We Must Get Over THIS and Move On

Someone has asked the question, "What do you mean in your last blog, 'Somehow, we must get over this and move on.'?" My first response was, "I do not know." But, that was yesterday and I have had some time to 'mull over it.' Therefore, my response is as follows: "Choices."

I am a Follower of the Christ, primarily and a Southern Baptist because we have basically agreed that the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 expresses who we are. And my choice to be a Southern Baptist is, in part, due to that document. There are other reasons, too, but in the end the choice to be and remain a Southern Baptist for all of my life is entirely based upon the fact that I see the Bible as the Inerrant Word of God written by men who were Inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The present conflict which has arisen between 'Baptist Calvinists' and 'Baptist Traditionalists' brings me to this moment in question, "Somehow, we must get over this and move on." My answer is simply found in God's Word as Jesus said,

"Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it. ³⁶ For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?" Mark 8:34-36.

“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money." Matthew 6:24

 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:5-6.

In the present on-going Calvinist/Reform issue among Southern Baptists choices must be made, and oddly enough, this in and of itself rubs against the grain of the 'predestined' mindset of the Reformer. For the Reformer the decision must have already been made in Heaven and therefore there is really nothing to worry about.....sic.

Yes, we must somehow get over his huge bump in the road and move on. Many years ago, as a student as SWBTS, I recall one of our professors detailing the importance of contextual evidence being the precusor of biblical exegesis. Our choices today are to be made with that in mind and this is the foundation upon which Southern Baptists stand and THE singular reason for the weakness of the Reform argument of Election.

Jesus, in His statement to the gathered crowd of people in Mark 8:34 ff gives those hearers a choice to make, "If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself..." The simple choice is to become His Follower or not. There is not one single hint given here or in any other of Jesus' challenges in the Gospels concerning Election. Most noteably this is the case in point as Thomas asks, "How can we know the way?" Please understand that Jesus did NOT reply to Thomas by saying, "Only the Elect will come to the Father." Rather the Christ clearly indicates that to come to the Father is "through Me." There is a pathway to follow and in daily life everyone will make a choice as to which pathway to follow to get from one place to another. In order to follow the Christ there is a choice to be made.

If we, as Southern Baptists are to move on, we have a very large and important choice to make. No doubt the choice to do so will be a diffcult one, but we must do so. This is a 'Make it' or 'Break it' decision for many of us. I am NOT a Southern Baptist Calvinist. I am a Southern Baptist Biblicist, if you will, and there is a very BIG difference here.

Every indication is that the Reformers wish to determine the future of the SBC with the doctrine of Election as the standard. If the SBC chooses to allow that to happen I will no longer be a Southern Baptist for I am NOT a Calvinist and I do not believe in the tenets of that system of religion.

I choose to follow the Christ and deny to follow the Calvinist error, plain and simple. This is what I meant when I wrote, "Somehow, we must get over this and move on." I am a Follower of the Christ, not a follower of Calvinism and we must get over this and move on.

Jesus is Lord
Bob Williford

A Sword of Division

Being silent for a very long time has been difficult, but now I must begin to say some things that have been on my mind. Here I will begin. As a Southern Baptist I have always said that I am one by conviction and am a Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ by faith in Him alone. For this reason alone I am a Believer FIRST and FOREMOST and a Southern Baptist BECAUSE of my conviction that Baptists, in my lifetime, have been sound biblicists. For this reason I stood with those who were in the war over Biblical Inerrancy and Conservatism, and I will stand against the Reform Movement within the SBC today. This Movement is simply WRONG biblically.

Yesterday, May 3rd, I read the article from SBC Issues entitled,Calvinism in the SBC and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. This article alone has brought me to this juncture, my Turning Point. This article is found at the following address: http://sbcissues.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/calvinism-in-the-sbc-and-the-baptist-faith-and-message-2000/.  Every Southern Baptist should read this because the "correct theological position of a majority of Southern Baptists today is that men are not born guilty of Adam’s sin as Nettles suggests." In many ways this may be the 'jumping off place' for the Reformer and this issue in the SBC.

Three years ago it was my priviledge to meet Dr. Malcolm Yarnell, Chair of Systematic Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Confronting Dr. Yarnell with questions about the Reform question, he introduced me to many of the surrounding issues of Calvinism in the SBC. He also encourage me to read the text Whosoever Will  which contains essays addressing the Five Points of Calvinism. For this I am grateful.

As a result of that meeting, God has allowed me to come in contact with Dr. David Allen, Dr. Steve Lemke and others who have greatly influenced my journey into my studies of the Reform Movement. As a result of these encounters with incredibly blessed minds I have become a far better student of God's Word and am more informed of this critical study because of their suggestions.

I completely understand why so many want to meet at a 'Table of Peace' and draft some sort of agreement that might produce some sort of solution. However, my question remains.....how am I/are we able to come to a working agreement with someone who simply does not and cannot agree with me/us about the biblical question concerning the Gospel Message found in John 3:16? We do not agree upon "Whosoever will". And in our disagreement people are asking the question, "How can I become a Christian?"

For everyone, Jesus says it best in Matthew 10:34, 39,  "Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword...Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it."

For each of us in the SBC there will be no peace over the questions raised over this issue and the sword (the Word of God) is the defining principle. In His Word we will either find or lose our spiritual lives and we cannot assume anything less. We will fall or stand upon Him alone. A Baptist cannot stand arm in arm with a Baptist Calvinist, as Dr. Yarnell describes them, and share the same Gospel Message with a lost person. One of us will say, "You must make a choice to follow Jesus or not." The other will say, "You may or may not be of the Elect and when you have faith you know that you have already been saved because the choice is really not yours to make."

The decision is not about Institutions, etc owned and operated by the SBC. The decision is whether or not one chooses to lose life because Jesus Christ has already asked me to follow Him. This is a 'no brainer.' Certainly I am a Southern Baptist because of a deep seated conviction that finds root in the Word of God and expressed in the  Baptist Faith and Message 2000. However, I am first of all a Follower of Jesus Christ by faith in Him alone and the fact that I am a Southern Baptist has no bearing on my decision to follow the Christ.

Christ has given a sword of division in order to find a correct direction and in that I will find my life......

Jesus is Lord
Bob Williford

A Call for 'Unity' Among Southern Baptists.....Is This Really Possible?

For many years the call for 'Unity' among us Southern Baptists has been made and this is going on today, at this moment as I am writing. Please do not get me wrong, I am for unity, but not for unity at all costs. There are far too many problems and 'gives and takes' to make this happen. In the not too far distant past there was a statement made among the SBC faithful that went something like this, "Ropes of sand with the strength of steel." And we SBCers were very proud of this because while there was no sense to the idea, there was much truth to it.

During the years from 1960 until now, our SBC has taken on a very new and different brand in many, many ways....as has our Nation. In 1960 as students we celbrated morning worship before classes began...in the school auditorium and classes were began with the reading of Scripture, Pledge to the Flag and prayer as well...over the loud speaker.

Spring and Fall Revivals, Sunday School Evangelism, Training Union Parts and Wednesday Night Prayer Meetings all fell by the way side as the Conservative Resurgence gained strenght. The CBF and a large host of other Alphabets sprang up as a result. The FMB became the IMB, the HMB became the NAMB as the SBC began a series of new ideas in an effort to give birth to a new identity in a New Age. Our Assemblies....Glorieta and Ridgecrest have changed along the way as well, and Baptist Bookstores became LifeWay....and the list goes on and on and on.

Today is now. Among us in the SBC the call for unity struggles for a hearing as so-called SBC Traditionalists are meeting with Southern Baptist Reformers (Calvinists). However, my question is simple enough, "How can there be unity in a larger group when there is so much diversity over the Word of God?" One group, the Traditionalists know that one is saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and the other group, the Reformers believe that regeneration comes by grace and faith comes later. There are other rifts, but this seems to be the major crisis. Everything else results, ie, control of SBC Agencies, etc.

In this mix, evangelism and missions....the hallmarks of the Southern Baptist Convention.....suffer because of the differences of biblical interpretation. The struggle for unity is just that...a huge struggle over principles of faith and practice. This is sort of like attempting to mix oil and water.....
"This AIN'T gonna happen." Just as lost people will not be found in Heaven......

Would I like to unity amongst us? You bet I would. But can someone such as myself teach from the Word of God and say, without interruption, that "Whosoever will may come to the Cross...." means every human being God has ever created can do so? NOT if a Reformer is in the room. This statement alone dictates that unity is not possible.

There is no harmony in any of this. Somehow, we must get over this and move on. There are too many lost souls who are dying and losing opportunity to hear the Message of the Gospel as we struggle for unity with the person who says, unless that person has been elected to go to Heaven, the Gospel Message is meaningless.

Just as Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16, HCSB. (NOTE: Paul was inspired to write, 'to everyone who believes' and not, 'to everyone who is of the elect'.)

Jesus is Lord
Bob Williford

The Message of the Cross

The Message of the Cross 

The only solution for sin is the Cross of Christ 

When one has failed while doing everything to keep from failing only darkness and confusion remain. Because the Lord is NOT the author of confusion without Him life becomes unbearable in a tumultuous sea of storms.

Everyone knows failure at some juncture and will give some kind of advice about how to succeed, but the truth is, they do not know. Many who claim to know Christ give advice about how to live and have no idea what it means to live ‘in Christ’. Because of this I find it difficult to believe that a born again Believer in Jesus Christ cannot or does not live for the Lord.  If a Believer does not understand the message of the Cross there is no direction about how to live for God.

Paul writes that if we place our faith in anything apart from Christ and Him crucified that He will be of no value to you. “that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” Galatians 5:2.

Clearly, the work that we attempt apart from faith in the Crucified and Resurrected Christ will amount to nothing.

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.

If the Believer does not understand the Cross of Christ these “works of the flesh” will manifest themselves in life.  However, many Christians ignore each of them believing they simply cannot apply today because our culture has ‘matured’.

There are some things in circulating in churches that guide folks to false victories which are anything  but the Christ and His Cross. I would suggest that the “Government of Twelve,” the “Word of Faith,” and others that are simply are not true.  Certainly these methods of living good lives are filled with bible texts, but are leading folks away from the Cross where the Power of God is found. I say this because Christian leadership has taken on Corporate America models for Christian direction that have nothing to do with God’s Word. Seems to me that the Church must follow the plans given us in His Word. Corporate America is filled with immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. And Paul writes, “as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The point that I must make is that any guidance produced by man as a ‘guide’ to bible truth cannot be of God and therefore must be a work of the flesh.  Any way apart from the Word of God and Christ and Him Crucified is sin by its very nature.  While reading and studying the word of God in relationship to the finished work of Christ at Calvary the works of the flesh become clear.  

For this reason alone, read the words of Paul to the church in Corinth: “Therefore, since we have this

ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

The answers to all of life’s problems can only be found in what Christ did at the Cross.

Paul writes in his letter to the Colossians, “For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,  yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--” Colossians 1:19-22.

Here we find that we have a sin problem.  Paul is not writing to unbelievers, but rather to Believers and says to them, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death…..”.  As Believers we are to seek to live for God and we must begin at the Cross where we find the blood of Christ. There is nothing in the Christian life that does not begin apart from the Cross of Christ. True enough we find strength in the fullness of the Spirit, but without the discovery of the Christ at the Cross the Holy Spirit cannot be found.

Paul said, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  for he who has died is freed from sin.” Romans 6:3-7.

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. I Corinthians 1:17-18

The importance of these words is that there is a notable difference between born again Believers and professing Believers. Foolishness and salvation. "but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,  but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." 1 Corinthians 1:23-25.

The key thoughts here are ‘stumbling block’ and ‘foolishness’.  Professing Believers who are not Believers see the truth found in Scripture difficult to believe and understand. For this reason they are Professing Believers, but not in word and practice.

The joy of the Followers Christ know the power and wisdom of God in daily living.

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

 

Believers in Christ will seek nothing apart from the Crucified and Resurrected Christ and not the wisdom of men. We are NOT to seek after the wisdom of men while seeking direction from God. We are to separate ourselves from the evil of unbelief.

Paul continues with the same thought, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.  And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:14-16.

The message to be proclaimed by every Believer is the Cross of Christ and nothing more. To stand on proclaim anything different is to speak foolishness. Our boast is to be only in the Crucified and Resurrected Christ for He alone is our Message.

After the Resurrection the Disciples were not convinced that He was resurrected from the dead. But, He appears to two of His Disciples as they were en route to Emmaus.  These two do not recognize Him and think of Him only as a stranger along the way.

 “And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" Luke 24:17.  

I find it interesting and disturbing that people within the membership of local churches do not recognize Jesus and this is because they have chosen NOT to follow Him, but only to profess Him behind closed doors. For the Christ has said that if we do not profess Him before men He will not profess us before His Father. Matthew 10:32-33.

“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see."  And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Luke 24:24-27.

Do not miss this phrase, “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” They saw the Empty Tomb, but because of their apparent unbelief they ‘did not see’. The same was true for the Disciples along the way, they simply could not believe that He was Who He claimed to be.

The Cross of Christ is principle upon which all doctrine is substantiated. The Cross Event is the Cornerstone of Redemption.  “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Pet. 1:18-20. 

Every Bible doctrine must find foundation upon the Christ and the Cross. The sad truth is that far too many churches rely upon bad information for their building stones because they are following men of personality and programs of the world rather than the Son of God of the Bible.

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work."                     1 Corinthians 3:10-13.

Paul’s revealed foundation which is the Word of God must be the foundation of everything within the framework of the Lord’s Church. When men attempt to build upon what already had been construction, confusion and disorder erupt. May this never be so with you.

Jesus is Lord

BW

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil

The following is an article that was released in 2008, but most of us have never heard of it. Take a minute and get an eye full of what is NOT being told in news agencies. "Results of the assessment can be found at http://energy.usgs.gov"......have a blessed day, 

Jesus is Lord

BobW

_________________________________________________________________________________

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—
Released: 4/10/2008 2:25:36 PM

Contact Information: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Office of Communication 119 National Center Reston, VA 20192

Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.

A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil.

Technically recoverable oil resources are those producible using currently available technology and industry practices. USGS is the only provider of publicly available estimates of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources. New geologic models applied to the Bakken Formation, advances in drilling and production technologies, and recent oil discoveries have resulted in these substantially larger technically recoverable oil volumes. About 105 million barrels of oil were produced from the Bakken Formation by the end of 2007.

The USGS Bakken study was undertaken as part of a nationwide project assessing domestic petroleum basins using standardized methodology and protocol as required by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 2000.

The Bakken Formation estimate is larger than all other current USGS oil assessments of the lower 48 states and is the largest "continuous" oil accumulation ever assessed by the USGS. A "continuous" oil accumulation means that the oil resource is dispersed throughout a geologic formation rather than existing as discrete, localized occurrences. The next largest "continuous" oil accumulation in the U.S. is in the Austin Chalk of Texas and Louisiana, with an undiscovered estimate of 1.0 billions of barrels of technically recoverable oil.

"It is clear that the Bakken formation contains a significant amount of oil - the question is how much of that oil is recoverable using today's technology?" said Senator Byron Dorgan, of North Dakota. "To get an answer to this important question, I requested that the U.S. Geological Survey complete this study, which will provide an up-to-date estimate on the amount of technically recoverable oil resources in the Bakken Shale formation."

The USGS estimate of 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil has a mean value of 3.65 billion barrels. Scientists conducted detailed studies in stratigraphy and structural geology and the modeling of petroleum geochemistry. They also combined their findings with historical exploration and production analyses to determine the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil estimates.

USGS worked with the North Dakota Geological Survey, a number of petroleum industry companies and independents, universities and other experts to develop a geological understanding of the Bakken Formation. These groups provided critical information and feedback on geological and engineering concepts important to building the geologic and production models used in the assessment.

Five continuous assessment units (AU) were identified and assessed in the Bakken Formation of North Dakota and Montana - the Elm Coulee-Billings Nose AU, the Central Basin-Poplar Dome AU, the Nesson-Little Knife Structural AU, the Eastern Expulsion Threshold AU, and the Northwest Expulsion Threshold AU.

At the time of the assessment, a limited number of wells have produced oil from three of the assessments units in Central Basin-Poplar Dome, Eastern Expulsion Threshold, and Northwest Expulsion Threshold.
The Elm Coulee oil field in Montana, discovered in 2000, has produced about 65 million barrels of the 105 million barrels of oil recovered from the Bakken Formation.

Results of the assessment can be found at http://energy.usgs.gov.

For a podcast interview with scientists about the Bakken Formation, listen to episode 38 of Core Cast at http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/.

---

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.

Subscribe to USGS News Releases via our electronic mailing list or RSS feed.

**** www.usgs.gov ****

Links and contacts within this release are valid at the time of publication.

1 John 1:4-10

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1 John 1:4-10

⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete

The one who is called of God to make proclamation of the Gospel Message may have some joy in what he does, but completion is not present until the Message is delivered. Some who are called participate in Gospel Ministry but have not joy because there is hesitation to deliver the Message in God’s favor. Experience reveals that when the Message is delivered to the specifications of God’s Word His joy is complete in the life of the messenger.

Note one more thing about John’s statement: “our joy”. John is not thinking of personal joy only. He is emphasizing the completeness of God’s joy in the folks who read the Message as well. A glass half full is also half empty. Why not complete the task and agree with the wisdom of Solomon,

“ A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word!.”  Proverbs 15:23.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:3-5.

The concept of light is significant throughout Holy Writ and always points to goodness, righteousness, justice and God Himself. And the poignant aspect of light is that God created the light on the First Day of Creation separating it from darkness. Because God does things for a reason, we see Him making a distinction from good and evil from the beginning of time as we know it.

When the Israelites were fleeing the Egyptian army, note what God was doing with His light, The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. Exodus 14:19, 20.

And John reminds us about the coming of the Christ as the “light shining in the darkness”, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5. In fact, a better translation might be that “the darkness did not overcome it.”

The very reason that the Believer is present in this world is to present the Light of the Christ in contrast to the darkness of Evil. If your joy as a Believer is to be made complete you must be faithful to the task of being His Messenger and demonstrate the separation that exists between the God of Heaven and the gods of this world.

⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

Fellowship is the most important component of any relationship for if this is missing there can be no longevity. The simple fact is that many of us do not know the meaning of or understand the word. Because this is true it is difficult to have fellowship without an understanding of the word itself. How is it possible to claim something that is so foreign to us?

Here are some words taken from Webster’s Dictionary that give some meaning to the thought:

communion: an act or instance of sharing

companion:  one that accompanies another 

intimate:  a very close friend or confidant  

Each of these words helps to give a better perspective of the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and His Followers, the Believers. Those who continue to live outside that relationship, but insist that this relationship exists simply do not have fellowship with Him. There is no communion. The idea of being a companion with the Christ has no meaning and obviously without them there can be nothing about being intimate with Him. 

When I read John’s statement Newton’s Law of Motion comes to mind, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. This natural principle of the balance of forces seems to apply here, but in the transaction between truths and lies. The opposite and equal reaction to a lie is always God’s truth.

⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Here is the result of walking in the Spirit as Paul encourages in Galatians 5:7-9,  ^“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;” 

The fellowship between Believers is one of the many distinguishing signs of the Body of Christ. My suggestion is that Fellowship between Believers is the most identifiable result of the relationship between the Christ and those who are His Followers.

Here is the great comfort of the fellowship that exists between the Christ and every Believer, “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” Anyone who is a born again Believer has the unique forgiveness of sin that no other being on earth has access to. John captured the words of Christ as He spoke to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. God’s gift to all who believe in His Son, Jesus receives forgiveness of sin and eternal life. 

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Here we see a caution coming from the Apostle concerning some who have claimed that because they have a relationship with the Christ allows them some kind of immunity to sin.   

Paul writes to Titus about those who claim to know God but, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Titus 1:15, 16.

These two men are clearly telling us that God is not allowing anyone to claim a relationship with Him and hope to find reconciliation through untruth and false practice.

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Here is an earth shaker for every Believer who might think that only their initial moment of salvation is enough forgiveness of sin. This, too, is not true. Any relationship is sustained by communication that is transparent. In this is God’s insistence upon every child to seek forgiveness for sin. This simply tells us that He does not tolerate a rebellious attitude to exist within His Family and therefore demands compliance to His Grace and Justice. His Grace is not cheap, but was paid for at the Cross. Because He paid the price the Believer must seek Him for forgiveness of any act of sin.

Paul stresses that the Believer cannot be freed from sin by living according to the Law and reminds us of the uniqueness of our relationship in Christ. “But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:17-20.

¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Here we find how a believer knows that he/she is not a Believer. Christ is evidenced in us when dependence is completely upon Him. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” John 14:23, 24.

Those who belong to Him will keep His Word because His Word lives in the heart of their hearts and is expressed in their daily lives.

Jesus is Lord

BW

Observations from John 1:1-4

Observations from 1 John.

John 1:1-4

v1. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

Moses wrote in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God……” and in John 1:2-3 we find that Christ the Son of God was with God in the beginning as well.  “He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

John expresses that he is one of the living witnesses of the Christ before the Crucifixion. Most notably is that he had clear memory of his relationship with Jesus and calls Him the Word of Life. Jesus is the very expression of life and John is able to clearly state this for us.:

1. I AM the bread of life.
• John 6:35: Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
• John 6:48: I am the bread of life.
2. I AM the light of the world.
• John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• John 9:5: While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
3. I AM the door.
• John 10:7: Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep."
4. I AM the good shepherd.
• John 10:11-14: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...."
5. I AM the resurrection and the life.
• John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
6. I AM the way, the truth and the life.
• John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
7. I AM the true vine.
• John 15:1, 5: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

We must note  the very fact that NO ONE   has ever been able to claim support for any  these statements EXCEPT the Christ.

v2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

His presence and foundation remains with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…..the Three in One aspect of God. This is what John is telling us. God is manisfested to the Believer in the Person of Jesus Christ. How significant is it that the very Person who created all that we know lives in the heart and life of every Believer…..magnificent, awesome, inspiring and absolutely true.

v3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Fellowship of the Believer with God is incredible. There is no other religion in the world that is able to portray this relationship. There is some sort of connection that is found with a god of sorts, but none provides a personal relationship that results in a daily fellowship with the Creator of Faith. How awesome is this truth?

v4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

Completeness in relationship with the Savior of the world is found in the Cross. What joy and wonder!! From the moment of the conception of the Christ in the womb of Mary to the Resurrection is found the completeness of life in Him. Mary expressed her awe as did Paul on the Road to Damascus. Every person who discovered the truth of Salvation in Christ expressed great joy in that relationship with Him and not one walked away sad except for the Rich Young Ruler who refused Him.

Jesus is Lord

BW