehovahness; that is, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, who calls those things which be not as though they were.

For example, even before the Lord was crucified, the book of John said that he had already ascended to heaven...

John 3:13
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Notice here that our Lord Jesus Christ speaks to Nicodemus in future tense, that is, he says that he already ascended into heaven, and that he is already there, even though he was not yet!

So with all this in mind, let's look at the context of 1 John 3.

1 John 3:5-12
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed [the Word of God…Luke 8:11] remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Notice that the issue of being righteous here in this context has to do with works of righteousness, or what John defines as "loving" your brother (a fellow believing Jew)!

So those Jews that were born of God and had his seed (i.e., the word of God in them), and who doth not commit sin were those who doeth righteousness.

God, the Holy Ghost, did (in early Acts, and will again with the little flock of believing Jews in the future) actually keep them from sinning as long as those believers in Jesus are willing to do the righteous works of love (mentioned in James 2).

Those who do not continue in the good works and won't repent were not truly born of God or were not true believers (see Ananias and Saphira in  Acts 5). They will die and go to hell!

What John is talking about here in 1 John (and what you saw in early Acts) is what the book of Hebrews calls tasting the good world to come (the kingdom). It was a "taste" of the Ezekiel 36 and Jer 31:31-34 promise that God gave them that they would keep His law perfectly without sin!

Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to comeIf they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

So just like Ananias and his wife in Acts 5 chose to go against God, even giving up the chance to confess and repent as the Holy Ghost gave them a chance through Peter, fell away. Therefore there was no repentance for them...they died and went to hell. So too John, when he writes to these Jews in the future, warns them not to stop doing the works of righteousness, that is to love their fellow Jews like themselves!

So, the sin here in 1 John is not loving your brother!

Consequently, this all changed in early Acts when God changed the program and raised up our Apostle Paul to begin the present Dispensation of Grace!

We know this because Peter, Barnabas and many of the other Jewish apostles (who had the Holy Ghost upon them in early Acts) did sin!!!

Galatians 2:11-13
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

The only answer for this sin among these apostles is the fact that God changed the program because they did things that were lawful under the past dispensation, but were sinful in this new one!

Thank God that they were already sealed to life eternal the moment that Paul was raised up, or they too would have been lost eternally for resisting God!

Romans 11:5-7
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

So once Paul was saved, all the messianic kingdom saints were assured by God that they would still get the earthly kingdom, not based on their works anymore but purely on God's grace!



Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!

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