Bulletin Articles
MUCH ADO ABOUT WALKING IN THE LIGHT (PART 1)
MUCH ADO ABOUT WALKING IN THE LIGHT (PART 1)
The current discussion on "walking in light" has produced more than its. share of ambiguities and contradictions, with some unethical treatment of brethren. These have, however, been thankfully offset by some fair treatment and open study. But the total picture has also revealed our weakness in dealing with basic theological concepts, and that should concern us greatly. We are not theologians – nor do I fault us for that. For the most part, we have been content to dwell on the surface: seeking practical, simple ways of teaching the commands of the gospel, and giving but cursory attention to more basic concepts. But this does not feed with "meat," nor prepare us to discuss revealed principles that require critical analysis and exegesis. We trip over our own terminology, and contradict principles we would never violate in another context. I freely acknowledge my own inadequacies in these matters, but ask you to carefully consider this effort to improve our study "tools."
We must seek common ground for a beginning, and "we hold these truths to be self-evident" among the believing students of the New Testament who will likely read this article.
(1) All have sinned, and do "come short," i.e., continue to sin (Rom. 3:23). The first phrase "gathers up the whole race into one statement (a timeless aorist)"; "and come short. . . " is "continued action, still fall short" says Robertson (Word Pictures). Aliens sin; and people who have obeyed the gospel also sin; surely there are none who doubt it.
(2) All would be lost save for the grace of God, who forgives sins on the basis of the substitutionary offering of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24f). Aliens would be lost without forgiveness; people who have been baptized would be lost without further forgiveness. Does not everyone agree to this? I believe they do.
(3) God has stipulated conditions upon which an alien's sins will be remitted (faith, repentance, confession, baptism; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38); and He has given conditions whereby His children will be forgiven (repent, confess and pray; Acts 8:22, Jas. 5:16). Obviously, I am giving abbreviated statements and references, but my readers surely understand, and agree with these basics.
(4) I am persuaded most of my readers will also agree that the citing of unusual or hypothetical cases (a crocodile got him as he was about to be baptized, or before he could say "I have sinned") do not change these basics. We believe our job is to preach the revealed pattern; and leave "what if" contingencies in His hands.
Now, having these basics in common, how can we have such differing concepts about "forgiveness" and "walking in light" of 1 John 1? I believe the "bottom line" is (1) mechanical exegesis, ignoring contextual effects upon words and phrases; and (2) failure to recognize the grammatical and contextual meaning and use of "walking. " These errors get us into doctrinal trouble. Then we speculate or invent new "rules" to get out-and only make matters worse. Here we will consider some errors that get us into this mess.
I.B. Grubbs, in Exegetical Analysis, p. 4, says: “The carnal man, as described in Rom. 8:5-8, is the godless man, as standing in full contrast with children of God; but this term is applied with less meaning, of course, to believing ‘babes in Christ’ in 1 Cor. 3:1. And the word is still further contracted in force when applied to Paul by himself, Rom. 7:14, under a comparison with the faultless law of God. It is one of the chief sources of erroneous exegesis that men adopt a sort of arithmetical method of interpretation, and deal with words as if they were numerals, in overlooking the obvious contextual import which they often acquire.”
In Romans 6:23 "the wages of sin" is contrasted with "the gift of God," and "death" is contrasted with "eternal life." Paul's sins, and Peter's, and those of babes in Corinth (1 Cor. 3:3), had not yet reached their eternal conclusion. This does not mean they could not produce such a conclusion. Any sin, unforgiven, will condemn eternally. That is why sinners are warned about all sin. We must "buffet" our body (1 Cor. 9:27); repent, confess, and pray for forgiveness, lest our sins produce the final death. But "a sin" is not "apostasy" in any and every context. (Apostasy means "abandonment, total desertion of principles or faith.") Basic error: the mechanical use of terms.
--Robert F. Turner (to be concluded next week)
