Posted on 09/07/2019 12:03:36 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
This is an excerpt from my book, “Born From Above: a commentary on John 3″- available at
The third chapter of John allows us to overhear a conversation between Nicodemus, the chief rabbi of Israel, and Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was not trained in the rec- ognized rabbinic schools, but He was approved of God by signs and wonders as well as by the irrefutable doc- trine He taught. Nicodemus came to Him, and spoke for other leading rabbis when he acknowledged that Je- sus had come from God.
The topic? The New Birth, as the entry into the long-awaited Kingdom of God. Here at this point in the discussion, at John 3:16, Jesus is teaching Nicode- mus, (and us) how it is that God could righteously give we sinners a new birth.
God so loved the world that He gave His monogenes. His only unique Son, as a sin offering. God made a righteous way to grant new life to unrighteous men and women, Jesus paid the price for us.
John 3:16 is a much beloved verse of the Bible, perhaps the single most translated prose ever written. But its very familiarity sometimes has the effect on people that they assume that they already know it. But the Bible is alive and there is always more light, and helpful enrichment in every verse of scripture.
For example, consider the phrase “whosoever be- lieves in Him”. As in the story of the brass serpent lifted up on the pole, anyone who looks up in faith to the “only begotten Son” hanging on the tree will not perish but have everlasting life, (be born again).
Salvation is not just for a particular group, but Je- sus died for all. Anyone who hears the gospel and looks believingly unto Jesus shall receive the gift of the new birth, which is also called eternal life.
David Pawson, the man I mentioned earlier who wrote an insightful book about John 3:16 makes the point that the word believes is in the present continu- ous tense. The Greek language has more tenses than the English language. (I am no Greek scholar, mind you, but I can read the work of others).
The present continuous tense doesn’t often translate into the English, because we don’t have one. For exam- ple, in Jesus’ teaching on prayer, Luke 11:9-10 quotes Him as saying:
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seekand ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)
Those verbs are also in the present continuous tense, they literally say, “Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on finding, knock and keep on knocking, for everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives . . .” Knowing the Greek tense clears up a lot of misunderstandings in scripture. Another example is from 1 John 2:15, which says,
"Love not the World nor the things of the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him . . .”
Because the word love (agape) is in the present continuous tense, it could just as easily read, “Don’t go on loving the world, nor go on loving the things of the world . . .” Going back to our text in John 3:16, we see that the word believes, is also in the present continuous tense. It could just as well be understood to say,
For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, so that whosoever goes on believing in Him, might not perish but have everlasting life.
Interestingly, Pawson points out that the love God loved the world with, is in the aorist tense, which means that He did it once–For God (once) thus loved the world.
When did God love the world? When Jesus died on the cross. The act of God in love for this fallen rebellious world is a once and for all event, it will never be repeated, nor would it ever have to. God loved the world once, and for all time, in the offering of the cross.
God doesn’t have a broad and ongoing relationship with the world, approving of this good aspect, but disap- proving of that bad one, yet ever hoping for improve- ment.
The Holy God has announced that as of the cross, the world is under judgment, the sentence is passed and His attitude towards it is utterly unrelenting, the world is doomed.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:31-32)
But “once” and with perfect and ongoing effect, God loved the world . . . by giving sinful men a way out of their dilemma, through the cross of Jesus.
Back to the text again, Pawson pointed out that the word believes is present continuous tense. We are to go on believing in Jesus that we might ever have “eternal life”.
There are many who are so confused about this that they claim that a person could so backslide that they renounce Jesus entirely and die in their sins, but they suppose that they will be allowed into heaven, because at one point, somewhere along the line, they “believed in Jesus unto salvation”.
This false doctrine flies in the face of much of scripture however, for example;
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
True, all that Jesus requires of those of us who come to Him for salvation, is that we believe in Him, remain- ing in faith in His work on the cross and as our High Priest.
But faith isn’t static, it is an ongoing dependency, an abiding in Jesus, a constant feeding on His finished work, His person, eating and drinking His words. This is the only true personal relationship with God.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (John 15:1-4)
David Pawson, Is John 3:16 the Gospel? Terra Nova publications.
yes, backsliding is often temporary and certainly readily forgiven by God. but the nature of rebellion in man, which is the original sin, and underlies the evil choices of those with moral free-will—those who have historically known, but opposed God—tends to be permanent in my reading of history and human nature.
thanks for a great discussion. unfortunately i’ve got to hit the road. i’ll check back later though. may God continue to bless you and yours.
"Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; ( 2 Corinthians 1: 9-10)
Paul speaks, in one sentence, of a past, a present and a future. It reminds me of what St. Joan of Arc reportedly said to her cruel ecclesiastical persecutors. Asked if she were saved, she said "Jesus has saved me; Jesus is saving me; in the end--- I have the hope ---in His mercy may Jesus save me."
Dear Gramma, I do not deny that Salvation is a gift, you will not find any “works” righteousness in my gospel. I have already previously refuted the idea that one can be saved by the works of the flesh. You are saying the same thing i am saying when you say, “Our Salvation is in Him”. Show me where I have “added on to Christ’s Words” gramma, so I can correct myself. Mr Winslow did not refute anything I have said. I have a question for you; do you believe saving faith is a one time experience, or is it not an ongoing , continuous ‘abiding’? As Mr Winslow said, those warnings in hebrews are real...
Gramma, what “works” am I preaching here? Shouldn’t you beware of the arrogance of accusing a fellow believer of teaching something that he isn’t teaching? What Works do you acciuse me of teaching? Continuing infaith is not a “Word” it is faith. All I am doing is teaching the nature of true saving faith, that it is not a one time experience, rather it is an ongoing continuous relationship with God. Was Jesus teaching Works when he told us to “abide” in Him? Does John 15:2-5 describe works?
Thanks Gramma, I accept your apology. I am teaching the very thing you are saying, if you look at it again, the only requirement is belief. I even quoted John 6 in a previous article, (this is a series) “This is the Work , that you believe on him that sent me...” All I am preaching is faith in Jesus, I am only emphasizing that those who believe must continue in faith. Pray for me please,
I agree that back sliding can turn into something permanent. Yet, I’m convinced that someone can still repent and turn back, although they will probably always regret that they did not serve Christ faithfully as they should have. But to say a Believer can never repudiate or doubt God, aka back slide, without the possibility of reconciliation, is to deny Christ’s ability to forgive and wash away sins. To also say a believer can do whatever they want, willfully walk away and never repent of subsequent sins, and never risk losing salvation, flies in the face of scripture. Even believers must continue to repent and have their robes washed clean as Christ demonstrated when He washed the apostle’s feet.
Regardless of all the above, it is clear that Christ has total authority in regard to salvation, and we will no doubt know and understand all when we are raised to stand before Him. If someone is sent from Christ’s presence, I think they will know that judgment is entirely deserved. There will be no arguing over it.
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Ancient Greek has a present tense whose aktionsart is indeterminant. See Wallaces' The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar.
It is wrong to twist Greek in this way. I can find aorist tense counter example which can be used to say just the opposite. When the jailor asks Paul and Silas in Acts 16, "Sirs, What must I do to be saved?", here is how they respond:
..., Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)Πίστευσον -- "believe", this 2nd person imperative is aorist, a "one time action" (punctiliar), as arm chair Greek scholars will often echo.
I have modified my sinful behaviors over the years...what i concentrate on is recognizing them as what they are but reveling in the fact that when I asked Jesus into my heart as my Lord and savior, His blood washed away all my sins - past/present/future and God no longer recognizes my sinful behavior as sin...
33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
35This is what the Lord says,
(from Jeremiah).
Even though my sinful nature survives, God sees me as a pure saint....I still repent of my on-going nature and take heart that even Paul, who had met the risen Jesus and was specially chosen to carry the Word, lamented that he still found himself doing things he knew he shouldn’t do and not doing things he should...if one so close to Jesus couldn’t beat his sinful nature into submission, what chance have the rest of us?
And “the poor in spirit shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven”....Those who recognize they are still sinners by word and deed, and who wish they could be otherwise, will see heaven because they know for a fact that but for the blood of Jesus, they would never be deemed worthy...
Many blessings...
Hey that was a beautiful post. Thanks man.
Have a good Sunday.
You too, my FRiend.
I’m saying that salvation is of the Lord. Our faith was a gift from God according to Ephesians 2:8-9 and Philippians 1:29.
Romans 8: 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[j] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1)So God had a plan from eternity to save those whom he foreknew (this is foreknowing or foreloving of the individuals, not knowledge of their future actions).
2)Those that are known by God from eternity are predestined to be conformed to Jesus image. God’s plan is for us to be changed and sanctified and to become like Jesus. This is not easy believe-ism!
3)Those whom he predestined he called. This is the inward call of God, (not the outward call of the gospel being preached) His divine command to dead souls to live.
4) Those who receive this inward call will be justified. God draws them to Christ, removes their emnity and hostility towards Him, and graciously grants them repentance and faith. They gladly believe , having received a new nature in the new birth.
5) Those whom he justified, He also glorified. It should not require saying but I’ll say it anyway. It does not say “some of those justified will be glorified”. It says simply that those that are justified will also be glorified. This is God’s work from start to finish. Jesus did not came to make men savable. He came to save. Actually He came to seek and to save (because there is none who seek after God according to Romans 3).
6) In case the above passage does not give believers a strong sense of security, it goes on to say that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Not past events, not present or future events. Past, present and future events include our own actions and sins. Nothing in creation or in the Spirit world will separate us. We will be kept in His love.
In order for what you’re preaching to be true. You have to say “some of those justified will be glorified”. You have to say there is something that can separate you from God’s love which is your own sin.
What you are preaching is getting close to Roman Catholicism and mortal sins and the need to be justified again and again. What is the blessing of Justification? Blessed is the man whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. Paul anticipates that some might use the gospel as a means to take advantage of God’s grace, but points out that Christians should not have this type of attitude.
Is believing on ongoing requirement? Yes. But the ability to persevere has been given to believers by Christ. He is not just the author of our faith, but also the finisher. He is faithful to complete that which He started. Apostasy is mentioned because many who appear to be saved and at first gladly receive the word do abandon the faith. There are wheat and tares, but wheat does not become tares. They are different in nature. The tares were so from the start. They may have tasted of God’s goodness and the blessings of fellowship and understood the message in their minds. They may have enjoyed the community of church life and made friendships there. They may have been convicted of sin to a degree and outwardly reformed their life without being truly born again and having repented. They were not saved though. This is what Hebrews 6 is about.
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Those that are Christs will stay the course. He will keep them from falling. We will persevere because He preserves us. None will be lost whom the Father gives to Christ. Not one.
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