Sunday, May 15, 2016

1 John 1:9 in dispensational context

DISCLAIMER: I must put this disclaimer at the top of this post because the works-salvationists such as the Calvinists, Baptists, and Catholics will all accuse me of promoting antinomianism. I do believe that when a saved person sins, they should repent of it and get right about it (Rom. 6:1-18, 2 Cor. 7:1). My only point in this post is that in the Dispensation of Grace, members of the Body of Christ do not have to confess their individual sins in order to be forgiven of sins. We are already forgiven of all our sins at the moment we trust Christ believing the gospel (Rom. 4:7-8, Col. 1:14, 2:13, 3:13, Eph. 1:7, 4:32). We don't even know all the sins that we have committed. We can't even count them they are so many. People under Grace are "complete" in Christ at the moment they get saved (Col. 2:10-14) and cannot be made perfect by the flesh (Gal. 3:1-3). Therefore we do not have to maintain our forgiveness after we get saved nor do we have to maintain fellowship with God. The works of our flesh (such as confession) are not going to perfect us. Our forgiveness and fellowship is eternal in Christ. It is based on God's faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him. Look at what Paul said about the "carnal" Corinthian church. "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor. 1:9) See this post on that: http://av1611studyblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/baptistcatholic-confessional-exposed.html


Now here is my actual post.... 

This is a very accurate picture.



If 1 John 1:9 were referring to personal sins, that would be a big problem....nobody can confess all their personal sins.

"For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me." (Ps. 40:12)

The cross references to 1 John 1:9 are found in Matthew 3:5-7 and Mark 1:4-5.

Matthew 3:
[5] Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
[6] And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
[7] But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come
?


Mark 1:
[4] John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
[5] And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins
.


John the Baptist's "baptism of repentance" for the remission of sins was for the nation of Israel. The gospel of the kingdom was for the Jews (Luke 1:32-33, 1:67-80).

Acts 13:
[23] Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
[24] When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel
.


John 1:30 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

The gospel of the kingdom was national gospel, not an individual gospel. It is at the Second Coming of Christ that Kingdom Gospel believers  will have their sins taken away (Heb. 3:14, 8:8-12, Acts 3:19-21,  Rom. 11:25-27, and 1 Pet. 1:5-9). This is according to Old Testament prophecy such as Zech. 3:9, 8:8, Isa. 1:27, 4:4, 25:9, 27:9, 54:13-14, 59:20, 60:21, Jer. 30:17, 31:31-34, 32:37-42, 33:8, Ezek. 36:24-33, Hos. 2:23, Deut. 30:6, and Joel 3:20-21. The Second Coming is when Christ told the 12 apostles that they would inherit everlasting life (Matt. 19:28-29) and that is what Peter taught (Acts 3:19-21, 1 Pet. 1:5-9). Though this is not true under the Dispensation of Grace (Rom. 6:4, Eph. 3:2). We under grace are now justified by Christ's blood and have now received the atonement (Rom. 5:9-11), our sins are already gone (Col. 2:11). 

Under Grace God is dealing with individual Gentiles, not any nation. Israel is not God's chosen people today, they will resume that role after the rapture of the Body of Christ and Daniel's 70th Week begins. 

Romans 11:
[11] I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
[12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
[13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office
:


Romans 11:
[25] For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [God has cast Israel aside in blindness temporarily during the mystery Dispensation of Grace, also see Eph. 3:1-9, Rom. 16:25, Col. 1:24-28.]
[26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
[27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins
. ["shall" = future] 


1 John 1:9 is referring to the national gospel of the kingdom preached to Israel (and all the world during Daniel's 70th Week, Matt. 24:13-14). It is not about Gentiles under the Dispensation of Grace. 

John wrote to Israel....

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [The purpose of the 12 apostles is to judge the 12 tribes of Israel during the Kingdom.]

Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. [Around Acts 15 an agreement was made that James, Peter, and John would go to Israel and Paul would go to the unbelievers.]

John wrote PROPHETICALLY to the believers of the gospel of the kingdom that will be here in the time of the end, Daniel's 70th Week, Israel's "last days" of prophecy when the antichrist/Wicked is on the Earth.  

1 John 2:
[13] I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
[14] I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one
.


1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. [The "wicked one" is the Man of Sin, the antichrist. (2 Thes. 2:8)]

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
[The "last time" refers back to "the end of the world" of Matt. 24:3 and "as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists" refers back to Matt. 24:5, vs 24.] 

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [John saw prophetic truth and that is what he preached and wrote about. God transported John through the Spirit into the Day of the Lord according to Rev. 1:10, just like Ezekiel did (Ezek. 37:1).]

1 John 5:16 If any man see 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.
[John writes of an unpardonable sin that if one commits, it will not even help them to pray about it. It is a sin unto death. This can only be referring to the taking of the mark of beast (Rev. 13:16-17, 14:9-11). Remember what John said in 5:18, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not".]

We cannot claim 1 John 1:9 for our practice today because it was not written to us or about us. (2 Tim. 2:15) To claim 1 John 1:9 for your doctrinal practice would put you outside of God's will and outside of what God is doing today dispensationally. We need to look at who God was speaking to (Jew? Gentile? Body of Christ?), when He was speaking to them (Law? Kingdom? Grace?), and what He was talking about (Gospel of the Kingdom? Gospel of the Grace of God? etc.)

Pastor David O'Steen preached an excellent series on the epistles of John.
http://landmarkbaptistga.com/menu/id/145/Audio?catID=68  

And his post on 1 John 1:9 is here:
http://kjbstudy.blogspot.com/2016/02/1-john-19.html

And again, I am not saying that it is wrong to confess our sins to someone if we have wronged them, and when we sin we should repent of it, but we do not have to confess all our sins daily in order to gain God's forgiveness. In Acts 19:17-20 former users of witchcraft came and confessed their sins and burnt their witchcraft books to show their testimony of believing on the Lord and leaving their Satanic ways. 

--Eli "Hoss" Caldwell

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