As He is, So Are We in This World

We are all sinners, but Jesus said, “as he is, so are we in this world.” That is such an incredible truth, but it’s often difficult to live by. Therefore, we must let our light shine so others can see it. This will not only give you a better outlook on life but will also help others. In addition, we can spread the word of Jesus by showing others that he is alive.

aEURoeas he is, so are we in this world

Jesus promised to send a Helper to earth. On Pentecost, the Helper appeared. His disciples, having been with Jesus when he rose from the dead, were filled with the Spirit of God. The rest of the Book of Acts records how these disciples lived by the principle of aEURas he is, so are we in this world. They followed the example of Jesus. When they faced trials and setbacks, they lived by aEURas he is, so are we in this world.

Take a moment to think about the things you’ve been through as a disciple of Jesus, regardless of whether it was just a few days or years. The faith of Jesus is within you because the Lord himself dwells in your soul. Therefore, there is a clear pattern of His faithfulness and deliverance even during the most challenging times. We must look around, recognize His faithfulness, and watch it in our everyday lives.

Take a read verse 17. It also speaks of being united by Jesus in us with His Love Communion with you. It is important to note that this love reaches its utmost perfection when it is fulfilled by our acceptance and response to this love. Then comes the final phrase from verse 17 ” because as He is, so are we in this world.”

This is a remarkable statement. As He is as we are, we, too, are not shortly when we are together with Him on the other side of heaven. No, we are who He is right now! This means that we already have victory in any situation or circumstance, regardless of how it may appear. It is a sign that we have everything we require, in fact, and more than we need. Believe this and notice this in your everyday life. As we get used to it, we become accustomed to it, and once we believe it is expected, we will tend to display it to everyone else throughout our lives.

In John, Jesus declared that we could accomplish more as He did. ” As He is, so are we in this world.” We are awed by His power to rule, authority, and supremacy in all things. This is what we ought to expect to see and experience in Him.

I’ve often seen Hyper-Grace teachers rely on the final section in I John 4:17 – “As He (Christ) is, so are we in this world!” It explains that no matter how much we sin as Christians, God the Father sees us just as he saw Christ! So, in their view that just as God the Father will never sentence or condemn Christ for hell’s punishment, so we as believers are not imprisoned or go to hell. In one of his devotional works, a well-known hyper-grace false teacher and cultic preacher from Singapore are quoted as saying (quoting the same passage), “It is wonderful to realize that God doesn’t measure or determine your worth based on your actions today. Instead, he is looking at Jesus and, since Jesus is, that’s what He views you as… as believers in the new covenant, we don’t have to worry about the day of judgment… as just as Jesus is the same way, we too are living in the present world!”(100 Days of Favor, page 200).

What are our options to deal with this?

Before we can interpret the meaning of any Bible verse, we must first understand the context behind the passage. We can determine the context I John via the writings of Andreas J. Kostenberger. He writes, “John likely wrote his epistles just a few years after the Gospel, to the congregations who knew the Gospel. It is apparent that he implied that this is the case by referring to it repeatedly, to the gospel “which you have had since the beginning” (i.e., Gospel 1 John 2:7) in his first two epistles (also, e.g., 1 John 1:1 2:24; 2:24 3:11 2 John 5 6). Perhaps, proto-gnostic (a group of believers who believed that it was not important whether you committed sins with their body)or some other lies had ensnared John’s supervised congregations and shaken faith by denigrating the reality of the sin (l John 1:8, 10) and insisting on the necessity of a special “inside information” (this is the meaning in 1 John 2:20 27). In his first epistle, which was written shortly after these teachers were gone from the congregation (1 John 2:19), John is seeking to comfort believers who are still shaken (see especially. 1 John 5:13; 2:20, 27; 3:24 4:3). ‘[Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary and Theological Perspective, 2013 Edition].

The interpretation of the hyper-grace teachers of I John 4:17 is wrong for the five following reasons:

1. THE “PAROUSIA” REASON:

We must first be reminded of the more considerable significance of this Bible Book; this verse is taken. It comes from I John. John evidently, does not contradict the things he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and elsewhere within that book. What was he writing about in I John 3:2? It reads: “Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we’ll become is not yet revealed. We do know that when Christ arrives, we will be like him because we will be able to see him for what Jesus is”. The message John is teaching us here is quite explicit: we’re not yet entirely identical for Christ right now! But, when Jesus returns (an occasion referred to as “parousia”), We will become like Jesus. Therefore until the time is right, we must become more holy, supported by grace, every day, and in all likelihood, the next verse, I John 3:3, reads, “All who believe in hope in this hope(of Jesus’ Second Coming) within him(Christ) ishes themselves clean, like he(Christ) has been pure.” is a call to live a holy life every day In some sense, the believers are “already” as Jesus however, we are “not quite” in the sense of. Christians will become identical to Jesus when Jesus’ second coming occurs. In I John 4:17, John did not open a way for believers to live in sin because “as Christ is, so we are also in this world.” “!!! Hyper-Grace False teachers from cults desperate to find biblical evidence for the falsehood of their claims twist any Scripture by their personal preferences!

2. THE “PLURAL PERSONAL PRONOUN” REASON

The second is when we focus on the term “we” (a plural personal pronoun) that is found within I John 4:17[“As He (Christ) is the same as we are within this present world” and the remainder in the epistle we will recognize that the hyper-grace instructor’s excuse for sins in I John 4:17 is wrong. The meaning of this verse should not conflict with the book’s other “we” passages. The passage is found in I John 1:6; Apostle John writes, “If we claim that WE are in fellowship with Jesus, but we live in darkness, we are lying and are not living what the truth”(ESV) is. In this passage, Apostle John made it clear that a close relationship with Jesus can result in the conscious renunciation of sin (‘darkness’). It is in I John 2:3 that Apostle John makes a different “we” statement which goes as follows: “And by this, we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments” (ESV). As per the Apostle, according to the way we interpret it from this part of the letter, being aware of Jesus and abrogating the instructions that Jesus gave (including his warnings against lusting(Matt.5:28) in a loose manner (Matt. 5:22), etc.] cannot be done in tandem. 5:22), etc. John 3:24 says, “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,” is another “we” statement that re-hammers the same message – so that we forget it the first time Apostle John mentions the subject. He has already stated it in the Gospel that he recorded (Check the passage John 14:21, which says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me,” and John 14:15 isn’t too different).

It is in I John 2:28; Apostle John writes, “And now, children be a part of him so that when he comes, we will be able to trust him and not shun him in shame upon His coming”(ESV). The message that Apostle John is aiming to convey to us is as clear as an hour. This is the message: “If we don’t abide in Jesus today, now, and forever, He has the right to leave us once he returns! If we continue to sin without shame, then we will be shamed in the end!”

We must focus on each “we” reference in I John because I John 4:17 is the Bible reference that hyper-grace cultists often quote, including the word “we” in it [“As Christ (Christ) is the same as we are in this world.” !”]. We’d like to know by the author’s additional “we” references in this letter if we allow us to live in sin! We’re doing this because the hyper-grace cultists would like to suggest that based on I John 4:19, ‘staying clear of the sins’ (what they, unfortunately, call a negative term “performance”) is not something that we ought to be concerned about. The next destination on the “We” journey is I John 3:12, which reads in the following manner: “We should not be as Cain who was of the evil one who killed the son of his brother”(ESV). The hyper-grace deceivers want to convince you they believe that “righteous living” has nothing to do with abstaining from sin! If this were true, why did Apostle John write, “We should not be like Cain, who sinned murder!” If “righteousness” has nothing to be associated with sin, as hyper-grace hell-headers claim, Bible writers don’t use such instances. Yet, these examples are frequently used! Thus, the teaching of hyper-grace is entirely and not biblical!

In the last “we” passage, we will be referring to understanding the conduct that God wants in the “we” referred to in I John 4:17 – the Bible verse that the hyper-grace cultist makes a fuss about the verse can be found in I John 5:18. The question we’re posing is simple: Does I John 4:17 encouraging “your sin does not matter to God” doctrine? The answer is simple: “If it can be established beyond doubt elsewhere within the letter, John preaches the absurd teaching. We can then conclude that “your sin is not important to God since when God recognizes you as a person who believes, he will see Christ.” But as we have seen so far, the evidence in the rest of I John does NOT support this dangerously wrong, taking-people-to-hell teaching. The culmination is the flat rejection of the false derivations that are found within I John 5:18: “We are aware that anyone who God has created does not continue to SINNING ….”(ESV) (or “make a habit of sinning” according to The New Living Translation).

3. THE ‘PERFECT’ REASON

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. “This is how 1 John 4:17 is interpreted (NKJV). The basic meaning of this passage is: “those who abide in Christ, there is nothing to fear on the Day of Judgment!” The preceding verse, I John 4:16 – is concerning “abiding” (ESV)! When “love perfected” would give us courage on the Day of Judgment (as I John 4:17 instructs), It is important to be asking how “love perfected.” The answer lies in I John 2:5, which says, “but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this, we may know that we are in Him.” The love that God perfects is not in the hands of a believer who continues to kick – instead of obeying – the commandments of God, which is the purpose from John 2:5. John 2:5. The message in I John 4:17 is not one of awe-inspiring grace”The Lord is gracious to you. “Don’t worry about sin, for God sees only the perfect Jesus, not stubbornly sinning, you!”

4. THE PRESENT-CONTINUOUS TENSE REASON

There’s a second reason why we should not discredit as a brazen lie the interpretation of the hyper-grace camp’s I John 4:17 to justify living a life of sin. This is because, throughout his writings, John deliberately employs the present continuous tense to make an argument in theology for faith within Christ and a continual abstention from sin. David Pawson writes, “There is the same usage of the present continuous tense (in John’s letters and epistles as in the Gospels). “Who is who overcomes to overcome all the other people? It is only one who believes (continues to believe) the fact that Jesus is the God-fearing Son of God (I John 5:5 ).'” “Once saved, always saved. Page 49[Once Saved, Always Saved? page 49].

Pawson says: “Recalling the analogy of the vine and the branches, John reminds his correspondents that ‘God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has [is having] the Son has [is having] life; he who does not have [is not having] the Son of God does not have [is not having] life’ (I John 5:11-12). We cannot have this eternal life in ourselves independently of the Son. We must ‘remain’ in Him to enjoy it.” This is the meaning John suggests by his constant use of the present-continuous verb when he writes: “The initial act of turning from sin and putting one’s faith in Christ is not enough. This must be done continually throughout one’s life!” Pawson highlights John’s use of “if” in I John 2:24 is another obvious evidence that “once saved, always saved” is not the case “once saved, always saved” wrong doctrine (which the hyper-grace cult leaders adhere to) isn’t biblical. Take a look at I John 2:24 yourself: “See that what you’ve learned from the beginning stays (abides and remains) within your mind. If it does, you will also be (abide in, remain) with the Son and the Father.

Howard Marshall points out that in I John 4:2, John states, “Jesus has come in the flesh” instead of using the past tense to claim, “Jesus Christ came in the flesh.” Marshall explains why John’s initial epistle contains so many instances of the continuous tense in the present: “The use of present and perfect tenses are important if the goal is that Jesus Christ has come and is existed”[The Epistles of John, page 70]. This is the message that these false prophets of the day and, later, the Gnostics were denying. They believed that Jesus only became divine after he was baptized and that he was no longer divine until dying on the Cross. In the context of our time, those who teach falsehood in the present and the hyper-grace cults do not believe in the necessity of continuous adherence to Christ and the necessity of constant belief in Christ, and the necessity to keep a constant stance against besetting sins as part of everyday life as a God-pleasing Christian.

5. THE ‘PACK’ REASON

I John 4:17 – ‘as He is, so are we in this world – cannot be used to justify the wrong, taking-people-to-hell teaching of hyper-grace. This is the primary reason for this essay. The final reason I believe this is that I refer to”the “pack” reason. In the entirety of John’s writings, John repeatedly pleaded to a continuous living in Christ and a continuous refusal to live a life in sin. Outside of First John, Apostle John wrote The Gospel of John, Second John, and the Third John, as well as Revelation. So let’s take a look at the most straightforward way of what he says about the continued adherence of the Christian, who is an expectation for gaining access to heaven in each of these works:

Jesus’ Gospel in John Jesus declares that once-saved Judas (his namesake was recorded in heaven (see Luke 10:20) was now lost (John 17:12). In this same Gospel, Jesus utilized the analogy of the vine to insist on the continuous faith of believers in Jesus memorably. If a believer is stubbornly refusing to be a part of the church, he could be removed from the branch(symbolic of losing salvation) and placed in the fire(symbolic of hell’s punishment)(See John 15:6).

In the book of Second John, there is only one chapter. In that one section, John is adamant about the false teaching that “once saved forever saved. He says, “Watch yourself, so that you do not lose what you have done for, but be rewarded with an exclusive reward. Every person who keeps going and doesn’t abide by the teachings of Christ does not belong to God. Anyone who abides by the teaching includes both the Father and son” (2 John 8,9 ESV). If one is not “abiding,” you are at risk of “losing” the “loss” that is the message in this passage of Scripture. What do you lose? Not just “rewards” in heaven but even a place in heaven! What’s the reason? Go back to verse 9 and read it again “Whoever abides in the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son.” If this is the case and the result is applicable: “Whoever does NOT abide in the teachings of Christ is not able to have both the Father and the Son. …” Also, the ones who willfully do not abide by Christ’s teachings are headed to hell, destruction, and a place of suffering where they will never enjoy any connection in the presence of Father and the Son!

In the Third John, the author writes, “Those who do evil prove that they do not know God” (verse 11 NLT). If you don’t have a relationship with God in the flesh, Jesus will not be able to go to heaven. as we can see through other works John wrote.

Within the Book of Revelation, The Apostle John writes, “everyone who LOVES and practices falsehood” is going into hell (Rev. 22:15). Therefore, the person who continues to be in sin and is prone to continue to sin without turning away from sin this is the kind of person who is a believer that will end up in hell. John wrote the following after writing the following: “Nothing impure will enter it (the New Jerusalem, which is symbolic of heaven), nor will anyone who does what is shameful and deceitful” (Rev. 21:27). Notice that he does not say, “nor will anyone who committed a shameful crime. ….” Thus, the main thrust of this passage of Scripture is “those who continue to do what is shameful and deceitful and do not repent will ULTIMATELY end up in hell.”

The message of Revelation presented by John (the author who penned seemingly-hyper-grace-promoting I John 4:17) is straightforward. The Revelation encourages the believers of God to “ENDURE” (Rev. 3:10 gives us a command to obey) as well as “OVERCOME”(Rev. 2:11). Revelation 2:11 in the accurate-to-the-original-text New American Standard Bible goes this way: ‘He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever overcomes is not harmed in the subsequent death. This Bible verse explains that those who do not overcome will be affected by the second death (the sequela of Rev. 2:11). What is the second death in the eyes of John? Revelation 21:8 is a comparison of the second death with hell’s punishment. The message in Revelation 2:11, written by apostle John (he was recording words Jesus had given him), is that Only those who overcome make it to heaven.

When we go through I John 4:17 – ‘As He is as we are in this world, we need to look at it in light of the entire collection of John’s works. This would mean In the same way: As God is as He is, so are we (we who live in abiding, we who have overcome the odds, we who are continuing, etc.) in the world! Do not let the cult of the hyper-grace false teachers trick you into going to hell in this respect! Be careful! Be vigilant!