MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
First John: Chapter One
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
1 John 1:1
That [the manifested Christ] which was from the beginning [of the incarnation of Christ], that which we [the apostles] have heard [emphasizes the messages heard during his three year ministry], that which we have seen [from experiences with our eyes], that which we have observed [attentively as spectators from a theatrical seat] and our hands have touched [before and after the resurrection: John 13:23, 25; 20:27; Luke 24:39] concerning the Word of Life.
Ὃ ἦν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαµεν, ὃ ἑωράκαµεν τοῖς ὀφθαλµοῖς ἡµῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάµεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡµῶν ἐψηλάφησαν, περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς
This letter was written from Ephesus, the capital of Asia Minor, between 90 and 95 AD and addressed to local churches in the Roman province of Asia which was the center of Christianity in the first century. The major churches were the same ones mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3. While John was not mentioned as the author of the epistle, he is so identified by the church fathers namely Polycarp, Irenaeus and Eusebius. Furthermore, the language and vocabulary are identical with the Gospel of John.
In the early church, Satan attacked the 1st Advent of Christ mainly through Gnosticism. Those Gnostics claimed that the 1st Advent of Christ was an optical illusion. So, John used empirical evidence such as what the apostles had heard, seen and touched to refute these claims. (In the post canon period of the church age, we do not use empiricism to defend the 1st Advent. Instead, we use the written record as found in the gospels to testify regarding Christ.)
Since 1st John is a polemic against Gnosticism, John doesn’t begin with a salutation. Furthermore, he doesn’t begin with ‘He who was from the beginning and whom we have heard etc.’ Rather than using masculine relative pronouns, John used neuter relatives to introduce the manifested Christ. John used this less direct approach to better refute the Gnostics. John not only had to refute Gnosticism, but had to prove to the Christians who were being taken-in by Gnosticism that Christ was not “that [something, that optical illusion] which was from the beginning,” but was in fact the “Word of Life,” the God-Man. One cannot hear, see and touch an optical illusion! If John had started out with the pronouns ‘who and whom’, those who had believed in Gnosticism would have argued that John was assuming the incarnation without proving it. So, John proves that the incarnation was a reality through empirical evidence – the apostles did see, hear and touch Christ. So, after proving the incarnation through empirical evidence, John began using a masculine pronoun for Christ as he does in 1 John 1:7, “as He was in the Light”. Furthermore, John then ends verse one with a refutation of this optical illusion-heresy by calling Christ, “The Word of Life.” The “Word” is a title for the deity of Christ.
John 1:1-2, “In eternity past, there always existed the Word [deity of Christ], and the Word was face-to-face with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. 2 οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
John 1:14, “And the Word [the deity of Christ] became flesh [true humanity] and tabernacled among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the uniquely born one from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡµῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάµεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς µονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.
1 John 1:2
And the life [eternal life] was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father [the deity of Christ] and was manifested to us [to the apostles as the God-Man].
καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαµεν καὶ µαρτυροῦµεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλοµεν ὑµῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡµῖν
Life is also a part of this title, “The Word of Life” since Christ is eternal life in his deity and in his humanity he provided eternal life for mankind through his work on the cross. John 14:6 states, “Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life [eternal life]; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
1 John 1:3
What we [apostles] have seen and heard, we communicate also to you [in a Bible class situation] that you may have fellowship with us [1st stage of fellowship occurs during Bible Class and any time Christians are discussing accurately the Word of God] and in fact our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ [2nd stage of fellowship is based on our love for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ which will likely take thousands of Bible classes.]
ὃ ἑωράκαµεν καὶ ἀκηκόαµεν ἀπαγγέλλοµεν καὶ ὑµῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑµεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε µεθ’ ἡµῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡµετέρα µετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ µετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
John defines two stages of fellowship: the first stage when the congregation is taught by the Holy Spirit via the Christian man with the gift of communication. After much time is spent in learning and applying the Word, the second stage of fellowship becomes a reality, namely fellowship with God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the new believer is first filled with the Holy Spirit, he has a relationship with the Spirit and begins to learn God’s plan under the mentorship of the Spirit. However, this fellowship is not going to be much until the believer begins to appreciate and love his mentor. The same is true for God the Father. As we learn about the Father’s plan and his eternal love for us, the quality of our relationship with him, our fellowship increases. So it is with the Lord Jesus Christ. Eventually, as we mature our fellowship with the Lord becomes so dynamic that we do everything to please him. (Colossians 3:17 states, "Whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the person of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through Him to the God the Father."), and we can say along with the great apostle, “As far as I am concerned living is Christ; dying is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
1 John 1:4
These things we write in order that our [the communicators and recipients of Biblical teaching] happiness may be brought to completion.
καὶ ταῦτα γράφοµεν ἡµεῖς ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡµῶν ᾖ πεπληρωµένη.
Happiness comes to the believer in the advanced stages of the spiritual life. In that stage, the believer not only knows doctrine well, but he also applies God’s word to people and situations with maximum consistency and accuracy. John knows the Word of God very well. So, as he applies it as in this case fulfills his responsibility of teaching it to his congregation, he is made happy.
1 John 1:5
And this is the message which we [the apostles] have heard from him and communicate to you that God is light [God’s thinking and plan] and that in him there is no darkness [Satan’s thinking and plan] whatsoever [anticipates the analogy as found in verses 6 & 7].
Καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἀκηκόαµεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγγέλλοµεν ὑµῖν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεµία.
We are either one hundred percent in fellowship with God that is walking in the Light, or we are one hundred percent out of fellowship with God namely walking in darkness.
1 John 1:6
If we [Christians] say that we have fellowship with him [God the Holy Spirit] and yet we walk in darkness [in Satan’s system], we [the Christians out of fellowship] lie and, we do not apply [live] the truth.
Ἐὰν εἴπωµεν ὅτι κοινωνίαν ἔχοµεν µετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότει περιπατῶµεν, ψευδόµεθα καὶ οὐ ποιοῦµεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν·
1 John 1:7
If we walk in the light [learn and metabolize the Word under the Filling of the Holy Spirit] as he is [historical present] in the light [the humanity of Jesus Christ remained under the Filling of the Holy Spirit during his 33 years on the earth], we [Christians in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit] have fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus, his son [the blood has to do with the Levitical sacrifices which portrayed the work of Jesus Christ on the cross: Redemption, Propitiation, Reconciliation] purifies us [καθαρίζει ἡµᾶς namely our souls] from every failure [In addition to the meaning of sin, Hamartia also has the meaning of failure which includes not only sin, but wrong doing.].
ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶµεν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, κοινωνίαν ἔχοµεν µετ’ ἀλλήλων καὶ τὸ αἷµα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡµᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁµαρτίας. [1 John 1:9b, purifies us from all wrong doing: καθαρίσῃ ἡµᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀδικίας]
In order to walk in the Light, we must consistently learn from a prepared pastor. This is not always so easy since we are living in an era of apostasy. Furthermore, there are many areas of the world where it is nearly impossible to listen to a prepared pastor face to face.
Assembling to Learn the Word:
Hebrews 10:25, "Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the habit of certain ones, but for the purpose of encouragement, even so much the more, as you see the day (Rapture) approaching."
µὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν, καθὼς ἔθος τισίν, ἀλλὰ παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ τοσούτῳ µᾶλλον ὅσῳ βλέπετε ἐγγίζουσαν τὴν ἡµέραν.
Must Christians assemble in an ecclesiastical structure called a church? Well, in the first two hundred years of the church age there were no churches. Generally, believers met in homes to learn the word and to worship. The church is a classroom with a professor called a pastor or minister. Now, it doesn’t make any difference whether the pastor teaches in a home, office building or an ecclesiastical structure. The key is not the type of building, but the qualification of the pastor.
The assembling in a church, a home or some type of building must include a qualified pastor and a congregation. Through the accurate teaching of the pastor, the congregation comes to accept his authority. If a member of the congregation accepts the pastor’s authority, listens and applies consistently, he can grow spiritually. How far a member is seated from the minister is not the main point. You may be seated fifteen feet in front of the pastor or you may be seated in your home fifteen thousand miles from the pastor, it makes no difference. The point is do you accept his authority and do you listen consistently to him.
The pastor can communicate to his congregation through a number of ways such as: face to face communication, written material, audio media, video media, radio, and television. Paul for example communicated with many churches through written material.
One does not have to attend a church in the same geographical area of his residence. In many geographical areas there are no pastors qualified to teach and explain the spiritual life. If a Christian had to attend a Church in such a local area, he would have no hope of spiritual growth. What if you were attending a church in your hometown-city under the ministry of a qualified and dedicated pastor and suddenly, you become very sick and were taken to a hospital in a faraway city. You might have to make a choice between listening to minister teaching in the hospital chapel or receive MP3s from your pastor in your hometown. Let’s assume that the minister conducting the chapel service knows nothing about the spiritual life, and thus listening to his teaching would be a total waste of time. What should you do if you were bedridden in this hospital for 6 months? Should you attend the chapel services in the hospital and destroy your spiritual life, or should you listen to your pastor’s MP3s and grow spiritually?
What if one had to work in a foreign country where there were no pastors? Obviously, one would have to listen to a pastor from another country by some means other than face to face. If God would not permit Biblical communication through various ways, then believers living in a foreign land would have no hope of advancing in his spiritual life. Fortunately, the method by which a pastor communicates to his congregation is not limited to face to face.
The reason for the assembly of believers in a church is to perceive and metabolize God’s Word. Developing friendships and socializing with other believers is optional; it is never mandatory. This passage does not state that believers should assemble for the purpose of encouraging one another. The Greek does not say this! The Greek word “parakaleo” is a Telic Participle and should be translated “for the purpose of encouragement”. The Telic Participle gives the purpose for the action of the main verb which is “to assemble together”. Why do we assemble? We assemble to be encouraged by hearing and learning God’s word.
It is true that sometimes social life with other believers can be encouraging, but it is not the source of encouragement. Occasionally, a believer may associate with a mature believer and be encouraged by association with that believer because the mature believer expresses divine viewpoint. It is always divine thinking and expression that is encouraging, not social life with believers.
Social life with Christians many times distracts believers from the spiritual life and can be counter-productive for the following reasons:
1. One establishes wrong priorities in the Christian life through the influence of ignorant, confused and even apostate Christians (These are Christians who do not learn and so do not execute the spiritual life). If you associate with Christians who are ignorant of God’s plan, they will affect you with their ignorance. If you associate with Christians who are always controlled by their sin natures, they will have a negative influence on you.
2. Many believers are distracted from learning and applying Bible doctrine through preoccupation with friendship, romance or marriage. A good relationship with God must be established before one can have a good relationship with people. Unfortunately, most believers are preoccupied with people and so never develop a good relationship with God.
3. If you associate with legalistic believers (believers adhering to a pseudo spirituality), you must either follow their legalism or be condemned by them. If you associate with believers who claim that the spiritual life is a series of “don’t” such as: don’t drink, smoke, dance or go to movie theaters, then you either must accept this system of pseudo spirituality or be in conflict with such believers. In either case, this association will probably place you out of fellowship.
4. If you associate with antinomian Christians, you will likely become antinomian namely if you associate with those who consistently drink heavy, fornicate or are involved in criminality, then you also will be influenced by this type of behavior. The type of people you associate with will definitely have an influence on you. Can you put a hot coal in your pocket and not get burned?
5. Some Christians use other Christians as a means of advancing themselves in business or in a profession. In other words they attend a church where there are influential believers who can help them in their profession or business. These believers are functioning under the lust of inordinate ambition and competition. How could social life with these inordinately ambitious Christians be beneficial.
6. Many Christians substitute social life with believers for fellowship with God. True Christian fellowship is fellowship with God, not with people. If you have five hundred Christian friends and you perform many acts of Christian service with them, but if you do not love God, you are nothing and you accomplish nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Generally, when we sit down in some location to learn God’s word, we do so with other Christians. That is what this passage is saying. However, having others sit around you as you learn the Word does not contribute to your spiritual growth. Whether you sit in your home with family members to listen to your pastor on television or on radio or some other media or you attend a large church and are surrounded by a thousand other believers makes no difference. People cannot cause one to grow spiritually; it is the message that causes spiritual growth, not the seating arrangement.
Some Christians think that walking into a church automatically makes them spiritual. If a believer attends a church where the pastor is totally ignorant of the spiritual life, that believer cannot learn the spiritual life. Worse yet since that pastor does not understand the spiritual life, he will teach a pseudo spiritual life. In effect by attending that church, the Christian goes backward in his spiritual life.
If a person studies engineering under a professor who is totally ignorant of correct principles and concepts of engineering, the student will learn false information about engineering. Before the student was just ignorant, but now he is not only ignorant of true principles and concepts of engineering, but in addition to that, he has acquired false principles and concepts. He is worse than he was before. Now, he is not only ignorant, but also arrogant. He thinks he understands engineering, and therefore will not even listen to a good professor. This is what happens to Christians when they attend a church where the pastor is ignorant regarding the spiritual life. They think they understand the spiritual life; they think they are growing spiritually, but in reality they have gone backwards in their spiritual life and have become very arrogant.
This passage is not commanding Christians to attend the nearest geographical Church building where the pastor is allegedly teaching the Word. This passage is commanding all believers to learn the Word of God consistently from a qualified pastor, a qualified spiritual professor. “But grow in grace and in knowledge Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Growth does not come through interaction with other believers. Growth does not come through sitting next to another believer in a church. “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the communicative word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The spiritual life is not developed through seeing your pastor in a local church, but rather through hearing his message. Your faith is not increased through social life with other Christians, rather through hearing the accurate message of your pastor.
Without doctrine in the soul, there is no genuine fellowship:
That which we have seen and have heard, we [the apostles] report even to you [the congregation] that you might have fellowship [from learning and metabolizing doctrine] with us [communicators of God’s Word], and also our fellowship [from spiritual growth] is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
The following order should be observed:
1. Fellowship occurs between the pastor and his congregation during the teaching of the Word. Fellowship always takes place when Christians are enjoying God’s Word together.
2. The Biblical principles and doctrines learned must be metabolized into spiritual energy.
3. Ultimately, this spiritual energy if utilized will produce fellowship with God, namely love for God the Father and the Holy Spirit and occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:8
If we say that we do not have a sin [nature], we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
ἐὰν εἴπωµεν ὅτι ἁµαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχοµεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶµεν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡµῖν.
One of the meanings of the Greek word, ‘hamartia’ is ‘sin nature’ especially when it is in the singular. Many Christians are ignorant of the existence of the sin nature. Others outright deny that there is a sin nature in their bodies. In effect, the Christian lies to himself (deceives himself), and there is no metabolized doctrine circulating in the soul of such a believer.
1 John 1:9
If we name our sins, he is faithful and righteous with the result that he forgives us our sins for our benefit and purifies us from all wrong doing.
ἐὰν ὁµολογῶµεν τὰς ἁµαρτίας ἡµῶν, πιστός ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος ἵνα ἀφῇ ἡµῖν τὰς ἁµαρτίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἡµᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀδικίας.
Regaining fellowship with God through the Naming of our Sin:
Staying in fellowship is very important in the Christian way of life. Therefore, we must learn how to recover fellowship after committing sin. For restoration to fellowship, God has designed a simple procedure. Although it is simple, it must be followed exactly.
Naming our sins to God the Father is a conditional procedure and not a promise to be applied by faith. A promise is a divine declaration or assurance that something specified will or will not happen, whereas a procedure is a course of action (naming our sins) by which a result is obtained (forgiveness of our sins). A promise requires faith; a procedure requires action.
This verse does not say, “If we believe and cite our sins”. The believer cannot walk by faith when he is out of fellowship. So, God has given the believer a simple procedure for restoration to fellowship. Simply name your sins to Him, and He will restore you to fellowship.
The Faith-rest drill, namely walking by faith cannot be accomplished when we are out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Faith-rest drill is applying Bible doctrine to our experience and requires divine power for execution. This divine power is provided by the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit, only when we are in fellowship. Walking by faith is a part of the spiritual life. When the believer is out of fellowship, his spiritual life comes to a halt until he gets back in fellowship.
In the function of the Faith-rest drill, the soul must be controlled by God the Holy Spirit. When the believer is out of fellowship, his soul is controlled by his sin nature. When the believer is controlled by his sinful nature, he is in a totally helpless and hopeless situation. This is why God had to provide a grace solution to our dilemma. This grace solution is a simple procedure, not a faith-exercise.
The Christian must realize that he is either in fellowship or out of fellowship. He is not partly in fellowship and partly out of fellowship. When the believer is obedient to Bible doctrine under the filling of the Holy Spirit, he is in fellowship and walking in the light. So, being in fellowship is related to the soul, and not the body or its emotions. Therefore, fellowship is not something we ‘feel’. No believer should say, ‘I feel close to God’ or, ‘I feel like I’m out of fellowship with God’. Rather, the believer must understand that he loses fellowship with the Holy Spirit and enters into darkness whenever he sins. When in darkness, he must enter the light again through confession of sins.
Fellowship always follows forgiveness! When a person first believes in Jesus Christ as his Savior, his pre-salvation sins are forgiven, and he is placed immediately in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit. After salvation, when he decides to sin, fellowship with the Holy Spirit is broken and the believer enters into darkness. At this point the believer is helpless and needs a grace solution that he may again walk in the light. (When the Christian is out of fellowship and walking in darkness, he is in a totally hopeless situation. It is hopeless because the believer out of fellowship is under the control of his sin nature and so can do nothing to please God.) Therefore, the solution to this problem of loss of fellowship comes from God’s gracious forgiveness, the only solution.
This passage (1 John 1:9) starts out with the following clause, “If we name our sins [known sins].” The Greek particle εαν (ean - if) and the Greek verb ὁµολογῶµεν (homologomen - to acknowledge, name, or cite) in the subjunctive mood form a 3rd class conditional sentence in the Greek. The 3rd class conditional sentence emphasizes the free will of the individual and has the connotation of ‘maybe’. The believer may name his sins correctly to God the Father or he may not. When John wrote this passage under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he recognized that many Christians would fail to properly cite their sins to God the Father.
Not only does the subjunctive mood recognize free will, but also does the imperative mood. A father may say to his daughter, “If you get married (subjunctive mood: potential, possibility, probability), I will give you an expensive wedding present.” Since she has free will, she may never receive that gift. A city mayor may command drivers to drive within a certain speed limit within the city. However, this does not mean that all drivers will comply. Scripture recognizes free will through its use of the subjunctive and imperative moods.
God provided 1 John 1:9 as the only way to recover our fellowship with Him. Since God gave it to us, it is our responsibility to use it. So, every time the believer gets out of fellowship, he should immediately name his sins to his heavenly Father. This is his responsibility.
The believer is not only responsible for acknowledging his sins, but he is also responsible for the act of his sins. Therefore, when you sin, don't blame others. Don't ever say, “He or she made me angry”. This is failure to take responsibility for your own sins. No person can make you angry. You made a decision to become angry, or to worry, to become jealous, to gossip, to fornicate. That was your decision, not the decision of someone else.
Homologeo (to cite, to state) is a classical Greek word originally used in the Athenian courts of the 5th century B.C. (The apostle John will use this word that we might understand how forgiveness relates to the judgment of the cross.) How was this word used in the Greek judicial system? This verb was used of a criminal stating his crimes before a judge in a courtroom. After the criminal was found guilty, the judge would demand that the criminal acknowledge his guilt by stating his crimes (homologei tas harmatias sou). In stating his crimes, the criminal was not permitted to get emotional. He was not permitted to state his remorse, apologize or weep. The judge demanded that the criminal only state the facts regarding his crime, after which the judge would assign the appropriate punishment prescribed by law. Law, not emotion, was the criterion in the Athenian Court.
Judgment is followed by forgiveness. The cross was a courtroom trial presided over by Judge, God the Father by whom Jesus, a substitute for the guilty human race, was sentenced and punished for all the sins of humanity. During the trial there was only judgment, not forgiveness for forgiveness is a result of the judgment of the cross. Colossians 1:14 states, “In whom [Jesus Christ] we have redemption [a primary accusative of object] resulting in the forgiveness [a secondary accusative of result] of sins”.
The key word in the first clause of recovery is homologeo. This word word homologeo contains no emotion, not even 1%. No tears, no regret, no begging, no promise to do better, and no ritual. Just acknowledge your guilt and state your sins to God the Father. How you feel about the sins during your confession is totally inconsequential. Just follow the procedure and name your sins; don’t try to impress God with your emotion.
Now, it is true that sometimes when you sin, you may experience some regret which in turn may motivate you to name your sins to the Father. This is okay, but not necessary. The truly honest Christian admits to himself that he wanted to commit that sin and just names it without going through the emotion of regret. Desiring to get back in fellowship is sufficient motivation; emotion is not necessary. However, if a Christian remains out of fellowship for a prolonged period of time, he will become very emotional and may even be entering into the early stages of neurosis. So, when he finally decides to get back in fellowship, he may not be able to refrain from weeping as he confesses his sins to the Father. This is okay as long as he is not trying to impress or bribe the Father with his tears.
The clause “If we name our sins” refers to known and remembered sins. Now, please realize that certain sins are very subtle. So, in some cases you may not even realize that you have sinned. Obviously, if you don't know what you have thought or done was a sin, or if you have forgotten your sin due to an elapse of time, you cannot name it. For example if you do not realize that worry is a sin or you have forgotten that you had lied about something, then you will not realize your responsibility to name it to the Father. So, the word “sins” refers to known sins that you remember, not unknown or forgotten sins. These known sins must be named to the proper person of the Trinity. The citing or acknowledgment of sins in the Church Age is addressed to God the Father (Mark 11:25, 26; Luke 11:2).
God the Father is immutable, and so He is always faithful. Therefore, every time you name your sins to Him, He forgives you and restores you to fellowship. He is never wearied by your confessions nor becomes irritated by your failures. He is always forgiving.
He is not only faithful, but also perfectly righteous. So, God cannot forgive us in grace until his righteousness is completely satisfied. This takes us back to the cross, the scene of the greatest courtroom case in all of history. God the Father was the judge. As a righteous judge, he demanded a perfect sacrifice be punished for all the sins of the world. The only perfect sacrifice was the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the justice of God punished the humanity of Jesus Christ (He bore our sins on his body) for every sin of every human being in history. When it was finished, the righteousness of God the Father was completely satisfied.
Don’t add your work to the propitiatory work of our high priest, Jesus Christ on the cross. All sacrifices have to be offered by a priest. Since Jesus Christ was a high priest, he was able to offer himself as a sacrifice which propitiated completely God the Father. So, since there is nothing which needs to be added to the work of the cross, just name your sins. Don't make an issue out of yourself. Make an issue out of the cross by just stating your sins. When a Christian adds the human work of tears, promises, regret, begging, liturgy etc. while naming his sins, his confession becomes unacceptable to God. God cannot accept any work that competes with the perfect work of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
The Greek word ἵνα (hina) with the subjunctive mood introduces a result clause and should be translated “with the result that”. Since the righteousness of the Father was completely satisfied by the work on the cross, he is free to forgive us of our sins and to purify us from all wrong doing (grieving, quenching and lying to the Spirit and all the human good, sin and evil related to it.).
The Greek word αϕιηµι (aphiemi) means to forgive and the Greek word καθαριζω (katharizo) means “to cleanse” or “to purify”. The father forgives us of the sins which we state, but also the ones we do not state. When the Christian uses the recovery procedure he is saying in effect, Father, I know that you have punished Jesus for all of my sins, so on that basis forgive me of my sins (the sins I mention and the ones I have forgotten or am not cognizant of). Now, the next word is ‘katharizo’ and relates to soul, and so should be translated “purify”. God not only forgives us of our sins, but he purifies us from all wrong doing and restores us to fellowship. Wrong doing incorporates everything that the Christian does when he is out of fellowship; it includes Grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), Quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and Lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) and everything related to these such as sin, human good and evil. (By the way it is usually prolonged wrong doing that leads to the Sin onto Death (1 John 5:16, 17)).
Many times, when we sin and get out of fellowship, God administers discipline. We are not punished for the sin itself since Jesus Christ already paid in toto the penalty for every sin. We are being punished by the love of God namely the component of justice so that we will avoid guilt and learn to obey and respect Him (Heb. 12:6). Forgiveness and purification do not imply that this suffering will stop. However, whatever suffering still exist after getting back into fellowship, becomes suffering for blessing.
In summary the opportunity to name one's sins to God the Father and get back in fellowship is a gift of grace. This gift was not intended to encourage sinning, but to provide the believer with the opportunity to continue in the spiritual life and to complete the objective of the spiritual life - to grow in grace and knowledge.
1 John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God the Father] a liar, and his word is not in us.
ἐὰν εἴπωµεν ὅτι οὐχ ἡµαρτήκαµεν, ψεύστην ποιοῦµεν αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡµῖν.
Some Christians allege that after their salvation, they have not sinned. The process of the perfect tense of ‘hamartano’ began at salvation and views it as a finished state. In other words, some Christian allege that from the point of their salvation up to the point of this allegation, they have never sinned.
When a person first believes in Jesus Christ as his savior, he has no doctrine in his stream of consciousness, and so has very little spiritual strength to deal with the sin nature. Therefore, he will commit many mental and verbal sins and some overt sins. It is not until the believer becomes an advanced believer that he is able to have good control over his sin nature. Even so, he will always commit some sins. Take some of the greatest believers in history such as Abraham, Moses, David and Paul – all of these had their greatest failures as mature believers. So, if they were able to sin as mature believers how much more as immature believers. Peter denied Christ three times after three years of spiritual growth. If these great believers can sin, so will you. This verse clearly states that if we allege that we have become sinless after salvation, we are making (calling) God the Father a liar since the Father has made it quite clear in Scripture that this contention is not so, and obviously there is no metabolized doctrine, no understanding of God’s Word circulating in our souls.
