In Him Is No Darkness At All...I John pt 3

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.(I John 1:5)

The Apostle John’s ministry is one of restoration. The faith of the saints had been confused, distorted, tangled and blurred by the pseudo spirituality of those who claim a mystical, direct knowledge of God, which is above and beyond the experience of “normal” christians.

These “gnostics”, ie “knowing Ones“, undermined the simple faith of christians, causing them to doubt the integrity and depth of their own experience. Therefore John sets out to call us back to what we heard “at the beginning”, starting with our very concept of who the “only true God” actually is. God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all… .

The Gnostics who had distorted the faith,(and who always distort the faith), claimed a secret knowledge, available only to the initiates, which elevated them above normal Christians. “Revelation Knowledge”, as opposed to the mere “head Knowledge”of the christian disciple. Thus do they denigrate normal christian teaching, as being elementary, “sophomoric”, childish.

This kind of influence always ends up creating in the minds of its adherents, artificial hierarchies of Christians. I have heard modern christian teachers talk about “outer court” christians, “inner court ” christians, and the select “Holy of Holies” christians. Or something like 30, 60 and 100 fold christians. Or an Elijah company of believers for the last days.

The existence of a hierarchy among christians is always a sign of decline or even satanic influence.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.(Matthew 23:8-11)

Those in on the ‘Gnosis‘, the secret teaching, or the hidden knowledge, are the ones in the highest and most select company. The rest are dismissed as “carnal” believers .

It is in this anti-christ Spirit that I have heard modern gnostics denigrate the Word of God openly, despising it, yet patronizing it in a condescending fashion. Tommy Tenney who wrote the book “The God Chasers” and who for a brief time was the charismatic flavor of the day, actually called scriptures God’s old Love Letters, (Nice but not ‘current’)

“God chasers … are not interested in camping out on some dusty truth known to everyone. They are after the fresh presence of the Almighty…A true God chaser is not happy with just past truth; he must have present truth. God chasers don’t want to just study from the moldy pages of what God has done; they’re anxious to see what God is doing…There is a vast difference between present truth and past truth. I’m afraid that most of what the church has studied is past truth, and very little of what we know is present truth.” [The God Chasers xvi]

Rick Joyner is another example of this. His books of visions, dreams and supernatural experiences would have people believe that he has personally spoken to Jesus, the Apostle Paul, the (heretic) William Branham, and the Angel Wisdom. He has climbed the mountain of God, spoken to the departed saints, and supposedly the Angel told Him there is more. These books number in the hundreds of pages and sell by the millions.

Think about it, the whole goal of the Christian life is to see the face of Jesus(the beatific Vision), yet Joyner has seen Him and spoken to him many times over, supposedly.

Tenney , Joyner, Copeland, and the host of modern gnostics all in one fashion or another ridicule and demean christian doctrine, as being “head Knowledge”, “Musty Old Love Letters from the past”, “the Letter of the Law” etc. The question is where now do we go to get the “secret teaching” that is supposedly so much more relevant to our time ?

The answer is predictable, You need to rely on Tenney, Joyner’s visions, or to buy Pat Robertson’s “Secrets of the Kingdom”, or go receive a word from “prophet Bernard Jordan” (if you can afford it), or make the trek to Toronto or Pensacola, or whichever pilgrim site is the latest “locus of blessing”. Such concepts are pagan, for Gnostics always position themselves as revelatory mediators, specially “anointed” gurus.

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.( I John 2:24-27)

God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all…Any talk of secret teachings for the initiates, or ‘lost books” of the Bible, or forgotten truths now revealed, goes against the very nature of God himself. The Revelation of God in Christ, is the shining of “the true Light”, it is the fullest Revelation of God possible, and is open and available for the least Christian to behold.

God is Light… we serve an open and transparent God. True these things are hidden from the world, for they have been blinded to them by the god of this age, and by their own willful rejection of God. But there is no “secret teaching” in Christianity, no “hidden knowledge”, or “secret Keys” to anything in Christ.

Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. ( I John 2:8)

Pastor Bill, we have to make sure that we distinguish between the true process of the development of spiritual maturity, based on the knowable Scriptures, as compared to some false secret "knowledge" that is merely the imaginations of superiority generated by the psyche, the soul of man, whose spirit is still dead to God.

In fact, the stages of spiritual development wherein each of us finds him/herself are as follows:

(1) Newly born babe in Christ, the "brephos" needing the milk of the word, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, obtained from the preaching of the Word of the Cross:

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Pet. 2:2-3 AV; babe here is βρέφος).

(2) The next stage, a spiritual infant able to receive the milk of the word and easily digestible food, not yet walking in God's ways, but crawling along, God calls him (or her) a "nepios":

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb 5:14 AV; here, the babe is a νήπιος).

(3) The ensuing state, as the infant grows to tolerate stronger doctrine of discerning good and evil, becomes trainable in scripture truths, is as a "paidion":

"I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father" (1 Jn. 2:13c; here, the child is a παιδίον).

"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" (1Jn 2:18 AV; again παιδίον).

(4) When the child has gained control of its own composure, and has become proficient in applying and living the scriptures, He/she has become dead to Sin as a master, to self, to the blandishments of the world, and become alive in fellowship with The Son. Satan is no longer able to distract him/her from the task of managing The Father's estate, and he/she is a young adult, a "neaniskos":

"I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. . . .
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 Jn. 2:13b, 14b AV; young (hu)man is a νεανίσκος).

(5) The last stage in the temporal sphere is that of one who knows The Father and fellowships with Him moment by moment, thought by thought, through great familiarity with Him in prayer, in the Word, and in personal experience in overseeing younger believers, together with others of such full age in The LORD, himself having become a father, a "pater":

"I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. . . .
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning" (1 Jn. 2:13a, 14a AV; father is πατήρ).

God's plan, as voiced by His Son, is that the maturity be accomplished under close personal guidance of those who have already walked this path with their guiding discipler/instructor.

It is a crying shame that most denominations or non-denominational assemblies have abandoned and forsaken this plan of eternal discipleship, and implemented their own seminary-driven or Bible-shcool-wrought substitute plans and programs, which only serve to stifle, rather than promote the level of spiritual maturity amongst their constituents.

And the very worst of these systems is the two-level structure, the clergy/laity model that establishes an episcopacy, in which the organizational structure narrows, and the levels in the official heirarchy are not open to many, but become crowded by ambitious climbers, jealous of their office, failing to elevate their fellow brethren into the same level of recognition as co-counselors of spiritual babes and adolescents, making the spiritual infants prey to the kind of false religionists that you have described, that turn them away.

Pastor Bill, God's plan for sanctification through personal discipleship generation by generation does have different levels of maturity. This plan, the Great Commission, needs to be recognized and re-instituted broadly, not just to missioning. Failure to do so will only more rapidly bring on Jesus' prophecy that because of the overspreading of iniquity, the love for God of the many--the hoi polloi--shall wax cold. Churches will fail in projectin bot the righteousness and the love of God.

No matter how mature in age, education, and experience in the world, one does not simply leap into the Christian culture fully fledged and ready for service. No, one starts the new life as a newly-born spiritual babe. I'm not sure your text in this article points that out clearly, that though God's salvation and justification is instantaneous and permanent, ones preparation for service is subsequent, gradual, and there is a continuous growing in fitness for service. That's what needs your attention anfd further comment.

Respectfully submitted.

Easy to point out wolves who don't even bother with the sheep or shepherd costumes. The real trouble is in the ubiquitous devils and doctrines that have been normalized as truth and light..

There are plenty of forgotten truths. If they had been kept in memory, then the Biblical texts wouldn't be of the volume that they are.

The Revelation of God in Christ, is the shining of “the true Light”, it is the fullest Revelation of God possible, and is open and available for the least Christian to behold.

And it is going to make people mad. Expectations have been built upon doctrines. "Everybody knows" this, and "everybody knows" that... and most is based on nothing more than that kid game of telephone.

God is Light… we serve an open and transparent God. True these things are hidden from the world, for they have been blinded to them by the god of this age, and by their own willful rejection of God. But there is no “secret teaching” in Christianity, no “hidden knowledge”, or “secret Keys” to anything in Christ.

The secrets are sitting in plain sight. That's why they are hidden but good. Who's looking there. Instead, lots of folks are out defending and embracing mystical woo-woo stuff like the trinity. It's "settled doctrine". The litmus test for "true believers". "Everybody knows" not to deny the trinity.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is a real-time literal political parable for the way things are about to go down in the established religious world. Not one stone left upon the other.

Neil Armstrong. A human delivering a message from the heavens. An estimated 530 million watched and listened to those first words. The pinnacle of human achievement right there. Whose script really was that? Now there was the most craziest obvious message in retrospect. Who was looking there. Why almost everybody! Talk about irony. God is funny.

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