CHAPTER THREE

 

This chapter repeats many of the thoughts already written about, but there are some new ideas added that help one to understand Tribulation doctrine even more thoroughly.

John uses the phrase "sons of God" in his gospel as well as in a verse with which most Christians are familiar.

This verse does not say that a person who receives the Lord Jesus Christ becomes a "son of God." It says that he is given power to become a "son of God." This is not Church Age doctrine. A person who receives the Lord Jesus Christ into his heart in this dispensation becomes a child of God immediately. (Romans 8:15-17) Not only that but the Holy Spirit is sealed inside him until the rapture.

Believing on Jesus in the Tribulation is only the beginning of a Tribulation saint’s salvation. That belief gives him the power to keep the commandments and thus eventually become an eternally secure "son of God" at the advent. This truth will be discussed again in a few verses.

This first verse in Chapter Three also says that the world does not "know" the Lord or the Christian. That is very obviously true for today as well. The ruler and god of this world is the devil (John 14:30, II Corinthians 4:4). He fosters hate between those lost people in the world and the Lord and his followers (John 15:18,19; John 17:14). It is the devil’s job to see to it that people do not get to know the Lord or associate with his people. The following verse also has truth for today.

Practically, this verse tells a Church Age Christian that he is presently a child of God and that he will eventually have a glorified body like the Lord Jesus Christ, but Paul says something similar in Romans 8:29. But John is addressing a specific Tribulation group with this verse - those that are "beloved." Most often, in the Bible, Jesus himself is addressed as "beloved" but in this case faithful believers are also addressed that way. These are those Tribulation saints who have proven their faith by their works.

That is why John says "now we are the sons of God." He is addressing faithful believers looking forward to the Lord’s appearance. These are called the elect both in the gospels and in the Tribulation epistles.

It is the saved or elect who look for the Lord’s return, and it is the elect who will be raptured (in the Tribulation rapture) to be removed from the earth before the battle of Armageddon.

The reason for the next verse then is obvious. Even though Godly purity should be striven for in any dispensation, during the Tribulation it is required for salvation.

A purified soul comes from faith, good works, and commandment keeping.

This patient waiting for the Lord’s return is the "hope" of the Tribulation saint.

Notice that the Tribulation saint must hold fast until the end to receive the grace that will be given at the Lord’s revelation. This grace is connected with missing the terrible battle of Armageddon. The first two times "grace" is mentioned in the Bible it has to do with two great types of Tribulation saints: Noah and Lot.

Both Noah and Lot were saved from the wrath of the Lord that was about to fall on others around them.

And there is no question that these men are given as types of Tribulation saint.

So then the grace that was shown to Noah and Lot will be shown to those faithful Tribulation saints. They will be taken away before the wrath of God falls.

Before that great battle in the valley of Megiddon the grace of the Lord will respond to the prayers of supplications of those faithful saints and will remove them before his wrath falls. (Matthew 24:31)

 

SIN DEFINED

 

Tribulation and Church Age

This is the definition of sin that is found in the Old Testament. That makes sense because both here and in the Old Testament God is dealing with the nation of Israel. Samuel admits wrong doing and defines Old Testament sin.

There are two more definitions of sin found in the Tribulation epistles. The first is in James.

This definition would also be applicable for the Christian today, but it has a very specific meaning in the Tribulation. James explains it himself.

As mentioned before works in the Tribulation involve helping one’s believing brethren. A Tribulation saint is required to do this. Sin, therefore, is not just the wrong things a person does. Sin is also the right things that a person fails to do!

The next verse can also easily be applied for the Church Age or any other dispensation. If it’s not right don’t do it. Sin is doing something wrong.

All three of the Tribulation definitions for sin have do to with the Law, because righteousness is defined by the Law in this dispensation. During his time on earth Jesus expanded the idea of sinfulness from breaking the "letter" of the Law to breaking the "spirit" of the Law. The Old Testament Law was the schoolmaster to bring sinners to Christ and pointed to an even more exacting type of righteousness that would be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. While physical adultery was a sin in the Old Testament, Christ taught that the thought of adultery was also sinful.

In the Old Testament a sin required action. Even though sins of nature, like wicked thoughts and selfish attitudes, were committed in the Old Testament, these were not sins which required individual blood sacrifices. The sin nature of the individuals was probably forgiven on the yearly Day of Atonement. So while the Old Testament Jew recognized that he may do sinful things he may not have been aware that his sins originated from his sin nature. That is why the Pharisees in Christ’s time refused to recognize themselves as sinners, and that is why today when you witness to a person they respond that they have never done anything seriously wrong. They both look at sin as an outward, unrighteous, physical act, rather than an inward condition of the heart. At least the Jews of the time had an excuse for believing that. They were only required to bring sacrifices for there wrong doing, not their wrong attitudes.

When Christ appeared, however, the sin nature was revealed for what it was. He had no sin nature, as the second Adam he was born "innocent," and he kept his innocence by choosing not to sin. His righteousness was complete. Not only was he righteous in his actions (as many of the Pharisees could claim), but he was also righteous in his nature. This is what people cannot tolerate, because it shows them in their true wicked state. This new concept of complete righteousness was offered only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And while a Church Age Christian is not in bondage to the law, this knowledge of the wickedness of human nature reveals the "sinfulness of sin" as demonstrated by the thought of wickedness within each heart. The Church Age Christian recognizes (or should) his internal depravity and specific internal sins which must be confessed to retain sweet fellowship with his Saviour. Acknowledging these differences in the definition for "sin" can clear up much misunderstanding between Tribulation and Church Age doctrine.

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not works of the Law, is all that is required for salvation today. The Law is used by Paul as an example of righteous behavior (Romans 13), but behavior is never a measure of salvation, even if it is a measure of obedience.

While the Bible’s other definitions of sin apply for today’s Christians’ behavior, the one Pauline definition of sin reveals its internal nature.

Romans Chapter Fourteen discusses a Christian’s conduct as it concerns his heart condition. The conclusion drawn is that if a Christian’s heart is right about a particular conduct and if it will not wound another Christian, it is acceptable. There is also the admonition not to judge a brother who does something that you, yourself, cannot do. That conduct is between that brother and the Lord, just as your conduct is. The emphasis then is on the faith in your heart. Anything done that is done without that faith is a sin to today’s Christian.

 

The next verse speaks for itself.

 

Christ came to take away the sins of any sinner who would trust him. The word "our" in the verse, however, reminds us that this epistle is written to Israel. Indeed Christ came to save Israel. This is the nation’s second chance to accept him.

The first part of this verse has been covered in the section about "abiding." The second part of the verse identifies the sinner as part of the world.

Sinners of the world know neither the Father nor the Son. The devil uses them to deceive the righteous. That is the reason for the warning in the gospels and the epistles.

John warns his "little children."

The righteousness mentioned here is the righteousness manifested by keeping the Law. This is the kind of righteousness that was available in the Old Testament. It is not the same as Church Age righteousness which is freely bestowed upon those who trust Christ, or their righteous behavior after Church Age salvation. The acts of righteousness of this verse are required for the salvation of the Tribulation saint. The acts (along with his faith in Christ) are what saves him.

Elisabeth and Zacharius had this righteousness in the gospels.

Those who obtain this righteousness during the Tribulation will have the right to eat of the "tree of life." Remember that a Tribulation saint’s salvation is not complete until "the end." (Matthew 24:13)

Now I don’t need to eat of the "tree of life." I already have life because I am permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:13; Colossians 3:3-4; Ephesians 2:5-7) No part of my righteousness is conferred upon me because I have kept the Law.

Paul recognizes and writes about the righteousness that was conferred by keeping the Law. He also relates in Galatians that the Law cannot give life. I have life because I am in "eternal life" - the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those Tribulation saints who endure to the end need to eat of the Tree of Life. Righteousness was attributed to my account as soon as I trusted Christ by faith.

The next verses contain doctrine which applies to the Tribulation only.

John makes another statement concerning this in his gospel.

There are a number of elements here that need to be explained but they are so closely connected to the next two verses that those will be shown first.

Thus far in I John Chapter Three a number of statements have been made.

The first statement has been discussed. In view of that definition it is easier to understand the next two points. Someone "born of God" who "abides" in Christ does not transgress the law. He does not do that which is wrong or fail to do what which is right. The fourth and fifth points fall in the category of "knowing to do good." When the Tribulation saint keeps the law and helps his brother, he does that which is right. On the other hand, someone who breaks the law commits sin. He doesn’t do right. He doesn’t help his brother. He is a child of the devil and on his way to hell.

Let’s look at the verses that talk about those "born of God."

There is no question as to what the "seed" is. It is the word of God, and it has varying results on those who hear it. (Luke 8:5-15). In order for the seed to bare fruit it must germinate where it has been planted and grow. That is what happens with a Tribulation saint. The word of God takes root, grows, and produces fruit.

This verse is referring the sinlessness that comes from keeping the Law, and not the total sinless perfection of the individual or any part of the individual.

The next three verses repeat what has already been said. The Tribulation saint believes on Christ, keeps the law, and loves his brethren. This theme is expounded upon so many times I truly don’t understand how so many practicing, Bible believing Christians can deny the truth of it.

Remember the definition of righteousness (keeping the Law) is determined by what the Bible says and not by what the world thinks. The world’s definition of righteousness would include all the social do-gooders.

The same warning applies to this verse. The love spoken of here is sacrificial love manifested during the Tribulation by helping other believers. The world does not know the true meaning of love, because true love comes only from God. Again the world would include all those who do good to their fellow man.

This love of Christ and the brethren is proven by personal sacrifice. It is not a head knowledge but a heart commitment. Without a doubt this should be the attitude and manner of behavior between Christians in the Church Age.

I Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

But even though it should be this way it frequently is not, and for those in the Church Age who do fail in this respect their salvation is never in jeopardy.

 

"And he cannot sin..."

 

Now I would like to look at I John 3:9 a second time.

This verse has been used to teach the Church Age doctrine that part of every Church Age believer (the spirit or the soul, depending on who is teaching) is sinless. This belief is based on a particular interpretation of the phrase "and he cannot sin" linked with the truth of spiritual circumcision, which has already been discussed. This author hopes to prove that this interpretation, that part of a Church Age Christian is sinless and incapable of sin, is in error.

There is no question that the soul is cut loose from the fleshly body, and that the Holy Spirit is sealed inside that body, as soon as an individual trusts Christ as his Saviour during this Church Age.

The above verse has to do with the Christian’s "standing" before God. Judicially all the Christian’s sins are accounted to Christ and all Christ’s righteousness is accounted to the Christian. But the next verse has also to do with a Christian’s "state."

Judicially the "old man" is dead, but practically he is still alive and kicking and must be dealt with every day. That is why we are told to "reckon" ourselves dead to sin. (Romans 6:11) It is something we must decide to do. This fact will be important as we continue.

There is another verse concerning spiritual circumcision, with which most are familiar, that implies the "loosing" of all three parts.

And still another verse also implies that none of our three parts are connected while also stating quite clearly that Paul is "praying" that all of those parts will "be preserved blameless." They may not be ! To me this is a crystal clear statement that ALL of our three parts are capable of sin. That is not a contradiction to I John 3:9 as will soon be seen.

What part or parts of a Christian make the decision to sin? That decision is sin in itself. While I believe the physical body has an influence over whether or not a person sins, I don’t believe it makes the decision to sin. In other words, a person in a coma, or probably just asleep, cannot sin in that state (unless dreams can be consciously manipulated.)

There is no question that the fleshly body is sinful through and through. Romans 7 is the commentary on that problem.

Sin lives in every Christian’s flesh and it desperately looks for a way to "express" itself. If sin had its own consciousness and will (besides that of the Christian it indwells) we would be at its mercy, because it is the fleshly body that moves around in this world. But the fleshly body does not have its own will, but instead constantly influences the Christian’s will. It does not want to be "reckoned dead." The body says: "I want a hot fudge sundae." "I want to see that X-rated movie." "I want to fornicate despite the possible consequences." The body "shouts" very loudly and sometimes the will of the Christian submits. Judicially the Christian may not be ruled by sin, but practically he frequently is.

As long as the Christian controls his own will (and he does), he will sin because it is in his nature.

It has been accurately said that a Christian who is trying to live for the Lord is a true schizophrenic with a genuine split personality. The "old man" who is judicially dead refuses to stay buried and is now sharing his home with a "new man" - The Lord Jesus Christ.

This internal struggle will continue until the rapture when finally the whole of a saint will be glorified. But in the mean time since the conscious decision to sin is a sin, where ever that decision is made is sinful, not sinless.

Now I don’t pretend to understand exactly where or how a decision is made within the Christian, but I do read verses that contradict the teaching that some part (soul or spirit) of a Christian is sinless. The one already quoted (I Thessalonians 5:23), mentioning all in just one verse.

First we will see if the Bible says anything about a Christian’s soul being able to sin. Besides the verse already mentioned Paul only uses "soul" four other times in his epistles. Once he refers to the souls of the lost (Romans 2:9) and once to Adam’s creation. But the other two times imply that a soul can be counted with blame or sin.

This cannot be a reference to the body, only, as the body of a man may have no choice as it is dragged off by someone in authority. This is rather a reference to attitude. Obedience to this verse means the decision to control the physical foot on the gas pedal and obey the speed limit, whether or not there is a policeman around. The body does not make the decision, and the soul is to be subject - to be obedient. Paul would not be giving the admonition if the soul could NOT be disobedient, and thus sin.

In the next verse I don’t pretend to understand the complete ramifications of the phrase "a record upon my soul" but Paul is asking God to bear witness that the "record upon my soul" agrees with what he is saying.

Since sins will be present at the Judgment Seat of Christ, (I Timothy 5:24), and since the decision to sin is not made in the fleshly body (or we would have no control over ourselves), and since the decision is sin in itself, it makes sense that our sins would be recorded somewhere for later access. The soul seems like a reasonable place for this. And just as an aside, disembodied souls seem to have complete cognitive powers. Those souls under the altar in Revelation 6 talk and reason, as does the rich man in hell.

Now I, personally, have been taught that it is the spirit of a Christian that becomes incapable of sin upon salvation, because it is the spirit that is born again. The proof text being I John 3:9. The Bible is clear that it is the spirit which is born again (John 3) but I do not believe that the Bible teaches that this new birth of one’s spirit makes it incapable of sin. In fact, on the contrary, the Bible teaches that the Christian’s spirit is indeed sinful. There are many, many more clear verses about a Christian’s spirit then there are about his soul, and few, if any lead to the conclusion that it is sinless. This next verse, however, is used to try to substantiate that belief.

Some who teach that the Christian’s spirit is sinless use this verse to teach that somehow the saint’s spirit and the Holy Spirit are inextricably joined or mingled, and since the Holy Spirit, obviously, cannot sin, neither does the spirit of the Christian. In my opinion, that conclusion is not confirmed by the rest of the Bible. In many places they are spoken of separately, and not as one entity.

Witness bearing must be done by at least two (II Corinthians 13:1). This verse indicates two separate spirits, not one intermingled one.

A hamster lives in his cage, but he is not part of his cage. Only that one misinterpreted verse is used to prove that the Holy Spirit actually becomes part of the Christian. Verse after verse says that the Holy Spirit is just in the Christian.

Certainly the admonition to glorify God in our bodies is understandable, but why the same admonition for our spirits if they are incapable of sin? Wouldn’t they do it automatically? The same idea applies to the next verse.

What a foolish prayer if the spirit is sinless and intermingled with the Holy Spirit. If that was true that prayer would be unnecessary. But not only does the Bible teach that those spirits are separate, it also shows the reason WHY it must be so. The Bible clearly says that the spirit of a Christian sins.

The human spirit can be filthy and unholy and needs to be cleansed. That is the reason it cannot be intermingled with the Holy Spirit. This next verse shows that clearly.

That sounds very much like Paul’s prayer in I Thessalonians 5:23. Certainly there is a close confederation between the wicked flesh and the sinful spirit.

The verses concerning spiritual circumcision imply that all three parts, body, soul, and spirit are loosed, and it seems that when a person is saved that a "loose" Holy Spirit is added to the mix and sealed in the Christian’s body. Where before, the human spirit was dead, now the born again spirit is alive and able to communicate with the Holy Spirit that now resides in the same person. I could not "communicate" with a corpse at the morgue because I am alive and the corpse is dead. I believe that Holy Spirit communication with our born again but separate human spirit is demonstrated by these verses.

The first verse says that God reveals things of himself to we who are saved by his Holy Spirit. Speaking of a lost man (this is reiterated again in verse 14), the next verse says that a man’s (dead) spirit knows the things of man but not of God. And finally verse 12 says that we have received the "spirit which is of God" - the "spirit of faith" that allows our human spirit to be born again by the Holy Spirit and makes us "alive" to God. Thus the "deep things of God" are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit communicating with our now living human spirits "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." Glory!! That is shouting ground! So then, the human spirit, in the Church Age, is made alive and able to communicate with the Holy Spirit because of faith in Christ. This brings us to the meaning of this verse.

The answer is found in another of Paul’s epistles.

We are joined to the Lord and to each other by the Holy Spirit who is able to indwell individual believers because of their own "spirit of faith" which is common to all who are saved. Like the tentacles of an octopus the Holy Spirit reaches out to and is sealed in all Christians and is connected to its head, the Lord Jesus Christ. But that verse does not say "He whose spirit is joined to the Lord’s Spirit is one spirit." We are one in Christ but not one with Christ, at least not yet.

An earthly example might be thus. One hundred houses are built in a new subdivision, but while all the houses have walls in which to put electrical wiring only ten have been wired. The houses would represent the physical body while the wiring would represent the "spirit of faith" and the rest of our human spirit. Just as soon as the wiring is complete (the spirit is born again) the electricity is turned on and the lights burn brightly. The electricity, with its source far away at some power station, obviously represents the Holy Spirit. Now, the wiring (the reborn human spirit) and the electricity (the Holy Spirit) are not the same thing. The wiring is required to provide the electricity but it is not the electricity itself, which anyone who has experienced a power outage will tell you.

And to be even more specific the "spirit of faith" would only be the actual conducting wire that is in the wiring. The wire itself is encased in some absolutely necessary nonconductive material. This casing could easily represent the rest of our human spirit and as such could differ greatly from house to house. The casing could be black or white or another color. It could be partially chewed by mice or sticky from electrical tape that was used to fix a break. It could be flattened from being under a piece of furniture or in pristine condition. While the electricity itself (the Holy Spirit) never changes or leaves, and the wire (the spirit of faith) remains in tact (because of our eternal security), the casing (the rest of our human spirit) is subject to attack from other forces within the house.

This illustration has several holes, but is as close to an earthly example as I can come. Obviously, the point I am trying to make is that the Bible says that our born again spirits are not the same or intermingled with the Holy Spirit and that they do sin. The Bible seems to indicate that the born again human spirit is at least partially responsible for the decision for service or disobedience. Remember Romans 6:6 said that "hencefore we should not serve sin," meaning that we are still perfectly capable of doing so, even though we should being serving Christ.

Now, as mentioned before, Christians are their own spiritual battleground. The Holy Spirit which dwells within us is in direct opposition to our wicked flesh.

Most of us have seen a cartoon where the devil sits on one shoulder of the character and an angel sits on the other shoulder and both try to persuade him. Well, with a Christian the flesh is persuading from one side and the Holy Spirit is persuading from the other. They both communicate to where ever it is that decisions are made (I personally believe that the decision process includes both the soul and spirit), and eventually a decision is made.

Just as the flesh does not have control of a Christian, neither does the Holy Spirit (sorry, Calvin), but the Holy Spirit is the power source with which to defeat the temptation of the flesh. The Holy Spirit makes known its wishes through our spirit but it does not make the decision for us. The decision to do right is a minute by minute process.

So then with all the evidence that even a born again spirit can sin what does the Lord mean when he says "and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."? The simple answer is found with the definition of "cannot."

Those who teach we have a sinless spirit say that "cannot" means incapable of. "And he [is incapable of sinning], because he is born of God." Besides the definition being wrong (as we shall see), there is also the total inconsistency with the fact that all of a sudden the "he" is speaking of only the spirit of the person being discussed when every other "he" meant the whole of the person. Since we know that all people sin after they are born again that "he" (according to their interpretation) cannot be a reference to the whole man, but only to part of him. Not only is that concept wrong, but so is the definition. Comparing Bible with Bible we see another definition for "cannot," which we ALL use frequently in every day speech, and which makes much more sense.

This "cannot" indicates a prohibition from approaching Mt. Sinai, not an incapability to do so. They were not allowed to approach the mountain but if they did they were to be killed. (Exodus 19:12) We use "cannot" this way all the time. When mother tells Johnny that he must stay in the house, Johnny tells his friend, "I can’t come out and play." That’s not an incapability to play (he could sneak out and face the consequences later), it’s prohibition against his playing at that time. He is not allowed. And this is the meaning of the word in I John 3:9, which is entirely faithful to the doctrine of the chapter, the plain words of the verses, and consistency with the meanings of other verses on the subject. So with that definition in mind the verse would be understood to say this.

This makes infinitely more sense than saying that part of a Christian is sinless. So if this verse has nothing to do with Church Age doctrine, is this interpretation consistent with Tribulation doctrine? Absolutely. Remember that even though Tribulation saints are said to be born again they are not sealed with the Holy Spirit or spiritually circumcised when they believe. Their souls are still stuck to their fleshly bodies, which means that the definition of sin for them is like that in the Old Testament under the Law. Let’s look at some general truths. We know that a human spirit returns to God when a person dies. Sinless or sinful, born again or not, the spirits return to God regardless.

The souls of the Old Testament saints went to Abraham’s bosom.

He gave up the ghost - his spirit returned to God. He was gathered to his people - his soul went to Abraham’s bosom. He was buried - his body was returned to the ground. The soul of the lost person would be gathered with sinners in hell.

Now the Old Testament saints had not experienced spiritual circumcision, so their bodies and souls were still stuck together. And according to the Bible a sinning soul was to die.

So since, ALL Old Testament saints had sinful souls why did many still avoid hell and go to Abraham’s bosom? Because the temporary remission that was found in the blood of their sacrifices was imputed totheir accounts at the time of death so that their sin debt was "covered." They were responsible for keeping the commandments and making the sacrifices until they died. At that time God accounted their works as a temporary "fix" because that is what he had promised. The Old Testament saint had a wicked fleshly body, a sinning soul, and a dead spirit but still avoided hell because of imputation that was accounted at death. That final account could not be imputed until death because those saints were not sealed and could still lose their salvation. Because there is no immediate spiritual circumcision for the believer during the Tribulation is their state is exactly like that of the Mosaic saint, with the one major difference. Instead of making animal sacrifices, they needed to believe on the one effectual sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ and then prove it by offering themselves sacrificially in helping other believing brethren.

Now under the Law there were no sacrifices for sins of the soul where the body was not also involved. In other words, the thought of foolishness which was and is sin did not require a blood sacrifice. The national day of atonement would have covered these kinds of internal sins. So then I can draw a conclusion about the meaning of "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The sin that kills the sinner and sends him to hell is an external sin that involves the body breaking the law. It is an overt sin against the commandments of God. There may be a sacrifice which will free the sinner from the penalty of death or there may not be. In other words, the body/soul that sins in that in breaks a commandment shall die, and go to hell, (unless a sacrifice is made.) This definition limits sin to external, overt acts of disobedience. This parallels perfectly the situation with I John 3:9. Once more we will briefly review some of the verses of the chapter to see if the parallel can be made for the Tribulation. Verse 4 substantiates that sin is defined by the written law.

Internal sins were still sins but they weren’t considered breaking the Law. Tribulation sin also means breaking the Law.

Here is a reference to the sin nature and to individual specific sins. Their "sins" aren’t taken away until "the end." "In him is no sin" would refer to both the nature and the acts. Christ had no sin nature (as Adam), but unlike Adam Christ chose not to sin and thus kept all the law and commandments and fulfilled the law in his fleshly body. (Matthew 5:17) The next verse does not refer to internal sin but to commandment keeping.

Notice the "doeth" in verse 7. Again it refers to the activities of the body. And if these activities are wicked the person is not God’s child.

Just as it is today, one is either a child of God or a child of the devil. During the Tribulation children of God do not sin. They do not break the commandments. They are not allowed to break them. If they do, because they are not spiritually circumcised, they will suffer the consequences and lose their salvation.

This holy living of their physical bodies is outwardly recognizable to anyone who is watching.

Just as with the Old Testament saints, this righteousness was not imputed until the saint’s death or until "the end" at the Lord’s return. Similarly, there should be no problem with understanding that the sinful soul and/or spirit of a Church Age Christian can be instantaneously imputed with Christ’s righteousness at death so as to enter heaven, just as his body will receive that imputation and enter heaven at the rapture. I conclude with seven points that indicate to me that I John 3:9 does not teach that the soul or spirit of a Church Age saint is incapable of sin.

 

OVERCOMING

 

Even though some has been said about "overcoming" we will look at it again here.

This, of course, is the primary step of salvation. One must first believe in Christ. That is sufficient for today and it ensures a place in heaven. Anyone in Christ has "overcome" the world because he has overcome the world.

In the Tribulation, however, the saint must do good works and "remain" in Christ. He must "abide"; he must "endure to the end." This is clearly seen from the next two verses.

This Tribulation saint is responsible for doing right and thus keeping himself saved. Nothing like this is said of a Christian today, regardless of how some people may interpret this next verse.

You can’t "work out" something until you already have it. You work a cramp out of your leg by massaging it. The salvation of a Church Age saint is "sealed" and guaranteed upon belief, while it has been shown over and over that the Tribulation saint must endure to the end to secure his completed salvation. This is one of the places from which those denominations that teach salvation by works, or works to stay saved after initial salvation, get their material. They did not just make up that doctrine from thin air. It is in the Bible. They misinterpret one verse from Paul and then say that it lines up with all the other verses that are not for this dispensation. That is why a "rightly divided" Bible is absolutely crucial to correct doctrine. Denominations who teach that works are in some way involved with salvation got that doctrine from the Bible. It just isn’t Church Age doctrine.

As a last thought on "overcoming" look at what the Bible says that awaits that faithful Tribulation saint.

 

Just as it is today, there is no middle of the road. Either a person is righteous and a child of God, or he is unrighteous and a child of the devil. Saved or lost. There is nothing in between.

 

Once more the commandment to love the brethren is given.

This first Bible example of murder gives the motivation which is still valid today. Unrighteous, evil men hate people who are righteous. They can tolerate evil people who "do" good works, but they hate, to the point of murder, righteous people. This parallels the truth that a person who hates his brother is a murderer. Godly love leads to help which involves personal sacrifice. Ungodly hate leads to murder. But during the Church Age a person is so eternally secure that hatred or even murder cannot end his salvation. Every Christian still must deal with his flesh and some allow the flesh to be in control.

For Church Age Christians who are controlled by their flesh and do such deeds as listed above, their penalty is loss of inheritance not loss of salvation. (For more details see this author’s paper on "Christian Inheritance - Loss and Rewards.")

The world hates the believer in any dispensation. That hate leads to persecution and murder.

These verses are positive proof that the Tribulation plan of salvation is different from that of the Church Age. This is a Tribulation salvation absolute. "Love of the brethren" is never mentioned as a condition for salvation in Paul’s writings, though it is for godly living.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the example set before these saints. They are to die, if necessary, helping their brethren.

James agrees completely with John on this point.

James Chapter Two is the most common place for a person to turn when trying to prove that salvation today requires works as well as faith. The person who believes that, is just believing what is says. It does say that works are required to complete salvation. At least these people know how to read and believe what a passage says. This is unlike most Baptists who will spiritualize this chapter to make it line up with Church Age salvation. They twist and contort it so much that even the cultists laugh at their interpretation.

The answer to both these problems is to "rightly divide." Obeying that Bible command will do it. The cultist will realize that the passage is not for this dispensation, and the Baptist will be able to believe what the words say without compromising today’s salvation by grace through faith.

Jesus as the "Truth" has been discussed earlier in this commentary. Those that are in the "Truth" and do the "truth" are Tribulation saints. (John 3:21; John 18:37; I Peter 1:22).

The second half of the previous verse and this next verse seem to indicate that during the Tribulation (as in this dispensation) some people do not have assurance of salvation. A man’s heart, whether he is saved or lost, is still "deceitful above all things." The devil may not be able to steal a soul but if he can make that person miserable with doubt, he will. During the Church Age the devil will ask "Did you believe the right way?" Probably during the Tribulation it will be something like "Have you really done enough good works to be saved?" Praise the Lord that during both dispensations God knows who belongs to him even if that person may not know for sure that he does.

This verse says that a person should have confidence toward God. But the basis of that confidence is the works that saint does.

Continuing in good works makes that saint confident of salvation as long as his own heart is not deceiving him. And even if that is true the Lord still knows those who belong to him.

 

TRIBULATION PRAYER PROMISES

 

This verse can be spiritualized for the Church Age but it is definitely a Tribulation promise. The "ask - receive" combination does not occur in the Pauline epistles. It does occur in the gospels and Tribulation epistles.

There are five qualifications put on the person making this prayer request.

1.) According to the verse in I John he must be keeping "his commandments, and doing those things that are pleasing in his sight." This idea is also stated in John’s gospel.

2.) He must believe that he will receive what he’s asked for.

3.) The request must be made in the name of Christ.

4.) The reasons for asking must come from a pure heart. The motive for the request must not be selfish or carnal.

5.) All the requests must be according to the Lord’s will.

Those are excellent, and perfectly reasonable qualifications that can, and obviously will be attainable during the Tribulation. They include an absolute guarantee that the prayer will be answered if the qualifications are met. The Church Age saint has no guarantee for any prayer. He is to pray, but is also to live by faith and trust that God knows exactly what is best for him. (Romans 8:26)

The context of the next two verses has been thoroughly covered previously. I John 3:23 gives the Tribulation plan of salvation while I John 3:24 exhorts the saint to stay right so that he will remain in Christ and Christ will remain in him, as evidenced by the Holy Spirit.

 

Church Age Prayer

 

Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17

Some may think that the previous section has taken away all the "good" verses on prayer for the Church, even to the point of wondering "Why bother?" Well, besides that fact that prayer is fellowshipping with our God, Paul encourages prayer and exemplifies its effectualness. He uses the word (or a form) 46 times in the Pauline epistles. While Tribulation prayer has frequently to do with physical needs and physical problems, Pauline prayer has frequently to do with spiritual needs.

That is not to say that physical needs cannot be prayed for, but the emphasis seems to be different during the Church Age. But in any dispensation God is concerned with all the needs for us children, even the physical ones.

But the real key to Pauline prayer is coupled with another verse which almost all Bible believers know.

These verses show very clearly that no Christian is promised a "yes" to any particular prayer. In fact, Paul states that we don’t even know for what to pray, so the Holy Spirit has to do it for us. (And by the way, this is not the jibber jabber of "tonguers" as the verse says that these prayers cannot be uttered.) And finally, the last verse of this passage shows us that when our prayer is answered contrary to the way we would wish, that the Lord still knows what he is doing and always does what is best for us.

Now, these two short sections is not supposed to be a complete discussion of prayer. This author believes that if there is any area where God allows himself to readily step out of the dispensation, that it is in the area of prayer. Prayer is the personal communion of Father and child. What a privilege and blessing it is to be able to speak directly with him, and what a shame that most Christians do it so seldom.

 

Home