5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1Jn 2:1-11
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Jn 13:1-10
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
Zech 3:1-10
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: 7 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
8 “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
10 “‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Saved people get dirty in the world but the Lord God Almighty loves us to the end. He cleanses us who expose ourselves to Him, as we are, and then we can go on to be used of Him as we are in fellowship. If we do not do this, though we are saved - like Joshua the High Priest, or Peter the man who had already been bathed, then we cannot have fellowship and we cannot be used of the Lord.
5 comments:
Does 1Jn contrast the unsaved with the saved in order to help people see if they are saved or not?
Well there's a few things that I hope people will pick out in the passages above - though there is an abundance more that is most helpful to the Believer and worthy of discussion.
Look at Peter. He was a saved man, but when he resisted having the Lord wash his feet the Lord said this to him.
"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
Did the Lord mean that Peter would be unsaved if he didn't let Him wash his feet?
Not at all!!
Verse 10 - Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
Peter was already saved, but in order to have fellowship and be used of God he had to be cleansed. Just like we read in 1st John.
Look at the High Priest Joshua, "a brand snatched from the fire" (or a burning stick in the NKJV).
He's a saved man, a High Priest standing before the Lord in FILTHY clothing - which is to say he had everything even human excrement on him.
Satan is there to accuse him, and the Angel of the Lord - Jesus Christ the Righteous - is there as his advocate.
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
Jesus Christ takes away his sin and puts clean clothing on him. Then he is told if he stays this way he will be used and go on to do many wonderful things!
Brethren, here this!! If you have believed the Gospel then you are saved. Your sin does not determine if you are saved or not, it hinders your usefulness and removes your fellowship with the Lord.
Walk in the light before the Lord, He will wash away your sin and give you fellowship and use you!!
Kev
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Peter is a very interesting study. I find him fascinating, maybe because I can see and relate to what drove him regarding his relationship to Jesus. He wanted so very badly to get it right and be what he thought God wanted him to be, boldly performing magnificent feats of faith, etc., and he needed to get knocked flat on his posterior before he got how things really were. Before that, Jesus was forever rebuking and correcting him for his "well doing." What I think Peter really wanted was to find HIMSELF to be what God wanted him to be, at least in SOME measure. Rather than really NEEDING a Savior (to be washed in both senses: bathed and his feet only), he wanted to be WORTHY of one.
Peter had several notable places where the real truth was gently made evident to him: walking on water/sinking in unbelief and fear, followed by the rebuke "oh, ye of little faith"; "You are the Christ the Son of the living God"/"never shall You die", followed by the rebuke "get thee behind Me, Satan."; "others may deny You but I never will", met with the rebuke that Peter would deny Christ 3 times before the dawn; the ear issue at the arrest, met with the rebuke "put your sword away, shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?" and fixing the bloody, messy, painful problem Peter had caused in his completely misguided zeal to defend the Lord.
But he dutifully ignored all these proofs, until at last he really DID deny Jesus 3 times and that before a mere servant girl! Satan knocked him flat on his posterior with a feather!! And now at last God can do something with him, since he gets that he really IS a miserable failure. And now the risen Lord deals restoratively with him, not rebuking him but encouraging him, establishing him, and restoring him according to the number of times he had failed. (Amazing grace!)
The Lord is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble, as we see throughout Peter's experience. Peter wanted God's grace, but he didn't want to have to NEED it. Now he got that he DID need it, and it was freely given.
As far as the Lord washing us, I think the same principle works in both situations, the all over bathing and the foot washing. In both cases, it is the Lord who must stoop and do the washing (embarrassing, isn't it?). But it does not make sense to say that we will allow Him to cleanse away our sin with an all over bath, but not wash away our sins with a foot washing.
I think you are right, Kev, when you say the Lord did not mean Peter would not be saved if he didn't let Him wash his feet. But I also think Jesus was making the broader point at that point in the discussion that He must do both the bathing and the foot washing. (And note that Peter received yet another rebuke from this.) Whatever washing is necessary He must do. He makes the distinction clear what He means as the conversation unfolds.
Anyone who says Jesus meant that without foot washing a person is unsaved did not read the whole narrative. But I think the broader application is that we should never shrink from having the Lord wash us, whether all over bathing away of our sin for salvation or foot washing of our sins for fellowship and fruitfulness.
JanH
Hey Jan!! I knew you'd have amazing stuff to write if you commented on this article!!
Much of what you wrote is in what I hope will be my next sermon, if I am asked to preach again. I'll be preaching on Peter's restoration, and showing all the things that you have written here - comparing ourselves to him so we can hopefully see our need clearly demonstrated - and the safety of recognizing our need.
You said something truly amazing though...
in both cases, it is the Lord who must stoop and do the washing
This is what we talk about all the time.. but what a powerful single sentence. How clear! How humbling!!
We can neither reach up to God as lost or found!! In both cases it is the Lord who humbles Himself to cleans and use.
I have little doubt that if God allows, when I preach next THIS statement will be used by Him to set people free and help them truly become fruitful!!!
I'M STOKED!!!!
You wrote
Anyone who says Jesus meant that without foot washing a person is unsaved did not read the whole narrative.
This is what our LS friends say though. They say unless you continue you never were saved. They would say if Peter had not allowed this washing - this cleansing and discipleship, that this would mean had never been saved in the first place.
Your finish shows clearly that you do not need to preach works to avoid "easy believism"
But I think the broader application is that we should never shrink from having the Lord wash us, whether all over bathing away of our sin for salvation or foot washing of our sins for fellowship and fruitfulness.
If we confess our sins He is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness!!!!
AMEN and AMEN!!!
Kev
Well one of the few people in the world who care enough, and are amply equipped to do so, offered some sincere criticism of my comments here.
The problem is that I don't always write enough information... some of you are laughing because I write long posts. Some times however, I assume that those reading are on the same train of thought as I am... I wonder how that could go wrong??? lol...
Anyway... this lovely person, for whom I'm immensely thankful has spent the last few days picking my brain and even rebuking me (lovingly).
The way I've written these comments makes it look like I've taken an uncited application of John 13 by a LS'er and argued against it.
This isn't the case... I was connecting the LS view of 1st John to an application of John 13.. all very complicated to explain... I don't know why I thought everyone else would be thinking the same thing - but I did.
HERE is, in as short a way as possible, what I meant to convey. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone further. It's just the meat without any support - I'm sure if you read the article above that you'll see what I'm getting at though.
I don't think that Christ's telling Peter he would have no part in Him is related to his initial saving washing. I think it has to do with following and being used - seemingly Peter's greatest desires. Likewise when John says that Christ's word doesn't dwell in us he isn't talking about salvation. Shame I couldn't have been more clear...
This is taken from a private email I sent in reply to an honest concern.
Also, this person reminded me of an error that I am most familiar with - arguing against a position instead of arguing for the truth will almost always lead you into error - often heresy.
My comments went to far from the hope of the article which was to point to truth.
I'm sorry.
Kev
Kev-
I think you're a good egg!
I think that kind of thing is how the whole iron sharpening iron thing works. Sometimes it's good to have others say, "huh???" when you make perfect sense to yourself. :)
(Sometimes I think some of our favorite theologians could use more "huh?" men and fewer "yes" men.)
JanH
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