Msg #24010 Purifying Faith

What The Bible Says

Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

1John.3:3 states,“Every man that hath this hope (now are we the sons of God) in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Peter supports John in this truth when he gives his “fervent heat analysis”, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” (2Pet.3:11). John's short discourse on how to purify oneself by abiding in Christ states, “In this the children of God are manifest” (3:10). This is how you tell (manifest) if you, he, or they (1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd person) are genuine possesors and not just professors. Some, to their shame, have twisted John's discourse into a doctrine of “sinless perfection.” I said previous that a paradox in logic, is a statement that contradicts itself, and here 1John.1:9-10 and 1John.3:9-10 seem paradoxical. John is talking here about who you are abiding in. Some profound insights help to unscramble such a perceived paradox.

Profound thoughts are generally captured in short sentences; here's one, “Your faith is what you believe, and what you believe is your faith.” “Faith” <4102 πίστις pistis> and “believe” <4100 πιστεύω pisteuo> come from the same Greek stem. Faith is all about what you believe. We can use that to better comprehend “faith is the substance of things hoped for”, “faith cometh by hearing”, “without faith it is impossible to please him”, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish”, and “for by grace are ye saved through faith.” It's all about what you believe. The essence of faith is receiving and believing what God has revealed in his Word. Now James.2:18 and Romans.4:1-5 can both make good sense, and so does John's discourse about those who are abiding in Christ and purifying themselves. Keep the faith, grow your faith, purify yourself.

An Essay for week #10, Mar 10, 2024

Israel Pilgrimage Nov 2022 www.GSBaptistChurch.com/israel22

Msg in audio at www.GSBaptistChurch.com/audio/gs240310.mp3

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