James wrote:


> >
> > As I was reading 2 John the other day ,

> ---------------------------
> > 2 John Chapter 1 verse 9 (NIV)
> > "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of
> > Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has
both
> > the Father and the Son."
> >

> One can find the 'once saved always saved' situation in the Bible if
> they look for it, and ignore the other scriptures.
>
And those who argue against it fail to read either 1 Jn or 2 Jn in the
Greek to understand the nature of John's points.  It's much like
reading Jn 21:15ff in the English and not realizing the Greek word play
of Christ using one Greek word for love and Peter using another.

There have been those who use 1Jn 1 to teach that perfect obedience is
required or one loses their salvation.  But the Greek tenses will not
allow this reduction.  The Greek speaks of "continual" or
"habitual"
sin, not occassioned sinful acts.  In 1 Jn 2:1, the aorist subjunctive
is used to express occassional sin.  "if anyone sins" mean an act, not
an normative activity or nature or propensity.  John plays on this by
continuing to write "we have an Advocate" by using very which _does_
illustrate that which is continual, not a mere singular act.

In 1 Jn 2:27 (cp v. 20), John uses the word "receive."  (cp Jn 1:12)
"Which you receiv*ed*."  The Greek word speaks of that which is handed
down by another.  It is a gift.  It is not something which was merited
or earnt (Rom 11:35).  The English denotes that this is a past action.
That it is a past action which has no relationship to being merited, it
therefore does not also involve demerit.  That John declares further
"that you have no need for any one to teach you" parallels Paul's
thought in Rom 8:16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we ARE children of God."

That you are "feeling" the "weight" of the Spirit, is a
clear indicator
that you are indeed "born again."  And once you have been born a second
time, there is no fear of a second death, for that death has no
relationship to those who are "in Christ."  Simply put, the unbeliever
has no relationship with the Spirit so he never "feels" that he has
grieved Him or quenched Him.  In fact, He doesn't seek to love God at
all.

Do not listen to James because James doesn't understand, for he does
not believe in the "only begotten God", Jesus Christ, of Jn 1:18.
Therefore he does not have the Spirit and therefore has no spiritual
insight to what is true or false concerning the Christian experience.
He may have a zeal for God, but it is not in accordance with knowledge,
that knowledge being the very Knowledge of God, Jesus.

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