Nine a Day Is One Per Month

Nine chapters in the New Testament each day will read you through the New Testament in a month. This month I am reading through the New Testament in the NASB version. Here are a few comments on the scriptures that spoke to me in yesterday’s reading.

Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

I have had it asked me a number of times why people seem to hate the free-from-sin (Rom 6:18, 22) message. I think for most cases it is pretty simple. Either they have willful and known sin in their life and don’t like to be told that they aren’t saved while they hold on to their secret sin they love. Or they have had willful and known sin in their lives lately and don’t like the fact that it has just been inferred that they are babies in Christ and are not spiritual.

People hate the free-from-sin message either because they don’t understand it, or they love darkness and hate the light and don’t want to come to the light and have their deeds reproved and be saved from committing sin.

Joh 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Always dress and act in a way that will not draw any attention to yourself; desire to be unknown, unseen, and unrecognized; never do anything for the praise of man; whatever you do, do as onto the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength; pick small jobs to do for the Lord that will not be noticed; never point out the things you have done for others in a way where you will receive the praise of man; talk as little about yourself as the Lord will let you concerning what you are doing and the victories you have.

Joh 3:36 NASB He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

I like the way the NASB translation puts it; “but he who does not obey the Son will not see life”. The KJV says “and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life”. I do feel that “believeth” and “obey” are very closely connected, but I think “obey” makes it clearer. If you don’t obey, you don’t believe; and if you don’t believe, you don’t obey.

Joh 6:27 Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

We are to labor for the things that endure unto everlasting life. We are to labor for the meat that perisheth, just enough to get by. Practically, this means doing with less of the meat that perisheth so that you have time to labor for the meat or things that endureth unto everlasting life.

Forget about a new car, a bigger and better home, that boat, sea-doo, or a vacation to the beach. Work less, and use the time redeemed from following after the meat that perisheth to spend time working out your salvation, and helping others find and be established in the kingdom.

Joh 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

If you don’t do God’s will, which is go and sin no more and love Him with all your heart, you don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to understanding any doctrine besides repentance from dead works.

I don’t think there is anything more stinky to God than a professed Christian that is committing known and willful sin arguing and contending about the teachings of Christ.

Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins.

The Word “he” is not in the Greek. I wonder if this means if you believe that Jesus is not the “I am” — that you will die in your sins. “I am” is God the Father’s name. This is a scripture that all who are entertaining the thought that Jesus is not God, but only the Son of God, should consider prayerfully and with great carefulness.

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

I would hold that the Bible teaches you can’t serve two masters. You can’t serve sin and God.

The Greek word ποιῶν (poiōn) translated here “committeth” is Present Active Participle which indicates continuous action. By the way, you only need to do an action twice for it to be continuous.

Many of those that hold to a sinning-salvation think you can continuously sin for years and it is not continuous action. Others that are to embarrassed to admit the liability of years of sinning would hold that at some point the person was never saved or, if they were saved, they are lost and can’t repent again.

I am not sure which of these three positions is the worse. Telling a person they can continue is sin and still be saved, telling them that since they have continued in sin they are now lost and there is no chance for them to be saved again, or telling them they were never saved because they are in continuous sin.

Also those who hunt out the Present Active Participle in the Greek never seem to bring it up when it has to do with continuous action in doing righteousness.

How about “And he that [CONTINUOUSLY] keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1Jn 3:24). The Greek word τηρῶν (tērōn) translated here “keepeth” is also Present Active Participle which indicates continuous action.

When is the last time you heard the sin-you-must scholars bring up continuous action for scriptures like 1Jn 3:24? I never have, and when I point it out to them I have yet to get any response other than they change the subject and go to their next argument for sinning.

Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

It appears that those that have some light, and then reject more light that comes their way, will be made blind.

I think this applies to those who have gotten saved and don’t completely understand that there is no room for willful or known sin in the life of a believer. Then when they are presented with that truth and become “holiness fighters” and take a stand for sin in the believer — they go into darkness.

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Jesus is the door! He is the only way into the sheepfold. Not Mohammad, nor Buddha, nor Gandhi, nor OTVC sects like the Restoration (COGR), the Holdeman (COGCM), or the JWs. You must go through Jesus, and no one has exclusive rights to Jesus but Jesus himself.

Joh 10:12 But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The first minister or pastor of a congregation that is given a wage may not have the marks of a hireling. But in giving a wage, the congregation has established an unbiblical practice. When that Minister moves on, they will need to hire another one, and the new hireling may not care for the sheep. Jesus says hirelings don’t care for the sheep.

There is less chance of getting a minister that doesn’t love the sheep if there is no wage involved. Put a box in the back, and let those who receive spiritual blessing from the minister give him of their material blessings.

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

1Co 10:13, 2Th 3:3, 2Pe 1:10, and Jude 1:20 tell us that God is faithful to keep them from falling out of his hand. Peter says there is a condition; “if you do these things ye shall never fall” out of his hand.

Joh 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

I take it that Martha is amillennial and didn’t hold that believers would be raised in what is called the pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation pre-millennial dispensation first resurrection of the dead, which would be from 1007 to 1000 years before the “last day”.

She stood in good company, as Jesus also held that believers would be raised in the “last day” (Joh 6:39, 40, 44, 54). Seeing how there can’t be 7 years of great tribulation or 1000 years of carnal millennial enjoyments after the “last day”, it appears to me that the great tribulation (destruction of Rome) and the 1000 years (symbol for the period of the binding of the dragon or pagon power) happen before the “last day”, when the Christians are resurrected and “caught up” (1Th 4:17).

It is also of interest to note that Luke appears to hold that there is “a resurrection” of the just and unjust dead (Act 24:15); not two resurrections, one of the just and one for the unjust.

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

To bring forth much fruit, you need to die to self, and the flesh. Selfishness must go; you must be convicted of your selfishness, you must hate it and plead that God will root it out, lock, stock, and barrel — fruit, branch, and root!

You can call it entire sanctification, baptism of the Holy Spirit, the second work, the infilling of the Spirit, the higher life, or death to self, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that there must be a radically changed life.

I am not talking about conversion, although that is the first death step. I am not meaning a growth in grace and an increase in the fruits of the Spirit, although there must be that both before and after death to self.

I am talking about coming to a place in your Christian experience where you realize you are full of self and that something needs to die.

Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Christ will draw ALL men unto himself. Not some Calvinistic outward calling or drawing which is useless and ineffectual. But an enlightening call that enables ALL to “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Jos 24:15). Without this drawing no one would come to Christ. With this drawing no one will have an excuse for not coming to Christ.

Jesus is the light “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (Jn 1:9). “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Tit 2:11) and not only teaches ALL “that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit 2:12), but, hallelujah, he enables ALL with an INWARD calling so that none are without ability to come to him or be without excuse if they CHOOSE to reject him.

Joh 13:11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

It appears that eleven of the disciples were already “clean” by the blood of the Lamb who was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). Apparently, although “a testament is of force after men are dead” (Heb 9:17), there was an overlapping of the law and gospel as “the law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached” and the eleven had “pressed into it” (Luk 16:16).

Not only these eleven, but the seventy that “returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luk 10:17) that the Lord told to “rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luk 10:20).