Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P418 (2-28-19)
Bob answers questions from John, Rich, Mark and Ron, callers from four different states. John was calling to get advice, or rather for encouragement to do the right thing, in regards to what he had been doing in supporting his niece and her husband. They are unmarried and unbelievers living in sin, and now have three children. John has been enabling a bum and an irresponsible father and that must stop. John has been enabling them. Rich called to ask about how to really forgive someone who has wronged you and the associated feelings that go along with not being able to forgive someone. If Jesus is in you, and He is your life, and He has forgiven him then you forgive him. It is really the love of Jesus, being attached to Him, that any love and forgiveness from us is produced. And do let Satan mess you up with lies. Feelings respond to whatever thoughts you are pondering over. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, proclaiming truth from God’s word, trusting truth over lies, letting Him renew your mind. Mark called to ask about what happens to children when they die young or even those without the mental capacity to understand things. Children are in the hands o perfectly loving and just God so we can simply trust in God on those kinds of choices and not worry ourselves on such matters. Just simply trust God in who He is, to be making such decisions, and leave that with Him, who is perfectly loving and just. Whether little children or mentally handicapped, God will judge those with a heart of love. Ron asked a question concerning a passage in 1 John 1:9. His question was essentially, “Who is the apostle John talking to and is he talking about what we, as believers, are supposed to do with future sins we commit?”
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Bob spent the most time answering the last caller, Ron’s question, because he asked a question on a passage of scripture that is the most misunderstood scripture even in the world today, robbing people of ever resting as children of God that they are a forgiven person. Bob went into detail explaining what salvation is. Salvation is being saved from the consequences of sin, which is death, by the gift of God, which is eternal life. Before you or I could ever have eternal life, we had to be totally reconciled of sin because sin is what caused death. If all the sins of the entire world had not been taken away at the cross then the next time you or I would sin, we would die. The consequence of sin is not a paddling or being out of fellowship with God, but is death. The reason we can know we have eternal life is because of the eternal consequences of the cross. Then Bob went into a further explanation of the background and context of who John was writing to and why he wrote what he did. Bob mentioned what the Gnostics believed, and by knowing that, how that would prompt the apostle John to write what he did as an appeal to the lost Gnostics to come to repentance and faith in Christ. So the first chapter of 1 John was written to the lost people, not the saved, who were among and infiltrating the Christian assembly. He later addresses the believers, addressing them as the little children, starting in 1 John 2, the second chapter of 1 John. Bob George further explained the passage in 1 John 1:9 and how if it was properly translated from the Greek, how it should really be expressed.
1 John 1:9
I do not know if you people will ever come to your senses or not, but if you do; today, tomorrow, or whenever it might be; and you agree with God concerning your sins, he is faithful and just not to forgive but he he is faithful and just to have forgiven (*) our sins and to have cleansed us of all unrighteousness.
* aorist tense with a past action with continual effect.
John from Atlanta, GA
John has a niece with three children. She is not married to her children’s father, but they are living together. John has been financially supporting them.
Bob firmly answered John with what he should do. You have right to express to them that it is not a case of “whether I love you or not because I do”. So if you were to talk to them and Bob encouraged him to do so: “I love you because of Christ Jesus. It is the case of certain principles we need to live by. You are flaunting your sinful lifestyle in front of men and the family and anyone else who you may come in contact. I have done everything for you.” John, it is his responsibility to support the family, not yours. You have been to a degree acknowledging and helping them carry out their lifestyle. I would quit it. You should say, for example, “I have tried to be of help to you but I am not going to support that lifestyle.” John said, “With three boys, do they remove them from the home?” You did not create those boys. They are living in total irresponsibility and old Uncle John will help them. So be forthright in saying, “I have tried to help you, but in doing so I have supported your lifestyle, your rebellion, and you have been given opportunity to not live responsibly.” Why are you paying for them? John answered, “I was raised poor, and they are living out of the car.” Bob answered, “Take kids into your home and take care of them, but may have to go to legal services to do that. But you can no longer support them as you have been doing. You need to be able to commit to doing this, “I am not going to support a bum. I am not going to support your lifestyle period.” Bob gave this advice, “If kids living out there, then turn them in. If you can become a parent and want to do that, you can approach from a legal angle.”
Rich from Omaha Nebraska
Rich said, “Unforgiveness is a terrible sin. If you have audibly forgiven someone, but in your heart you really haven’t, how do you get over forgiveness and truly forgive someone?” Only forgiveness you and I experienced is from Jesus. In order to forgive someone, you have to go in a state for your mind to be shut off because forgiveness is not natural in the flesh. You have to look to Jesus. Jesus took away all the sins in eyes of God forever. While you and I are on this earth, our flesh will never want to forgive them. If you have true forgiveness, you will forget it, not a loss of memory, but a choice to not bring it up again. Forgiveness is related to love, to be patient and to keep no records of wrong. So when we are resting in the vine, then love is produced in us and through us, and only in His power of love is forgiveness really given through us. Satan can only talk to your flesh. Bob relates how he thinks on such matters when he is faced with the challenge of forgiving someone. Christ Jesus lives in me and He is my life. So if Jesus in me has forgiven them and Jesus is my life then I forgive him. It does not matter what those feelings of the flesh are. Because He has forgiven him, and He is in me, then I also forgive him. Rich then expressed the feelings he struggles with. “I feel like a separation from the Lord but I know that is not true.” Bob replied as follows. You are thinking it, so you are feeling it. Feelings respond to whatever you put in your mind. So focus on the truth of God, that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus and He will never leave you or forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5
because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You have corrected one sin, the unbelief in Jesus, and you have come to believe in Christ and are born again. You are in the light, so can you ever get in the darkness? No. I am in Jesus and Jesus is the life, and He is in me. So we are both in the light. You have fellowship always with God because the light is always in you and He will never leave you. So these truths from scripture renew your mind with when Satan attacks you; putting doubts in your minds, telling you lies that are separated from God or God is mad at you, and various other lies. You do not have to speak much of that truth and Satan will walk off.
Mark from New Orleans, LA
Mark had his precious eight year old daughter, Alex, with him on the line. So he asked Bob, “When children die, how do they get salvation?” Those little ones go into the hands of a perfectly loving and just God. God is in charge to make that decision so I do not have to worry about that, and God being a loving and just God, I can just trust by faith God will do what is in line with who He is. You put them in the hands of a loving and just God. Churches get all worked up about where children that they create religious activities out of fear, such as baptizing a child as soon as possible after birth. This really is like superstition and is contrary to faith. There are reasons things like that not put in scripture. No other name under heaven whereby you must be saved. We cannot know these things but we take it by faith in who God is and so the responsibility is not on me to make such a decision. Take it by faith, even though not mentioned, and the one thing I do know is that the decision is in the hands of God. That would also apply to those mentally handicapped. God will judge those with a heart of love. What about a person who has never heard? Anyone who sincerely seeks God, God will make Himself known to him.
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Ron from Colorado Springs, Colorado
Ron first repeated what he heard Bob share on a previous call-in to another caller. “We should tell people to come and receive life not to have sins forgiven because we have already been reconciled to God”. Then Ron was confused upon reading 1 John 1:9 and was wrestling with some thoughts that were really proclaiming a different gospel whether he realized that or not.
Ron, not understanding the context of 1 John 1:9, asked, “so then there are future sins, and we are to confess those to Him to be forgiven of them? Is there further reconciliation needed for future sins?”
By his response and questions, it is uncertain Ron is a believer, but like many people, doubts or faulty thinking occurs when we do not process the meaning of God’s word correctly in context. God knows those who are truly His and we, as children of God, like Bob, are competent as ministers under a New Covenant of God’s grace! Like many others in the world today, Ron was putting trust in or being led astray by one seemingly unclear scripture over numerous other passages where truth is quite clear. That is a common error people make today. Bob cut him off from further speaking and proceeded to explain what salvation is. Until that is understood, the foundation of salvation as the basis, Ron would not be able to understand that particular passage he had a question on.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God
Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
We have been reconciled through the death of His son, how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life. In order to be saved eternally by the life of Christ, the eternal consequence of the cross had to take place. No such thing as more reconciliation. All men have been reconciled through the death of His son. He not only died for our sins but he died for the sins of the whole world.
Reconciliation is like an accounting term. As an accountant in business, you were to sell me $1 million of merchandise. Then I went bankrupt and could not pay. In order to reconcile your books, you would write that debt off. To reconcile that debt, you would take that debt off the accounts receivable. That would be called reconciling your books. The apostle Paul uses the word reconciliation in explaining salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:20
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Paul is begging you and me. I beseech you by the mercies of God, be reconciled. God has reconciled you, now you be reconciled. Stop doing something that God has already accomplished. Even though He provided for the whole world, the forgiveness of sins through his shed blood, that is not salvation. Salvation is in Him, who has been resurrected.
Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Paul said that without the resurrection we are to be pitied of all people. Jesus died on the cross for sins to be taken away. That provision for sin, provided then, is only received in His resurrected life.
Colossians 1:13-15
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1 Corinthians 15:19-20
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Salvation is often presented in churches as “come forward to get your sins forgiven”. That is only half a gospel and that message does not save anybody. The truth of the matter is your sins were already forgiven.
Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
If you are to come forward, come forward to get life. In Him, in that life, you have redemption and forgiveness of sin.
Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Come to Him for life. Where is redemption received? In Him. Where is forgiveness received? In Him. The evangelistic appeal is not to come to Jesus to get sins forgiven but to come to Jesus for life. You are already spiritually dead.
Colossians 2:12-14
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
A dead man needs life, so come to Him for life. All through scriptures we read about Jesus appeal for the salvation of men.
John 5:40-41
These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die
1 John 5:12
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Salvation is being saved from the consequences of sin, which is death, by the gift of God, which is eternal life. Before I could have eternal life I had to be totally reconciled of my sin because sin is what caused death. If all sins had not been taken away at the cross then the next time I sin I would die. The consequence of sin is not a paddling or getting out of fellowship with God, but is death. The reason I know I have eternal life is because of the the eternal consequences of the cross.
After hearing Bob, Ron wanted to clarify that he was not in disagreement with what Bob had to say but was still struggling in understanding. Not only was 1 John 1:9 a stumbling verse to him, so were some things he had read Jesus had said. In light of what Bob had just shared, he asked Bob, “What did Jesus mean when he said, “Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish”? Then trying to grasp that in relation to the word ‘confession’ used in 1 John 1:9, he asked, “Is repentance a one time thing and confession a lifelong thing?”
Repentance is only ever used in scripture in regards to salvation. Repentance means to come to me [Christ]. For Jews, salvation predicated on Moses, trying to follow the law, which they never could, which is what they had to repent of. Legalists in churches say you must repent of all your sins, which no one can ever do. Nobody has ever repented of all their sin, otherwise they would never worry again. What you do repent of, and the reason you are born again, is sometime in your past you changed your mind of your passive indifference, active rebellion or passive rebellion toward Christ. The day you repent of such thinking, you come to Christ for life.
Ron then asked the question that was still stumbling him. “What do you think the Apostle John meant when he said, “If any man sin we have an advocate. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Is he talking about something future for all of us?”
Then Bob explained more thoroughly the background of 1 John because that was such a stumbling block for Ron to grab a hold of what faith in Christ and salvation is. It is almost like a Jew stumbling over the scripture: “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” in Deuteronomy 6:4 and thereby hindering them in accepting Jesus as the Messiah.
1 John was written to correct Gnosticism. Gnostics invaded Christian assemblies, teaching two basic false doctrines. First, they believed Jesus did not come in the flesh, that he is an illusion. They reasoned like this. “Since all flesh is matter and all matter is evil. Therefore Jesus could not come in the flesh because if he did, he is matter, and matter is evil, and Jesus cannot be evil, so he must be an illusion.” The second heretical teaching is that they believed you do not have a sin nature. To address both heretical teachings, John wrote 1 John, probably to a pastor in Ephesus.
1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
To correct heretical teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh, John made specific mention that he heard, saw, looked and touched Jesus Christ, and proclaimed him as the Word of life. And in 1 John 1:8-9, John wrote to correct Gnostic teaching that we have no sin.
1 John 1:8
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Who is the truth? Jesus! Who is not in them? Jesus!
Through a deep study of the Greek language, this is how verse 9 would be translated in the Greek. So “If we confess” is translated like this.
1 John 1:9 (translation as how it would be rendered from the Greek)
I do not know if you people will ever come to your senses or not, but if you do; today, tomorrow, or whenever it might be; and you agree with God concerning your sins, he is faithful and just not to forgive but he he is faithful and just to have forgiven (*) our sins and to have cleansed us of all unrighteousness.
* aorist – tense with a past action with continual effect
In 2 John, the apostle John further writes to the elder.
1 The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth — and not I only, but also all who know the truth — 2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:
So we know that the truth will be with you forever. So if the truth is not in you, then it is because it never has been in you. He is not talking to saved people in 1 John 1 but to lost people. He starts addressing believers directly in 1 John 2 when he writes to the little children, of better things for them, because of the truth that is in them so as to make their joy complete.
1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
So little children are those new believers in Christ with truth in them forever. So they have an advocate, a defense lawyer, Jesus Christ, who always defends them against all accusations on the basis of what Jesus has already done to take sin away!
Hopefully Ron has been able to hold onto truth now, as he responds to Bob’s thorough explanation.
Ron says, “So he is not speaking of something in the future but something in the past?” Bob replies, “Correct.”
Bob’s final comment, expressing great sadness for so many, who have been robbed of complete joy in Christ. Ironically, the purpose John wrote was for believer’s to have complete joy.
We have take that verse, misinterpreted it, and dragged it into the saved community and robbed people of ever resting, that as children of God, we are a forgiven people. That has paralyzed the Christian world, that and a misinterpretation of the Lord’s prayer.
