Who then is my neighbor?

Spineyman

Senior Member
Using the criteria that some have expressed concerning Eph.4., which was that the writer was only talking to believers , and applying that same criteria to 1 John 2. Then in verse 2 it would appear that John is including ALL people. So now which is it? Anyone have any thoughts?

1 John 2:2
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
" The whole world "there means not every single person, but those in the whole world who has put their trust in and placed their faith in the only One who saves. Without Faith it is impossible to please God, for first you must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek Him! Jesus will not save those who do not cling to, trust in and rely upon the blood Jesus shed for the sins of His people!
 

welderguy

Senior Member
" The whole world "there means not every single person, but those in the whole world who has put their trust in and placed their faith in the only One who saves. Without Faith it is impossible to please God, for first you must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek Him! Jesus will not save those who do not cling to, trust in and rely upon the blood Jesus shed for the sins of His people!

That seems to conflict with this:

2 Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
 

Spineyman

Senior Member
That seems to conflict with this:

2 Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Here I'm going to let you see it straight from the mouth of Jesus.
John 17 in Jesus' priestly prayer:

John 17
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He [a]should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Jesus blood was not shed for everyone, but for all whom the Father gave Jesus.
Matthew 7
Matthew 7:13-26
The Narrow Way
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Build on the Rock
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:


The Rock spoken of in the end is Jesus Christ, He is our Rock anbd our Redeemer!
 

LittleDrummerBoy

Senior Member
It seems like a stretch of hermaneutics to try and answer basic soteriology questions referencing the account of the good Samaritan. There are many scriptures that speak more directly to the soteriology questions.
 

welderguy

Senior Member
Drummer, what's your take on Eph.4:6?
Is God the Father of all? Is He in all? Is He through all? ...or just some?
 

Spineyman

Senior Member
What's your take on Eph.4:6?
Is God the Father of all? Is He in all? Is He through all? ...or just some?

We are to treat everyone as our neighbor, but not all are of the faith!
Revelation 20:11-15
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
We are to treat everyone as our neighbor, but not all are of the faith!
Revelation 20:11-15
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

A lot of verses do point to a works based salvation.
 

welderguy

Senior Member
We are to treat everyone as our neighbor, but not all are of the faith!
Revelation 20:11-15
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This is probably off topic, but do you not believe these things are going on right now? (does it not pertain to the kingdom now?)
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
No sir, you are not saved by your works, but you are saved unto good works. Faith without works is dead! Show me your faith and I'll show you your works.
Yet a lot of verses point to evil vs righteousness as to pertaining to salvation. The sheep and the goats and those Revelation verses. Regardless of salvation by faith, the proof seems to be the fruit in the form of works. This regardless if the fruit is from the free will of the individual or from the Holy Spirit.
 

LittleDrummerBoy

Senior Member
Drummer, what's your take on Eph.4:6?
Is God the Father of all? Is He in all? Is He through all? ...or just some?

I think "all" most likely refers to the audience of the letter - "God's holy people." There is a sense in which God is the "father of all" including the lost as Scripture says Adam was the son of God and we are all descendants of Adam. This is the same sense Paul used the idea when speaking to the unsaved men of Athens and quoting their poets regarding God, "We are his offspring." (Acts 17)

But Scripture places greater emphasis on the distinction between those who are adopted children of God through Christ, and the "natural" children of God through Adam. This is because the "natural" children through Adam have been adopted and parented by the devil in their slavery to sin. Jesus explains:

John 8
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
 

welderguy

Senior Member
I think "all" most likely refers to the audience of the letter - "God's holy people." There is a sense in which God is the "father of all" including the lost as Scripture says Adam was the son of God and we are all descendants of Adam. This is the same sense Paul used the idea when speaking to the unsaved men of Athens and quoting their poets regarding God, "We are his offspring." (Acts 17)

But Scripture places greater emphasis on the distinction between those who are adopted children of God through Christ, and the "natural" children of God through Adam. This is because the "natural" children through Adam have been adopted and parented by the devil in their slavery to sin. Jesus explains:

John 8
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Very good reference!
But I would have to say in response, these men had not been born again. They were in their natural, carnal state. That is clear to me. But weren't we all, before we were quickened and "washed" by regeneration, and adopted, and sealed? Romans tells about all of that, and how "such were some of you". Something to consider before you make a hard judgement on someone's eternal destiny.
 

welderguy

Senior Member
It just points to the fact that God does indeed punish some and welcome in some!

Election into the kingdom.(outside the gates of which there is weeping and gnashing of teeth)
Remember Jesus said the words of the kingdom were hidden from some. Thus, He spoke about it in parables.
 
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welderguy

Senior Member
And then there's this:

Luke 2:10-11
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

..."all people"...
 

LittleDrummerBoy

Senior Member
Very good reference!
But I would have to say in response, these men had not been born again. They were in their natural, carnal state. That is clear to me. But weren't we all, before we were quickened and "washed" by regeneration, and adopted, and sealed? Romans tells about all of that, and how "such were some of you". Something to consider before you make a hard judgement on someone's eternal destiny.

One's eternal destiny depends not on my opinion, but on whether they repent and turn to Jesus.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

I see a lot of verses that seem to say some individuals can't come or can't seek, or are perhaps hardened such as in Romans 11. It doesn't seem like it can be in the individual's hand.
 
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