His Righteous Judgement
Shovel Writings: John 7:24 Judge with righteous judgment:
“Instead, according to fleshly wisdom we learned
that ”time heals all wounds“, not allowing ourselves to realize that
older wounds get overshadowed and sometimes replaced by newer wounds
making us suppose it just went away. We all know what it is to judge
this way, it is all we knew before.To judge according to Christ
IS to judge righteously. It is the only possibility by which everything
can be seen for what it is. Life is life, death is death. ”
This is a good clarifying article. Maybe it is best to look at appearances to see it as is now. This is so we are not in denial. Yet also determine if one is a believer and accept God’s righteous judgement, that all things are new for a true Christian.
Are We Confused Because We Think We Can Fall Out of Fellowship?
Shovel Writings: Confessing sins to restore fellowship?:
“No wonder we’re so confused — we’re trying to get back into something we didn’t fall out of! Did you not notice that John NEVER used the phrase ”in fellowship“ or ”out of fellowship“? If that’s what he meant wouldn’t he have said something like it? As it is, we talk about ”fellowship“ with God as if it meant that He is happy with us at the moment because we are doing the things neccessary to please Him. But having fellowship with God means having all things in common with God. Just how much confession, do you suppose, will bring you such intimacy? No, my friend, it took Jesus’ death to put an end to the darkness we were in; and in doing so, He passed from death into life, and brought us into that same life. If confessing sins could restore fellowship, Jesus Christ would not have had to die to make it happen.”
This is an excellent point as to why there is a lot of depression in Christians.
Confessing to friends about everything you think is bad about you does not keep you in relationship. The same illustration can be said for fellowship with God.
Mind Tricks: Do We Still Sin?
Shovel Writings: Walking in the light:
“”I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)“ I’ll bet your mind just played a trick on you that changed the whole meaning. Did you read it this way: ”he who FOLLOWS Me shall not walk in the darkness …“? Did you think, ”Yeah, but what does it mean to ‘follow’?“ But the emphasis in Jesus’ statement would read like this: ”he who follows ME …“. It was not about the quality of the following. Everybody follows somebody. If that somebody is Jesus, His claim applies. For if you are IN the light, then everywhere you walk is in the light.”
This is an excellent illustration of how easily/quickly our mind goes off-track. Yet to me, believers still do not sin. Amen.
If We confess Our Sins But There Is No Then
Shovel Writings: What the verse does not say:
“”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“ 1 John 1:9 (NASB)
Before I get into what the verse IS saying, I think it will help to notice something that it is NOT saying, because most who focus on confession are teaching something that isn’t even there.
Does the word ”if“ automatically imply a corresponding ”then“? Or didn’t you notice that the verse doesn’t say ”then“?”
This is a traditional argument but haven’t we always believed this verse had a “then” that follows. The meaning is changed.
We Don’t Confess Our Sins Anymore
Shovel Writings: Could it mean something else?:
“If you are familiar with ”confession“ you’ve heard 1 John 1:9 (”If we confess our sins …“). It has got to be the most exploited verse in the New Testament. It should come as no surprise since there are NO OTHER VERSES in the N.T. that seem to say we are forgiven and cleansed from our sins because we confess them. Go ahead and look for them, thou shalt not find them (There are a few verses that seem to support the traditional teaching, but not by themselves.). ”
This a key article stating that there are no other verses we need to continue confessing our sins for cleansing. Traditionalists may be doing this ritual because they are constantly questioning that Jesus took away all sin. They are looking at external appearance. I pray this shift does not occur for any of us if we have the “Jesus Finsihed It” view.
Doubting Your Relationship to God
Shovel Writings: Introduction:
“First John needs to be read from John’s perspective, not Paul’s. Ignore this and you may see what John was NOT saying, but you’ll miss most of what he WAS saying.
John wrote this letter to a group of believers who were doubting their own relationship to God. ”
This is a good reminder of a article. 1 John was written to encourage BELIEVERS not to question their relationship to God with unbelievers. I would also challenge the believers not to compare the depth of fellowship with the Lord with other Christians. This is particularly true of the ones who do not adhere to the KNOWing only the “Finished Work of Christ” Good News. There is a danger with sharing our personal experiences with the Father. However, I feel the benefits are more than the drawbacks.
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